MD was quiet. He was obviously trying to make sense of what I just said. Even me, I wasn’t sure I made much sense with what I just said but I just had to say something and it was the first thing that came to my head.
“So, what’s the big deal about selling shoes? What makes you think you will make your money back? And how do you hope to sell them if I may ask?” MD quizzed me. I was not totally surprised he was asking questions, that’s MD for you.
“I will go to offices and sell to their workers,” I answered, looking straight into his eyes.
“And you think that guarantees that you will get back your money?”
“Yes, now, why not?” I threw back at him, starting to feel frustrated.
“See, MD, me, I’m tired of these questions o, just let me know, are you going to give me the money or not?” I shot at him.
Finally, he shook his head, smiled and asked me: “Okay, even if I’m going to give you any money, how much are we looking at here?”
“Well, you know these things are really expensive, MD, and I want to buy as much as possible so I can make enough profit…”
“How much?” MD interjected, he was tired of my stories.
“Okay, I’m thinking twenty –five thousand naira will do,” I finally let it out.
MD ‘s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Twenty-five thousand naira was quite a lot of money back then.
“Twenty- five?” he snarled, his face contorting into a furious looking mask.
“Young lady, that’s a lot of money you’re asking for, you know?” he’d thrown at me.
“I know, MD, but that’s exactly what I need to be able to make good money out of the business.”
“But I remember I gave you some money not so long ago and you haven’t…..”
“Ah! MD, I don’t like this o, I don’t like it at all!” I snapped at him. “How much am I asking for that you’re now querying me over money that you gave me long time ago? Are you saying I am wasteful when it comes to money? See o, just in case you have forgotten, I am the mother of your only child, it would be unfair for me to be begging you for money every time I have something important that I need for.” And from that point, I started sobbing, making out I was really upset.
The man gave up. “Okay, okay, it’s okay, you don’t have to start crying, please, I will give you the money!”
“Are you sure, darling?” I turned to him, the excitement evident in my voice.
“Of course, I’m sure. Have I ever promised you something and failed to keep it?” he asked. I shook my head. “So, then why are you doubting me? Just make sure you put the money into good use, that’s what’s important.
“So, when am I getting the money?” I snuggled onto him as I asked.
“This evening, I will give you a cheque and you will go cash it at bank tomorrow.”
Inside me, I smiled as heaved a sigh of relief. That’s a done deal.
Let me no bore you all with the details of how well I showed my appreciation to MD for the cheque. Let’s just say I took him to cloud nine and back. To be honest, I always knew I was lucky and privileged to have a man like MD in my life. A much younger man would’ve been totally difficult to handle for me. A lot of times, hell would’ve let lose between us. But MD, being older and far more mature than I am, always knew how to handle things differently. Even when I knew I had stepped out of line, and he knew so too, he rarely would get overly angry with me. Rather, he would simply let me know I was over stepping my bounds and ask me to retrace my steps. And it worked all the time.
That is why I always feel a pang of guilt anytime I did something I knew he mustn’t know about. My conscience would not let me rest. Like this one. Getting pregnant was the last thing on my mind. It just happened. I was prepared for it. One moment of heated passion and madness with Jerry brought this upon me. And now am stuck with a pregnancy that I don’t want. The irony of it all is that MD badly wants me to have another baby for him. At his age, the only child he has is Junior, which I gave to him. His wife of many years is yet to give him a single child. Truth is, except if a miracle happens, she can no longer give him a child at her age. She definitely must be past her menopause by now. So, that leaves only me as MD’s only chance of a second child. And that is what he has been begging me for all these years. Junior is already four years old. He is a carbon copy of his father. MD loves him to death and the little boy likes his father a great deal too. But, like Oliver Twist, the man wants another. Unfortunately for him, and for me too, I guess, while MD was away on a business trip for weeks, Jerry appeared from the blues and I perhaps because I was already feeling lonesome, he was able to sweep me off, my feet once again, like he did back then, many years ago. And before I could stop myself, we were already in bed, making wild, passionate love. This is the result of that one single moment of madness, and I am so ashamed of myself. Now, I cannot afford to let MD know about this. He will be shattered, he will be devastated. If that happens, God forbid, that might mark the very end of our relationship, and worse still, he could begin to doubt the paternity of Junior as well.
Early the following morning, shortly after MD had left, I went over to Aunty Meg’s apartment. She was barely awake when I got to her place.
“Anita, what’s the problem, I hope all is well,” she asked me.
“Sure, Aunty,” I nodded. “I came to inform you that we’re going today,” I said to her.
“Going where?” she’d asked, looking puzzled.
“The doctor’s place, of course,” I’d returned excitedly. “MD has given me a cheque, once I cash it, we are off to the doctor’s place.”
Less than two hours after, Aunty Meg and I were both ready to leave. We had to get to the bank first. I do not have the cash on me, but I had the cheque MD gave to me.
“But Anita, why couldn’t MD give you cash now, this cheque will take our time at the bank again, before we now start heading to see Doctor Bambi,” Aunty Meg said as we drove out of our neighbourhood.
“There’s no problem, Aunty, we won’t spend much time at the bank, we will be out of there before you know it,” I assured her.
“What about the long queues, are you going to jump the queue when yout get there?” she pressed further I smiled.
“Yes, Aunty, that’s exactly what I’m going to do, I will jump the queue!”
True to Aunty Meg’s words, the queues were terribly long as usual. But that did not bother me. I was not interested in the queues.
“See what I told you?” Aunty Meg whispered in my ears the moment we stepped inside the banking hall.
“Just hold on, Aunty,” I’d said confidently to her. I looked around and found one of the security guys inside the banking hall. I beckoned at him and he came running immediately.
“Yes, madam, do you need anything?” he’d said to me.
“Can I see the manager quickly please, he knows me very well,” I requested. He took on quick look at me and said,” Okay, please come with me.”
She took me and Aunty Meg upstairs to where the managers office was and went in to tell him he ahd visitors. The offices were demarcated by transparent glass so he could see me from inside his office. He promptly asked me to come in. I told Aunty Meg to set at the reception area while I quickly go in to see the man.
And within a matter of minutes, the money was brought to me in the manager’s office after I’d handed the cheque over to him and we were soon on our way to meet Doctor Bambi.
“But Anita, how did you do it? I thought we would spend the whole day trying to cash that cheque. Is the manager a relation of yours?” a surprised Aunty Meg asked.
“Relation of mine? Not at all,” I answered, a proud smile on my face.
“We are not related in any way.
The guty is my toaster. He’s been trying to sleep with me for a long time. What you just saw action there is the unlimited power of the woman’s body!”
To be continued….
