Chapter 4

Dear lovely readers,

First, I want to thank you for opening my book and reading this far, without you, I cannot be an author and your presence keeps me warm.

I must apologize at the snail space at which this writing is progressing. Activities keep me bogged down but i plan and promise to improve the frequency at which this story is updated.

Thank you for staying with me on this...

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Back to my friends, Judith and her siblings it was. She introduced me to another friend of hers, Bayo – (I think he was her boyfriend but it wasn't my business anyways) that stayed outside the church premises who linked me with his sister, Lola, who worked as a sales girl for a popular snacks outlet.

The outlet owner had made it big by having mini-shops and stores where she drops a certain amount of snacks and drinks every day. The amount you sold every day does not in any way impact your salary and this was a job I was very much interested in. The pay was far better than what any teaching job could offer me due to my SSCE qualifications and I was pleased for it. The next day, I went to meet the girl, Lola at her outlet before her boss arrived so she could see me and I could plead my case before her boss as we had agreed the previous day.

Luckily for me, the boss was very sympathetic plus there was a readily available vacancy for salesgirl of a new outlet in a fairly busy area, so I got the job. I resumed immediately too. The work was not difficult. I just had to stay in the shop till evening and attend to customers coming to buy snacks and drinks. Getting home from work, I told mum of my new job. She only asked if it was safe and told me to be careful handling the money so I don't run into debt. That was fine with me.

Month end came quickly and first salary was paid. If the largest personal cash you have handled is #6,000, when that money is increased two and a half times, you would feel on top of the world. Which was exactly the way I felt. It was suddenly like I was two and a half times taller and everyone was below me, my mother included. I went on a spending spree, bought slippers of different styles and colors, tops I've only dreamt of, junk foods I've always eyed as I walked past, everything suddenly became attainable. I forgot the purpose of looking for a job in the first place. Needless to say, that first month, I saved nothing.

Through the sales outlet, I made new friends – Raina, Feranmi, Precious and Shade. Feranmi was tall, slim and light in complexion. Seems I now knew my weakness! He was a guy I could term beautiful. He had this oblong face, a straight pointed nose and full pink lips. When he smiled, you could see the dimples in his chin but none of these were as remarkable as his blue eyes. Yes, blue! The fact that both our names started with the same letter of the alphabet didn't escape my notice either. I felt we were destined.

He was a sort of regular at the outlet and probably one of my biggest buyer every day. I was always itching for whenever he would come around even though the only thing he ever said was whatever it was he came to buy. I started paying more attention to what I wore to the outlet and on one occasion, even tried chatting him up just to make him notice me beyond the sales girl thing. Eventually, we started talking. He comes around in the evenings before I close to go home and we would chat late into the night after which I would sneak into the church to sleep.

By the third month of working there, I started passing nights at different friends' houses since it was more difficult to get into the church at night without a specific purpose. Raina, the oldest of my friends (21 years old), offered for me to move in with she and her sister Shade. I gratefully agreed. I went home to pick a few of my clothing and met my mum at home. I wasn't really expecting her to be at home because she loves church and I thought that was where she would be as it was a service day but I didn't let her presence deter me. I went inside and picked most of my stuffs. When I was ready to leave, I met my mother outside.

"Where are you going with your clothes?" she asked tiredly, as if she didn't want to even ask but need to for record purposes. You could tell she didn't know what to make of this new character of mine.

"I want to stay with a friend that lives close to my place of work". I replied quite defiantly because I was ready to argue my way out of this one. Surprisingly though, she didn't make a single argument. She didn't even say anything. That threw me off guard and I stood around for a few minutes at a loss what to do. After about two or three minutes standing around, I carried my bag and left with unease in my heart and uncertainty in my steps.

My new residence had absolutely no restraints. Raina and her sister sold these little sachet alcoholic drinks and peppered ponmo in the evenings at the bus stop to make ends meet. They sometimes come back home around 12midnight or even 1a.m. I think the earliest they ever came home was 10:30p.m and that was on the day that oro was going to walk the neighborhood. I had all the freedom in the world and started spending more time with Feranmi. I learnt his mother was late and his father was a traveling businessman who could go away for months at a time. He kept inviting me to come to his house but I was a bit wary. I was just 16 years old and had, despite all my bad characters, not spent time alone in closed quarters with a boy.

Curiosity eventually won and we met one Sunday. He took me to his house and I was awed. The house was huge and tastefully furnished too. It was also very empty as there was no other person in the house except us. I was apprehensive at first but relaxed as he didn't try to even so much as kiss me. It turned out to be a pleasant and fun visit. I can't honestly remember the last time I laughed as much as I did in that one day. We strolled out and by the time we got back, and he saw me off home.

Raina and her sister were not home. We have had no previous arrangement of keeping keys or whatever. It hadn't been necessary because at least, one of them was always home whenever I wandered back or at most, at their selling spot which was as devoid of them this particular Sunday as the house was. Feranmi suggested going back to his house to wait them out. We would come back later to check if they were back, he promised as he guided me back to his house. I didn't protest.

Getting back to his house, we prepared noodles together and ate and started watching movies. Sometime during the second movie, something to do with ninjas, (because obviously!), I slept off on the couch as expected!. Night fell and 'brotherly' did not wake me till I was startled awake at about 12a.m when he was trying to lay me down properly as my neck was at a weird angle. I jumped up and immediately picked up my bag to start going home all the while agitated that he didn't wake me till everywhere was pitch black.

To my mind, it was just about 9 or 10pm and I was genuinely shocked when I heard him say,

"Fimidara, you can't possibly think of going anywhere right now. Its past midnight."

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" I fumed, "what exactly was your plan?" I was already imagining all sorts of things.

He just looked at me like I had two heads and said "I honestly wanted you to rest for a bit before you head home but I must have slept off as well and only just woke up. I noticed the angle you were sleeping wasn't the most convenient and so I tried adjusting you. What exactly is my offense here, Fimidara?"

I looked at him, this guy that said he just woke up, and saw no signs that he had even closed his eyes in sleep at all. The more I stared at him, a sharp retort was forming on my tongue, but I shrugged it off and sat back down on the couch. He rolled those beautiful blues of his at me and made his way out of the sitting room into what I supposed was his bedroom.

I tried calming myself in the meantime. I mean, he hasn't even done so much as pecked my lips at this point so why worry? We had only held hands during our stroll and I have to admit that felt good. With these thoughts, I had calmed down at about the time he walked back into the sitting room with a slight frown on his handsome face.

"Fimidara, I'm sorry I didn't wake you earlier but I promise I'm not playing any hanky-panky game on you or anything like that. I just liked having you around. Let me take you to the guest room so you can freshen up and rest comfortably."

I decided to let him off the hook. "It's okay Feranmi, I know you only have my interest at heart, Thanks and I'm sorry for snapping at you. You would need to wake me up early so I can go home and change clothes for work"

"I'll look for a small top that you can wear. You can go to work from here" He said. I really tried to hide the smile that was blooming on my face as I followed him down the corridor. He showed me his bedroom, which was opened, his fathers which wasn't along with a couple of rooms that were closed too. He took me to the guest bedroom which was right next to his room and left me there after wishing me a good night rest. I couldn't believe my luck. He seemed like a really nice and responsible boy. I quickly freshened up and got into bed to sleep.

I have never had problems sleeping, so sleep came quickly. I was up before he came to my door the next morning, I cleaned the room I slept (not because I was a very tidy person as you have already figured out, but I needed to impress), freshened up, donned the top he had dropped in my room the previous night and came to the sitting room to meet him drinking tea while watching TV. When it was around 8a.m, I went to work. I refused to let him follow me so at his door, we parted and by mistake or design, we kissed for the very first time! My first kiss too!

I became a frequent guest at Feranmi's house most evenings and it wasn't a surprise that everyone referred to him as my boyfriend. In this time though, I learnt that he was 19years old, a second year student at University of Lagos where he was studying Marine Biology but was at home because of the ASUU strike. I secretly wondered though if he already had a girlfriend or impending girlfriend in school and if I would be forgotten as soon as the strike was over.

Soon, I had been working at the outlet for 8months and dating Feranmi for six. Little issues started arising with my boss concerning the remittance of cash. The money was never complete and account was never balanced. She started removing the shortage from my salary and at the end of that month, #5,000 had been removed from my salary as shortages. I cant say I'm completely innocent where the shortages are concerned but I certainly did not spend that much. I honestly don't know what happens with the money. It just shorts!

By the eleventh month, both I and my boss could not take it anymore. The money she removes from my salary every month has been steadily increasing and I was very sure I was not responsible for her missed funds. I mean, yea, I take the occasional drinks and snacks and borrow #200 or at most #500 from the sales sometimes, but I was sure it definitely cannot amount to #7,000 or whatever amount she was claiming is reduced. I decided to quit the job. I felt like I was working for free which was not fair so at the end of that month, I told her I would not be working with her the following month. She told me to come to the parent shop the following week to collect my salary and I felt it was settled. I left.

That same month, Feranmi returned to school and gradually, the rate of communication between us petered out. We only seem to call once in a while and whenever I called him, he was always busy.

Seems I was alone now- no job and no boyfriend!

It was time to move on.