CHAPTER 9

MAHIRA GARBA

" Hi guys, I had fun exploring the beautiful city of Accra with my girl Habibah today. So guess what?, " I smiled, " We would be attending the coolest party in Ghana tonight which is the all white VIP party "

" I’m so excited! " Habibah said in a loud tone, facing the camera.

I unwrapped my Jimmy choo heels while I was recording my Instagram story and said, " I got this ravishing heels for tonight and I would get dressed in a bit, bye "

" Mahira, I don’t think your plan is a good idea, " Habibah opposed, " Ghana is not like Nigeria where you can have your way with anything "

" Certainly but Carbon is owned by the Kwame family, " I replied, " I met their only daughter at Paris last summer and we became friends, she won’t turn me down "

" That’s great " Habibah remarked, " But what if her family has a high social status, you won’t want to step on their toes "

" I don’t mind stepping on their head, what the hell was she doing with my man. Besides, they wouldn’t want to mess with me either because of my father " I replied as I zipped up my dress.

" Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped off "

" Keep quiet! " I interrupted, " Not all that have claws are lions "

" I didn’t mean to cheese you off, I warned you because I don’t want you to get yourself in dire straits, " Habibah showed me a red clutch bag, " For your approval "

" Valentino garavani, " I responded, " You have good taste "

Habibah’s mouth curved into a slight smile and she put on a red heels.

My phone rang and it was my mom. I picked up her call and said, " Hello, mom "

" Habibti — "My love", how are you doing? "

" Not good, " I complained, " I courted Khalifah but he shunned me like a plague "

" It cost your dad his blood, sweat and tears to be able to sponsor those attacks and he would be furious if you render his effort fruitless, " My mom brook no refusal, " There are many lovely flowers on the path of life but the most elegant has the sharpest thorns "

" Loving someone who does not love you is like shaking a tree for rain drops to fall, " I stated, " But it has recently become abashing, now that he is courting a girl from the South "

" What?! " My mom shouted, " The sultan gave us his word "

" And he is doing the exact opposite "

" I would find out about it before drawing hasty conclusion and your dad would put them under pressure so that he won’t go back on his words "

" Okay mom "

" You should also play your part "

" Sure, bye mom " I hung up the call.

We went outside the hotel and sauntered down the parking lot. An SUV and driver were parked outside to take us to the party.

KIKIOLA ONABANJO

I stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed my towel. I then wrapped myself with the towel as I headed to the wardrobe to grab my best dress.

' Jeez, it’s so irritating to decide what you want to wear when you want to look exquisite ' I said to myself.

I heard a knock and headed over to the door to open it.

" Good evening madam, I’m here to deliver this parcel to you from Mr Khalifah " A tall, fair man stated.

" Khalifah? "

" Yes ma " He replied and handed the parcel to me.

" Thank you "

" You are welcome ma "

I shut the door and enthusiastically unwrapped the package. I gasped in awe at the sight of an elegant sparkling white beaded mermaid dress and a white Valentino fur heels.

I slid into the white dress which almost delayed me and styled my wig then I did a light makeup and put on the heels.

A message notification suddenly popped up on my phone screen. I turned to look at it and saw ' I’m outside the hotel, waiting for you ' with the love emoji from Khalifah.

A flush warmed my cheeks then I got out of the room and hurried downstairs.

A white limousine was parked outside the hotel and Khalifah stood beside it. He put on a fancy black tuxedo paired with a white shirt and a tie on his neck. An appeal shone from him as light from a twisted filament. I was drawn to him like bathers to a sea.

" You’re beyond gorgeous " Khalifah remarked.

" Thanks, " I replied, " You look awesome in the suit "

" You are welcome " He said and we hopped in the limousine.

The interior of the limousine was astounding. It had plush leather, amazing led lights in several colors, a mini-bar, an audio system, and a high quality flat-screen Tv.

" Hello " I stated to Umar and Abdul who sat at the left side of the limousine.

" Wow, you look stunning " They said in unison.

I replied, " Thanks. " Then we sat down in front of them.

As we drove to Carbon, I lost myself in a movie which depicts the story of an ex-con who finds himself in a community where he is not valued.

" Let’s record our Instagram story " Umar said and turned on the stereo.

" All right " Khalifah replied.

" 5, 4, 3, 2 " We chorused in unison while Umar recorded a video and Abdul popped a bottle of Moët then we screamed, 'one'.

We recorded another video of us singing along to the chorus of 'Ameno ampiano' by Nektunez and Goya menor then the limousine halted.

The first thing I heard as we stepped out of the limousine was the loud music blasting from the speaker. We headed into the lounge which was decorated with led strip light, round tables and plush sofas. The waiters moved around the bar with a tray of drinks.

" What’s up dude? " A tall, dark guy said as he walked in our direction. He had on a brown suit jacket over a white shirt. He was accompanied by a famous Ghanaian model.

" Kwaku!, how have you been? "

" Pretty well, " Kwaku responded and stared at

me, " Your girl is so beautiful, you have the eye "

A surprised expression crossed Khalifah’s face and he chuckled, " Yvonne right?, your runway look at Allstars was epic. It’s nice to meet you "

" Thanks, " Yvonne replied with a smile, " It’s a pleasure to meet you too "

As we headed to the VIP section Khalifah gave me a VIP ticket. On getting to the entrance, we presented our ticket before entering.

Mahira walked towards us in fury and said in a loud voice, " You said you would do my story! "

" And here I am! " Khalifah replied, with a stern look.

Mahira scowled at me then grabbed Khalifah’s arm, pulling him away. They took a picture with her friend and his hands were wrapped around her waist.

A flashing flame of jealousy welled up inside of me, like the scorpion, turning a venomous sting against himself. I experienced a unique mixture of sadness and anger. The fierce waves of love has crashed against the shores of my heart.

Yvonne sat beside me and asked, " May I know your name? "

" Kikiola "

" I’m Yv- "

" Yvonne Tetteh, I know you. You are one of the most influential models in Ghana "

" Yeah, " Yvonne said with a chortle, " Well, I’m launching my beauty brand soon, and we need a model "

" Midas cosmetics right?, I saw it on your page that you partnered with one of New York’s best selling cosmetic brand "

" You follow my page, great. Well, you are what I’m looking for "

" Woah, are you for real?! "

" Yeah " Yvonne replied with a smile.

I pulled her in for a hug and said with elation, " Thank you so much! "

" You are welcome, I would give you an update on the details soon " Yvonne responded.

We swapped our contact details then spoke on her rise from rock bottom to stardom. Yvonne’s story was motivating and it had the attribute of a good movie script.

Khalifah walked towards our direction and said to Kwaku, " You are doing great at SBS, I heard your bank’s mid-year profit expanded to eighty percent "

" Emirates has been one of the most profitable hotels in Accra by revenue in spite of the harsh competition, and you deserve enormous credit for the success of the company "

They both smiled and shaked hands with each other.

Khalifah and Kwaku conversed about buying a struggling food industry company and rebrand it to their taste. They spoke on how to promote the business success.

Mahira occasionally turns back to glare at me.She soon courted attention by loitering around famous Ghanaian celebrities. People regarded her as an influential figure and looked at her in admiration until her ill manners gave a disgust which turned the tides of her acceptance. She was regarded to be arrogant and an attention seeker.

As she came on stage, screams of excitement rang out from her devoted fans. The room was filled with lively jazz music that made me want to dance out of my seat.

" Shall we dance? " Khalifah asked.

" Uh, yes " I replied and rose to my feet.

" Come on Mahira, " Umar said, " Why are you still seated?, you should dance "

" I won’t be a party to it, unless I’m acquainted with my partner, " Mahira refused, " You all are occupied, and to dance with those guys would be a punishment "

" It’s fine then "

We walked out of the VIP section then headed to the dance floor.

Khalifah looked at me and smiled, then he took my hand and spun me into his arms. We let the rhythm of the music control our movement and fell into step.

It felt like the dancefloor was filled with nothing but the two of us. Unrestrained feelings surged through my system, and my heart pounded like a jackhammer as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

I didn’t understand the lyrics because the song was in Zulu language, however, it was pleasing to the ears and her performance was epic. The song and the performance found a long lasting place in my heart. Time flew as our feet moved in the steps of the foxtrot. It was pure bliss.

We returned to our seats after dancing and the waiters began to serve varieties of dessert and smoothies. I savored every sip of the Pineapple juice which was handed to me and dug into the delectable dessert.

Two security guards came before me and said, " Please, come with us, right now "

" Um, why? " I asked.

" Why? " Khalifah asked.

" We just realized that she doesn’t have a seat at this table, " The security guard stated, " She must have bribed her way in to get a VIP ticket "

" You should know that not just anybody seats at this table, " Mahira ridiculed, " All this could have been avoided if you had sat at over there with those in your class instead of buying your way in "

" And who are you?, who knows you here?, do you think you've suddenly become a celebrity by forcefully mingling with them. A pot calling the kettle black, " Yvonne affronted, " Putting her down won’t make you rise any higher! "

" There must be a mix up because I made the reservation, I need to speak with the manager " Kwaku stated.

" Exactly, " Khalifah chimed in, " Did someone pay you to do this? "

" No, We are just doing our job Sir "

" Don’t bother seeing the manager. I’m feeling a bit dizzy, so I would leave " I objected.

A cold wave of rage overwhelmed and I did not wish to spend a second in the room. I felt dizzy and bumped into a sofa as I turned to leave.

" It was nice to meet you dear " Yvonne stated.

" It was nice to meet you too, and thanks again for the offer " I replied and headed towards the door.

On getting to the entrance, my vision began to gray out around the edges and I felt very weak then suddenly I collapsed on someone’s arm.