HE SAID NO
EPISODE 12
It was around 10:30 am on a Monday morning, and the weather was just starting to heat up, Mrs. Akinwale Grace wobbled into city bank, she walked down the banking hall, dragging her feet as she did. She was putting on a long flair Ankara gown with black and white prints on flat black sandals, her dressing was particularly awkward for a Monday morning.
She looked disorganized and bloated with her loosely packed undone hair and her protruding tummy in full glare. Her ATM card had expired and she was there for a new one.
Looking at the long queue of customers also waiting to be attended to made her feel dizzy, she asked the last person she saw on the queue,
“Please uncle, are you the last person on the queue,”
“No, there are two ladies behind me,” she sighed as she clung tightly to her funny-looking black bag, which had started losing shape due to excessive use, it seemed like she was going to be there for a really long time.
“Okay, uncle. I am behind them,” she said, before settling on one of the seats provided in the bank for customers,
Grace, Amifel’s friend who was coming back from the staff toilet, saw Mrs. Akinwale Grace sitting with her face cupped in her hand. Although there were many other customers seated all around the banking hall, she caught her attention because she took notice of her big baby bump and she sort of looked pale.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Grace beckoned as she bent slightly beside her, “Hope you are fine?” she asked, Mrs. Grace, looked up on impulse to find a beautiful young lady dressed in an onion-colored corporate gown in front of her, she would have mistaken her for a customer like herself, save the identity card hung around her neck.
“Yes sister, I am fine, I am just a bit stressed out,” she said, hoping to get some sympathy,
“May I know what you are here for?”
“I came to request for a new ATM card, my old one has expired for almost a month now,”
“Okay, just wait here while I try to get some help,” Grace offered, she had walked a few meters before she came back again,
“Please may I have your form?”
“Oh, form? “she asked, looking puzzled,
“Yes ma, you are expected to fill a request form,”
“I totally forgot,”
“Not to worry, I’ll be back shortly,” Grace said before she walked briskly to the front row, where another staff was attending to customers who were there for new ATM cards as well. She came back some minutes later with a form which she waited for her to fill before taking it back to the staff in charge, all the while Mrs. Akinwale Grace was seated,
“It would be ready shortly ma, “Grace said to her,
“My sister, thank you so much. I am very grateful.” Mrs. Akinwale said with gratitude, as she adjusted on her seat,
Grace who had no customer to attend to initially already had a couple of them waiting to air out their complaints. She apologized before taking the time to attend to them. Some minutes later, Mrs. Akinwale Grace was given her new ATM card and as she stood up to leave, she scanned through the hall and sighted Grace where she was seated, she had a few people to attend to but she still decided to wait, she was there for almost an hour after she was attended to, and just when Grace was done attending to the last customer, Mrs. Grace approached her,
“Sister, thank you so much for the other time. I am really grateful,” she said as she approached Grace,
“Madam, you are still around? Don’t tell me that you are yet to be attended to?” Grace asked, alarmed.
“I already got my card, I noticed that you were busy and I wanted to say thank you before leaving. Please have this for lunch,” She said as she folded a number of crispy 1000 naira notes into her hands, Grace who was dumbfounded stood up at that instant,
“No, madam. Don’t worry, it was nothing,” she declined,
“I insist, please.” She pleaded, Grace collected the money while thanking her profusely,
“What’s the name please?” Mrs. Grace asked,
“My name is Grace Eribo ma,” she answered,
“Grace?”
“Yes, ma,”
“No wonder, my name is Grace too, Mrs. Grace Akinwale,” she said, as her face curved into a smile.
“Wow, really. That’s amazing, no wonder I was drawn to you,” Grace smiled, as a new customer walked down to her table.
“Thank you for showering me with grace,” she continued, flashing her beautiful set of white teeth.
“It was nothing ma, thank you once again,” Grace said, beyond the stress lines drawn on her face and her rough dressing, Grace couldn’t help but notice that she was beautiful, or used to be.
“Please don’t mention, I guess we’ll talk some other time, Miss Grace,” she said while she hung her bag more comfortably on her shoulder,
“That would be fine ma, please let me have your contact,” Grace said, reaching for her phone which was in her drawer, as Mrs. Grace called out her number, she added, “Maybe I’ll visit you, one…”
“No! “she cut in bluntly, as her countenance changed almost instantly, “my husband might not like it,” she continued,
“Oh… okay ma, I totally understand, ” she said, obviously she did not understand a thing. “I’ll see you some other time, ” Grace quickly said, saving the day.
As Mrs. Grace Akinwale bade her farewell, she settled back on her seat and dropped the folded money into her drawer before she attended to the next customer. When she was done, she opened her drawer to count the money,
“10,000 naira for lunch!” she said aloud, Mrs. Grace didn’t look like someone who could conveniently afford to give out 1000 naira, talk more of 10,000 naira.
“What happened?” Ngozi, her colleague in the customer care department asked her, she was seated close to Grace.
“Nothing, Ngozi. Don’t mind me,” she answered,
“She must be really comfortable,” she said to herself before keeping the money in the small pocket behind her bag, she was thankful for the free money she just got, but she could not help but wonder why she was so poorly dressed and in particular, “Why did she talk about her husband with so much dread?”
She hoped to find out…
To be continued…
Written by Sodamade Olamide Tolulope.
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