THE MIRACLE I NEED : Episode 11 – 20
EPISODE 19
“I noticed you were up for most of the night, why? Abi the bed is too hard for your ajebutter body? This lifestyle done tire you already?” Chuka asked as he dressed up, preparing to leave the house.
“It’s not like that. I’m just thinking about something. Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.” Eric said with a shake of his head as he stood up from the bed and headed for the bathroom to brush his mouth.
Chuka followed him and stood by the door of the bathroom while he watched Eric brush, “If it kept you up all night, then it is probably a big deal. Is it because you don’t have money on you again? Is that what is bothering you?” Chuka asked, taking out his wallet and handing his ATM card to Eric, “I have little money in my account, you can make use of it.” He offered making Eric raise a brow as he looked down at the ATM card.
“Don’t do that.” Eric said with a shake of his head and continued brushing his teeth.
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t give me your money. I don’t need it.” Eric said in a flat tone.
Chuka paused and looked into Eric’s face, “If it isn’t money then what else could possibly be bothering you? Or you’re missing your family already? You know you can…”
“I said it’s not that?” Eric snapped at him making the foam from the paste from on his bare chest. He glared at Chuka before wiping off with water and then focused on brushing his tongue.
“Okay, since it isn’t money and it isn’t family what else could be bothering you? Talk to me na.” Chuka insisted.
Eric looked Chuka over as though trying to decide whether or not he was worth confiding in, “That Kimberly girl… She wants me to marry her.”
“Ehn? You say?” Chuka asked with a confused frown, “Which Kimberly girl? You are dating someone already?”
“The senator’s daughter we were checking out her profile on Instagram yesterday. She wants me to marry her.” Eric repeated as he rinsed out his toothbrush and cleaned his mouth.
“The one Ali said picks up random guys at the club every weekend and sleeps around with different guys?” Chuka asked for confirmation.
“Forget whatever Ali said. You know I’m not the type to concern myself with other people’s opinion about people.” Eric said with a scowl.
“True. But wait, how can she just see you and then ask you to marry her, just like that? Something had to have lead to the subject. And why didn’t you tell me about this yesterday?” Chuka asked with a frown as he followed Eric back into the bedroom.
“Her car was bad so I had to carry her….” Eric started.
“… And then she gave me her complementary card saying I should call or visit her office to let her know if I’m interested or not.” Eric concluded while Chuka whistled in excitement.
“So that was how you spent the fuel money! But wait o, I thought it was only in movies that things like this happen. I wish I was the one driving the car yesterday.” Chuka said with a sigh.
“Don’t tell me you would have agreed to marry her for just a year.” Eric asked with a shake of his head.
“Even if it was just for a week I would have agreed. So what do you intend to do? We both know you don’t need anything she has to offer anyway.” Chuka reminded him.
“I don’t, but maybe she might be in need of something I have to offer. I just have a feeling that God may have brought me her way for a reason so…”
“Pastor mode fully activated!” Chuka said, wriggling his brows in a playful manner that made Eric laugh.
“Abeg free me. You know I’m not a religious person, I just don’t believe in coincidences.” Eric explained.
“So you’re going to take her up on her offer? You don’t even know anything about her other than the fact that she lives an immoral lifestyle.” Chuka reminded him.
“I also know that she is hardworking, kind, polite, and from a good home.” Eric added, since he was one who always preferred to see the good side of everyone, rather than dwell on their bad side.
“You’re going to ignore the promiscuity?” Chuka asked curiously.
“You think it’s a coincidence that she slept with Ali, and then Ali mentioned it to us, and then I met her and she asked me to marry her? She is interesting, and I want to know her.” Eric insisted.
“So you are just going to marry her?” Chuka asked curiously.
“Honestly? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that I want to see her again.”
THE MIRACLE I NEED : Episode 11 – 20
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“Does that mean you’ll be okay with him having sx with other ladies as well? You won’t mind?” Prisca asked, turning to look at Kimberly.
“Of course he is free to do whatever he likes. I don’t own him, and he definitely doesn’t own me either. We just have to stay under the same roof for a year, after which we can both go our separate ways.”
Prisca said nothing for a while as she thought about it, “I think you shouldn’t be in a hurry to make rules you might end up breaking. What if you fall in love with him? I asked you this before, remember?”
“That will be one of the rules. No falling in love. It is strictly a business arrangement, that I can assure you. I don’t have the capacity to love any man. So don’t worry, the rules will do just fine. When we get to the office, we will draft out a form of agreement that states the terms of the contract. And if by 4 PM he still hasn’t given me a call, then we can proceed with looking for someone else. Now enough of the marriage talk, let’s talk about business.” Kimberly said as Prisca drove into the parking lot of the company and they both got out of the car.
“Have you been able to find out more about the owners of iGlobal Industries Limited?” Kimberly asked as they stepped into the big building which housed five different companies, theirs occupying the third floor.
“Well, I’m still on it, but the owners seem to live a low-key lifestyle. I even heard they turned down Forbes magazine from writing about them or mentioning them in their magazine, can you believe that?” Prisca asked in awe.
“Well, just try your best and find out whatever you can, you know we need this deal. Imagine how great it’ll be to get this contract with them.” Kimberly said as they got into the elevator.
“Yeah, but I found out something interesting though, the Chairman of the company is not in Lagos. He lives in Abuja with his wife and only daughter, and runs the office there in Abuja. But I learnt their only son takes care of the business here in Lagos.” Prisca said in a hushed whisper.
“Really? How come we have never heard of him?” Kimberly asked curiously.
“Like I said, they love to live very low-key. Who knows? Maybe they’re scared of robbers or kidnappers.” Prisca said with a shrug.
“That’s nice. I’d love to do business with them… and maybe meet this son.” Kimberly said with a wink as she walked into the office.
“Need I remind you that you are getting married and shouldn’t be thinking of meeting other men for the time being? Also, you shouldn’t think of mixing business with pleasure.” Prisca added when she saw the mischievous grin on Kimberly’s face.
“I was just kidding. Why would I want to get involved with someone as boring as that?” She asked with a snort.
“Boring? Who says he is boring? You don’t even know him.” Prisca asked with a frown.
“You can’t be a rich young person and not be all over the place, unless you are super boring.” Kimberly said confidently.
“Have Amy bring me the documents from Mr Olise, and please ask Ola to take some men to Mike’s house for inspection. He is moving into the house with his family tomorrow, and we have to be sure everything is in place.” Kimberly said as she took off her shoes and sat on her chair.
“Alright. You still remember you have a meeting by noon sha?”
“The couple who asked to meet with me in person?” Kimberly asked, squinting her eyes to remember what the meeting was about.
“Yes. They’re buying that property in Ikoyi, and they want some changes made in the interior.” Prisca reminded her..
“Alright then, I’ll be waiting.” Kimberly said with a sigh and waited until Prisca had left the office before glancing at her phone.
“No call or text from him yet.” She murmured to herself before taking out a plain sheet of paper from her drawer and a pen from her handbag. She was just going to write out the terms of the contract marriage while awaiting his decision.
THE MIRACLE I NEED : Episode 11 – 20
_________
Pete said nothing as he drove the car while Amanda chattered endlessly in the backseat with Sharon. He had been completely taken aback by Kathleen’s new look when she stepped out of the house with Amanda and Sharon earlier. She had mild make-up on her face, and her clothes looked more classy and sexy than the suit he had grown accustomed to seeing her wear. He could tell this was one of the clothes Ella had gotten her, and he had to admit it did suit her. The black high-heeled sandals she was wearing also added a kind of spring to her steps, and for a moment he had thought he was looking at someone entirely different. He had to admit she looked even more attractive now, aside from her hair which he felt needed to be taken care of.
Pete said nothing to Kathleen until he had dropped off Amanda at school, and Sharon at the nearest Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) terminal, before turning to Kathleen who was sitting in the front seat with him, “You look… different.”
Kathleen didn’t know whether he was complimenting her or trying to make fun of her, so she settled for the best response she knew, “Thanks.” Her heart was beating really fast, and she knew she needed to calm down so she could find a way to speak with him and raise the subject of doing his chores as a form of payment for the house.
An awkward silence hung between the both of them for the next couple of minutes, and Pete knew one of the had to speak up, “About yesterday… I’m sorry. That was a petty thing to do, even though you were rude…”
“What do you mean I was rude? Because I refused to explain my movements to you?” Kathleen asked before she could stop herself.
“You left your phone behind, and your door was left open. What was I to think when I came to give you breakfast and heard your phone ringing ceaselessly while you were no where in sight? What if you had been kidnapped or something had happened to you? Do you have any idea how worried I was, only to see you getting out of a car and…” Pete stopped and drew in a deep breath when he realized how worked up he was.
“Oh! I was hungry, I stepped out to buy bread, I didn’t realize the people in your estate are too rich to eat bread.” Kathleen explained when she saw how upset he was.
Pete would have been amused by her response, but he was still feeling kind of upset, “You could easily have come inside to ask me about that.” Pete reminded her.
“Yeah I could have if you weren’t so….” Kathleen let her words trail off when she realized she had almost insulted him. Last thing she wanted was to bicker with him, when she needed his permission to let Isioma move in with her.
“If I wasn’t so what?” Pete asked, turning to spare her a glance.
“Nevermind. It’s not important.”
“I’ll decide whether or not it is important, if I wasn’t what? Go ahead and tell me.” Pete insisted.
“I don’t have to. After all just two days ago you said you don’t like ladies like me, and you refused to tell me what that even meant, so I don’t have to answer your question either.” Kathleen said stubbornly.
“Oh! And here I was thinking I was the petty one.” Pete said sarcastically.
“I don’t want to get into any argument with you, sir.” Kathleen said with a sigh.
“Tell me something, aren’t you scared of losing your job?” Pete asked after sometime.
“Which? Cause I’m sure both jobs has nothing to do with the other.”
“Both jobs have everything to do with each other since you work for me. And I get to determine whether or not I want you to keep working for me. Have you always been this fearless?” He asked, remembering the way she had rushed into his office the first time he had met her.
“I wasn’t raised to be cowardly. I won’t be the first to lose my job, so why should I allow anyone disrespect me because of a mere job?” She asked with false boldness even though her heart was beating very quickly. There was nothing mere about either of her jobs, and she was going to die if she so much lost these jobs, but she wasn’t going to tell him that either.
“I see. Just don’t disrespect me at the office else you will really lose your job.” He warned quietly making Kathleen let out the breath she had been holding.
“Yes sir. I was thinking… Maybe I could take care of the chores around the house, as payment for the boys quarters.” Kathleen blurted out after sometime, making Pete raise a brow as he turned to look at her.
“Why are you saying that as though it’s a new idea from you? Didn’t I make that offer to you on Saturday? I thought we were done with this conversation already, why are you bringing it up again?” Pete asked irritably.
“My kid sister, she isn’t feeling too well and she is coming over to live with me, so I was wondering if…” Kathleen allowed the rest of her sentence to trail off.
“It’s your house so suit yourself, as long as you don’t bring too many strangers to my compound. I don’t like a rowdy environment.” He told her as he drove into the company’s premise.
“Okay, thanks. So about the chores… I’ll resume first thing tomorrow morning. So you can tell me all you want me to do.”
“Let’s talk about that later in the evening.” Pete said as he parked in front of the building.
Kathleen quickly ducked when she saw two of her colleagues coming in through the gate, making Pete raise a brow. “Is there a reason you’re hiding from them?” Pete asked in confusion.
“Rumors are going to be flying around the office if they see me coming out of your car. You can go in, I’ll come after you.” Kathleen pleaded as she remained in her hiding position.
“Oh. I didn’t think of that.” Pete thought with a sigh, “Can you drive?”
“Not an expert, but I can do the basic. Why?” Kathleen asked impatiently, wondering why he wasn’t leaving already so she could get down too.
“Just because. You can lock the car and bring the keys to my office later.” He said before getting out of the car.
He paused, “Yesterday when I brought the food and you weren’t home, I was going to apologise for being a jerk on Saturday. I’m sorry.” He said before walking away, leaving Kathleen staring at his back in surprise. She hadn’t exactly been expecting such an apology from him.
THE MIRACLE I NEED : Episode 11 – 20
Few minutes later Kathleen walked into her office looking different, for the first time her colleagues watched in utter amazement as she walked to her desk with added spring in her steps. There was no denying that she looked completely stunning.
“Ah! Katty, na you be this abi I dey see double?” Dave asked in disbelief when he finally found his tongue.
Kathleen smiled as she sat on her seat beside Dave, she felt really good getting this kind of attention from her colleagues. Although the clothes had been Sharon’s idea, but the make-up had been Amanda’s idea, and it was good to see the effect, even though she recognized the look on the faces of her female colleagues was more of envy than admiration. They had spent their weekend gossiping her after all.
“Good morning to you too, Dave.” Kathleen responded.
“Wetin happen? You just change overnight! See as you fine like four people.” Dave said making Kathleen giggle.
“Nothing much o, I just want a different look.” Kathleen said making the other three ladies in the office laugh out loud.
“New oga, new look!” Sandra exclaimed.
“Abi me sef I nuh go change my look?” Rosy asked the other two ladies and they giggled again.
“If you like change your look ten times, who nuh fine nuh fine.” Dave called out making Rosy hiss at him.
“Na your mama nuh fine. No wonder you look like antelope.” Rosy snapped at him angrily while Kathleen ignored them all as she got set to resume her work for the day.
“Ogun go kill your papa if you mention my mother again. Useless girl.” Dave cussed angrily.
“Dave abeg let her be. She get right to change her looks.” Kathleen told Dave quietly before picking up the car key and walking out of the office.
Pete’s secretary had a frown on her face when she saw Kathleen’s outfit. Wasn’t this the churchy young lady she had referred to Pete? Why was she looking completely different, in a not so churchy way?
“Good morning. Please I need to see Mr Howells.” Kathleen said with a polite smile, but Pete’s secretary wasn’t smiling.
“Why?”
Kathleen was tempted to tell her it was none of her business, but seeing as the secretary had recommended her for the job, she couldn’t be rude to her, “I need to return his car key.” Kathleen explained.
“Car key?” The secretary repeated in disbelief.
THE MIRACLE I NEED : Episode 11 – 20
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