'Dear,you look so excited today'he said
'Well,thats because am happy' she said laughing
'Do you care to share with me,that which is making you happy' he asked,moving closer to her side
'Yes Yes Yes,but you have to guess'she smiled knowingly.
'And you know,am not so good at guessing'
'Just try something jo' she pushed him gently.
'You probably won a visa lotterry' he joked.
'Hell no,i never told i wanted one'
'You're happy that you're through with school'
'Hmm,thats 10% true,keep guessing'
'Out with it dear,am not a good guesser,so dont keep me in dark'
'Well should i tell you or not' she joked
'Please tell me,i want to share in your happiness' he was wearing a more serious look.
'Okay,the postings are out,and have just been posted to Abuja for my service' she said happily
'Oh! how good'he laughed,and hugged her tightly.
There was a partial frown on his face,although he was smiling,he did a good job of trying to hid th frown,but she had seen it.
'Pretty reason to be happy though,all the same am happy for you dear' he pulled her close,and kissed her lightly on her lips.
Thank you,i can't wait to tell mum at dinner.'
'Goodluck girl' he said
'Thanks boy'
They both burst into laughter.
Breaking the news to her mum had been so easy,her mother was so happy for her,Abuja was her dream city,she had read a lot about the place,and to think thats where Aso Rock is,and here is an opportunity to live and work in Abuja for a whole year,Nothing sounds better than that,she cleared the table after dinner.
Earlier in the day,her friend Zainab had called her to tell that,she had also been posted in Abuja,they had shared gist and laughed happily.She slept late watching Merlin season4.
It was a great day after all.
Morning Noises.The chatter of sparrows outside her window,birds calling on each other,and the rattle of dishes in the kitchen.
Janet stretched luxuriously,her mind only gradually coming back on line.It had been a wild evening,even if you balanced the pros and cons.
She sat up in bed looking at the twisted sheets,the pillows on the floor and crumpled condition of the lace at the throat of her shortie nightgown.
The kettle whistled from the kitchen,that must be Judy in there,their househelp.She was about getting out of bed,when her phone rang,the knew who the caller was,by the ringtone.And why was he calling her this early.
'Hello darling' she said laughing into the mouthpiece.
'Hello Dear'he said 'Did you sleep well?'
'Yes,i did.Hop u did too' she paused, 'And thanks for taking me out yesterday.'
'My pleasure dear,i called to inform you about a change that came up' His voice plunged low.
'Change?what is it?'
'Actually,i had to reshedule something and ...... ....' he started
'Jacob,dont patronize me,and cut this preamble' she was beginning to get afraid but didn't let it show in her voice,she craddled the phone closer to her ears.
'Be calm dear,i changed your posting' he said calmly.
'Look,i dont get you'
'You'll no longer serve in Abuja' he began.
'what? I didn't hear you well,pls come again' she managed in a cool voice.
'You heard me baby'
'Just cut the baby,' she snapped 'why did you do that,i love Abuja,and am going to serve there'
'I wanted you to be close to me,i dont want to lose you' he explained to her.
'Crap! You had no reason to do that,you didnt even consult me' she said.
'Anyway,you'll live and work here in Lagos' that sounded more like an order.
'Fine,its alright,bye'
'Its okay baby,i'll call you later' he dropped the call.
Janet let her phone drop on the bed,she was devastated,she had dreamed of working there,and here was Jacob,blowing up her plan.She sulked all morning,she took her bath and wore a worn out jean on a faded red top,she had omellete,toast bread and juice for breakfast,Judy sure knows how to make tasty meals.
Her mother had gone to work,Janet was watching Music Africa in the sitting room,when the door bell rang.
'Judy,please get the door' she called.
Judy,who was in the kitchen went to open the door.
'Good afternoon sir,how are you sir.Yes sir,she's in' she answered all at once. She opened the door wider to let him in.
'Hello Janet' He drawled
'Hi Jacob,please sit down' She said waving him to the couch.
'C'mon dear,are you still angry with me dear? You know i did it all for you,i dont want you off my sight' he said sitting by her side.
She nodded,'Its okay dear'.
'And i have a surprise for you' he glanced at her and brought out something from his pocket.
Excitement lighted up in her eyes,she leaned closer to have a look.
'Not so fast dear' he said,standing up,he drew her up, 'Come look at this',and she followed him outside.
'Where are you taking me too' she laughed,Jacob opened the gate and drew her along.
'Here,we come' he stopped in front of a fiery red Toyota Camry,a brand new car.Janet closed her eyes and opened them again,the car was still there.
Jacob handed her the key to the car
'Hey boy,i dont understand this mini drama' she looked surprised and happy at the same time.
'Hey girl,i got this for you' he said placing his hands on the beautiful car
'Oh! Jacob' understanding dawned on her,she smiled brightly
'Thank you so much' She jumped into his opened arms.
'You'll be needing it very much' he smiled at her. 'Do you like it?' he asked.
'Yes baby,i love it' She kissed him lightly on his lips.
'Lets finish that inside!'
Janet was all smiles.They went inside holding hands.
That night,Janet and her mum did a mini celebration,Judy made fried rice with chicken,they had salad to go with it.She called Hannah in school to inform her too.
She was so excited,she loved the car and it looked beautiful,sitting in their well trimmed compound.
She called Jacob later in the night to thank him again.The anger she felt in the morning was gone,it was replaced with a burning love and desire for her boyfriend.She just prayed that over time,Jacob' mother would come to accept her as part of his world,she prayed again.she lay on her bed and off she slept.
To be continued at 5pm.
