Rita's POVThere's never a free day. There were many clients to attend to, and as usual tiring especially because Evelyn is not here.
"Oh My God" I stretched my hands wearily after attending to the last client and they've stopped trooping in. I need a short break before another person comes in.
I sighed heavily and rested my head on the desk.
Earlier, I just did a full glam makeover for a young girl who must be barely twenty and she was about to have a court wedding photoshoot.
Why is everyone getting married every day?!
I cringed as I thought of my age which further made me think of menopause. Gosh! I'm not getting there anytime soon.
I checked the digital clock on my phone's home screen, it was already lunch time yet Evelyn and her boyfriend aren't back. I shook my head because we three are meant to go to the cafeteria together.
I clicked on the Kikachat social app.
"Whenever they are together, they wouldn't be online. Then why did we create a friendship group?!" I smirked jealously.
I notice I had a few new messages from Janet Johnson, the so-called matchmaker.
"Ain't gonna check that!" I ignored it and turned off the power button.
"Hey there!" I heard a familiar voice.
It was the guy I directed to the male section earlier.
"Hi, nice haircut" I complimented nicely.
"Thank you. I mean, this studio is just the best" He appreciated.
"Yeah, sure. You look differently, I almost didn't recognize you" I told him.
"Oh really? The hairstylist must have done a great job then" He replied.
"Our pleasure. Please do visit this studio again and invite your friends" I said. I didn't mean any of these words, I'm only trying to be a good worker, ugh! It's not like Mrs. Blakeston will thank me, especially for that.
He smiled widely and stared at me, instead of heading out. I faked a smile back though.
"So I'll get going," He said.
Please do it already.
Yet he continued staring and smiling while he walked away.
"Weird! Very weird a guy" I uttered when he was out of sight.
My stomach rumbled, "Arrgh! I better get something to eat" I stood up.
"Hey, Rita!"
Adam and Evelyn.
"Speak of the devil" I faked a frown. I pretended to be very upset with them.
"You missed our presence obviously," Evelyn said smiling.
"You missed our presence obviously" I mimicked with an ugly expression and they laughed.
"We had fun," Adam said.
"Adams is so lovely" Evelyn boasted as she threw her arm over his neck and gave him a peck on his cheek.
"You guys are so cute together" I commented and blushed foolishly but sincerely, I'm happy for them.
"I know right," Evelyn said.
" I knew right from the first day I met you that we are compatible," Adams said making her blush and making me feel like having someone to say words like that to me.
"Anyways guys, it's time for lunch" I cut in sharply, disrupting their supposed sweet moment. "And I am so hungry, I can not wait any longer" I added, thinking they felt the same way.
"Err…" Evelyn resumed.
"Errr what? Are you guys not hungry?"
"We've been to the restaurant and eaten to our satisfaction," Adam said.
"Sly! Now I do feel dejected by my so-called friends" I rolled my eyes and hissed.
"We brought you lunch too," Adam said when I was just about to walk away. "Sorry, we should have said this earlier" He added.
"Yeah, you should have" I almost snatched the meal from him.
"Okay so, you were angry just now. I saw a look that you wished you weren't single" Evelyn said.
"There you go again, Evelyn. I wore a blank look, I was just hungry and angry that my friends are now leaving me out of their businesses just because they have turned lovers" I told her and began to devour.
"I'm sure you would do worst when you have a lover too" Evelyn shipped in "You seemed like someone who would love hard"
"Evelyn, must we always discuss the topic of love, men, and relationships?" I barked at her "Love, men, relationship!!!" I repeated.
"We must!"
"No. Or maybe yes you are right but it doesn't have to be all the time okay?"
"It has to be all the time Rita" I smirked and ignored her troubles. "Confide in me Rita, do you like girls?"
"Hell, no Evelyn" I flinched.
She was about to say something again but I had to interrupt her, I'm sincerely fed up with her trouble.
"Let me eat in peace Evelyn, I don't wanna choke" I almost screamed at her.
We have forgotten Adam's presence or maybe he just left us the chance for us ladies to communicate all we want.
"Who is he? Why is he staring at you?" Adams suddenly spoke.
"Who?" Evelyn and I asked simultaneously.
"You. He was peeping at Rita"
"I mean who's the person?" I asked with my mouthful.
"He was standing over there but he already left," Adam said.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Evelyn asked me.
"Not at all, maybe you got the wrong idea, he probably wasn't staring at me," I said and continued eating.
"You know what Rita, you gotta flirt with some guys, give every guy a chance and stop looking for true love! stop tryna to fall in love before giving a guy a chance" She said and I rolled my eyes. I'm trying hard not to say a word to her if it concerns this love topic.
"When last did your momma call you?" She asked.
"Well, days ago" I replied as I poured out a glass of water to drink.
"Then I should be the one to frustrate you to get into a relationship," Evelyn remarked.
"Stop it already Evelyn, Fine I would date just one random guy and settle with him, Happy now?" I rolled my eyes again.
I didn't mean what I just said now.
She and her boyfriend, Adam laughed hysterically but I ignored them and picked up my phone because it beeped.
"What???" I screamed merely looking at the phone screen.
"What??" My friends are weird and funny, they screamed too without even knowing why I screamed.
"Okay, just what is it?" Adam asked.
"Lottery?? Free Tickets?? What? Why did you scream?"
"51 messages"
"52," I said when another one came in.
I wiped my eyes to make sure, I could see it well.
What the hell does this woman want from me?
"Just messages? Is that why you screamed??"
"52 messages from an unknown person, someone is after me I swear," I said and showed them the phone.
"Who is this?"
"I don't know, I don't know her... First, she sent me a message just yesterday and she's acting too clingy like she physically knows me well" I tried to explain to them.
"Oh wait, she's an old woman..." Evelyn said collecting my phone from me.
"She said she's married with four kids," I told them but they scrolled through and read the conversation.
"Oh wait, you finally joined the group FAP&GM, Find A Partner, And Get Married " She found out.
Oh shit! Jeez, she saw that.
"It's not like I badly wanna get a partner" I fired.
"Give me back my phone" I struggled to collect it from her and she chuckled.
"It's okay, I won't judge you. But why is the so-called Mrs. Janet Johnson doing this?"
"How would I know?"
"I think she's indeed a heaven-sent matchmaker," Adam said.
"No, no, you are supposed to look at it from the wrong aspect. She's suspicious. Can't you see that she's disturbing me and forcing me to do what I don't wanna do? She's after my life!"
"No Rita. I think she's just trying to help" Adam said.
"Forcefully" I added. "And I never sought for her help"
"That's where everything goes wrong"
"I told her I'm not interested yesterday. I don't want her help. Why is it so hard for her to understand that."
"Well, don't ignore her yet, let's see what she's up to. She might eventually help you get…" I knew exactly what Evelyn was about to spew so I interrupted her.
"The love of my life," we said simultaneously.
Like I knew that ~ that what she wanna say.
"Hmmn what else?" She laughed. "Sometimes Rita, you act like you are ready to have a lover and sometimes, you just avoid men"
I smirked; "I pretend I'm ready to be someone because you and Mom won't stop discussing it" "Shii, we're done" I cut her off when she wanted to keep the conversation going.
"Hey Adam, where have you been? Come over, it's your regular client" Mark, a male colleague called Adam.
"Excuse me guys, it's work' o clock," He said and left with his friend.
"Do you perhaps know the reason why Mrs? Blakeston is absent today? 'cos It's unusual you know?" I asked Evelyn.
"Yeah, she'll probably tell us the reason tomorrow," She said picking up my phone from the table.
"If I may ask, what do you wanna do?" I quarried.
"Hmmn hold on, I wanna skim through your chat with the unknown Janet Johnson and see what she wants"
"Oh please, why are you bringing her up again," I said but she ignored me and checked my phone with so much keenness.
"Hmmn" She hummed after a while.
"Hmm? Hmmn what?"
"Nothing. I think I'm done" She said dropping the phone and taking a deep sigh.
"Did you observe anything? What is it?" I asked her.
"Hmm, nothing. I just think she's legit"
"Legit how? How do you mean?"
"I mean there's nothing to be afraid of, Janet Johnson is only being real and helpful to you. There's nothing to be suspicious about. I just checked now, and she's an admin on FAP&GM and another related group, through her comments, replies, and posts. I think she's a true matchmaker" Evelyn said and I nodded sarcastically.
"The few minutes, you checked my phone now. You observed all this?"
"Yeah?"
"Anyways, Thank you," I said sheepishly.
"Is that the only thing you're gonna say?"
"What else? Am I supposed to start dancing too?" I said being sarcastic.
"No honey, tell me you're gonna change, give Love a trial, when she matchmakes you with someone, open your heart" Evelyn gesticulates.
I scoffed: "Look Evelyn, you and I know it's difficult for me to fall in love with someone I've known for years, even with someone I've physically met and been seeing always. Do you expect me to just fall in love with someone I've not even met or seen or someone I'm just meeting for the first time if the so-called Janet Johnson the matchmaker matchmakes me with one?" I said. "I won't even permit her to do such" I scorned.
"Hmmn, you've got a point but with what you've just spewed out, I think you're not ready to give your heart to someone... I think you are the problem" she pronounced You-Are-The-Problem one by one.
"Oh please Evelyn"
"Of course, see you've already concluded that you can't fall in love with whoever you get matchmade with," Evelyn said like she were my mother.
I rolled my eyes.
"Come to think of it, you've never fallen in love before even when you've met guys, seen handsome and adorable men wanting to date you. What if the one whom you are meant to fall in love with should be anonymous for the meantime or maybe you're destined to fall hard in love with someone who would suddenly show up, out of the blues..."
"Duh" I cut in whereas the line 'Maybe I'm destined to fall in love with someone anonymous' hit me because she was literally referring to Jared but she doesn't even know Jared. I didn't tell her and Adam that I've once dated someone on Love Station.
"Adams might be right, like he said earlier Mrs Janet Johnson is probably a heavenly-sent matchmaker to help you" I feel a hint of seriousness in the way she spoke.
"Okay, enough" I murmured.
"Are you ready to give love a trial this time now?" She said and I was mute.
"Give every guy a chance. Even...even if you don't know who he is. We're old enough to tell who's dangerous and who's not.." She paused and smiled; "And if you find Mr. Left, drag him to the right. It's as easy as that"
"Don't be silly" I giggled.
"I'm serious" She added.
"Okay, Okay," I said... I was indeed already feeling uncomfortable but she's right. What a sensible but silly friend I have.
I think it's high time to leave this single life.
*****
To Be Continued