THE CHAT ROOM : PART 11 – 20

PART 20

By Temi Akintade

“Look straight ahead. I’m putting on a plain black suit and I’m seated with a lady in a red dress. Can you see me now?” Frank bellowed on the phone.

My eyelashes fluttered repeatedly as if trying to understand what he meant by, I’m seated with a lady in a red dress. Who was the lady? Or was she the one he wanted to introduce to her?

I thought initially that we were going to see his mother over dinner at his house but I was kinda surprised when he texted me the venue for the dinner. ‘Lakeview restaurant.’ It wasn’t even a restaurant by the lake but it had a wonderful night view.

I held onto my silver purse tightly and sashayed into the restaurant.

I had expected that the few heads that turned in my direction would wink at me or at least stay charmed by my angelic look but they turned their heads back to their previous business.

Ignoring my entrance like I was like every other ordinary person even though I was.

Mama Judith had told me that the silver dinner gown I got from our church member Boma would sit perfectly on my slim figure. But I doubt if it does because I was already feeling awkward with the whole makeup on my face.

Mama Judith had encouraged me to wear a light makeup but the makeup artist did something I wasn’t settled with.

Something that I would keep regretting all through that evening. With eyebrows, blue eyeshadow when I was wearing a silver colour dress, and bold red lipstick.

The restaurant was a bit crowded today. Maybe it was because it was a brilliant Friday night.

I shifted my head to the corner of the restaurant, my eyes darting from person to person in search of Frank or whomever that looks like him.

Until my eyes stayed on a light-skinned lady dressed in a full red dress. Her make-up was lightly made, not like the caricature on my face. She had long wavy black hair of which I was sure was a hair extension.

I observed that she would flip back the hair almost every minute as though she didn’t like that the hair gave her much attention just like the man beside her.

I was still drinking in her beautiful appearance, her false beautiful nails when my eyes landed on the man beside her.

It was the man in a black suit. Frank! And I didn’t like the way he touched her arm and the way she smiled at his touch. It makes me want to wag a finger at her and warn her to back off!

“Paulina? Thank God you are here!” Frank rose from his seat, he hugged me briefly and for that briefest moment, I felt like Jesus when he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

Frank began to pull me towards an empty seat beside him. Meanwhile, the lady never stopped smiling.

I wasn’t sure why but I muttered a small prayer that the lady should be his sister and not what I am thinking.

“Good evening Frank hope you’re good?” I pressed a fake smile on my lips. I became suddenly conscious of my skin colour and body shape.

The lady before me was the exact opposite of me. Light skinned, beautiful, hourglass shape, happy, confident, and single without a child.

But here I was, seated with an almost flabby tummy indicating my introduction to motherhood.

Even though mama Judith said my flabby tummy wasn’t evident, I still felt like my little secret was out already.

“Well, I’m fine. And you look different!” He tried to smile. The lady in red touched his arm lightly.

“Different in a good or bad way?” The lady in red asked.

I glared at her, with a fake smile glued to my face. I was also interested in hearing Frank’s conclusion.

“Well, I have never seen her wear makeup and she has always looked good without it.” He shrugged.

Somehow his last statement got to me but I ignored him and tried to focus on the waiter who had just come to take our orders.

“Okay let me quickly do the introduction before we eat.” Frank grinned now. “Paulina this is Regina, my fiancee.”

Turned to the lady in red. “Regina this is Paulina. She has a beautiful kid like I already told you. You need to meet her!”

My jaw dropped slightly. Fiancee? My mind whirled in turmoil and my insides tightened with grief.

What was happening? And how many things have Frank told the lady in red about me? Or what did he mean by that?

“Nice to meet you, Paulina. I can’t wait to meet your beautiful daughter. I’ve heard so much about you.” She said.

“Really?” I was livid. “What exactly did you hear about me?” The smile on my face slid off and my tone was hard.

The smiles on their faces had also slid off. “Oh, I bet you heard I was the teenager who got pregnant and hated her child and klled her mother indirectly.

Did he tell you of how he decided to adopt my child, and how he kept playing like he was the father of my Hadassah?” I barked. I didn’t care if my eyes were stained with tears and if my makeup was ruined.

I didn’t even care of my lips were trembling at the sight of Frank’s surprised face because the shrill ringing of my phone broke the icy moment.

I snatched the zip of the borrowed silver purse and opened it. Then hurriedly pressed the small phone to my ear eager to hear who was on the line.

“Yes, who?” I barked in a small voice.

It’s mama Judith. “You need to come to zuba general hospital now Hadassah is in the hospital.” She panicked.

“Ehn? What has happened to Hadassah?” I hurriedly ended the call and rushed out of the restaurant in my 4-inch silver-colored stilettos.