Titled: ADA
ADA EPISODE 1
2 years and a few months back, somewhere in Abia state Nigeria.
I was in a restaurant with my two very good friends, Chichi and
Chioma, we were out to just gist and have fun. I’m a 22 year old
graduate of Bowen University but I live in Abia state, I had just
returned back from school after my graduation. My whole family
was there to celebrate with me at my graduation, but now I want
to do it with my friends.
My friends and I don’t go to the same school, but that hasn’t
stopped us from being real close. Chichi is closest to me, we’ve
been friends for years; I tell her everything and anything.
“so Ada, how does it feel to be a graduate of mass
communication?” asked chioma, she is the cutest amongst us,
she has a perfect figure eight, average in height, dark skin, and a
very dark hair, which is thick and natural, she normally leaves it
into a short afro, which makes her look really beautiful, she’s a
perfect example of an African queen.
“I took a sip of my coke, placed it back on the round table where
we sat in the middle of the restaurant and looked at her, then I
gave her a big wide smile and said,
“it feels awesome”, I felt giddy and excited and I expressed that
by smiling like a moron and getting restless on my seat as I
continued, “I can’t wait to start my service(Nysc), start work as a
reporter and tell stories of every kind, whether good or bad, I just
can’t wait”. I said
“nawa, na so you dey excited?, abeg make this strike vamoose so
that I too go, go back to school make I graduate” said chioma, her
university which is not a private university has been on strike for
a few months now, lecturers have refused to teach ‘cos they
haven’t been paid.
“Don’t worry it’ll soon be called off” stated chichi confidently.
She is light in complexion like me, same height as me and very
beautiful too, her hair is brown in color, she’s slim like a model
but has wide hips and a tiny waist and she knows how to dress.
“but that might be in four years time” she said, we both burst into
laughter at this, while chioma just glared at us, she’s the only
one that refused to go to a private university, said its boring as
hell, that she wanted to have fun. Well she’s having fun now
right?
“ehnn, continue to laugh oh, continue, I don’t blame you,
mshww” she rolled her eyes, placed her drink back on her lips
and took a huge gulp, we didn’t mind her, we just continued to
laugh, it was then I felt my pocket vibrate, my laughter reduced to
little chuckles, I dipped my hand into the right side of my jeans
trouser pocket and pulled out my phone, saw it was a number
without a name, wondered who it was but still answered it all the
same. I said hi, the person asked if I was ada, I confirmed that I
was, and that was how my world came to an end, with only that
confirmation. My family, the whole of them, dead.
……………………………………………………………………………… Dress Affordable junior modest style wears for formal party
……………
Present day.
Two weeks after Fola’s wedding.
Gibson
I was in Michael’s office working on my laptop, when Ada walked
in. my eyes moved to look at her when she spoke.
“Gibson lunch is ready, do you want to eat here or in the dining
room?” she asked, sounding like she wanted to be anywhere but
here.
I looked at her and I did that for approximately 5 seconds without
saying anything. She stood there patiently waiting, but I could see
that she was getting ticked.
So I stared some more, just because I enjoy it when she gets
ticked, she gets really cute when it happens. Finally she broke,
“Are you hungry or not, seriously I have work to do”
Now we’re talking, she was glaring at me, One side of my lip went
up into a smirk which ticked her off the more, she whirled around
and began to stomp out of Michael’s office in her cute fitted black
skirt that went with a blue top and some flat shoes, looking
amazing.
She was a few feet to the door when I stopped her by calling her
name. She stopped and waited, her back facing me. I knew she
wasn’t going to turn around for me to talk to her so I launched
into what I wanted to say.
“Babe, since Michael and Fola went for their honeymoon, you’ve
been avoiding me, whenever we manage to meet you avoid
talking to me, how long will you keep doing this?”
But she didn’t say anything, she didn’t even move, she just stood
there.
“Ada” I called
But she still stood there like a mannequin.
“Ada” I called again, still she didn’t move. So I got up and walked
to her, once I was directly behind her, I placed my hand on her
shoulder, she immediately jerked her shoulder and turned around
to face me, still glaring, then she said.
“Look, we have broken up; you are now the friend of my boss, not
my boyfriend, so please let’s keep it that way”
Then she turned back around and walked out, ok this has been
going on for far too long, time to stake my claim, I was done with
this , this has to end, I don’t mean us as a couple ‘cos as far as
I’m concerned we never broke up, she’s just having a phase,
she’ll come out of it soon, and that “soon” is today.
So I followed her, right up to the kitchen, occasionally she would
turn her head to look at me walk behind, then she would quicken
her steps, but I always caught up with her.
As she got to the kitchen, I held her by her wrist, then pulled her
towards me making her turn around fully to face. Then I grabbed
her by the side of her neck, got real close, and pecked her on her
forehead. Once I was done I looked at her, and the look on her
face made me chuckle, she had on a stupid, cute, funny look.
I looked to the kitchen to see the maids were there staring at us,
one even had her mouth hanging agape. Well then, that should do
it.
“Did you just do that?” this was said by my sweet Ada, in a
whisper,
My head turned away from looking at the maids to look at her
when she spoke, then I answered once she was done speaking,
“yep, I just did; now the whole house will know we are back
together”
“No we are not” she said in a whisper.
“Yes Ada we are” I replied her.
“But…but… we’ve broken up” she stammered
“No we haven’t,” I said.
My hand was still holding her by her neck when she bent it
backwards to look at me, then she said, no longer whispering.
“Gibson, I remember vividly breaking up with you in the pool a
few months ago, we are no longer together, we have broken up,
so I don’t understand that stunt…”
She didn’t complete her sentence ‘cos I pecked her again on her
forehead.
This made her to jerk back in surprise, I still don’t understand
why she‘s still getting surprised by it, I do it all the time to her,
well I haven’t been doing it ‘cos I’ve been giving her some space,
but now I’m taking that space back.
“Will you stop doing that?” she bit out angrily, “I said we have
broken up, you are now a friend to my boss, and friends to my
boss don’t kiss me on the forehead, ok, so just stop it”
“Sorry babe, I can’t , and even if I could, I wouldn’t, and sorry
again ‘cos I know you really love to talk to me right now but I
can’t do that, we’ll talk once I’m done with the work I’m doing in
Michael’s office”
Then I kissed her yet again on her forehead, this time I noticed
her mouth was hanging open like how the maids’ mouth was, the
only difference is hers is cuter than the maid.
Then I turned around, and walked back to Michael’s office,
grinning as I did.
…………………………………………………………………………
What in the world just happened?, I specifically said we have
broken up, and yet he’s acting like we’ve been courting for four
years now. Or is he deaf?
As I stood there thinking maybe Gibson is deaf or is just plain
stupid and forgetful, I felt the eyes of my co workers looking at
me. I turned my head to the side to look at them, and like I was
some soap opera superstar, they stared at me.
“Don’t you girls have work to do?”
“yeah we do , but looking at what just happened is way better
than working” said one of the maids, I rolled my eyes at her,
ignoring her, all of them, then marched forward in search of
Gibson. If I have to scream it into his ears in order for it to
penetrate into his brains that we have broken, I will.
But when I got to Michael’s office, he wasn’t there, hmm…where
is he, as I walked back thinking where he might have gone to, I
saw Nancy walking to the door, looks like she wants to go to the
supermarket to buy the ingredients for the pastries I want to
teach her. But before she goes, let me ask her if she has seen
Gibson.
He didn’t even tell me where he wanted to eat, guess he isn’t
hungry.
………………………………………………………………
I was walking to the main door of the house when I heard my
name, I turned around to the sound of Ada’s voice, she was
walking fast and briskly towards me like she was on a mission, I
hope I haven’t done anything ‘cos she looks pissed.
She asked as she walked towards me, “where is Gibson, have you
seen him?”
I sighed in relief and it was a big one, glad she wasn’t pissed at
me, she squinted her eyes glaring at me, I saw the look, I know
that look so I quickly said, “ I have no idea”
And really I don’t, I saw him 3 hours ago in Michael’s office, he’s
the boss for now, because Fola and Michael are on their
honeymoon in Dubai.
“You don’t know where he is?” she asked again, still glaring at
me.
“No Ada, seriously I don’t” she kept giving me the glare, while I
waited patiently for her to be done with it. She thinks the glare
scares me but it actually makes her look cute. So it doesn’t hurt
to take the glare full on whenever she gives it.
She gave up giving me the glare, sighing in the process, realizing
it wasn’t working, then she turned around and walked to the
kitchen yelling, “when you see him, tell him I don’t want to see
him, he doesn’t exist, and that we are done, so
done” (explanation: when you see him, tell him I desperately need
to see him, pronto).
“Sure will” I said, grinning at her back.
I stood there grinning behind her, when suddenly I heard.
“You’re grinning”
I jerked in surprise at the sound of Stephen’s voice, he was
walking towards the stairs, he had a towel around his waist,
barefoot, and I could see the droplets of water coming down his
skin, exposing his six packs, flat tummy and from where I stand it
looks hard, this is mainly because he works out, with the droplets
of water on his skin it means his wet, which means he just got
out from the pool.
“Yeah I am so?” I replied back, smirking at him
He shook his head, like I was a child in need of home training, “
Ada doesn’t need Gibson desperately”
My mouth dropped open in shock, how in the world did he know
what I was thinking? He wasn’t in the room when I said it. Or
was he?
He walked passed me, ignoring my reaction, I spluttered for about
three seconds then demanded, “how did you know what I was
thinking?” then I shut up, realizing my mistake, maybe he didn’t
know it, maybe he just guessed it, and my stupid big mouth just
said it out loud letting him know he was right about what I was
thinking. Shoot! I’m so stupid.
I’m totally going to ignore him for the next two days, no speaking,
no hanging out, nothing!.
“Nancy you can’t stay a minute without talking to me, so your
plan of trying to ignore me for the next few days, won’t work”.
My eyes bugged out, he was at the stairs right now, he took the
first step, turned slightly around to grin at me, then took the next
step and kept on going up the stairs.
I heard him chuckle deeply ‘cos of the look on my face, I watched
him go up the stairs until he got to the top, totally freaked out at
his ability to read my mind. Then I watched him disappear from my
sight. Slowly, oh so slowly, I turned around, walked to the door
like a zombie, placed my palm on the door handle, and pressed it
down. It made a click sound, then I pulled it open, and stepped
into the hot afternoon sun.
Before Ada came to me, I was on my way to the supermarket to
buy some ingredients for my baking lessons. I’ve been watching
some really nice videos on how to bake some amazing pastries, so
I’m going to try baking them ‘cos they look amazing, but I won’t
be doing it alone, Ada will be supervising me.
But after experiencing Stephen’s ability to read minds, I’m not
sure I can go to the supermarket any longer.
“Hi sugar plum, you ok?”
My eyeballs moved on its own to look at Becky standing slightly to
my left facing me, looking at me like she thought maybe I needed
medical attention, and she might be right.
I nodded my head woodenly at her meaning yes; she tilted her
head to the side, trying to figure out if I was saying the truth.
“You look like you’ve been given a shot of the zombie venom, you
sure you’re ok?” she asked again, and again, I nodded my head.
She still looked unconvinced so I decided to convince her by
speaking and this is what I said slowly and quietly,
“Stephen… can…. Read…. minds”
“Huh?” was her reply cos she couldn’t hear me.
I shook my head to clear the fog that was clouding my brain and
repeated more firmly saying, “Stephen can read minds, did you
know that?”
She looked confused for a moment so I asked again, “did you
know Stephen can read minds?”
“well…I don’t think…” she started, but I interrupted her by saying,
“Why didn’t you tell me he can read minds?” I said with an
attitude.
“hold on sweetie” she said, raising her hand palm out in front of
her trying to keep me quiet so she could answer but I spoke again.
“No, Becky why didn’t you tell me he can read minds, I’m sure he
has read everything I’ve thought about him for the last…..” I
stopped speaking, as I tried to think of how long I’ve been with
the smiths’ family, but I couldn’t remember so I continued with
my rant.
“I can’t remember how long, but you still should have told me?”
She decided not to speak, she just watched me instead, silently.
“I mean, I’m sure he has been laughing his head off at all my
inappropriate thoughts, thinking how much of an idiot I am”
Then feeling totally stupid and embarrassed at the picture I had
painted in my head, I ended with, “ God, this is awful”
“Inappropriate thoughts?, oh do tell” said Becky, and to my
dismay, quite excitedly.
“I’m serious Becky you should have told me”. Then I kept quiet,
she was quiet too, we stared at each other, then I prompted
saying, “So?”
“Oh, are you done ranting?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes, then my eyes rolled back to look at her, then I
gave her a look, a look that said I’m done ranting, now I want her
to talk, so I won’t look foolish ranting for nothing. She understood
my behavior so she spoke.
“Well firstly, Stephen cannot read minds”
I attempted to speak, to let her know that he actually can but she
raised a finger stopping me, my mouth clamped shut, then I stood
there listening, she continued.
“And what are the inappropriate thoughts?” she asked, I tried
again to speak, but once again she stopped me.
“Hold that answer…, next, I’m sure whatever the thoughts are, he
won’t mind, he’s a nice boy and an understanding one too, I
mean have you met his brother?”
I kept quiet, having nothing to say, I mean what do I say?
The look she gave me said she wanted an answer to her question;
but I kept quiet, so she said
“ok don’t answer me, but you do know he can’t read my minds
right?”
“Of course he can, he told me exactly what I was thinking Becky” I
said, sounding really convinced that he can read minds.
“No Nancy he can’t”
I was done with this; she won’t believe me, fine. I’ll just leave it
the way it is. I walked forward heading for the car parked in front
of me, but she stopped me by asking, “Where are you going?”
“To the supermarket” I replied still walking to the car, Bello was
already in the driver’s seat, so I opened the back door of the car,
bent, got in, closed the door, and then we drove off, Leaving
Becky standing there, watching us leave.
TO BE CONTINUED