Must Read: Taking Chances

7 years ago

Must Read: Taking Chances

Brenda obliged. And both giggling like teenagers, they made for the hallway to go explore other parts of the house.

Brenda was affected by the resilience of her friend, little things hardly weighed her down for long, she always managed to bounce back to her cheerful self. She felt a strong urge to protect her against Jide who obviously didn’t appreciate the wonderful woman that was his wife. Well, it was only day two of her arrival, Daisy still had a long way to go, and she still had rules to teach on how she would successfully subdue and stand up against her husband. Today, they’d just made do with catching up on old times.
Handsome, irritating Jide, would occupy the back space.

*****

Jide rode aimlessly around surulere environs, his thoughts were in a haze and he was feeling really angry. Minutes ago, he had rolled up the glasses of the car, settling instead for the A.C, it was like a defence mechanism, for he really didn’t want law-breaking motorists or the damn
drivers of Molue commercial buses to get him more pissed. They seemed to be everywhere, gliding in and out of lane trying to beat whatever target they’d set for themselves. Wasn’t today supposed to be Sunday,
why were they not resting or something? He wondered. Busy city indeed was Lagos. He concluded with a sigh.
As he approached the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, he reduced his speed and considered going in. ‘To do what?’ ‘Whatever there is to do’. He answered the questioner in his mind.

Then Slowly he ebbed his way out of the road and made for a parking space quite close to the entrance of the stadium. His stomach rumbled then as if reminding him that it had not been settled. Jide winced
glancing at the time piece, it was quarter to two, and he hadn’t eaten!
The realisation turned his hands on the wheel into a fist, he couldn’t remember when last he’d have to eat lunch late apart from when he had a pile load of work.
Well, not after he got married anyways. Maybe what he needed now was food and not a day in the stadium. He concluded and pulled back to the
road, his sights set on any eatery close by.
What was with the new attitude of Daisy he thought as he drove, no doubt, that sullen rude stranger he met earlier on was the smoke behind the clouds, she definitely had nothing palatable to offer, ‘whoever she
was, whatever was her name and wherever she appeared from’. Jide cursed bitterly. If he had his way she wouldn’t even be a mile close to his house or his wife. She was nothing than another cog in the wheel in his progress of building up a home he had recently started craving.

Jide eyes shifted to his phone now shrieking helplessly on the passenger seat. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone so he ignored the call, parked at one side of the road and set to choosing where to patronize between the two eateries facing eachother. He wasn’t a pro at this
things, he didn’t have a favorite ‘cos he hardly patronized them, thanks to his secretary anyways.

The phone resumed its cries, its vibration paining the hell out of
Jide’s ears, angry and irritated, he picked the annoying thing. The
caller’s ID was hidden.

Pressing the receive button, he switched the phone to ‘hands free’ and said nothing, as a rule, he never was the first ‘hello’ to calls like this, if the callers weren’t bold enough to call, they didn’t deserve
his courtesy.
‘Jide, are you there? Why did you cut me off that way, you promised to call and I’ve been waiting yet…’came the hysterical voice of a female
Jide sighed and shook his head ‘Grace, what’s the meaning of these?’ he asked calmly.
‘what!’ she shouted.
‘why the hell are you calling me with strange numbers and…’
‘since you’ve made it a duty to ignore my call, when i call with…’
‘you are better than this’. Jide interrupted.
‘Really now, am I?’ she snapped ‘Okay okay, I know Jide, but am
desperately…’ Grace resorted to whining.

Not the desperation word please! Jide cringed in disgust. He hated
clinging and desperate girls, just like he had envisioned Daisy then.

But obviously now, she seemed to be one to keep her distance. To an
extent, he was okay with it.
‘Grace what do you want? Am sorry we ended, but you gotta move on…’
‘No!’ Grace cut in vehemently ‘lets talk about us, the last time you
were in a fit of rage and…’

Jide sighed. There was no reasoning with her. ‘look am damn hungry and i got no time for…’
‘I cooked! Yes i did’ Grace cut in, a hint of excitement in her voice
‘…specially for you’.

No response from Jide’s side.
‘Am working on my cooking okay, Stella is helping me with it, am…am getting better just for you…’

Jide sighed again. Better wasn’t what she’d prepared last, but since he was really hungry, it wont hurt to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Fast foods didn’t thrill him anyway.
‘okay okay’ he cut in resignedly. ‘…give me some minutes, i will be there’.
‘Oh! Thank you, i promise you wont regret it, am gonna treat you real good, give you the best…’
Jide kicked start the engine drowning out her ramblings. That girl could talk all the way to her house if you let her, 2 year since they had been dating and she didn’t know what kind of man he was? He wasn’t one to give in to so much talk.

Everything needn’t be settled by talking always! God! Her nagging had become unbearable of recent.
‘…okay, I’d be waiting for you.’ Grace came to an end, she’d noticed Jide wasn’t responding either. ‘…see you then?’ she wanted to be sure.
‘Grace am coming’ Jide replied irritated after seconds of hesitation.
‘okay’ she said quite inaudibly and the air went silence. She had ended the call.