I heard the footsteps approach slowly to where I was. I hurriedly and secretly cleaned my tears. I did not want anyone to find out that I was crying. I am a man, men don't cry. I would not be able to come to church for several days because of shame. What if the people who approached were the neighbors who I had been hiding from. They possibly could not have targeted me down, could they?
I tried turning slowly to reach out to my face mask on the staircase, when I felt a pat on my shoulder. I looked up in fear and trepidation and I found two men; one crying man in the middle and a woman with a poker face.
" Ar, are you fine brother? " the crying brother whom I remember to be Joshua asked. Watching him cry that much made me melt. I began resuming crying because I felt that someone could understand me.
Wole got on the stairs with me and hugged me. The rest of them sat down next to me " What happened? Tell us all about it." I did not know when I opened my mouth and I beagn to tell them all I that had happened.
If my perception of time that day is true. It took me about two hours to dissect the whole story. I don't know why, but I felt like they had a solution. That they were God's solution given to me. After I had finished, they held my hand sand they prayed with me.
After the prayers, I felt lighter. From that day we became best friends. We regularly hanged out and went to seminars and retreats to renew our minds regularly.
They were business management majors. They were the ones who helped me rebuild my business system and suggested that I withdraw the other branches all over Abuja and concentrate at a particular branch, as years passed, the flower shop became a grocery shop.
GET IT was a success but our business was threatened when our fresh fruits and vegetables section was threatened when the media found out that we sold genetically modified foods.
It was common and general myth that GMF's were carcinogenic but once the public found out, our company's stocks were dropping. For months, the fruits and vegetables section was stagnant. I ordered the production staff and personnel staff to give out the fresh foods to the orphanages and charity organization. But even at that, they also started rejecting it too when they had discovered that they were GMF's.
It was a total waste, I had to cutoff the 10 year contract I had with the GMF's producing company which cost a lot off capital loss.
Wale,Joshua, wanda and I stayed in the office and prayed and travailed for God to connect us to a company that would wipe off the recent situation and help us choose a new company to get in a contract with and we found Green foods, a new start up farming company that had been established around the same time as ours. It was a silver lining opportunity. They were loved and favoured by so many communities in Abuja. And I all we had to do was to let each costumer know that we had registered with Green foods to supply them quality fresh food.
" Sir, I forgot to mention this but we had been giving an invitation to a villa party by the minister of health." Joshua said while he stood up, then after he was done, he sat down.
At work he always behaved calm ad composed but he was the loudest and most expressive when we were outside this building. His poised behavior would cause me to laugh atimes.
I smirked" Oh really? I guess we would have to attend, how many invites?"
" As many as we are sir." Joshua said in a light hearted voice, his eyebrows went up, he looked at wale and wanda. They did not smile or move. I guess their lack of excitement made him nervous and cause him to clear his throat.
" They really said that?" wale asked, "they seem to be in a charitable mood." He said breathing in and out, I could detect his hidden fear for parties, he always had that same look on anytime we mentioned social gatherings. Wale was the calm both inside and outside the workplace. He was the brains and logic behind most of our capital management but also was forgiving and kind when it was called for.
.................................….."Well, I guess I better head out now, tell everyone that there is a half day off for all the management staff and tell the sales rep at each store to switch their shifts earlier today and close early… exactly 12 in the midnight."
" Thank you sir!" The three echoed together.
I got into my car and I decided to head right in town for a mission. I had to find a tuxedo to wear I had outworn the ones I had and I wanted to appear my best. I went out of the car and I read the signs CLOSED FOR THE DAY. I desperately needed that suit. I reached out to my phone in my pocket and I searched out for a nearest clothes store with boogle. I got into the car and I tuned to the store.
I could hear the sounds of cacophony from children from a nearby school. I looked towards the source of the noise: they was a giant fountain staue that poured out books. And the building was a big one. From what I had seen, it had the capacity to withhold 100 students. It must not be the school for the middle class at all. I saw parents side by side holding their children. I wondered how it would have been to told to my children that way. I ruined my home with my wife. A year ago, I received a file from her, it was a divorce slip. I ran out desperately to know if I would see her. It was for naught.
She knew where I was, but I had not know where she was. I moved to Abuja because I found out from her eyebook account that she lived here too. It was the perfect opportunity to cross paths with her again. I tried calling her with the number that I got from the app severally but it was unreachable. I know that if I could see her again, I would assert my love to her, I would tell her that I made a mistake and I pushed her to hardly against the wall. I would tell her that five years slapped some sense into me and I have realized that she would not ever cheat on me. I remembered her smile. And I stopped looking at the children and I closed my eyes and entered into the shop