ADUN....

Picture credit: thestudentroom.com 

The silence echoed. Only to be interrupted by the dancing sounds of the printer. It was calibrating again. Actually this was the twelfth time it had done that since morning. I can’t quite recall what Segun had said during his last maintenance visit about why it needed to do that. He had been grinning sheepishly at me again on that day. Nneoma had coined an absurd theory that I had faked a faulty printer call as an excuse to see him. She hadn’t thought that was my intention. However, she was certain that was what Segun thought. How delusional of him. How can he even begin to assume I’d ever date his type?

I picked up the control and turned up the heat by two degrees. It has finally stopped drizzling but the weather was still chilled. I took another sip of my tea, and listened for my boss’ movement. I picked up on Nneoma’s muffled giggles coming from her cubicle across the wing. That chic hath no worries in the world so long as she has her phone loaded with airtime and in hand. “At what time?” and then thunderous giggles followed as her voice echoed through the silence of the empty wing. All the other staff had been compelled to attend the ongoing sales training scheduled for the Fridays of this month.

Nneoma and I are scheduled to attend next week Friday’s with the ACC wing staff. I stared blankly at the spreadsheet of inventories, on my desktop screen that I needed to balance. I listened for my boss’ movement, realizing Nneoma was no longer in her seat. I glanced quickly at the wall clock. She must have gone out for one of her numerous lunch dates. Those are the only times she never bothered to enquire about my skipping lunch.

I reclined my seat until I was within earshot and could now hear the sound of shuffling papers coming from his office. He is so fond of skipping his lunch. I pondered for a second whether to call in and remind him it was lunch break but stopped myself instead and dropped the receiver. I am not sure what mood he is in right now. He yelled a lot especially in the mornings and then some afternoons. I have barely ever found him yelling at anyone in the evenings, however, and have never understood this. A lot of times I wonder what makes him so grouchy. It must be that girlfriend of his. I hissed. He hasn’t screamed at me this morning for resuming an hour late. I deliberately avoided him all morning. He hasn’t called in to yell either which is panning out as a good sign. My phone beeped with an incoming message but I ignored it. My ears remained concentrated at spying on my boss. The printer started to dance again as it recalibrated. A deafening silence followed. Most of staff must have gone for their lunch breaks, my tummy churned at the thought of food. I stared blankly at my desktop screen. Today was one of those days when my brain refused to process. Maybe it was because of the difficulty I had experienced getting to work this morning. “That useless bus conductor”, I cursed under my breath and hissed.

I let my right palm fall faced-up to my chin as my elbow rested at the edge of my desk. I retained this position and allowed my mind spiral towards the sounds of footsteps coming from my boss’ office. He must be pacing around on a call. It must be that his girlfriend. I rolled my eyes. What was a hunk of a man like him doing being worked up by a bonga fish of a female? The things I have seen in this Lagos, since arriving it last year from Ife.  Tiny skinny over-bleached girls riding Range Rovers, controlling big men and boys of Lekki. I sighed. Whatever happened to men’s desire for real meat and an original ebony reserve? I’m not even saying I’m all that fine but at least I have everything a guy would want in a woman; round firm buttock, average height, glowing chocolate skin and a C-cup firm breasts. Severally, I had caught Segun staring at them longingly. Even Akin that likes to form he can never be engaged in office romance can’t take his eyes off them. If he thinks I believe for one minute all his mean façade towards me then he is as dumb as I’d initially thought about him.

Good thing we are placed on different schedules for the training, I can’t deal with all that ego drive on free time. The pacing had stopped. I wonder what he is up to now. He’s probably viewing the news with those brown glassy eyes of his that reflected each time the light fell on his face. Unconsciously I sighed, bracing myself. He has the strongest and finely defined set of jaws I have ever seen in my whole twenty six years of living. I wish he could smile more often. He probably would if bonga fish told him more often how much his cute pink lips fitted finely with his face.  I bet she doesn’t even realise how his hair curls up whenever he forgets to groom over the weekend or how he smells of sweet tidings [grape vines] in the mornings and aired cornfields in the afternoons. Does she even fathom how alluring he is; born and dressed only to walk the covers of every prestigious magazine? I gave off a heavy sigh.

Am I the only one who sees these things? I let my eyes travel around the empty desks until it fell flatly on the wall clock. It’s past 3’o clock, Nneoma hasn’t returned. I guess she noticed he wasn’t his usual active self today and has taken it as a good sign to extend her break. I bet she has noticed other things too. Sometimes I wonder what she stares at whenever she looks at him with those pale unreadable eyes of hers. He can never be attracted to her type; she’s way bulkier than I am and he seems to prefer bonga fish. I rolled my eyes and sighed for the umpteenth time. Oh how I would do all the nicest things to him without a second thought.

I had not heard his footsteps until he was standing over my desk, his eyes shining at me with exasperation. I quickly adjusted myself. Oh crap, it was too late to act on busy, I thought as I stopped the disoriented mouse shuffling. He was observing me with a quiet disposition, one of our Client’s proposals at hand. “Adun, your lateness of recent is unacceptable” he seemed mildly irritated by something else. “Chief Koku just called in complaining that the proposal hasn’t reached him. What the hell were you occupied with that you failed to remind me of the deadline?” he stared at me quizzically. His brown eyes shun diamonds. I got lost as my heart caught at a million emotions at a time. He called me by my first name. He has never called me by my first name. I have always been Miss Ajayi until now. I cleared my throat, “I am so sorry Mr. Adio-Moses”. He hasn’t stopped staring at me as I responded with a plea. I can’t tell his mood or what is running through his mind.  He seems distracted by a distant thought. “I am off to a meeting and I shall close work from there” the proposal hit my desk with a hard and loud slap.

“I am so sorry Wale,” I mumbled under my breath as I watched him exit the room. Something is very off about him today. I dashed quickly at him and stopped him abruptly in his steps. He stared at me solemnly surprised. A few seconds passed while I allowed myself settle into my new found boldness. “Sir, are you okay. Do you need anything I can do for you?”. “Err....” He paused, in a struggle fit on what angle of response he should take. “Oyinkan… er.. Miss Dawodu has left me.” He was gauging my reaction. “She… I found out this morning that she is getting married to an old acquaintance of mine” We stared at each other, his despair now glaring. I want to hug him but I took his left hand into mine and gave his palm a gentle squeeze. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me, observing me, a glint of a smile in his eyes. Oh God! We dropped each other’s hands almost at the same time. He cleared his throat. “Have a lovely weekend, Adun”. He was off.

Bonga fish has left him. I thought repeatedly as I watched him leave. Bonga fish is gone! We just had a moment alone and he called me Adun.  I wished I had hugged him instead. Tight enough until he realizes it that he doesn’t need her. That she’s not the girl for him. I braced my heart with my mind suddenly feeling an urge to dance or faint or do both. 

.....Watch-Out for a Sequel.....