LILIES OR THORNS 4.

CHAPTER 4 - THE FIGHT.

Fatimah was a wonderful cook and she knew it. Back then in school, many of her friends especially guys liked coming to her room because they knew their taste buds would be tantalized.

Today was quite different as her amala and vegetable soup sat in the pot sadly from lack of eating. Ene said she was having a headache and she went to sleep. Something was eating her dear friend up but she wasn’t talking about it. She decided to serve her in bed. 

With a tray in her hand, she walked quietly towards the bedroom. She wouldn’t want her to wake her up just in case she was asleep. As Fatimah approached Ene’s room, she heard her talking on the phone and sobbing as well.

“He may keep requesting for more money” she said and kept quiet to listen to what the person on the other side was saying.

“No, no, no. It’s not like he’s a bad person. I just don’t know what’s going on or what he’s doing with money” she sobbed and went silent again.

“Ok, if that’s what you say auntie. Please be careful.”

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“Miss Nnebolisa, what do you think” a staff asked Uju.

Blink. 

Blink again.

“Are you alright ma?” asked another staff.

“I’m fine, sorry what did you say” she asked.

They all stared at her with amazement. She was always following every step in every presentation as the head of Planning and Execution. This time, she didn’t even hear anything that was said in the meeting chiefly being that she saw Ezekiel.

“Can you give me a rundown of all you heard in this meeting Uju” asked the Executive Director.

“I, He said erm..., ok he began by telling us about the clothes and why he chose the colours and then...” a chuckle and a laugh hidden in a cough stopped her.

“It’s obvious you didn’t listen. So do we accept this proposal?” said the angry ED while adjusting and balancing his glasses on his nose.

“Mr George, please can you run me through a few important points you raised?”

He did that and she told the ED they could accept his proposal. He in turn warned her that she would be held responsible and would be surcharged for any mistake. She told him she would recheck and told Ezekiel to see her in her office.

Read: Lilies or Thorns.

“Ezekiel”

“Uju”

They hugged and chatted for a while then she asked him to run through the proposal again but he told her he had another meeting to attend. He fixed a date for Saturday evening at the pavilion.

As he stepped out of her office, she smiled. Maybe luck would be on her side with Ezekiel. Just maybe.

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Mrs Onoja adjusted her wristwatch, tied her headgear appropriately as she stepped out of her cozy and beautiful grey and wine duplex and walked towards the car. She bent to pick up the few hibiscus flowers in the garden. Her gardener has been sick so the shrubs looked unkempt. The house was so quiet since business made her husband relocate to Ghana. She looked forward to the approaching midterm break when her daughters would be home.

“Akpan, did you receive alert this morning, I’ve paid your salary about an hour ago” she said to the driver.

“I didn’t receive alert but I’ll check the ATM later. Thank you ma.”

“Let’s go to Ogba, Ene’s place.”

Ene was her favourite niece. She didn’t have children till her 13^th year of marriage and Ene had been living with her since she was four till her first child came. Her lovely Ene; she was so sweet and dear to her heart.  

Mrs Onoja couldn’t bear anything happening to her dear Ene. For many years, the neighbours called her husband and her Baba and Mama Ene. Not that Ene didn’t have parents but she decided to stay with her and later decided to call them Dad and Mum instead of the usual Uncle and Auntie. 

She was quite angry when Ene told her she borrowed her boyfriend that huge amount of money. For crying out loud, who does that in the 21^st century? The boy must be a gold-digger and she planned to give Ene a piece of her mind as she arrived at the house.

It was her friend that opened the gate for her. She gave Fatimah a quizzical look and told her to come with her.

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An astonished Fatimah followed Ene’s aunt. It seemed there was going to be drama in the house. She had spent the past 1 hour petting a troubled and crying Ene who refused to talk or eat. Sometimes, spoilt couldn’t properly describe Ene. 

Her aunt walked into the room and shouted at both of them.

“What kind of friends are you that you can’t even speak the truth? How can she borrow that kind of money for a boy?” her aunt asked and continued with Fatimah “and why are you looking as if you swallowed roasted yam?”

Fatimah gathered herself together “I’m shocked this is what’s going on, Ene didn’t tell me.”

“I know she won’t tell you because you will not allow her do it, now that the guy is asking for more money since you’ve shown yourself to be the queen of Gold Coast that has all the money to...”

“Auntie please, didn’t you borrow your husband much more than that to start his business?"

“That’s why he’s my husband not my boyfriend. If you just use your...”

“What’s the way forward now?” asked Fatimah who was tired of the back and forth argument.

Aunt and niece calmed down. Ene said she didn’t know and Aunt said she had a wonderful plan.

Watch out for the next part on Wednesday.

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