©️Opeyemi Akintunde
When I saw her, I lost track of time and space. I literally saw myself in a timeless and spaceless frame with just both of us present.
I couldn’t understand why I was so drawn to her, my heart started racing like a motorbike at top speed. Not only was my heart racing, it was making loud noices in my ears just like the sound of the motorbike which made every other sound hide in the background.
” F.D! F.D! FFFF….DDDDD!” I heard the echo of my initials from Reuben’s lips. My name is Friday, but popularly called F.D. Slowly, I turned to my left where Reuben stood shouting my name.
” Yes!” I replied with my heart still racing.
“Are you Okay?” Reuben asked
” Hmm?” I asked because Reuben was suddenly sounding meaningless and simultaneously I had become clueless.
” I asked Are you Okay?” Reuben repeated
“Sure, I am fine!” I replied sharply facing my front again, but this time around, the object of my temporal insanity, whose appearance stopped time for me was no where in sight.
I ran forward searching for her like she was my lost bride…
“Which way did she go?” I questioned in my head.
” The Elevator of course, dullhead” The right thinking side of me replied. She was a guest at the hotel who just arrived and the Elevator was definitely where she would have gone.
I rushed towards the elevator, and just as I got there, the door closed. I stood wanting to know which floor the elevator would stop.
” 4″ I could see that the elevator stopped for a while at the 4th floor… I immediately ran towards the Staff Elevator.
I could feel Reuben’s wondering eyes trailing me. This was totally out of my character. F.D was not an outgoing spontaneous person. I was not someone who acted irrationally, I was very careful in my dealings.
Though I was a Hotel Staff, I carried myself like I was the Son of a billionaire. My Uniform always well ironed, my hair well groomed, my shoes well shone, and I was not someone of many words. Therefore, racing across the hotel walkway was definitely out of my character.
I got to the Staff Elevator in time before Sade one of the cleaners shut the elevator door. Thankfully, she was going to the fourth floor.
” Are you Okay F.D?” Sade couldn’t help but ask. I was panting.
” I am fine!” I replied sharply trying to comport myself
The time it took to ascend to the fourth floor seemed like forever.
Sade knew it was best she let me out first, and Whew! I didn’t see what was coming until it was late.
I ran into her face to face, almost like I was going in for a Kiss.
” Oh Wow! So sorry” She said
” Sorry!” A male voice said as well
” I..am.. sorry…My …fault ” I managed to say
It was at that point I saw the bigger picture clearer…
She had a beautiful white sequined dress on. It had a long tail. Her hair was stylished packed into a bun and sitting on her head was a silver crown embellished with pearls.
Her neck was decked with pearl jewelries that shone like newly whitened teeth.
Her hands glowed and looked supple like it had been glazed with milk. However, as my eyes travelled the length of her right hand taking in every detail possible, I saw how intertwined her hand was, with the hand of the man she was walking with.
In that same flash, I quickly accessed the man she was walking with, His suit spoke money, His Shoe spoke money and his demeanor spoke Pride, money and Control.
” F.D, you have never come across to me as a man who loves the concept of marriage, I always thought you will end up a Catholic Father!” Sade said laughing as she walked past the striken me…
” Marriage!” I thought
The woman who had disrupted his life and right thinking was a newly wedded bride who was beautifully dressed in her Wedding gown, who obviously had come to the hotel where he worked for her honeymoon in the company of her husband.
I couldn’t explain how I, Friday Omojola who was notorious for not being interested in women or relationships was suddenly losing it over a newly wedded bride!
Help!
To be continued
