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Jessica folded the last shirt of her laundry and placed it in her drawer. She had a small bucket list of things to do over the weekend:
- wash clothes,
- put clothes away
- clean the bathrooms
- straighten out the kitchen cabinets
- clean her bedroom
Tiffany, her daughter, was at her father?s for the weekend so, the house was quiet. All Jessica wanted to do was to spend the rest of her day alone in her loungewear.
After completing her list, Jessica didn?t feel like leaving the house even though it was a nice summer day. She?d rather stay in and read a book. It was something she hadn?t done in a while. She owed herself some alone time after running around all week doing favors for her next-door neighbor and taking her daughter to soccer practice.
It was time for her to kick up her feet and relax, but then there was a knock at her door.
?Go away,? she said under her breath as she got up from her comfortable spot on the couch. She opened the door. No one was there. She stepped out on her porch and looked up and down the street. She didn?t see anyone, then she looked down and saw a potted plant with a note attached.
Jessica,
Thank you very much for all that you do. Here?s a little something to green up your day!
Danielle
?Oh, how sweet of her,? she said as she took the plant inside.
?No more interruptions, please,? Jessica said as she laid back on her couch.
She picked up the book and opened it. As she began reading, her phone rang. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table in front of her.
?Hey, Rebecca, what?s up?? she said.
?What are you doing right now?? Rebecca asked.
Jessica sat up on the couch, ?I?m reading; why??
?Do you want to go to the movies? It?s a special showing of your favorite movie.?
?Sounds great, but not today. I?m really just trying to stay in and relax. I had such a busy week.?
?Are you sure? I?ll pay for your ticket.?
?It?s not about the ticket. I just want to be alone this weekend. I?ll hook up with you next weekend, I promise.?
?Okay, girl. I?ll talk to you later. Enjoy the rest of your day and weekend.?
?Thanks, I will, bye.?
Jessica put her phone back on the coffee table. All she wanted to do was relax and be alone, and she thought she would get to do that except for the interruptions.
The minute she opened the book to where she left off, her phone chimed, another interruption.
?This better be an emergency,? she said as she looked at her phone.
Chris
I need you to email that list of companies ASAP!
Jessica
Why the urgency? We?re off until Tuesday! Chill, take a break!
Chris
I need to give the list to Marcus by 5 today. He changed his mind about the date for the event.
Chris
Please, just do it for me.
Jessica
Okay. I?ll send it right now. Check your email.
Chris
Thanks. I owe you big.
Jessica
You sure do!
Jessica grabbed her work laptop, logged on, emailed Chris the information he requested, closed the computer, and moved it out of sight. She didn?t want to think one more second about work. She needed to clear her mind. Realizing she hadn?t eaten anything all day, Jessica got off the couch, went into the kitchen, and fixed an almond butter and strawberry jam sandwich and a cup of green tea with a twist of lemon and ginger.
An hour later, loud banging interrupted Jessica?s nap. She jumped off the couch to investigate the noise, knocking the book off her stomach and onto the floor The banging got louder as she moved closer to her front door. She opened the door. To her surprise, her mother Harriet, her sister Nettie and her aunt Janice were standing on the other side of her door.
?Surprise!? Aunt Janice said as she walked past Jessica.
?What are y?all doing here?? Jessica asked.
?We were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by,? Nettie said.
?You could?ve called first,? Jessica said as she walked back into the living room.
?Where?s the fun in that?? Harriet said.
?I just wanted to be alone this weekend,? Jessica said.
?Well, too bad. We?re here, so get over it,? Aunt Janice said as she plopped next to Jessica.
?Tiffany?s over her dad?s for the weekend, and I?ve been running around doing stuff for my next-door neighbors all week and taking Tiffany to soccer practice, so I?m exhausted.?
?We understand, dear, but we don?t get to see you often since you got the new job,? Harriet said as she rubbed her daughter?s back.
?I know, Mama, I know,? Jessica said as she laid her head on her mother?s shoulders
?So, what?s the plan? Are we going to go and do that thing or not?? Nettie asked as she walked over to her family in the living room. She was the last to enter the house after going back to the car for something.
Harriet and Janice looked at each other.
?What thing are y?all doing?? Jessica asked.
Nettie sat on the other sofa opposite her family.
?We are going to the MGM for ladies? night out. We thought you?d want to come along,? Aunt Janice said.
Jessica looked at her aunt sideways. ?Really, Aunt Janice, ladies? night at the MGM, hmm??
?Yeah, do you have a problem with that? There?s going to be a lot of good prizes, 25 dollars vouchers, free drinks, and food,? Nettie said as she danced in her seat.
?I am supposed to be alone in my quiet house, no interruptions, but here y?all are interrupting,? Jessica said as she got up from her spot.
?Where are you going? Miss thing,? Harriet asked her oldest daughter.
?I?m about to get dressed since it doesn?t look like I can?t say no to y?all,? she said as she walked up the stairs.
Harriet, Janice, and Nettie all broke out in laughter.
Fifteen minutes later, Jessica came downstairs in dark blue jeans, a red shirt, and black and red sandals. She pulled her braids in a top-notch bun. She pulled herself together, considering the short amount of time she had to prepare
?Before we go, here?s something for you to wear,? Nettie said as she handed Jessica a customized black jacket emblazoned with her sorority emblems.
?It?s beautiful, sis; thank you so much,? she said as she put it on. ?I love it. You?re the best.
?Okay, let?s go before all the free food is gone,? Harriet said.
They left the house and headed to ladies? night.
There was this aura about him. Cocky. It showed in the way he waved me over to his side as I stepped into the fancy restaurant. I hadn't had any trouble locating it, situated right where it was, at the end of Jackson Street, surrounded by honeysuckles in bloom.
Everything about the interior was cream and intimidating. The tiles. The walls. The table tops. The chairs. Even the air smelled fresh, like milk.
"Have your seat, please" he said, and surprisingly, I wasn't shocked that he didn't get up to pull out a chair like those gentlemen in the movies.
He occupied the seat in an intimidating sort of way. He was neither handsome, nor ugly. He was just in-between, neatly dressed in an evening suit, polished shoes, permed hair...
"Good evening, Marcus" I said, clearing my throat.
"It's Dr. Marcus," he smiled, "I... have a Ph.D in Business Administration. If I was lecturing, I'd probably be called Professor by now."
He expected me to be impressed, I could tell. He was young, maybe mid-thirties, just a few years older than I was. I was guessing five years, at most. But the cocky smile he had pasted on his face had the opposite effect on me.
"Dr. Marcus is fine." I said
"Remind me your name again? Sarah or Sonia?"
The effrontery.
"It's Sandra." I replied.
"Just Sandra? No title?"
"I don't fancy having titles before my name," I said, "but if you so wish to address me with one, then call me barrister Sandra."
"You're a lawyer?" his eyes widened. Oh. He had underestimated me. The little lady in a plain dress and no make-up on.
"I am."
"That's impressive. You know, nowadays, it's difficult to come across ladies who have stuff going for themselves, independently, I mean."
I refused to acknowledge his statement He didn't pursue that line. Instead, he signalled the waiter. Ordered something for himself and said, "the lady will have the same." The effrontery!
Well, it was garnished jollof rice and bottled water. I was okay with it, but he should have allowed me to make the choice myself!
And then, we began to eat. It was silent at first, and of a truth, I was comfortable with the silence. But then, he got really noisy with his spoon. It called my attention to the way he held it - between his index finger and his middle finger. He suddenly launched into a very boring monologue about his lands, his many landed property, businesses, and very very boring friends. I had it up to my neck and coughed, really really hard. He called for the waiter. He was a young boy in his late teens, looking like someone who would rather be elsewhere.
"Who cooked this meal? You?"
"No sir. The cook cooked the meal"
"Of course, the cook. Is the cook male or female?"
"I don't know, sir. We have up to thirty cooks, sir, plus interns. I don't know which one of them cooked this particular meal."
"Tell them they've all failed. The pepper surpassed the food! Just see how bad the lady was coughing!" A few heads turned our way. I was mortified.
"Sorry about that, sir."
"Now get back to what you were doing."
The waiter bowed quietly and left us. I started to talk about how unnecessary the entire thing was, but it was that moment he chose to talk about how he made a mistake choosing this place.
"There are other better restaurants scattered around Lagos Island. This place is a disappointment."
It was obvious that he was talking to himself, so I allowed him. When he remembered that he had company, he smiled and asked if I was enjoying the date. The effrontery!
"So, how has the profession been treating you?"
I started to respond when he whipped out his phone, one of those expensive models, from his pocket, and began to scroll through it. I paused, waiting for him to finish, but I soon realised he had forgotten I was there. I reached for my bottled water and took a long gulp. His phone rang in the process. No "excuse me" before he picked the call, and talked at length with the person on the other end, about shares and stocks and the possibility of the Central Bank giving them a loan! How much worse could the evening get? He hung up in the same brisk manner he used in picking the call. No "sorry about that".
He managed to finish up the food on his plate, and called on the waiter to clear the table. He was also harsh about that. The waiter calculated the bill. He paid in cash, but left no tip. My heart went out to the poor boy.
When at last he was ready to hold a conversation with me, I was drained, and so not ready for it.
"Dr. Marcus, I'd love to go home now." I said.
"But why? The evening is only just beginning."
"I'm sorry, but I must go now." I stood, "thanks for your time."
He insisted that he would drop me off. Whatever led me to accept. But it was one move I totally regretted. He drove like a bat from hell. Turned the music up so loud, that he had to shout to hear himself. Himself, because I didn't allow myself to be a part of that cacophony.
I stopped ten blocks away from my home I had my reasons. He had the effrontery to turn down the volume and ask in a calm voice, "so when will I see you again?"
"I doubt if we'll ever see again, Dr. Marcus." I replied.
I would have given him my business card, but Gold, Felicity and Sandy Chambers selected clients the way mothers picked stones away from beans.
"And why do you say that, Barrister Susan? Don't you know that I'm already planning our next date?"
"Well you can plan that with another unfortunate being," I shut the passenger door and slung my bag over my right shoulder, "I'm never going out with you again."
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