Chapter nine
McKenna unpacked and placed her dresses in the biggest and most beautiful wardrobe she had ever seen. The room she was placed was thrice the size of her room in Abuja and the pillows were fluffy and soft. The 42 inch television had CNN channel on and she changed it to fox channel but only after she timed the 'Thunderman' in Nickelodeon channel.
McKenna didn't know that Jason owned the hotel and he had planned the whole drama because he wanted McKenna to stay in the adjoining room in his personal suite because he knew she would object to it. so he resulted to blackmail.
McKenna entered the sitting room and met Jason there browsing through channels. Jason was casually dressed in a t-shirt and baggy shorts and he looked comfortable in his own skin. He looked almost approachable.
"Do you need me for anything? I like to walk around and get to know my environment" McKenna asked
"No" he replied simply "but be back in 2 hours"
McKenna went outside the hotel gate and the surrounding was very beautiful and lacked serenity. McKenna smelt flowers. She bought bean cake and bread. It's been long she had eaten something like that and it reminded her of home.
She took a lungful of fresh air and opened her bread when she saw someone that caught her attention. A woman and she was well-dressed, she seemed out of place in her surroundings. The woman was beautiful and in her late-forties. What really caught McKenna's attention was the fact that the woman's bag was snatched and she screamed for help but no one tried to help her. McKenna dropped the bread and bean cake and chased after the thief, caught him and collected the woman's bag. McKenna punched the thief on his back before he escaped.
McKenna walked up to the woman who was frightened and returned her bag.
"Thank you for returning my bag…you run so fast" The older woman said
"Oh, I wanted to be a bag snatcher when I was little and so I trained" McKenna joked and laughed but the woman wasn't amused.
"I am joking ma, are you okay?" McKenna asked
"I will be, thank you" the woman replied
"Well come… I will buy you ice cream" McKenna said and held the woman's hand without giving a thought to whether the woman wanted ice cream from a total stranger or not.
The woman was dressed in an Indian gown with a pair of heels. She clutched her bag tighter and she had a frown. She was really tall, taller than McKenna and McKenna wasn't averaged in height. The woman followed McKenna without any qualms.
"Come on, a little ice cream won't hurt" McKenna said as the woman followed her.
The ice cream truck stood not far from where the woman's bag was snatched. The vendor smiled at them, he was a Yoruba man with a missing front tooth and a cheerful personality. He handed over the ice cream to McKenna and the woman.
After buying the Ice cream, they both sat down and started talking.
"Thank you for helping me" The woman said and gave McKenna a bundle of money.
"You look like you have money. Why were you so frightened when he stole your bag?" McKenna said and returned the money to her.
"Take the money, you've earned it" The woman insisted
"No, thank you. It is not every day that I get to be someone's hero and it feels good to do something important" McKenna said and took a deep breath.
The woman smiled at McKenna and relaxed.
"The bag wasn't important to me" she said
"Really, I thought it was expensive" McKenna said puzzled
"It is just 500" The woman said
"Naira, that's cheap" McKenna said taking a mouth full of ice cream
"Thousand… the bag is five hundred thousand naira but the real treasure is ..."
"Five hundred what?" McKenna said and almost choked on her ice cream
"But that amount is my five months salary… you must be rich" McKenna cheeks were flushed
"The real treasure I was afraid of losing are these" the woman said and gave McKenna an ultrasound photos.
"You are pregnant?" McKenna asked. She gave the woman a reassuring smile.
"I was pregnant twenty seven years ago but I lost her…. miscarriage. I took these ultrasounds few weeks before I lost her. These ultrasound photos are the only evidence that she once existed and thanks to you I still have them" she said and smiled
"Did you have more kids?" McKenna asked
"I need alcohol. Are you old enough to drink?" the woman said and stood up
"I will have you know that I am an experienced drunk…and again I am joking but I am almost twenty"
"You will have a milkshake then" the woman didn't give McKenna room to object.
So they headed to a nearby restaurant and ordered a bottle of alcoholic wine and milkshake.
"I have a son but he can't stand me. I only see him few times a year but if he manages to come around, we argue. All we ever do is argue" her new friend said
"Have you tried listening? Sometimes, kids just want a listening ear and someone to understand them, someone to talk to. They don't want to be fixed and no offense but you look like someone who expect perfection" McKenna said holding her hands
"Seems like you are not the type to beat around the bush, little girl. So who listens to you my dear, your mother?" she asked
"No, mom died giving birth to me and my grandmother blames me for her death. She was her only daughter"
"Well she is wrong" her friend replied
"I have never admitted this to anyone but I kind of blame me too"
"You should not; a mother is willing to give her life for her child. I know I will"
"You should tell your son that" McKenna suggested to the woman.
"He won't believe me"
"You can't be sure unless you try" McKenna said
"Some guys can be stubborn and a perfect example is my boss"
"Your boss?" she asked
"Yes, he is stubborn and behaves like he doesn't need help from anyone" McKenna said and smiled
"You like him" the woman said and smiled too, she pushed her hair behind her ear.
"Yes, I do" Mckenna answered with a bit of sadness in her voice "But he won't let me come close to him; sometimes it feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and I just want to help"
"I have always wanted a daughter, someone I could talk about boys with and go to the hair salon with. So I will give you an advice I would have given to my daughter, if you like him, find a way to make it work" the woman's countenance was serious and she batted her lashes twice before giving McKenna a gentle squeeze on the hand.
McKenna glanced at her watch and jump "Oh my God, my boss is going to have my head. It is so late" she said and stood up "I have to go now ma. My name is McKenna and I am happy we had our talk"
"I am Lisa" she said and took a piece of paper and wrote down her phone number "Call me if you ever need a stranger to talk to or if you need help"
McKenna walked back to her hotel suite to find an angry Jason pacing in the sitting room.
"I told you to be back in two hours" Jason said when she opened the door.
"I'm sorry I lost track of time" she apologized
"Why?" he asked
"I met someone, we started talking and I lost track of time, i am sorry" she apologized again feeling irritated
"You met someone"
"Hmm" McKenna nodded
"A guy?" Jason asked
"Not that it is any of your business but an older lady and she was fun to talk to" McKenna answered.
"Nobody likes talking to older citizens" Jason feigned surprise but he was really amused.
"Don't you know by now that I am not most people?" she said and smiled "I am going to bed. Do you need me for anything Mr. Yagazie?"
Jason looked at her. He knew one million and one thing he needed her for. He had been worried when she didn't turn up then he became angry at himself for caring. The mixed feelings frustrated him.
Without even thinking, he moved closer to her and kissed her on her forehead and said "good night, Oma"
And all McKenna could do was watch him as he entered his room.