chapter Five
“Ada! Where is your mind? I’ve been talking to you for almost one full minute!”
Ada looked up in surprise and saw Sophie standing over her desk, wearing a curious expression. “Don’t tell me that you’ve gone and fallen in love,” Sophie continued teasingly. “Or please tell me that, it would truly make my day. It’s about time you fell in love anyway.”
“I haven’t fallen in love!” Ada protested, straightening up from the daydreaming slouch in which Sophie had caught her. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Yeah I know!” Sophie scoffed. “That’s why you had that mooning expression on your face!”
Ada sighed. Of course, she had been thinking about Eddie and the ‘kiss’ they had shared. Had she really kissed Eddie Bakare? She wondered what Sophie would say if she told her.
It seemed so wrong now, in retrospect. She shouldn’t have let him do that, she should have protested, or at least showed some displeasure afterwards.
What displeasure though? It had felt incredibly good.
I’m becoming silly, Ada told herself, like all those girls in the movies.
“Eddie wanted your mobile number.” Sophie continued. “Not your office line, your personal mobile, and he wouldn’t tell me why.” She gave Ada a speculative look. “Does he have anything to do with that daydreaming expression you had on earlier on?”
“No!” Ada exclaimed, “And I don’t know what ‘daydreaming look’ you’re talking about.” It was a bold-faced lie and Sophie was obviously not buying it.
Sophie shrugged. “Okay, don’t tell, me, leave me in the dark.” She tripped back to her office in her high heels, the knowing smile still on her face. There is nothing to tell! Ada wanted to scream.
The day went by remarkably fast. Sometime the week before Sophie had interviewed Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Aligbe, the owner of a new clothing atelier, which was fast becoming popular among the society ladies. Ada’s task for the day was to do the photo shoot for the article.
It took the whole morning. By the time Ada got back to the office, she was exhausted. She spent some time working on fine-tuning the pictures and doing all the other work on her plate. At some point during the afternoon, Oliver and Fadeke started a lively conversation about movies. She didn’t participate, she honestly couldn’t hear them, she was thinking about Eddie, again. He had taken her number from Sophie, was he going to call or keep her waiting all day?
As if he could hear her thoughts, her phone started to ring, interrupting Fadeke and Oliver’s conversation.
It was a number that wasn’t saved on her phone, so it was probably him. She took a deep breath. Why was she so nervous? It was only a phone call.
“Hello.” She said into the phone.
“Hi Ada, This is Eddie.”
As if that voice could belong to anybody else, Ada thought. How was it possible that his voice could sound even better on the phone? It felt warm, husky and sweet, like chocolate, or cream, or...
“Hello?”
She snapped out of her wayward thoughts. “Hi.” She said.
“So I’ve been thinking about our date.”
Our date? It sounded so intimate and suggestive, coming from him. She wondered if she had made a mistake in agreeing to it.
“What about it?” She asked him.
“I know we haven’t decided on a day,” He said. “But how about tonight?”
Don’t say yes! An inner voice urged her, make him wait at least a week, make...
“Tonight is fine.” She heard herself telling him. How could she make him wait, when she could hardly wait herself?
“Great.” He said. Ada could hear the smile in his voice. She imagined the dimples that would accompany that smile. “Should I pick you up from work or from your apartment?”
Ada looked down at the jeans and cotton blouse she was wearing. Err.... No, these wouldn’t do. She found that she had an absurd urge to try to look beautiful for him.
“From my apartment.” She told him. “Maybe at seven?”
“Seven is fine.” He replied. “I’ll see you later.”
As Ada cut the connection, she looked up to see Fadeke looking at her, with an expression of curiosity on her small face. “Are you going on a date?” She asked, her eyes wide.
Ada gave her what she thought was a dismissive frown, which only made Fadeke giggle. Oliver had been busy at his laptop with his earpiece on, but when he heard the giggles, he took them off. “What’s funny?” He asked Fadeke.
Fadeke gave him an impish smile. “Ada has a date at seven tonight.” She announced. “She’s in love!”
“Bravo!” Oliver exclaimed earnestly.
Ada shook her head. At that moment, she would gladly have pushed them both out of the window. “The problem with all you children of these days is that you have zero respect for your elders.”
“Sorry grandma.” Oliver tittered. She shot him a murderous look and he went back to his earphones, leaving Fadeke still smiling from ear to ear. Seeing Ada’s glower now directed only at her, she wiped the smile off her face and went back to work.
Ada left work early, well early for her. At fifteen minutes to five, she was already on her way home. She had studiously ignored the knowing smirks from both Fadeke and Oliver as she left, as well as Sophie’s questioning looks.
Let them wonder. She thought, willing herself not to be embarrassed. So what if she never went on any dates, her work was important to her, and this didn’t actually qualify as a date. Eddie knew that she didn’t like him! He couldn’t really be expecting much from her. Maybe he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity about her, or maybe he was bored, maybe his current flame had left the country or something. This thing… this... ‘date’, had nothing romantic attached to it.
So why are you rushing home to get primped up? A little voice whispered inside her head.
She sighed.
Luckily, given the hour she had left the island, there was no traffic. She had taken one of the big blue Bus Rapid Transport buses, and it sped through the free roads, with no concern for its own ungainly size. In no time at all, she was at home.
She took a moment to rest and to massage her feet, then she was up scouring through her wardrobe for what to wear. She had no idea where they would go. Where did people go in Lagos these days? Mainly to the movies, malls, pizzerias and ice cream places, she assumed. Somehow, she was sure Eddie would not be that mundane. Maybe one of the high-brow Chinese restaurants, or one of those awfully smooth hotel restaurants or bars, or maybe he would be downright unconventional and take her to the Fela shrine, where the dead afro beat legend still reigned supreme.
Hmm!
She decided to stop thinking about it. It was already six pm. After a little consideration, she selected a light-green gown from her wardrobe. It was short and flirty, a relic of some uncomfortable shopping trip with her brother’s wife Ify. Ada had never worn it. She hadn’t been happy then, when Ify had forced her to buy it, but now she was grateful. She had a pair of fashionable black pumps that she had worn at Sophie’s wedding, but she decided against them, she didn’t want to seem as if she were trying too hard to look like a fashion forward girl, so she settled for a pair of black ankle boots with short heels.
It only took her a few minutes to shower the dust and grime of Lagos from her body and change into her attire for the evening. Her natural hair could be an issue sometimes, but thankfully it behaved, after combing the thick mass, she secured the front with a thin green hair band to go with her dress, and allowed the rest of it hang out towards her back like a thick black cloud. She applied a little makeup, slightly more than normal, but not enough to be too much.
When she was done, she paused to admire herself in the mirror. I look hip and trendy, she thought, almost giggling. Who would have thought she’d ever see herself as hip and trendy?
Eddie arrived at exactly seven p.m. Very punctual, she thought. For a moment, she wondered if she really looked okay, and then decided that either she did, or it didn’t matter.
She went to open the door to let him in, but when she saw him standing there, for a few moments all she could do was gawk at him.
How did he always look so good?
He had been leaning against the doorpost. He straightened as the door opened and smiled at her. Ada felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach, driving all the breath from her body.
Oh! But he was handsome!
Her eyes travelled of their own accord over his tall slim body. He looked especially good in black pants that emphasized the length of his legs and his slim waist, and a dark, long sleeved shirt that displayed the breadth of his shoulders and his flat, flat stomach. She could have stood there staring at him forever. She wanted to get closer to him, to fill her nostrils with the tangy smell of his cologne, to wrap her arms around his waist…
What is wrong with me! She wondered, trying to recover her bearings, He is not the first handsome man I have ever seen. Why does he affect me like this?
“You look gorgeous.” He said.
“Thank you.” She replied, smiling up at him. If she looked gorgeous, then he looked magnificent! “You don’t look too bad yourself.” She told him.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “So are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes.” Ada replied. “Just come inside for a moment while I get my purse.”
He waited while she got her things and switched off the lights, then held the front door open for her and took the keys from her to lock it. Downstairs, he continued the gentlemanly attentiveness, opening the car door, asking her if she was comfortable...
She had been on the receiving end of his courtesy many times before, but never to this extent. If it hadn’t been Eddie, she would have laughed and told him to get real, but as it was him, she couldn’t find the words. Her stomach was tied up in knots just sitting in the car next to him.
The music started as soon as he started the car, Andrea Bocelli’s sweet tenor floated out of the speakers, pleasantly assaulting those parts of her senses, which were not already in turmoil.
She closed her eyes and let the sounds wash over her. It felt beautiful, to be the lady Eddie was squiring tonight. Who cared if it was probably going to be another girl next week, she smiled. When she opened her eyes, he was looking at her face. When she raised her eyebrows questioningly, he smiled and turned back to the road.
She watched his fingers as they moved the wheel. He had beautiful fingers, they were long and slim, but also strong. She wondered how it felt to be so beautiful in every way, from your head to your toes.
“Where are we going?” She asked him. It came out almost as a whisper. Who knew her voice could be so whispery light. He was either bringing out the best, or the worst in her.
He turned to look at her again. “Somewhere I hope you will like.” He said.
She cleared her throat surreptitiously. “On the island?” She asked. There! That sounded better. They were taking the turn into the express route going towards the islands. It seemed strange to drive all the way back over the bridge for a meal.
He nodded. “Yes.” He replied. “Don’t worry.” He assured her. “I’ll get you back home on time. You won’t be late to work tomorrow.”
Who had been thinking about work? Ada thought, slightly amused, work was the last thing on her mind.
It was already past seven. There was no traffic going, but there was a gridlock coming from the island. It felt liberating to drive against the traffic, to glide so fast on a road that, in almost all her experience, was always packed bumper to bumper.
“I like to go to the island in the evenings.” He observed, echoing her thoughts. “There’s just something very pleasurable about driving on these roads when they are free.”
“Yes.” She agreed. “I just wish it would be like this all the time.”
He laughed. It was a rich sound. It filled the car and made her smile too. “If wishes were horses....” He said with a grin. “So many people have made that wish, and yet, the traffic remains the most distinctive thing about Lagos.”
Ada chuckled. “We all get used to it,” She said. “eventually.”
“I could take you tomorrow, you know.” He said. “I go to the island every morning too, and your office is on my way.”
Ada sighed, and imagined travelling with him to work every day, sitting in such close proximity to him for at least an hour every morning. There was no way she would survive that. She smiled noncommittally and didn’t reply.
In no time at all the many lights of the Marina were spread out in front of them, and then retreating behind them as they sped over yet another bridge into Victoria Island. She found herself wondering again, where they were going. It was probably going to be a Chinese restaurant. Those were always the favorite with Lagos people. Personally, she had never been crazy about the food. She found herself wondering whether she would have to suffer through a sumptuous meal where the ribs were the only food item she liked even a little.
He drove past the Galleria, another popular spot. Okay, no movie then, Ada thought, which was good because she was hungry.
“You know you can just tell me where we are going.” She told him as her curiosity grew.
He gave her a teasing smile. “Be patient.” He said. “We’re almost there.”
‘There’ - when they finally arrived - was a brightly lit, glass fronted, two-storey building somewhere off the Bar Beach road. It had a low fence, and by the security lights, she could see that the spacious compound was exquisitely landscaped.
Eddie drove in and parked as close to the main building as he could in the crowded car park. This time, one of the security men beat him to opening the car door for her, but as she stepped out of the car, he was right there. He took her hand - causing a pleasant tingle to start in her fingers and spread throughout her arm - and led her towards the entrance.
She could hear soft music and muted conversation. What was this place? She wondered. As they ascended the steps, the front doors opened, as if by magic, but not quite so, there were two doormen on either side, ready to pull them open, whenever anyone came near.
Ada gazed around, eyes wide. How was it that she had never heard of this place? The whole ground floor was an immense suya joint, with gleaming marble floors, frosted glass windows, inlaid wall lights, a well-stocked bar, and about a quarter of the space taken over by a large kitchen range, over which a troupe of able looking young men barbecued juicy looking beef, ram and chicken meat. The smell was marvelous!
“Wow.” Ada said.
He looked relieved that she liked it. “Wow! Right?” He said, echoing her. “It’s magnificent.”
There were about fifteen tables, most of them occupied with people making their way through huge dishes of suya garnished with onions, tomatoes, peppers and so on, with ice cold drinks to wash it down. A few people waved at Eddie and he waved back, his easy smile sitting comfortable on his face. They all looked affluent, Ada noticed, She wondered just how much a plate of suya cost in this place, certainly not the same as the regular roadside suya man. She decided.
Eddie tugged at her hand, interrupting her thoughts. She followed him as he led her up the curving stairway at one end of the restaurant to the floor above.
Upstairs was another revelation. The stairs ended at two dark double doors, which were again opened by attentive doormen. What lay beyond was a traditional restaurant, softly lit, with beautiful hanging lights. Dark mahogany tables for two or four were arranged in such a way as to provide intimacy for diners. The floor was covered with a thick rug from end to end. The air was cool and filled with the scent of well-cooked traditional foods. Ada’s stomach did a small rumble of appreciation, which she prayed Eddie hadn’t heard.
“I hope you like traditional food,” He said lightly, “and I hope you are hungry.”
She gave him a smile. “I do,” She replied, “and I am.”
He grinned. The dimples appeared again. Ah! Ada thought, Even if she didn’t like the place, she would gladly have lied for the sight of those darlings on his cheeks.
An attentive waiter in black trousers and waistcoat, white shirt and African print tie showed them to a table. The waiter pulled out the seat for her while Eddie stood, waiting for her to be seated comfortably before he sat himself. Hmm. Ada thought, she was truly being given the gentleman treatment. She looked around while Eddie ordered wine. Almost all the tables were occupied, she observed. It definitely was a popular place. Eddie finally decided on white wine, seeking her approval before ordering. She just shrugged and nodded, it wasn’t as if she knew anything about wine.
The waiter who had shown them to the table came back with the menus. Even the menu was exquisite, light and leather bound with the name of the restaurant embossed in the leather in gold lettering. Ada opened it, and was almost stupefied by all the choices available, there were local dishes from all over the country. She sighed. How was she supposed to choose from such a fabulous list?
“Can I recommend?” His smooth voice cut into her thoughts. He named one of the native soups. “You should definitely have that. It was the first thing I ever ate here, and I still order it almost every time.”
Ada thought for a moment. Well at least it was a soup she had never cooked herself. It made sense to try something new. “Alright.” She smiled at him. “I’ll have it.”
The waiter came and took their order, smiling attentively as he did so. While they waited, Eddie kept her entertained with stories about his work, from the way he spoke, it was obvious that he was very passionate about it. He asked questions about her life and she found herself telling him more about her photography, working for Sophie, her family than she had ever told anyone. When he asked about her parents and she told him that her mother had died years ago, he looked so sorry that she almost felt she had to comfort him.
His father worked a lot, he told her, but he had always made time for family. His parents were still very much in love and often snuck off for weekend getaways. He told her that his mother was a professor of History at the University of Lagos. Ada realized she had always assumed that his mother was some rich trophy wife. Shamefacedly, she listened as he spoke about his sisters, three of them, all older, all married with children. It was obvious that he loved his family and was proud of them.
At some point he cautioned her not to drink too much of the wine, her face heated up as she remembered the last time they had drank wine together, when they had ended up kissing in her apartment.
It took about twenty minutes, for the food to arrive. However, when it finally did, it smelled incredible.
“They should bottle this smell.” She said, impressed. “It’s so good I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed when I actually taste the food.”
He shook his head. “You won’t be. I promise.”
The waiter made a great show of setting out the dishes while Ada suffered the excruciation of being able to see and smell but not eat. Finally, he disappeared and she was able to face the food.
She took a taste and sighed in ecstasy. She had never tasted a soup so... sublime. She looked up to see Eddie’s eyes glinting with amusement.
“What are you smiling at?” She asked, feeling slightly self-conscious.
“I would rather not say.” He replied, still smiling.
She frowned, eager to go back to the food but also wanting to know what he had been smiling at. “Tell me.” She said.
He grinned mischievously. “If you insist.” In the dim light of the restaurant, the teasing glint in his eyes seemed almost seductive. “It was the expression on your face.” He said.
“What about it?” Ada asked.
His grin widened. “Well you looked like you were having a ...”
“A what!” She exclaimed, interrupting him. Her face heated up in embarrassment. Had she really looked like what he was suggesting? The idea was disconcerting to say the least.
He leaned forward, eyes twinkling, his voice dropped to almost to a whisper. “Well you looked like you were having a very pleasurable experience.” He said innocently.
There was nothing innocent about the glint in his eyes.
“I was having a very pleasurable experience.” Ada said primly. “The food is delicious.”
He laughed. Making her breath catch in her throat, she forgot the food for a moment, enjoying the sound of his full laughter.
“If you don’t mind,” She continued, when he had stopped, “I am going to ignore you and eat now.”
He gestured towards her plate with a smile. “Please do.” He said, looking unrepentant.
She enjoyed every mouthful. He did too, she noticed. He ate with gusto. She found herself wondering if he would enjoy something she cooked as well as he was enjoying this meal, then mentally kicked herself for having thoughts that were so disloyal to the women’s movement.
Later, when the plates had been taken away and the waiter had departed with the payment discreetly tucked inside the bill, Ada sighed tiredly, she was so full, she had eaten every bite on her plate. “I could fall asleep right here on this chair.” She said. “I feel wonderfully full.” She giggled at the words.
He joined in her merriment. “Feel free.” He said. “I’ll just carry you to the car and take you home.”
The thought of being carried in his arms did things to her insides. “I’ll just try to stay awake then.” She said, ignoring the amused look he gave her.
Downstairs, she waited for a few moments as he bought some of the Suya. On the drive back to the mainland, the roads were almost completely free as the rush hour traffic was long gone. Ada felt extremely relaxed, full and luxurious. Outside the car windows, the moon was full and bright and the sky full of stars. Her mind filled with the beauty of it all.
They didn’t talk much as he drove, she watched him, and every now and then, he would glance at her face.
At her house, he walked with her to her apartment, taking the keys from her and unlocking the door when they got there.
She was hesitant to go in and end the night. “I had a great time.” She told him.
He smiled. “That was my intention.”
She chuckled. “Well, Thanks.”
They stood there smiling at each other for a moment. Her heart started to thud as she realized how close they were standing. He was going to kiss her again, she thought. What was that she had told herself earlier? That there was nothing romantic attached to their date. Well that theory was going to be thrown out of the window if he kissed her.
She had to stop it.
Even though she really wanted him to kiss her.
So much.
She stepped back, creating a little more space between them. “So.” She said. “You’ve got the one date you wanted.” She watched as the expression on his face changed to curiosity. “I hope I’m free now.”
He frowned. “So…” He considered for a moment. “Your opinion of me hasn’t changed?”
She paused. Well it had, a little, no actually, a lot, but she wasn’t going to tell him that! “No, not really.” She lied, shaking her head.
He was gazing intently at her face. “That was a long pause.” He observed finally, looking amused. “You are lying.”
“I am not!” She protested weakly. “I was just tying a way to phrase my words so as not to hurt your feelings.”
“So you care about my feelings.” He inquired, there was something very unsettling about the smile on his face, Ada decided.
“Well, as much as I would care for the feelings of any of my friends.” She said, trying to keep her voice even. Mistake! She should have said acquaintance!
He moved closer to her, effectively trapping her against the door. “Are we friends now?” He asked.
She had nowhere to look but up at his face. She nodded slowly.
He chuckled and shook his head. “I have a lot of friends.” He said dangerously. “I don’t want any more friends.”
“What do you want?” She whispered.
“Well for now I’d very much like to kiss you.” He said.
What are you waiting for? Her inner voice screamed at him. “Is that all?” She asked him instead.
He smiled wickedly. “What do you think?” He was so close now that their bodies were almost touching. She let out a shaky breath, why fight it? She thought. She wanted him to kiss her. Honestly, she wanted a lot more than that, she wanted so much more.
He raised one hand and slowly stroked her face, running his fingers from her cheek to her chin. Then he sighed and stepped back from her. “I like you Ada, you can claim to dislike me all you like,” He said, his voice low. “But I’m not going to give up.”
Ada blinked, so was he leaving?
“I will see you soon.” He said. He leaned forward and planted a small, innocent kiss on her cheek.
Then he handed her the package of Suya he had bought at the restaurant, and the next moment he was gone. Ada watched him as he descended the stairs, her heart beating wildly. When he was out of sight, she leaned her full weight on the door and took a couple of deep breaths. Only then could she gather the strength to go in and lock the doors behind her.