It had been a long day at the club. I was normally not a club goer, but today was no ordinary day. So, it was easy for me to accept my friends' invitation. My friend had just won a big contract, so we had to go celebrate. At first, I didn't want to go, but when my friends and colleagues started interpreting my reluctance to jealousy. I had no choice but to go with them. I didn't want to be labelled an enemy of progress.
The celebration didn't start at the club. It started in a famous bar called "Achu Bar". After work that day, as my colleagues and friends were going to Achu Bar to begin the celebrations, I went home instead. I told them that there was no way I could leave work and go and start drinking and feasting without going home first to have a rubdown. They were not happy with my decision and complained loudly. However, in the end, they relented and let me go.
When I got home, I quickly went to the bath and freshened up. I looked at my watch and realized that it was only 4:00 PM. It was going to be a long night; I thought to myself. So, I decided that I would have a short nap, maybe for an hour or so before going to meet my colleagues. Haven made up my mind, I fell heavily on the bed and was just about to drift off to sleep when my phone rang.
I lazily reached for the phone and picked up the call. It was my friend, the one who had won the contract. His name was Maxwell.
"Maxwell." I spoke in a lazy and sleepy voice.
"Big man, what is your problem?" He asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean by what am I talking about? Where are you not supposed to be with us here?" He was slightly irritated.
"My friend, what is your problem?" I asked jokingly. "Why are you guys sounding as if I am the main celebrant?"
"It doesn't matter. Please, come quickly. We have already started enjoying ourselves. In fact, the achu is almost finished, and the mama who sells it is about to go home."
"Alright, I won't be eating the achu today. I will just drink." I spoke.
"If you say so. We are waiting for you."
I was terribly vexed that I had just been interrupted from my much-needed nap. I wish I was married. I was thirty-five but not yet married. If I were, I would have had a good excuse to give them for not being able to hang out with them. But I was unmarried. So, no excuse I was going to give was ever going to make sense. So, I got off the bed and dressed up. I wore a pink T shirt, blue jeans and a blue leather jacket. It was going to be a cold night. So, I needed to prepare.
When I got there, there was serious merriment going on. There was a loud shout of joy when they saw me approaching. Some of them ran to welcome me while others ordered the barman to bring more drinks. We drank and made merry until around 8:00 PM. Then, someone made a proposal. It was another colleague called Starist.
"This place is getting boring. Let's go to Double Dose." He proposed.
"Double Dose? Where is that?" I asked.
"It's a new place in town. Haven't you heard of it?"
"You, Mr. Starist are always aware of all the new places in town. I have never heard of it, but if it's a nice place. Let's go there." That was Mr. Maxwell speaking.
We unanimously agreed that it was a good idea. So, we all got different bikes and went to Double Dose. True to what Mr. Starist had said it was a beautiful place. Soon, we had settled down, and the drinking continued. After about an hour, I started feeling hungry because I had not eaten anything since 11:00 AM. in the morning. I looked around and found a beautiful and endowed waitress with a tattoo on her arms and piercing on her nose.
"Hi beautiful." I called over the noise of the place.
"Are you calling for me?" She asked.
"Yes, I am. Please, come over here."
She walked to where we were seating and bent double, bringing her ears close to my mouth because there was loud music playing, and she needed to hear what I was saying.
"Do you have food here?" I asked.
"Yes, we do, Sir."
"What is on the menu?"
"Sir, only chicken and fries are remaining."
"Alright, bring me a plate. I don't know about my friends. Hey! Guys, are you guys going to eat?" I asked everyone, and they all agreed.
The waitress went back to the kitchen and thirty minutes later, started bringing our food. I was the one who ordered first, but instead, she brought mine last.
"Don't you guys do first come, first serve here? Why haven't you brought my food yet and you have brought everyone's" I asked her as she was delivering the last person's own.
"I am sorry, Sir." She smiled sweetly "Your own is on the way. I kept yours for last because you are special."
"Really? Then that is fine." I spoke as she walked back to the kitchen, swinging her behind seductively.
My friend Maxwell looked at me and smiled knowingly.
"Wild man!" He exclaimed. I know you have already booked that one. Danger, man!!"
"Could you just eat your food quietly? Your wife is at home waiting for you. You have a lot of questions to answer for coming to stay home late today." I spoke.
"Yes, at least I have my nyash waiting for me to go and knack. I pity you. Your pillow is waiting for you." He replied.
"Guess again, Maxwell. Don't be surprised if this waitress replaces my pillow tonight." We all roared with raucous laughter.
A few minutes later, the waitress appeared again. This time around, she was bringing my own food. She reached my table, and as she was about to place the plate of food on the table, it fell off her hand and onto the ground.
"Oh my gosh!" She gasped in anguish. "What am I going to do now?"
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"That food costs 3,000 Frs. Now that I have poured it on the ground, I will be sanctioned by my boss. In fact, he will scold me severely and then deduct it from my salary." She grieved.
"No, he won't."
"How do you mean, Sir?" She asked, hope returning to her eyes.
"I will pay for it. Bring me another plate of food. I will pay for both?"
"You will?" There was disbelief in her eyes.
"Yes, but there is a quid pro quo." I smiled.
"Quid pro quo? What would it be, Sir?" She was a bit scared.
"You have to give me your number."
"Just that?" She asked happily.
"Yes, just that."
"Alright, Sir, we have a deal."
"Deal, then. Now, be snappy with the food. I am starving, and this time around, be more careful."
It was past midnight now, and we had all finished eating, and as everyone else was concentrating on their drinks, I was concentrating on my phone. I was on WhatsApp chatting with the waitress.
"When will your shift be over?" I wrote.
"In an hour time." She replied.
"So, you can follow me home?" I dared to ask.
"If you say so."
"Alright, I will just stick around until your shift is over. Then, we will go home, right?"
"Yes, but wait a minute. Are you married?" She asked.
"NO."
"Girlfriend?"
"You don't ask a man that."
"Alright." She laughed. "I will be going soon."
Soon, my friends' wives and girlfriends started calling and complaining. So, they all excused themselves and started exiting the place. When they realized that I wasn't leaving, they looked at each other and burst out laughing. They knew why I was staying back.
My friends and colleagues had now gone. I was all alone, though I was extremely tired. I had to wait for the waitress to finish her shift so that we could go home. In my mind, I was already imagining all the things I would do with her. My LGA was already ready for action, and I couldn't wait for her to follow me home, but something happened that dashed all my hopes. A text came from the waitress.
"Hello dear, I am sorry I might not be able to make it today." It read.
"Why?" I asked. I was already angry.
"The colleague that was supposed to replace me has just called in sick. So, I have to work her shift. I am so sorry. I will see you tomorrow, and it's a promise."
"Promise indeed!!" I replied, waiting for two blue ticks to show before turning off my data. I didn't want to talk to her anymore.
I left the place hurriedly and angrily, got a bike and headed home, but as I paid the bike man off, and as I was walking to the gate of my compound, I saw a girl staggering. She could barely walk and had to hold the wall of the fence for support. I walked towards her to find out what was happening to her. What would a girl be doing all alone at such an ungodly hour of the night, and why was she behaving like that?
When I got close to her, that was when I realized it. She was seriously drunk. That was the reason for her staggering. Here I was with a beautiful and drunk girl late in the night with no one around. Bad thoughts came to my mind immediately. She was drunk, I thought to myself. So, she wouldn't be able to resist or even remember if I did anything to her. I smiled to myself.
I looked around me, and when I was sure no one was around, I carried her into a small bush that was beside my compound, my LGA getting hard as I did so.
TO BE CONTINUED…