A SMALL WORLD - SEASON TWO

Copyright © Ufuomaee

EPISODE TWO

Cindy arrived at Lily’s Dream Hotel and Suites on time at 6 am, Monday morning, to start her new job as the Head of Catering. Though it was a very early hour, she was thrilled to have the job, her dream job. And she also knew, deep down, that part of her excitement was because she would be working closely with Ope and seeing him again.

She really wasn’t sure what her job entailed, but she took some initiative while she waited for her boss to show up. That didn’t happen until 9:30 am. By then, Cindy had already studied the menus, taken account of their stock, and even inspected the utensils and appliances. She’d also supervised the preparations and set up for breakfast. She had some suggestions for how to improve on the menu and was eager to share her ideas with Promise.

“Good morning, madam,” Cindy stood up and greeted her boss when she walked through the double doors of the kitchen area.

“Good morning, Cindy,” Promise replied smartly. “I see breakfast is already served. Any for me?”

“Of course, madam. I reserved your plate,” Cindy said as she quickly retrieved a tray from one of the industrial ovens. She’d wrapped the food neatly, anticipating that her boss would probably want to sample it.

Promise looked at Cindy, stunned. She hadn’t been serious. But Cindy was already proving Ope right. “Oh, Okay. Thanks,” was all she could say. Cindy brought her a wrapped cutlery set. The food looked mouth-watering delicious. Promise scooped some scrambled eggs into her mouth. It tasted better than it looked! She put her fork down.

“So, have you been through the menu yet? I hope you have started on plans for lunch,” Promise said.

“Yes, ma. I went through the menu and the stock. I sent Patricia to get some more garlic, potatoes, and carrots because we are short on those. I also wanted to talk to you about some recommendations I have for the menu, if you don’t mind…”

Hmmm… She was too good. Promise worried if she wouldn’t fall in love with Cindy herself. “Go on…”

Promise nodded as Cindy shared her ideas. They were things she had also considered, but she didn’t think their budget could handle such expensive tastes so early in their start up. They were still spending a lot fixing plumbing and electrical issues in the hotel that such extravagant spending on consumables would not be a wise investment. She told Cindy as much.

“I understand, ma. I just think these are the days to set and maintain an excellent catering standard. Even if people do not come to lodge, many will come to dine. It is a way of advertising and branding the hotel.”

“Are you the Head of Catering or Head of Marketing?” Promise asked, annoyed.

“Sorry, ma. I didn’t mean…”

“Why don’t you focus on what I pay you to do? Don’t try to run before you can walk. I have my own growth strategy for this hotel, and when the time is right, we will implement some of your ideas.”

“Thank you, ma,” Cindy said and waited to be dismissed.

Promise raised her fork to indicate that she could go and do other things before returning to her breakfast. What did she add to these eggs?

***

Oyinda had realised his mistake when Kemi had gone up to sing her song. He’d played back the recording but couldn’t really hear what he’d said because of the noise of the bar. And he wondered what he had recorded and what Temi had heard. How had he made such a stupid mistake?

He’d kept waiting for Temi to respond. Maybe she would ask him to send the message again because it wasn’t clear. Or perhaps she would cuss him out. But one hour later, her message didn’t come. Still, he couldn’t stay comfortably in the bar. His imagination was going wild, wondering what her silence meant.

He’d made up a silly excuse, about having an upset stomach and not wanting to use a public toilet, to ask Kemi to pardon him. He hadn’t even volunteered to drop her at home. But she’d insisted that she wouldn’t stay at the bar without him so he could take her home.

At her building, Oyinda’s fear reduced significantly in proportion to his lust as he edged in closer to her, hoping for an invitation up to her flat. She’d invited him up, and once they got in her apartment, he’d taken her into his arms to ravage her.

“Er, don’t you need to use the bathroom?” she’d reminded him, an arch in her brow.

“Uh, yeah… Thanks… Sort of lost the urge,” he’d giggled before moving in the direction of her pointed finger to open the door on his right.

He had stood for a while as he waited for the urge to pee. He’d released himself, washed and dried his hands, checked himself out, and was back to finish what he had started. By then, he had completely forgotten about the reason for his discomfort and haste to go home.

When he came out of the toilet, Kemi was not in the sexy lingerie he had imagined. She was actually doing what he dreaded but least expected. She had his wallet in her hands and was studying something.

“What are you doing?” he’d asked, trying to keep the accusation from his voice.

“Oh, your twins are so adorable!” she’d gushed. “How old are they now?”

“Three,” Oyinda lied. He just couldn’t stop lying today. “Look, I have to be going…”

“Why are you in such a rush all of a sudden?”

“I just… I just need to go.” Oyinda grabbed his wallet and the pictures of his children and headed for the door.

“Do you think I went through your wallet? It dropped before you went in the bathroom, and the pictures fell out. But if you want to go, no problem.”

Oyinda swallowed. He had wondered how she got a hold of his wallet. But he’d kept it in his back pocket, and her explanation was feasible. However, that really wasn’t why he was in a rush. He already knew her type. She’d have him sipping tea and giggling before she’d let him even touch her breasts. He didn’t have time for that. Maybe another time, but he had to go home now and find out what his wife knew and see how much shit he was in.

He’d softened and gone to kiss her on the lips. “I’m sorry. I really had a great time with you and can’t wait to see you again… But I need to go now. Do you mind?”

She’d shaken her head and smiled. Perhaps it was because his passion for her was so intense, and he wanted them to save sex for later. He was so sweet, she’d thought. “No problem, Oyinda. I had fun tonight. Drive home safe.”

Kemi had escorted him to the door and gave him a kiss that made him think he had just made the worst mistake of the night. Her wink confirmed it. He’d swallowed hard as she shut the door, and he’d refrained himself from knocking on it again. Oh, she was such a tease. When he’d remembered his real dilemma, he hastened to leave her doorway and get back in his car.

On arriving home, he had been pleased to see that everything was as it should be.

Oyinda closed his eyes, recalling what transpired that night…

***

Oyinda took the stairs two at a time as he hastened to his bedroom to check on Temi. She was in bed with a box of tissues.

OMG! He swallowed hard. She picked up a book and looked at him at the same time. She swallowed.

“Darling, are you okay?” Oyinda asked in a small voice, slowly approaching his wife, wondering if she was going to fling the book at him.

Temi sighed and wiped her nose. She nodded. “I’m fine.”

Oyinda sat on the bed, his hand grazing her leg. He didn’t know how to ask the question without giving himself away. What was she crying about? “Why are you crying?”

She looked at him, and their eyes locked. “It’s this book. It’s so sad…” she sniffled. Relief flooded Oyinda. He leaned into her and threw his arms around her.

“Oh, baby… You scare me sometimes… You’re so emotional,” he said, heaving a sigh of relief. “Haven’t you read it before?”

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago…” Temi said. “I saw your message. And the audio too.”

Oyinda held his breath. OMG! This was it… He was dead!

“It was so sweet of you… But I couldn’t really hear what you said,” Temi said.

Oyinda swallowed and forced himself not to smile. Instead, he stroked her cheek. “It’s okay… I think I was a little drunk,” he said, finally.

Temi gave a small smile. “It’s okay. It’s the thought that counts.”

“Yes… And I love you. Never, ever doubt it!” he added.

Oyinda sighed, thinking how lucky he had been that Temi hadn’t caught him. It was now Monday morning, and his life was as it should be. That Kemi almost got him in trouble. He could tell that she was going to be a handful, but he was drawn like a moth to a flame. He would have to put that on a low burner until he could give her his full attention.

And speaking of low burner, his phone began to ring. It was Dolapo.

“I’m kind of busy right now, Dolapo. Can I call you back?”

***

“Sure, take your time…” Dolapo said. Asshole! So, he thinks he can just dump me like that? She cut the call and hissed before putting her phone away. She smiled when she saw the person she had been looking for.

Dolapo made her way through the aisles of the supermarket to the make-up section. She picked up a couple of shades of lipsticks and examined them before putting them away. She brushed another woman who was also checking for some lipstick.

“Oh, sorry,” she muttered, though the woman didn’t seem so disturbed. The lady turned and gave a small acknowledging smile before replacing the lipstick.

“I think this would look good on you,” Dolapo said, causing the woman to stop and look at the lipstick in her hand.

“Oh, you think? Red’s really not my colour,” the woman said. “Do you work here?”

“Oh no… I am just really good with make-up. I’m a make-up artist. And I can just tell what would work on different skin tones,” Dolapo smiled. Her well-made face showed that she knew exactly what she was talking about. Yet, the lady wasn’t too convinced.

“Ummm… I don’t know. I’m not much of a make-up person. I normally get a particular brand, but they are out of it.”

“Okay, no problem. If you ever need someone to do a make-over, you can call me.” Dolapo handed the woman her card. “I am Dolapo Oshin.”

The lady took the card and looked at Dolapo’s face. She wondered if she’d seen her before. “I’m Temi. Mrs Temi Ayeni. Do I know you?”

Dolapo smiled. “No, I don’t think so. But you said ‘Ayeni’… Are you related to Oyinda Ayeni?”

Temi smiled slightly, not sure what relationship existed between the woman and her husband. “Yes, he’s my husband.”

“Oh, that’s it! He works in oil and gas, right? You guys were featured in an interview last year. I knew your face was familiar…”

“Wow, you have such a wonderful memory,” Temi blushed.

“Whoever did your make-up for that interview didn’t do you justice. With those cheekbones and full lips, you could have looked way more stunning.”

“Oh, really? I did it myself, actually.”

“Oh, okay. Girl, you need me to hook you up,” Dolapo giggled.

Temi smiled. “I’ll save your card. Thanks. It was nice, and strange, to meet you…”

“It was my pleasure, ma,” Dolapo said with a short wave, watching as Temi made her way to the counter with her basket of shopping.

Temi turned back when she got to the counter to see if Dolapo was still there. She was relieved that she was not. There was something strange about the woman. She took another look at the card before she slipped it into her purse and brought out her card to pay.

To be continued...

Photo credit: www.canva.com

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