Must Read: Ade

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Ade

Everyone in our compound heard the shout and came out to know what is happening to these ‘two mysterious guys living in our compound.’ They needed to satisfy their curiosity.



The letters were from one of the many companies where we had gone for interviews.



We had even forgotten about this particular one.



But the offer was just too juicy to reject.


The letter read thus:
Dear Mr. Ade Aderemi,
APPOINTMENT LETTER
Following the successful interview you had with us, we are pleased to offer you the post of a FINANCIAL ANALYST (Rotimi was employed as an Accountant.) with immediate effect.



You will be placed on a basic salary of 1.5m naira per annum. You will also be entitled to the following allowances:
Transport: 1m
Housing: 1.5m
Leave: 20% of basic salary
Medical: 900,000 and
Wardrobe: 750,000…

Other terms of your appointment are stated in the company’s conditions of service…



Congratulations.


Rotimi’s letter also read the same. We were to resume the following working day for a pre-employment medical at the company’s medical centre. They were an auditing firm and one of the biggest in the country. We were to work in their Lagos office on the Lagos Island.


We had also called our parents who were beside themselves with joy. Rotimi’s mum had been very happy. They asked if we were employed separately and we replied that we would be working in the same organisation but in different capacities. My mum also had pointed to me that it was time to tidy up things with Shola.



Shola asked us what the next thing was and we told her that it was time for celebration. The letter had come the previous morning before our arrival from Zaria. The celebration was done for everybody who cared to take part in it.



After the celebrations that day, we decided with Shola that we would still be living in that house and continue shuffling between our house and Shola’s. Only our wardrobe would be changed.



We drafted our resignation letter and went to the Principal’s house to tender it. He was sad to lose us. He said we were change agents in the school and that the school would forever be grateful to us. He also said that he would make sure a befitting send forth programme was organised for us when the school resumed. We were paid all the entitlements due to us and with it; we headed to the Yaba market to buy what we needed.



We had bought clothes, shoes, ties, cufflinks, and two complete suits each. We also bought things for Shola. She was the one who selected all the things we bought. She refined our fashion sense, especially mine which was very crude at the time.




She selected the right materials and the correct colour combination for us. She also made sure we bought accessories such as starch and another steam iron. Our previous dressing had mostly been Tee Shirts and Jeanswear and a few shirts. We had a few native wears too. Hence the need for the shopping we did. Shola had again struck another bell in my heart. Yet I fear her dream man who was my greatest competitor and had so far refused to surface.



We went back home with our booty and settled down to eat another deliciously cooked meal from the hands of Shola. The one we ate before going to Yaba had digested. Rotimi remembered that we had not told our adopted children and their parents.



We called Bunmi’s parents, then Bola’s and finally Bimbo’s parents. They were all happy for us but they were sad that we were leaving their daughters’ school. We promised to still be around and that we would still be the big brother figure we had always been. They prayed for our continual success and upliftment in our new challenge.



The next to be told was the girls themselves. They were virtually weeping over the phone. None of them was around because they had all travelled for the holidays. They said they would miss us a lot in the school. We had to reiterate what we told their parents before they stopped crying. We also gave them the consolation that Shola was still in the school and would be our eyes and representative to them. Hearing that, they calmed down and wished us well.



Dr. Tanimowo was as mischievous as he could.


He was also very happy for us and he reminded us that we should not forget our Masters programme which we too had thought about



. Then he said that we needed to develop ourselves by writing professional exams as much as possible. We too agreed and promised to begin the process involved in them. He gave us a target of six months to get advanced certificate in our fields. He then spoke again to me privately.


I asked if he knew who Shola’s dream man was, he laughed for a while before saying,
”I sabi am wella and na somebody wey you been dey see. I no go tell you. Na you go fight am collect the babe. The guy strong and get brain wella. So make you soji your life before him go carry the babe patapata.”



I thanked him and thought about his words and then I resolved within me to find this guy who is trying to win Shola from me…


To Be Continued…