Funmi continued to remind me that I must celebrate the car for her by taking her out on a lunch; we ended up going out together to the same restaurant we went to previously. My office mates started seeing me as a big boy including my team members, even the ladies who don’t want to associate themselves with me before suddenly began to give me attentions.
There was this particular lady called Benita in the bank, she was a member of another team, fair in complexion, she has an average height, her boobs aren’t too big but she has a massive asset behind. Her dressing used to be sophisticated and one would think she was Elizade’s daughter. She hardly relate with people in the bank and she preferred to interact with other girls who appeared to be sophisticated like her, there were rumors that she is likely to be a part-time runs girl due to her appearance and the high cost gadgets she possessed.
I had noticed her right from the second week we resumed into the bank during our monthly general connect session where all teams do come together to meet. I tried giving her some attentions but she didn’t buy it. I felt bad and repackaged myself by always crossing her path and greeting her. At first, it worked and she was responding well until when one guy who was a full time staff bought her attention with gifts and eatery delicacies and she suddenly changed towards me and started responding to my attention in an awkward manner. After several attempts of giving attentions which she wasn’t falling for, I gave up and we continued to relate together like a mere co-staffs.
About a month after I brought the car to the bank for the first time, I was driving to work on one morning when I saw Benita around Obanikoro area where she stood still at the road trying to wave down at incoming bikes. I sighted her from afar and drove closer and parked near her. I wind down and called her name while waving at her, she saw me, smiled and crossed over, opened the other door and entered the car, she dropped her back and smiled at me.
BENITA: good morning onihaxy.
ME: **switched on the car engine** good morning Benita, how was your night?
BENITA: it was fine. And yours?
ME: fine too. So you live around that area?
BENITA: yes.
ME: waoooh, and I didn’t know all this while?
BENITA: you lived in obanikoro too?
ME: no, I stay in Maryland, but I always drive through this road every morning and evening.
BENITA: eeeyaah.
ME: that’s good, now that I know where you live, I will be picking you up every morning and be dropping you every evening.
BENITA: ***smiled*** funny you. What if you left your house late and I couldn’t wait nko? Or vice versa?
ME: ****smiled***** at least I would be calling you every morning to know your movement and schedule mine.
BENITA: alright then, no problem.
Benita and I continued to chat and flow along in the car while we drove to work, we got to the bank’s premises and we both alighted from the car. We entered and went to our different offices, during lunch break, we met again at the canteen and the atmosphere was entirely different. She was even the one that came to meet me where I was sitting down, she held my hand and said “onihaxy, thanks for the morning ride”, she smiled and left me to return to her friends where they were seated. It was as if I was electrocuted, her touch and smile sent some pulses into my nerves and I was lost in ecstacy.
At 7pm when we closed, I cleared my desk and I was prepared to go home, I left my office and went to the office where Benita’s team was situated, I greeted the guys whom we do relate together before going to meet Benita on her seat. I asked if she was ready and she told me she was yet to round up with her work, I pulled a chair closer and assisted her in rounding up her work. While I was doing this, the guys in that team were looking at me and they were surprised, they knew that Benita doesn’t relate with guys not to talk of a guy from another team.
She finished her work and we went out of the bank together. I unlocked the car doors via the remote on the key and we both entered the car. We drove home and continued to gist and relate along the way.
I got to the spot where I picked her in the morning and stopped the car, we exchanged numbers and she left while I drove home, the chemistry worked perfectly and that marked the beginning a new thing between Benita and I.
As expected, the rumors and gossips about Benita started spreading wide like fire. It started from Benita’s team, it got to my team and it extended to other teams. The friendship between Benita and I started growing as the days went by, we began to confide in each other and we discussed a lot of things together, it got to a time that Benita started to bring flask of food to work and we would eat together during breaks. Sometimes, we would go out together for lunch during breaks. Everybody at work started to assumed that I was dating Benita, whenever people wanted to ask of her from me, they would say “onihaxy, where is your wife?”. The rumors continued to spread wider and more people were saying we got closer because of my car. Some said Benita wouldn’t have been so closer to me if I wasn’t driving a car. We got closer to the extent that sometimes when I stopped at Benita’s street, I sometimes follow her to her house, hanged around for like five to ten minutes before returning back my car to go home thereafter. That was how I got to know that she was staying with her sister in a single room apartment. I was like “so upon all the forming and sophisticated appearances, na single room packaging?”.
We were on our way home one Friday evening when we started a conversation.
ME: Benita.
BENITA: yes dear?
ME: Are you in any relationship?
BENITA: *** surprised**** why do you ask?
ME: nothing, I just noticed that I hardly see any special guy around you.
BENITA: any special guy as how?, I don’t understand.
ME: a special guy that people would see and realized that he is definitely your hubby. I even checked your facebook page and couldn’t see any special upload or dedication of a particular guy.
BENITA: ***laughed** funny you.
ME: I’m serious.
BENITA: anyways, I’m in a relationship, my fiancé lives and work in porthacourt, and we get to see once in every three or four months.
ME: ***felt bad*** hmmmmmmmmm.
BENITA: I just didn’t loud it on social media due to a bad experience I had in my previous relationship
ME: what happened in the previous relationship?, tell me.
BENITA: I publicly engaged my Ex on my facebook, I used his picture as my display picture and at the end of the day, he left me with no genuine reason.
ME: eeyah, so sorry about that.
BENITA: so what about you?, tell me about your girlfriend.
ME: hmmmmmm. I’m not in any relationship.
BENITA: hmmmm. Greatest lie of the century
ME: I’m serious. I used to date a girl back then; she travelled out of the country and broke all contacts with me 4 months after she left this country. The last time I heard from her was 6 months ago.
BENITA: eeyah, maybe she changed phone or ran into problem, why didn’t you send her a mail.
ME: I said she broke all contacts including mails, I sent several mails and she didn’t reply. Like three months ago, I met one of her friends here in Nigeria and she told me that my girl got married to someone overseas.
BENITA: eeyah, sorry about that. You will definitely find another girl. You are a cute and fine boy.
ME: well, I already found one, she is pretty, caring and loving.
BENITA: waoooh. I’m happy for you dear. Who is this lucky girl?
ME: hmmmm, unfortunately, I’m yet to make my intentions known to her.
BENITA: haba!!!, what is delaying you?, or did you observed something bad about her?
ME: not at all, I’m just waiting for the perfect time.
BENITA: hmmmmmm, lovely. So who is this lady trying to take you away from me?
ME: ***got to her street and parked***
Well, her name is Benita and she is sitting right here beside me.
BENITA: ** surprised *** onihaxy stop it, tell me you are joking.
ME: Benita, I’m not joking, I have started loving you and having feelings for you right from the first day I met you when we resumed at the bank, I tried giving you attention several times and it failed. Benita, please believe me, I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
BENITA: onihaxy, I’m so sorry, it won’t be possible.
ME: ***felt sad*** Benita, but why?,
BENITA: I told you few minutes back, I’m already in a relationship and we are already planning to do introduction this year. Secondly, I can never date anybody where I work, and lastly, we are already good friends. We are even more than friends. We have been so close that we do exchange visits, people see us together as if we are dating, so I think I’m ok with that. I’m sorry onihaxy.
ME: ***fell back on the seat and was silent*** Benita please.
BENITA: I’m sorry onihaxy, it won’t be possible.
ME: ****still silent and almost crying****
BENITA: ok onihaxy, you know what?, just go home now, we will continue our discussions on phone.
ME: ***moody**** ok.
BENITA: please onihaxy. Please concentrate while you drive, I can kill myself if anything bad happens to you. I care so much about you and I don’t want to loose you please.
ME: ok, I heard you ***switching on the engine**
BENITA: *** wiped my eyes*** oya smile now.
ME: ****smiled****
BENITA: that’s my baby *** dropped from the car***
I drove home and began to laugh and smile at the drama I just acted, “chaiiii onihaxy, may God forgive you for denying Betty ooo, please my people help me say Amen”.
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 9
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