Are You Jealous?

Ify got in to join Lanre and Mary Lance. “Oh my goodness! Mary Lance! Wow! Lanre you are now a big girl”. Ify shrieked as she entered the inner room where VIP customers were mostly attended to, except for special cases like that of the woman who wanted to pull down the roof with her raised voice in her desperation to be attended to by Lanre. They only kept her there so that if a customer was to come in, she wouldn’t scare them off.

“Why did you say that?” Lanre asked Ify who has just come in and the first thing she did was to start shrieking like a secondary school girl. Ify was confused as she did not know exactly what she had said that Lanre was referring to. Lanre told her to forget it. Then she asked her to help herself with a seat. Having said that, Lanre focused back on her work.

“Lanre how are you? It’s been a long while”. Ify said. But Lanre told her that o e month and a few weeks is not a long while. Then she asked Ify how she was faring. Ify told her she was okay. Then she asked her if she has seen the graduation list. Lanre only nodded in confirmation that she has seen it.

Ify told Lanre she was happy for her. Then she also asked her what state she would choose for her youth service if the form comes out. “I heard it will be out in two weeks”. Ify had said. Lanre told her she was not going to buy the form. Ify thought she had heard wrongly. So she asked Lanre again the state she would want to do her youth service in.

“Ifeoma Ochuzi, I no de go youth service this year”. Lanre said making it clear to Ify that she was not going to register for youth service. Especially not this year. She wanted to focus on her work. She wanted to be sure she has been properly established before she goes for service.

“Lanre is a hustler! She’s beautiful and hardworking. One who thinks more of the future than the temporary things. If she wills, she could even apply to serve in Lagos after now and stay back to monitor her work so she does not lose her customers. I like people like her. I’m sure that’s the same reason you are friends with her, she’s smart”. Mary Lance said.

Ify kept quiet until Lanre was done with the actress’s makeup. Once Mary Lance was out, she rushed towards Lanre.

“Lanre what is wrong with you? Why have you not been picking your calls or replying any of your messages?” Ify asked her.

Lanre looked at her lazily. She was as though Ify bored her. “Did you say something? I guess no!” Lanre said. Then she walked away from Ify. She went to her office. She soliloquize as to why the next customer was yet to arrive. While Ify followed her.

“Lanre, are you jealous or something?” Ify asked when they got to Lanre’s office.