PBMH 38
EPISODE 38
“And
with all these, I think I am satisfied with your statement. I will try my best
to speak with Sameer on Skype tonight.” I said, closing my laptop.
Mr. Davis
cleared his throat. “How do you fancy your chances against Subomi?” Mr. Davis
looked worried. At the moment, it seemed as though, my father was right. Subomi
Bankole is a real lion in the ring. I was opportune to watch him once. “That
man is a smart crook. I guess you must have a lot of respect for him
considering his age and his time in the field. I hope that will not affect
you.”
“Never
mind Mr. Davis, let me worry about those petty issues. All that matters is that
we strongly have a case against Chidi Obi, and it will take a lot of Subomi
Bankole’s nerves to beat it.” I said, tapping the file.
He
smiled. “I love your confidence kid. I hope to see more of it in two weeks.” He
said, standing up. We shook hands firmly. “I will call in the evening to get a
feedback of your conversation with Sameer.” He added, and left.
The
case which would see me take on Subomi Bankole meant a lot to me more than
people could understand. I reveled in excitement of battling Subomi Bankole,
for Dad and me. It reminded me of high school when I was the president of the
Arts society and we had a debate against our rival school. I totally ‘outclassed’
Jumoke Bankole according to my mates.
“You
think you are smart, right?” Jumoke had said, accosting me after the
competition.”
I
smiled. “Come on Jumoke, you did well too.” I replied, adjusting my collar.
“I
have to admit, you are good. How did you do it?” she asked, with a smile.
I
grinned. “I don’t tell my little secrets to rivals.” I replied, adjusting my
hair.
“You
are so full of yourself, aren’t you? Are you taking a revenge on me for my Dad
beating your father last week?”
I
remember saying to her, “I could care less, and all that matters is that, in
this world of ours, I am the boss!”
I
turned in my swivel chair as I played Enya’s
Orinoco flow. It happened to inspire me at this moment. I was provided with
a bunch of documents by Mr. Davis which was to help me in my preparation for
the case. He had spent around three hours in my office briefing me on how
things were between himself and Chidi Obi before they decided to go their
separate ways. I had no doubt that if there was going to be a jury, Chidi Obi
would be condemned, the ‘masses’ would reel in excitement if he ended up behind
bars.
Chidi
Obi had channeled electricity to two of his plants in the remote region of the
country and had deprived them of electricity in the time past. This made the
people hate him so much, but it didn’t make him restore power to them until
government had stepped in. I continued my work until Dare walked in.
“Darlene,
its 3pm. Have you had lunch?” he asked, holding the door.
At that
moment, I realized that I hadn’t eaten. “I have been so engrossed in this work.
I’ll sort that out when I get home.”
“Come
on, you have to eat. Don’t you think you are skinny enough?” he asked,
approaching me.
I
rolled my eyes. “I am not on a diet, Dare. I am just caught up here.” I said
staring at the documents on my table.
“If
you say so, I will have a steward get you some food. Kentucky?”
I
nodded. “Thanks.”
“See
you soon.” He replied, and left.
I was
starving, but I hadn’t realized it until Dare showed up. I was totally engrossed
in the case. I checked my mail box and Dora had sent me some pictures from her
first shots.
“How
do you like them? They are from KP’s, will send you some more when I take them
later.”
Dora
had passion for what she did, honestly, I could relate to Dora’s photos. It
came from a passionate angle, and for me, anything done with passion always had
a Midas touch.
“Ta-da!”
Dare said, as he walked in carrying two KFC packs.
I
stared at him. “And I guess, you are the steward, right?”
“You
should be grateful,” he said, dropping one bag on the table.
I
smiled. “Thank you.” I said, checking the contents of the bag.
“I
hope you like fries.” He said, approaching the door.
“Why
don’t you join me for lunch here?” I asked, politely. He raised one eye brow.
“We could talk about the case against Subomi Bankole.”
He
laughed as he dropped his pack on the table. “The case is against Chidi Obi.”
“I
know, but when you are in the inside, you can only relate to your opposing
lawyer.” I replied.
He sat
on the rug. “I’d rather we use the rug. You don’t want to mess up the
documents.”
“Oh
yes!” I replied, and joined him on the rug.
We sat
close to the giant window. “Lovely view from here, isn’t it?” I asked.
“I
can’t seem to relate with the awesomeness of this view.” He replied, eating his
fries.
I
nudged him. “Try to be artistic in heart, and you will see it.” I replied.
“So
how is the preparation coming?” he asked.
I
nodded. “So far so good, I think I have Chidi Obi in a tight corner based on
all the documents that Tunji Davis provided me,” I said, taking a chunk of the
chicken. I rattled on about the court case to Dare who listened with rapt
attention.
I was
filled with so much excitement. If I should beat Subomi, I was starting my
career on the high, and I couldn’t wish for a better start. I chattered on to
Dare about how much I would love to win this case, he didn’t say a word but he
kept on gazing, so I guessed he wasn’t listening.
“Dare!
Dare!!...Dare!!!” I called furiously.
He
snapped out of his thoughts.
“Did
you hear anything I said?” I asked.
He
laughed. “Of course, it’s just that, you have tomato sauce on your mouth.”
I
stared at him with caution. “You could have just said that.” I grabbed a wipe
and cleaned my mouth. “Now back to our discussion,” I said as I continued.
“There’s
no discussion here, you were the only one doing the talking.” He said, sipping
his Pepsi.
My eyes
popped in shock. “Are you saying I was just talking to the wind?”
“That’s
if the wind was listening.” He replied.
I
punched him hard. “Don’t do that.” He said, almost sounding angry.
“I
will and I will again.” I replied and punched him again.
He
frowned a bit. “I am too much of a strong man to be affected by those weak
punches of yours.”
“You
think?” I asked and hit him again.
He
smirked. “Miss, that’s your last punch. Should you hit me again, I’ll fire
you!”
I
laughed. “I’d like to see you try. I am about to have my first case and I am
sure that you are scared of Subomi so you were willing to pass the case to me.”
I said laughing.
“You
are a joker! You were specifically requested for by Tunji Davis. I couldn’t
turn him down, and by the way, the pay is high. Too high to turn down.”
I bit
my lip. “To you, I am facing Subomi because of what you will make out of it,
right?”
“You
conclude easily.” He said, cleaning his hands.
I
nodded. “Now I know why you were eager to get me food. You wouldn’t want your ‘lottery
ticket’ feeling ill, right?” I asked, feigning seriousness.
Dare
fell for it. “Darlene, forget about what
I said previously. Tunji Davis specifically asked for you. He already told you,
didn’t he?”
“Nope.”
I replied, closing the pack. “He said nothing of such to me, except that you
had nominated me for it.” I continued, teasing him.
Dare
felt uneasy and reached for his phone. “That man lied to you, and he’s going to
hear from me.” He said, punching in some digits. Game up! I yanked the phone from him and aborted the call. He had
already dialed Tunji Davis and it took some speed from me to stop the call.
“Why did you?” he asked.
I
smiled. “I was teasing you. Tunji Davis wanted me.”
“What
am I going to do with you?” Dare stressed. He reached for my hand to get his
phone, but I dodged his hand. He swiftly pinned my hands and back to the floor.
He stared at me and my heart raced fast. For once, I felt like a prey in a
lion’s den. He leaned closer and closer, my heart beat didn’t slow down. I felt
my resistance breaking as his lips touched mine, and then, I kissed back.
I
was the first to withdraw from the kiss.
“I
am sorry.” He said, ruffling his hair.
I
swallowed and I tried to hide the embarrassment in my face. I threw the pack
into the trash can. “I didn’t see that coming.” I managed to say, amidst the
embarrassment welling in my face. “Damn it!” I cursed softly, as I bowed my
head.
“There’s
nothing to be ashamed of, we are adults, I guess I shouldn’t have kissed you,
but I just couldn’t resist you. It’s my fault.” He said, apologizing. He
adjusted his tie and approached the door. I faced the window sternly and didn’t
turn towards him. “Darlene, I am sorry. It was just an impulse, I shouldn’t
have.” He said, and walked out.
Hot
tears streamed down my cheeks. The best Paul had gotten from me was a peck.
This is my first kiss. Did it have to be Dare’s. Could I be in love with him?
Hmmmmm, dare kissed darlene nd she responded bac nd dat was her first kiss, she met her first crush, she has so many guys arnd. Which one ll she go for nw o
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