Well, the next morning, Alex surprised me. He walked past my desk looking all swagger and swell with his vainglorious demeanor and pride hovering over him as usual.
He even gave an audible response to my greetings today. That is something new!
This guy must be a bipolar sick twisted devil acting like this today.
Even though he didn’t have anything on his schedule today, I still followed him into the office just to find out what tasks he may want me to perform.
He kept me waiting as he was busy prepping a vinyl record which he placed on the platter of a gramophone or so they call it.
This guy has money to spend on stuff like this! I mean why didn’t he just get a DVD or something? Such a showoff!
The record started playing and Brandy’s voice was heard singing her heart out as usual on the track “Long Distance”.
This guy has expensive tastes for almost everything except attitude.
“What can I do for you?” He asked as he turned round to face me sounding so innocent like he was some sort of angel and was just seeing me for the first time ever.
“I wanted to know if there’s anything you need me to do Sir.” I said calmly trying my hardest to hide the fact that I wanted to slap his rude but handsome face.
Geez! I just thought about this peacock as being handsome. What’s come over me? I mentally slapped myself for thinking such.
“Oh yeah, I need you to type this.” He said tiredly passing me a paper on which paragraphs were written with the sloppiest handwriting I’ve ever seen.
“Lest I forget, send reminders to all department heads for Friday’s meeting.” He added firmly before I finally found my way out of his office.
The week went by fast and without any mishap. Thank you Lord!
***
Run it up to a week later….
I just received my salary for the first month on the job and I’ve decided to hit a club with Tina and celebrate my first month at the office and three weeks under a toxic person like Alex who only keeps getting worse as the days go by.
There were days I felt like quitting and even drafted my resignation letter but I never had the liver to send it every time I remembered how tough it was to secure the job in the first place.
Today’s Friday, I was just going to leave all of the Alex palava and any other shenanigans out there and have one night of pure fun with my crazy friend.
We got on the dance floor dancing with other sweaty people.
Tina got paired up with some guy she was dancing with and in a second, she disappeared from the room in his arms. Terrific! This girl is turning into something else.
Discouraged, I decided to take a seat at the bar and wait for them to return from wherever they’ve gone to.
I got a bottle of sprite and started downing the chill liquid down my parched throat.
“You got moves girl.” I heard someone say beside me and my eyes widened as I froze on hearing the voice and almost spat out the drink in my mouth.
Oh no! Could it really be him?
I turned round and confirmed that it’s actually Alex sitting beside me on the next barstool with a bottle of Guinness stout on the bar table in front of him.
How come I didn’t even notice him sitting there all this while? And why is he always present at the most unusual places?
Oh! Now wait a minute, he just commended my dancing which means he’s been watching me for so long! I was blushing hard as my cheeks burned hot.
“Good evening sir.” I said with a little stutter. How bad can this get?
Even with the dim blue lights in the room, I could still see his egocentricity written all over his proud facial expression. Oh please! This is nothing new!
“Never took you for a minidress person.” He said eyeing me up and down slowly after answering my greetings making me shift uncomfortably in my seat.
“Never took you to be a clubgoing person.” I said boldly looking him straight in the face. My courage surprising me greatly.
He started laughing while I shook my head slowly rolling my eyes at him.
We got talking about a whole lot of stuff as the tension between us gradually died down.
So Alex is funny like this ehn? Making crude jokes up and down and telling crazy stories like kilode. I just can’t stop laughing! This guy is just like a chameleon showing me so many different colors.
“Wow, look who got hooked up.” I heard Tina say behind me and she started laughing so hard sounding like a lunatic. Great way to embarrass me in front of my boss.
After introductions, I decided to drag Tina who was already so drunk and reeking of alcohol out through the exit door after saying goodbye to Alex since she wouldn’t keep her big mouth shut.
To be honest, I don’t know how it was possible for me to have such a great conversation with Cold-hearted Alex and also share a few good laughs as well.
Right now, I have no idea what is going to happen when I go to work on Monday. Will he remain nice or will he go back to being his old arrogant self?
****
Monday came almost too soon as I got to work and waited for him to arrive. Thirty minutes later, he arrived wearing a brand new designer suit.
“Good morning sir.” I greeted in my most courteous fashion but he only responded passively not looking my way as he stepped into his office. It’s no overstatement in saying that this guy is an unrepentant narcissist.
The way he’s talking to me today makes it seem like he wasn’t the same person telling me jokes on Friday night like we’ve been best pals for so long.
For some awkward reason, I was downcast throughout the day and even skipped lunch break. Maybe I was expecting to see a change in Alex and got let down instead.
The day was long and felt like forever for it to get to five o’clock.
A few minutes past five, Alex finally emerged from his throne room (I mean his office) and without uttering a single word, he dropped a note on my desk and strutted past me.
“Have a nice evening sir.” I said not expecting any response and picked up the note to see what it was.
“Meet me at Kebari’s Restaurant at exactly 5:30” I read out loud and my heart skipped a beat as I reread the note and sat back in my chair trying to comprehend the entire situation.
Why would he ask me to meet him at a restaurant after work? Is this where I get fired or reprimanded for something?
For more than ten minutes, I sat there as my brain calculated on every possible scenario that could go down when I get to Kebari’s which was just a few blocks away from the office.
I checked my time and realized that it was already eighteen minutes past five. Oh no! I’m going to be late for sure.
Hurrying out of the building like a mad woman, I got into a taxi and dropped at the classy and glossy restaurant.
After settling the taxi man, I got down and took slow steps towards the entrance door which was still far off. It was already five thirty six by the time I arrived.
Wait a minute, how on Earth I’m I supposed to find Alex in this very large restaurant full of people? I’m I supposed to check every table or what? I mean what type of person could be so clueless?
The door man held the door open and I smiled at him nervously and walked in. Here it goes! Awkwardness! I felt like an underdressed misfit.
Kebari’s is where the MVPs in Lekki meet and eat plus Yahoo boys, models, runs girls and the likes.
I scanned the crowded hall for any sign of Alex but found none. I don’t even have his personal phone number.
As I was still busy scanning the room without seeing him, I decided to take a seat at an empty table and wait for him to show his face. Maybe he’s not here yet or could it be that he left already?
I ordered for a bottle of water to keep me busy in the meantime. One thousand five hundred naira for an ordinary thirty five centiliters bottle of water? You’ve got to be kidding me! I wonder how much the food here will cost.
As the waitress brought my water- in a gold platter may I add, my phone which I’d placed on the table started ringing.
It’s an unsaved number calling. I collected the POS machine from the waitress and inputted my pin.
While the lady was processing the payment, I picked up the phone hesitantly and the voice on the other side made me smile. What a relief!
Yeah guess, it’s Alex calling. So he has my number after all?
“Tell the waitress to bring you up to table seventy four, floor two.” He said calmly as if he was watching me from somewhere.
I looked round the room with the phone still on my ear as my heart pounded hard.
“Up!” He said and I looked up and saw him resting on the staircase leading to the next floor with his phone on his ear and that was when it came to mind that this place has more than one floor I should have gone up. Mtchew!
As soon as I sighted him up there, he hung up and walked out of sight.
“Please, can you show me to table seventy four on the second floor?” I asked the waitress politely and she agreed telling me to follow her as she returned my ATM card and led the way with me following behind clutching the freezing and expensive bottle of water tightly.
Well, the second floor was more grand and glamorous than the first. I wonder what the next floor or the VIP will look like.
We finally got to table seventy four where Alex was seated operating his phone.
“Thanks a lot!” I said to the kind waitress who smiled and walked away.
“You’re ten minutes late! That’s unlike you.” He said and looked up at me with a small smile on his face. It wasn’t his usual flat smile but one that looked genuine and warm.
“I’m sorry sir.” I said with my head low to prevent myself from looking him in the eye or something like that.
“Come on, don’t just stand there have a seat.” He said in a friendly tone motioning for me to sit down which I did without any delays.
“I’m starving!” He exclaimed with a little yawn stretching in his seat after taking off his jacket and placing it on the spare seat beside him before proceeding to undo his tie. How come he feels so at home in a place like this?
“Let’s eat something first. Take your pick.” He suggested pointing to the menu on the table. What does he mean by ‘eat something first’?
I picked it up and ran my eyes through it. So many options to choose from but I dared not ask for anything out of the ordinary. Who knows how much it may cost?
A waiter who seemed to know Alex very well came to our table and they took like two minutes talking about some random things before finally asking me to place my order.
My people, I only asked for coconut rice making Alex look at me like I was some clown.
He ordered for vegetable soup and semovita in his usual proud manner. What a showoff!
While waiting for the food to arrive, I drank from my bottle of water and did everything else to avoid his wild gaze.
Oh God! What is all this about?
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