EPISODE || 5

"Baby have you gone shopping? You know I am expecting you tomorrow yeah?" Mandy asked.

I told her I'd not gone shopping yet.

She asked why?

I lied that I'd been so carried away by work, by the time I got done, there was no way I would get anything nice in the market.

I told her I'd come over the next day quite alright, but it'll be much later in the day.

We ended the call being all "lovey dovey".

Mandy told me she couldn't wait to finally put a face coolvalstories to my smooth words and I told her the feeling was more than mutual.

The next day came and the excitement and anticipation for what was to come was on another level for me.

I got to my vendor's shop earlier than suppose.

I'd had to even wait for Chukwuma to come and open his shop for me to select something that'll "PRONOUNCE" me well. All in CAPS.

The search for the perfect "suit" took a while but we eventually found something.

I looked at myself on the giant mirror hanging from Chukwuma's wall and me sef confirm say God finish work for my matter.

"I don fine finish, na money remain". I said to my reflection.

The trip over to Mandy's, was not a smooth one at all.

For me anyways.

The drama that came with plying "dem roads" never gets old.

I finally arrived my destination at around past six that evening.

Prior to my coming over, I'd asked Mandy for directions (address) to her house but she'd insisted I called her the moment I alighted from my bus.

She said she stayed just around the corner.

A stone throw from the park.

Every reasoning to get her to do otherwise proved futile.

"I have more than enough money to get me a room for a night, in a situation I get stood up". I thought to myself.

I pulled out my phone to call Mandy.

I dialed her number and it rang and rang until it ended.

She didn't pick.

I dialed the number again, it was exactly as the first.

She still wasn't picking my call.

I looked around, got a nice spot close to the park, and sat down to chill.

I bought myself a bottle of soft drink.

I was very hungry but I didn't want to fill my stomach with junks.

I needed the space empty for when mandy serves dinner.

I waited patiently for Mandy's call.

I knew she was equally as excited and anxious to see me, so the only reasonable excuse for not picking my call could only have been that she was either not close to her phone or was in the middle of something equally as important.

Eighteen minutes past seven, Mandy still had not yet returned my call.

Eleven minutes past eight and I began to wonder what was going on.

I reached for my phone to dial her number.

If she doesn't pick up this time around, I'll simply ask around for a nice but very cheap hotel to spend the night.

The plan was to leave first thing the next morning and never talk to Mandy again.

I'd just reached for my phone when I heard a beep.

It was a text message.

Mandy had sent it.

It was obviously addressed to me.

To be continued.