EPISODE 10
“What is wrong Cynthia?” I asked again
and to my surprise, she fell into my arms and was sobbing like a child.
“Mr. Femi, I… need your help” she
managed to say in-between sobs.
I looked around and noticed that we had few people around with the security men; I didn’t want them to see her sobbing like that so I guided her into the car. I entered the car and drove out of the filling station.
I parked at a safe spot beside the road
and turned to look at her, she is looking like a mess now with all her hair in
disarray. Her face was red and my backseat was full of used tissues.
“Can you talk now? I will like to know
what happened” I said quietly.
“I am sorry I broke down like that, I am
not usually like that,” she said apologetically.
I know how put-together and posh she
looked every time so it must be embarrassing for her to be seen this way.
“What happened?” I asked again quietly.
“My mother, I was looking forward to
getting my salary today; I wanted to use it to pay for her hospital bills” she
said and tears started flowing again.
I left the front seat immediately; came
out of the car, locked it, and moved to join her at the back seat.
“It’s okay,” I said as I handed her my
handkerchief. It was obvious that she had exhausted the box of tissue in my car.
“I switched my phone off since morning,
I switched it on tonight when I finished my night switch and my roommate sent a
text that she passed away” she blew her nose again and I noticed fresh tears
coming out.
Before I could control myself I had
gathered her into my arms. She clung to me and sobbed afresh. I remembered how
happy she always was when she was not trying to flirt with me; nobody will ever
guess that she had the burden on a sick mother on her.
“What do I do? My dad divorced her when
I was 15 and I have been taking care of her. God knows I am not proud of all
the things I have done to send myself to school and take care of my mother but
I had to do them. Now she is gone, all my effort all these years…” She couldn’t
continue as she had become choked with new tears bubbling.
“You have to pull yourself together Miss
Cynthia, I know how painful such things can be but you just have to be strong”
I said again.
“There are so many things to be done and
I am so confused right now” she said blowing her nose into my handkerchief.
“You have friends that care, and I am
here,” I said and she went into my arms and gave me a hard hug. I could feel her
breast pressing tightly against my chest and I feel suffocated.
“Thanks so much, Mr. Femi. I know you are
a nice person but I don’t know you are this nice”
“I am nicer than you know,” I said and I
saw her smile for the first since I entered the car.
“I guess it is late now, you can drop me
here and I will find my way home,” she said as she disengaged from my arms and
moved away.
I checked the time and it was 12:15AM, I
thought about the money in the briefcase sitting beside me and the woman
looking disheveled beside me. I knew allowing Cynthia to go home by that time
is tantamount to setting her up for rape.
“It is too late already,” I said quietly.
“This is Lagos, I can go home anytime”
“You know the risk involved Miss
Cynthia. You can go home now and I can’t take you back to the office; it can
start a scandal if the staff see both of us like this when they resume around
5:00AM” I said as a matter of fact.
“What do you suggest we do then?” she
said looking helpless.
“The apartment the company gave me is
about 10 minutes drive from here; we can get food on our way and stay there
overnight. We will take the rest from there” I said smiling. Cynthia did not
argue with me, she just nodded her head slowly in approval, as if there is no
other options available.
I returned to the driver’s seat and
started the car, I was halfway to the apartment when it suddenly occurred to
me.
“I
have forgotten about Kike”
To be continued…
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ReplyDeleteWahala be lik bicycle 🚲 wey no get break