The day had been a tiring one. A symposium and a couple of consultations had left Mike drained. All he reckoned he needed was some nice hours of sleep to recharge his batteries, with the thought that the next day would offer more. He only wanted to check on Ifeoma at her place, before heading home. He had had no time to talk to her all day. Now, what he wanted to do was surprise her with a call at her door.
While he waited for the gatekeeper to let him in into the compound, he looked himself up in the rear mirror. He felt good about his looks. His tiredness did not seem to have had its toll on his looks. He waved at the elderly gatekeeper as he engaged the gear and drove into the compound. His strength appeared to resurface all of a sudden as he climbed the stairs. Might be the excitement that came with having to set his eyes on Ifeoma for the first time in two days that brought that about, he reasoned almost out, to himself. He even toyed with the idea of taking two stairs at a time. His adrenaline seemed to have shot up twice what it was just before leaving the car.
He rapped on the door not realising when his boyish smile flooded his face as he waited for the door. He could hear the footfalls of approaching feet. Even the feeling of a peering eye through the peephole was not lost on him. But when the door opened, it was not Ifeoma who showed up. A lady whose voice turned out to be as cold as the look in her eyes peered out, with the door chain in place.
“Good evening.”“Good evening. Is she home?”“Who?” came out the words unfazed.“Oh, I’m sorry. Ifeoma, I meant.”“She’s not home. She went to the church.”“Oh! Today’s Thurday, I should have known better,” Mike could feel her eyes all over him. There was no misgiving that she was trying to see through him. Her cold eyes were so penetrative.“And who should I say came calling?“Oh, sorry about that. My name’s Mike. And you are?”“Mike Azu?” Still no trace of loosening in her voice and look.“Yes” Mike realised she was making no attempt to say her name. A deliberate effort? So he tried again. “You seem to know me already, but I don’t feel the same here.”“I’m Benita. You want to come in to wait for her?”
“Good evening. Is she home?”
“Who?” came out the words unfazed.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Ifeoma, I meant.”
“She’s not home. She went to the church.”
“Oh! Today’s Thurday, I should have known better,” Mike could feel her eyes all over him. There was no misgiving that she was trying to see through him. Her cold eyes were so penetrative.
“And who should I say came calling?
“Oh, sorry about that. My name’s Mike. And you are?”
“Mike Azu?” Still no trace of loosening in her voice and look.
“Yes” Mike realised she was making no attempt to say her name. A deliberate effort? So he tried again. “You seem to know me already, but I don’t feel the same here.”
“I’m Benita. You want to come in to wait for her?”
Mike was tempted to accept the offer but changed his mind on impulse. “Thanks, but I’d run along. Just help tell her I looked in. Could you help me give her this this too.” He finished off raising the grocery bag in his left hand.
Benita released the door chain from the catch to receive the bag. Mike could not but wonder at the stark contrast between her gorgeous body structure and her voice. How could a near baritone voice reside in a body with such graceful looks! There was just no connection between the body and the voice. As Mike descended the stairs after the goodbyes, he had this hunch feeling that the two of them might never get along well.
Mike was just coming out of the showers when his phone rang. He thought it should be Ifeoma but it was a no-name number calling. Immediately he heard the voice, he realised who it was.
“Hello” Came Ngozi’s voice.
“Hello”
“Hope I didn’t disrupt someone’s beautiful sleep.”
“No. I’m still very much awake here.”
“Okay. And would you know who’s speaking?”
“Ngozi, without any misgiving.”
“Oh! How could you tell so easily because I remember not giving you my number that day. You must be smarter than I think. I love that though.”
“Hmm… I’ll take that as a complement. How are you, by the way?”
“Great. I’m doing great, thanks. And you?”
“I’m doing cool.”
“Hope your day wasn’t stressful.”
“It was. A symposium, some consultations and all that. But I’m shaking the stress that came with them off already. The magic of a ten-minute warm bath.”
“Good. I’m actually calling to find out, if there’s any chance you would be…”
“…visiting the car wash this weekend?” Mike helped with the words. “
“You’re not a mind reader too, are you?”
“Don't read too much into that. It was just an educational guess.”
“Wow! And that’s so much for a guess. So, are you coming?”
“I might. Give me until tomorrow to decide. Okay?”
“It’s alright. Will you call or you want me to do that?
“If you beat me to it, I wouldn’t raise any fuss.”There was a ha-ha at the other end of the phone from Ngozi. And when she finally gave her good night wishes, Mike held the phone for a while thinking. There was no mention of Harriet from Ngozi. He had a mild laugh about the crazy thought that dropped on his mind. He was just about dropping the phone when Ifeoma’s call came in.
* * *
