Sonya
The bodyguard situation got me all riled up at work this morning and I did my best to get my mind off the situation. But by noon, I wasn't just irritated by it—I was bothered. My driver drove me off to the mall and I waited for Olivia at the coffee shop we normally meet at. She showed up some minutes later and joined me.
"Hey girl, sorry I'm late." she apologized.
"It's not a big deal." I sighed. Olivia noticed I wasn't in high spirits, so she confronted me.
"You seem down today. What's the problem ?"
"It's my dad again," I complained. "He thinks I'm going to run away before he hands over his businesses to me. So he got me a bodyguard to escort me till the takeover."
"But that's not a bad thing, right ?" she shrugged.
"It's certainly a bad thing. With the bodyguard escorting me around, he can ruin our plans by reporting to my father about the business I want to start." I explained.
A waiter came to our table and we ordered for a caffé latte and some coffee cake. When the waiter left, Olivia had a sarcastic face.
"Really ? The bodyguard is a problem now ?" she quizzed rhetorically.
"Well, yeah." I argued. "He's going to be following me around publicly."
"Of course, that's what he's supposed to do. Keep you guarded and watched over." Olivia interjected. "Do you know what isn't his job ? Interfering with your personal life. Unless your dad asked him to, your bodyguard isn't going to be telling him what you do exactly."
"I just have this feeling that my dad could have given him those orders."
"Does your dad know that you want to start up a business ?"she asked.
"No. He surely doesn't know. That idea just came up last night, remember ?"
"I do and if he doesn't know, then there's a high chance he didn't give your bodyguard those orders." I still looked doubtful. "Just don't overthink this one, Sonya."
"Okay," I finally said, trying to muster up some hope. "I won't worry too much about the bodyguard."
The waiter brought in our orders at our table and left. I took a sip of the latte and remembered the main reason why Olivia and I came to the shop in the first place.
"Yeah Olivia ? Do you have the business ideas ?"
She finished munching some of her coffee cake. "Yeah. I have done some research in the area and I could think of three businesses which could be beneficial."
"I'm listening..." I encouraged as I ate my meal.
"First," she began. "You can start up a dentistry shop in the area. A dentist shop is hard to come by in Achimota. So that can be a perfect opportunity to open a shop in the area."
"A dentist shop isn't something I was hoping to come across." I admitted. "To be honest, I even hate going to the dentist. The idea is good though, Olivia. But I will pass."
"You are just missing a glaring opportunity, Sonya."
"I'll take my chances, hun." I declared. "What's your next idea ?"
"The second idea I had is a catering shop and services. It's a lucrative business but you can meet hostile competition from others in the area. This is the...."
"I'll take it," I interrupted cheerfully. "That's the business we would open. It's perfect."
"Don't tell me it's because we once baked a cake in high school," Olivia said sarcastically. "A catering shop and services is different entirely."
I finished my meal and wiped my mouth. "I still have minimal knowledge on how to run a catering shop. It's a piece of cake."
Olivia gave a funny face. "I won't go further. You claim you know, so let's move on. The third idea...."
"No, no," I halted her. "I don't need to know the third business. I'm okay with the catering one."
"But you haven't even heard it yet," Olivia protested. "It might even sound better."
"No, thank you." I refused. "I'll go with the catering one. It's decided."
Olivia gave a shrug and finished hers finally. "If that's what you want, then so be it."
"I can already picture how it's going to be," I smiled. "I can't wait to finish it and show my father who's in control."
"Hold up, girl. Don't get too ahead of yourself. It's one step at a time. Okay ?"
"Yeah, okay."
"And if it makes you feel less worried, we can just say it's my business. So the bodyguard has no clue on what's going on." Olivia pointed out.
I beamed. "That's smart, Olivia. What would I have done without you ?"
The waiter came in and I paid for our meal. We exited the shop and went shopping for clothes in the mall. It took a while but Olivia reminded me and we finished early. We then moved to parking lot, where our cars were.
"Thanks once again, Olivia. You have been real helpful to me in these crucial times." I thanked her.
"Anything for my dear Sonya." She looked at her watch. "Alright. I have to go. I'm meeting Prince in half an hour."
"Then go to your prince, princess Olivia. See you later girl."
"Okay, later."
Olivia rushed to her car and drove off. I walked to mine and the driver led me back to work. The day became blissful as I was constantly thinking about how I could start up the catering services. A lot of things came on my mind and it was twilight before I knew it.
I was driven home minutes later. I hurried towards my shower when I got to my room and took off my clothes. After taking time to bath slowly in the bathtub, I freshened up and laid on my bed to get some rest. I was a little tired, so I decided to go and sit under the stylish wooden open hut behind our house.
On my way, the sweet aroma of food brushed by my nose and that was enough to command me to find the source. Unsurprisingly, I traced the smell to the huge dining room and surprisingly, I saw my dad and my sister sitting at the table eating.
First of all, when did my dad get home ? I never noticed him arriving. But again, the house is big, so he could have got in from somewhere. And secondly, my sister rarely eats at the dining table unless we have guests around or there's a huge event happening in our house. She normally eats in her quarters.
They noticed me enter the room and I stood there, confused for some seconds.
"Sonya, just the person I was looking for. Come take a seat and eat." my dad invited gently.
I obliged and sat opposite to my sister, Delilah, on the long huge dining table. My dad called for a house worker using a bell and told them to bring my food. It was coconut rice and cabbage stew with roasted turkey. I was soon served and I started eating. The first few minutes of eating at the table was quiet and no one said a word.
"Sonya," my dad broke the silence. "How was your day ?"
It was a bit awkward for me but I answered anyways. "It was okay."
"Good to hear that," he replied. "I know it has been a busy and tiring week for you, so there's a proposal I have for you."
Delilah let out a small cough and after ignoring her, I faced my dad. "What is it, dad ?"
"Delilah is having a problem at campus," he began. "And they are asking me to come and help deal with the issue. But I'm having an important meeting tomorrow and the only alternative is to let you go to campus tomorrow with Delilah in my place."
"Okay..." I uttered.
"If you help me with this," he continued. "I'll give you three days off. Starting from next week."
My heart was overjoyed when I heard those words. These days off could give me some rest and help me start up the business. Even though was happy, I didn't make it evident. I replied my dad with a straight face.
"Okay, I'll be glad to help you tomorrow."
"That's great. So tomorrow, you help me deal with Delilah's case and in fact, when you are done, you can decide not to go to work. I'll make sure your assistant managers help you out while you rest at home." he laid out.
"That would be nice." I commented.
Inside my head, I was happy about the way things have turned out today. I spied on Delilah and she had a slight frown on her face. It seemed to me she didn't want me to follow her but she had no choice. I couldn't care any less. She was my one way trip to three days off.
I was in such a good mood that I had a little chitchat with my dad. Minutes after, he stood up and left the room. Delilah had hardly eaten half of her food and she also left, leaving me alone in the room. I just sat there, eating and wondering if I did something recently to offend her but I couldn't remember anything. I was just sure that she didn't want me to go to campus with her.
Delilah is my younger sister and the last born of my parents. She is as brown-skinned as me and almost as thick. She's a quiet and reserved person. She hardly talks freely with anyone at home. The only person she talks freely with is my mom and she is currently in France, working as a fashion designer for a show. The show would take a week more to finish and my mom would return to the country when the show ends.
Since my mom is temporarily out of the country, Delilah is almost alone all the time and she's in her room most of the time. My relationship with her is not as good as most sisters should be.
We fought a lot in our childhood and I always insulted her back then. From adolescent till now, we hardly talk unless she's in a good mood which comes once in a blue moon. But I try my best to talk to her and make us casual as possible but it's not easy these days.
After eating, I decided to hit the sack early. I took my bath again before going to bed and that's how I ended my Thursday.
The next morning, I was ready to leave by 9am and Delilah delayed but it wasn't enough to cancel the trip. She entered the car and I sat next to her. Then the guy I saw yesterday joined us in the car and that's when I remembered that he was my "bodyguard" and he was starting his work today.
I wasn't bored this time round. The driver drove we four out of the house. We were headed to the University of Ghana and the trip would take a while due to the insane traffic on the way. I tried to engage Delilah in a conversation but she ignored most of my advances and just gave me short petty answers. I gave up and just went through my phone.
The traffic today was very heavy so the driver informed us he was taking another way but it would be longer. That road was blocked so he took another road. This time round, there weren't any blockades until we came to a stop at a quiet and deserted junction, all because there was a long black van blocking the way totally.
The driver got out of the car to go check on the driver of the van but suddenly, a man got out of the van with a big stick and knocked out the driver on the spot by clubbing him on the head. We were all shocked at the sudden event unfolding in front of us and the bodyguard got out of the car to confront the man with the stick.
The man tried to club the bodyguard but he swerved and knocked the stick out of his hand. He proceeded to punch the man who fell down injured on the spot. Another man got of the van and ambushed the bodyguard. The second man punched the bodyguard at the back of his head and it was enough to knock him unconscious.
Delilah and I were just freaking out and shouting in the car frantically. We tried to get out but the two men got to us and tried to force a handkerchief soaked with chloroform on our nose to knock us out. Delilah shouted but the man covered her mouth immediately and still tried to force the handkerchief on her nose.
I thought it would be all over and the men would overpower us but the next few seconds were the most grateful of my life so far...
.
Kelvin
I might have done some stupid things in the past, but this is one of the most stupidest yet. Charging towards some men trying to kidnap a girl seems heroic. But when it's unplanned, it's foolish.
With the speed I had, I got to one of them in seconds and the first thing I did to the man was punched him hardly and directly on his spine. The man let out a huge cry and fell on the floor, trying to massage his spine. The lady the man was trying to kidnap looked at me and was shocked by the turn of events. She was very pretty and I was busy admiring her face but I wasn't aware the other man was charging at me. The lady alerted me in time and I dodged an attack from the other man.
He had a big stick and tried to hit me with it but I exercise daily and work on my reflexes, so it was easy evading his attacks. Plus he was a little slow because of the weight of the stick. I kicked the stick out his hand and land a blow on his cheek. Hard and precise. He fell down and got up again. I gave him another and he tried to retaliate. It was in vain cause I dodged all of them.
I got angry and landed a kick across his ribs and he fell down in agony. The other man I had punched in the spine earlier tried to club me but I took the stick from him and clubbed him across his waist and legs. The man also fell down groaning in pain. A third man came out from the van and I assumed it was the driver.
I threw the stick at him wildly and it connected with his legs, injuring him in the process. He limped towards me and I gave him a punch in his face and he fell down with a bleeding nose. All the men were on the ground, moaning in pains. I looked around and noticed two other men lying down. I hadn't seen them earlier so I was confused.
I went to the car to confront the ladies. To my shock, I found out the other lady was Sonya, the one I met that Wednesday evening at Gusto's. There wasn't a time for a decent lashing out, so I asked if they were okay.
"The bodyguard and driver are on the floor." they exclaimed.
I went back near the van and picked one of the unconscious odd men up. I carried him to the car and seated him near the ladies. I picked the other man up and this one was bleeding on the head. I rushed him to the car and placed him in the front seat.
"He needs to go to the hospital fast, he's losing a lot of blood." I spoke to them.
"Please, can you drive us there ?" Sonya asked with a worried look. "We need to look after the men as you are driving."
I went over and called Hannah from the bush. I told her to follow me and she was raining a lot of questions on me. When she saw the unconscious men in the car, she squeezed in and I drove off, heading to the hospital whiles the kidnappers laid on the floor, attending to themselves.