Dotun Eyinade
Bisi woke up that cold breezy morning with a stomach upset. The previous night, she had eaten her favourite delicacy, even gone for a third helping. She couldn’t seem to have enough of the steaming African dish, which she devoured in record time. Gripping her tummy, she rolled over the bed reaching for the switch. Thumping the miniscule switch down, the room lit up. She slid out of the flowery bed sheet, sprang to her feet and hurriedly dashed for the toilet to relieve herself.
Emerging minutes later, after emptying her bowels and sprucing herself up, she lowered herself into the wooden chair in the corner of the room; in front of her, was a mirror into which she stared intently. She applied all kinds of paint on her small wrinkle-free face. Smiling at what she saw in the mirror, she commended herself for the artistic feat. Now looking more like a painted mascot than the innocent young girl that woke up minutes ago, she struggled into bland–looking denim and threw on a red top. She darted across the room and made for the living room.
By then, her folks had left for work. The thought of the long boring day that lay ahead of her made her cringe. She pondered on what to do. Sinking her tiny frame into the couch, her skinny hands reached for the remote control pad. She flicked through the channels; and threw away the pad when she discovered that, they were bland and uninteresting.
Impulsively, she decided to pay her boyfriend; Emeka, a surprise visit. Leaping to her feet, she cluttered her leather bag and started for the door. She descended the stairs with her hands trailing the painted balustrade, and strolled into the street, staring at the cars speeding away. On flagging a taxi, she lowered her head, to haggle with the bald man behind the steering wheel.
“Island polytechnic”
“Four hundred naira”
“Three fifty”
“Enter”
She stared into the road as the car ate up mileage. Her well – manicured fingers smoothened her kinky hair, stroking the ruffled braids dangling over her broad shoulders. She shoved her hands into her leather bag, producing a miniature mirror. She stared fixedly into it again and again to see if her makeup was still intact. Her mind raced back to the sweet memories she shared with her heart throb. Looking eagerly forward to meeting him, she tried conjuring the confused look on his face when he would set his eyes on her. The bald man behind the wheel stole a quick look at her. Seeing that, she was lost in thought, he broke into a leer as he let out a suggestive high-pitched whistle. His bulky head turned round over his shoulders and he beamed a coy smile, this time revealing his stained teeth. She caught his piercing eyes and hissed.
“Please concentrate on the road.”
“You wan teach me my job?” the driver said in rotten English, as he changed gear, putting distance between the car and those racing behind.
Suddenly, the driver broke wind. Lost in thought, she didn’t perceive the foul odour until the flatulence became louder. Hissing angrily again, she caught the driver stealing a mischievous look at her through the rear view. He broke into a loud bestial laugh, revealing his missing incisors even more. The stench was now assailing her nostrils and she cleared her throat and spewed the phlegm out of the car window.
“Stop the car” she howled.
The driver pulled up by the roadside. Now raging with fury, she started to heap invectives and curses on the skinny man. The weather – beaten car spilled her, while the driver disembarked and ran to her hurriedly. His bald head was now reflecting the sun rays. One would have thought a mirror adorned his bony temple as it shone in the sweltering heat.
“Wey my money?” he barked, stretching his lean hands. His face creased into a frown.
“I refuse to pay; old scallywag” she retorted curtly.
“Na you be scali … scali … “
She didn’t even turn back as she walked away leaving the old fool to sulk helplessly. The afternoon was now sizzling hot and sun rays mercilessly burned her fair skin. Her face was covered with sweat eroding her make up in the process. It suddenly dawned on her that her red top was now smeared by her makeup. She cursed silently under her breath. Having walked a few yards, she saw a huge sign post with the inscription: ISLAND POLYTECHNIC, JUBA. She thanked her stars as she lengthened her strides, walking gracefully towards the direction. Pausing in front of the mammoth gate, she reached for her bag and fumbled with her cell phone. Her long fingers dialed the key pad and she spoke into it.
“Hello darling” she said, her face lightened up into a smile, her first in minutes.
“Hi my love,” a husky voice responded at the other end.
“Where are you?”
“Abuja. I am on an assignment.”
She suddenly flinched as she saw a taxi screeching to a halt. A young man clad in a blue top and denim holding a beautiful lady with long braids alighted. They held each other in a tight embrace as the man clutched his cell phone, speaking unconcernedly into it. She broke into sweat and was immediately covered with goose pimples. She stammered into the phone; her eyes were now burning with surprise.
“A … A … Abuja on assignment?”
“Yes in the company of my … “ Groping for words as he turned to meet the cold frown of the lady standing beside him.
“Girlfriend”She quickly offered; biting her lips in angst and shock.
She dashed away from the scene. Embarrassed and dejected, a rush of emotions passed through her veins. She nearly collapsed on her way to a waiting taxi. As it moved away, she couldn’t afford to look at Emeka, her boyfriend for 7 months; a man she planned to get married to. What a disaster, shame and disgrace. She trusted him. But he paid back with infidelity.
Since then, he has been disturbing her with frequent phone calls and uncountable text messages; pleading for a second chance. But how can she?
Culled from XPRESSIONZ magazine 2th edition (2006)
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