She's Pretty

He started his car ready to move. His next stop was Lanre’s place. He was glad it not that far from her shop. It will take him nothing less than 30 minutes but not more than an hour. There was not going to be much hold up since it was a Sunday.

K noticed his phone was ringing but he ignored it. He only focused on driving to Lanre’s place Igando. He wondered why she had a shop in Surulere and an apartment in Igando. On getting to area where Lanre lives, he frowned at the bad road. Could not the district chairman or even the local government chairman do something about the road. It troubled him how each local government is allocated with a particular sum of money for the development and maintenance of the local government but it all goes into the pocket of the local government chairman and some officials. You would barely see a local government chairman who does his job. But he wouldn’t blame them all, the corruption is at its peak at the top, where top politicians with much affluence exercise their greed, something they call power. But then, the consequences of there acts, it is the poor who suffer it.

No wonder it is said, “You find the root of corruption at the top and it’s damage at the bottom”. K shook his head. Even the president, Usman Ali was no different. They could barely trace any good thing he has done in the country. The last time they had a good leader, it ended with Yusuf Alhaji and Desmond Gbenga.

K got to the building where Lanre’s apartment is. He sighed. He has only be here once and he still knew the place like the back of his palms. Good lord that Lanre did not notice him following her. She would have thought him to be a thief or probably a kidnapper. Worst would have been a ritualist since that was the latest trend in the country, young men killing ladies and using their body parts for money.

He got to the door and knocked. In his head, he had fought a thousand battle. How could he come to see Lanre, with what excuse? He wondered. But he didn’t turn back. It will be a total waste of petrol if he doesn’t get to see her. He was about to knock again when the door opened. A young girl stood in front of K. K could tell she was a teenager from the way she looked. But he had no clue who she was. He suddenly felt he must have knocked on the wrong door.

“I’m looking for Lanre. She’s tall and fair in complexion. She lives in this building”. K said to Chidinma who was just looking at him with curiosity filled in her eyes. But K mistook her curiosity for confusion. He thought he did not describe Lanre well enough.

“She’s pretty. She has a clean skin like the whites and a slender figure”. K said.