source: blenderartists.com
“I think it worked. May I sit please?” My
mouth was full so I just nodded to the man standing before me. He sat
comfortably and flashed a grin. I just kept on chewing slowly and waiting for
him to say something but he simply said nothing. After I swallowed, I took a
sip of wine, wiped my mouth and broke the silence. “Was the champagne from you”
I asked with sincere curiosity. “Yes. It was and I think you certainly look
happier. I’m hoping it’s the wine.” His gaze was piercing like when someone
wasn’t getting a good look at something and was pouring more effort into
looking at it. “It’s not just the wine. The food’s great too.” I replied in the
bid not to give him all the credit for the beautiful evening I was having.
Truthfully, I wasn’t happy just because of his gesture; I had bottles of Dom
Perignon sitting in my bar at home but he definitely scored good points on the
scale. I scrutinized him as he sat silent looking smug. He wore an adire jumper
dominated by the color green and a pair of mahogany-brown loafers. He wore a
plain gold chain on his right wrist and a TAG Heuer wristwatch I couldn’t help
but notice on his left wrist. There were no rings and it wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention
that he smelled like heaven on a man. Go figure. The last time I was this taken
by a man’s scent, I was in university, he was my best friend and I slept
hugging his jacket for months. Yes, the very same jacket and no, the scent didn’t
leave. Don’t ask whether I washed it cuz I did not. Anyways, it’s needless to
tell you that amidst his simplicity, he reeked of class. The kind of man you’d
see standing in front of a hotel and ignore until the valet brought his car to
him. He wasn’t strikingly handsome but I thought he looked pristine. He wore an
afro trimmed at the sides, and neat side burns that ran down his profile to his
beards. None of the bushy beard gang drama that seems to be in vogue was going
on there. His eye brows were full and well aligned. His lips were full with an
undertone of pink. I was able to take note of his height before he sat and he
was quite tall; about my husband’s height. That means that without heels, I’d
be just about four inches above his shoulder. His teeth were perfect; I always,
always check out the teeth. So he wasn’t strikingly handsome but he had my
attention alright. I caught myself studying staring at him and quickly
thought of something witty to say.
Unfortunately, all I could muster was “So
it wasn’t the man in the cubicle then?” “You must be good at math.” he replied
visibly amused by what he figured must have been me trying to say something
clever. I laughed at myself. Apparently, he had caught me and his sarcastic
retort didn’t go unnoticed. I might enjoy this conversation, I thought and
decided to drop my defenses and have this potentially interesting dialogue. “I
like sarcasm on a man who knows how to wield it.” I said honestly in between
mouthfuls. Of course I went back to my meal. “Yes? I guess we’re different. I like
it coming from dogs. Its special cuz they can’t talk” he laughed lightly. I
offered him some of my wine but he declined politely; something about not interrupting
a lady’s greatness. “So you’re not the guy from the cubicle” I said giving him
a cue for some proper introduction. “No I’m not. That’s Mr. Eno. He’s a
regular. He probably doesn’t look it but he’s not big on wine. He’s more of a
fruit juice-shakes kinda guy.” “I find it interesting that you’ve told me
everything about that fine young man and you haven’t even dropped your name by
mistake.” How did he even know who was a regular and who wasn’t? I was pretty
sure he wasn’t in the room when I tried to find who the gift was from. He laughed
and shook his head. “My apologies ma’am. My name’s Udoka Amanze. I hail from
Imo state and I absolutely love your smile.” This time, he didn’t smile, as if
he was trying to convince me that that wasn’t just another pick up line. This
guy was too smooth for his own good. “I’m Edima and I’m married.” He caught the
not-so-subtle hint and leaned back. “Of course. Your ring is quite visible. I
mean, that diamond is nearly blinding. If it helps, I used to be married.” He said
with a shrug. I almost asked what happened with his marriage and caught myself
before it fell out. It was none of my business. “You must be proud of your
home. Tell me about it. Any kids?” I liked how he asked these sensitive
questions with a touch of innocence and a great deal of sincere curiosity. At least,
that’s how it seemed. Thank God he specifically mentioned the kids because I
certainly didn’t want to talk about my husband. “Yes, I have kids. Four. Two
soldiers, two princesses” I could literally feel myself glow. I never spoke
about my kids without that glow spurring from the pride that made my heart
swell. “Four? Who would have thought?” he asked surprised. “You barely look as
though you’ve had any. It’s really admirable” he complimented. “Well, if I keep
coming to this restaurant, I won’t be able to keep it up for long. The food is
amazing. You probably know that. I mean, you know the regulars…and you sent me
wine without being visible. You either stalking the people here or you definitely
know your way around her and how to go unnoticed while you’re at it.” “Yes, the
food here is amazing but I’m sure you can handle it. And no, I don’t stalk
people here. The cameras just make it easy to see what goes on here” he
pointed at about two lenses that had gone unnoticed before now. “That explains
it. So you work here. Chef?” I thought he had the sophisticated air of Chefs.
Maybe not. Maybe I was just lavish with my graces tonight, probably from lack of
attention. “Yes, I work here but I’m not a chef.” Honestly, he was quite easy
to talk to. We talked about food, my kids, politics in Imo state, how married
folks in Lagos forget many times that they are married and how husbands are
never caught because they can blame their late homecoming on the traffic on the
third mainland bridge. There was a lot of laughter and a few awkward moments of
prolonged eye contact and seconds of silence. He was very accessible; it felt
like he was holding nothing back. On
the other hand, I was trying not to give away too much about myself and
honestly, it was pretty exhausting. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation,
a woman,probably in her sixties, walked up to our table. Apparently, she was here for him
and I could see the admiration she had for him in her eyes. "Mr Amanze,
thank you for the other day. I don't know what I'd have done without you"
He just grinned at her and said "Now you're embarrassing me. You deserve
better ma'am. You should order today's special...on the house of couse" "Very well son.
God bless you" and she laid a hand gently on his shoulder before moving to
one of the empty tables towards the end of the room. Something about that
little exchange moved me. It was obvious that he had done something for the
lady that she considered a great deal while he on the other hand didn't
consider it as such. He was a helper and I couldn't ignore that. Of course, I
didn't ask what it was about; it was none of my business. He carried on with
the conversation as if there was no break at all. We talked about places we had
both traveled to. We even found out we had two mutual friends and that we
both hate popcorn. After about two hours and not a few glares from customers
who probably taught we should get a room, I checked my iphone screen to see
what time it was. He also turned to his wristwatch and we both smiled. “I
should get going” I said, secretly wishing there was more time. I was surprised
at myself for thinking that. I was not in the habit of enjoying the company of
men; I barely let them close. I didn’t even really notice them. The special
ones were like cute dogs; notice them, flash them a smile and forget once they
walked past me. But this night, this man had put a crack in my castle of ice.
It was probably for the best that the evening had come to an end. There was
certainly a reason, I stayed away from craving all this warmth and it was
probably for the best. I suddenly couldn’t wait to leave. What was I even
thinking at first? I was married with responsibilities and I couldn’t afford to
have this particular man around me. That’s right, this particular man.
“You suddenly look uneasy” he said
breaking into my thoughts. “No, I’m fine. I just need to get home to my baby
girl. Thank you for the wine. Have a lovely evening.” I said rising. I didn’t
wait for him to say anything. I picked up my bag and left him at the table. The
ride down the elevator felt long with me replaying the entire evening in my
head. A pang of fear struck me in the chest. There was something different,
wonderful and scary about this man. And I chose to stay away. Just before I got
into my car, I looked up at the building and there he was looking down at me
with my flowers still sitting on the window sill. I got in, started the car and
as soon as the engine purred to life, I drove away without looking back. I had
decided; I was going to forget Udoka Amanze and gosh, I’d miss their recipes.
*******************************************************
Hello Readers. I hope you enjoyed the second part. Sit tight and look out for the this part. Click here to read THAWED (Part 1) if you haven't read it. I'd love to see your comments with respect to how the story is unfolding...
P.S- This was supposed to be flash fiction and although it might be slightly longer than intended, it will be a short one. Brace yourselves for impact.
I hope you all had a beautiful holiday.
xoxo,
Nazzy
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