Ride Her Shoes

10-The date

Akudo hadn't slept one bit all through the night. All she could do was turn and turn on her bed while wishing for the night to finally pass away so she could get this arranged meeting of her mum over and done with.

She silently prayed in her heart that whoever that person was, he would reveal all his character traits to her and does not pretend. She hoped to see the signs, the red flags and take note of them when they surface.

"Your hair is fine just apply a little hair cream on it." Nenye said to her while Tosin went through the pile of clothes on the bed, searching for what she was going to wear.

"Here, I think this should do." Tosin announced while holding up one of Akudo's suit gown.

"Won't she look so serious in that?" Nenye asked with her eyebrows raised in query.

"Unless you want her t-"

"Can you both please stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Akudo yelled and got up from the chair where she was styling her hair.

Both of her sister-in-laws took some steps backwards as she approached the bed where they had scattered her clothes on.

"I can find my clothes myself. Leave." She ordered them while pointing at the door.

"We're sorry, we just wanted to help." Nenye said in a sincere voice.

"I know. Please leave, I need some alone time." She said in a firm voice and they gradually exited her room.

Akudo breathed a sigh of relief after they left the room. She stared at herself in the mirror for a while thinking of how her life was beginning to turn into a soap opera.

She pulled up a black cooparate trouser that flared from her thigh the one popularly called fela or keep Lagos clean. Then, she wore a blue long sleeve polo before collecting her purse and putting some money in it just in case.

A knock on her door alerted her,"Who is it?" She asked and her nieces voice came from the outside the door.

"Aunty Akudo, grandma asked me to call you. She said that the person has come." She informed her and Akudo quickly grabbed her handset.

"Okay dear, tell her I will soon be there." She replied and her niece yelled an 'okay' before running to pass the information.

Something struck Akudo's wrote a quick note to her driver, Ahmed.

Read carefully! I might be leaving in that car with the person. I want you to carefully follow us in my car but first get my belongings from my room and put them in the boot. Make sure no one sees you.

After she was done writing, she folded the paper and put it into her purse.

"Here she is." Her mother announced upon seeing her coming out of the hall.

"She is very fine." She heard a matured bass voice say and her head swept in the direction the voice came.

She couldn't believe her eyes,  there was a dark fat man in his mid-forties dressed in a chiefly attire and his red cap on his head. He was sitting on the chair opposite her mother with his protruding stomach.

As she gradually approached the sitting room, she noticed that the man had a local red bead on his left hand and his neck which told Akudo that he must be a Chief.

"Akudo." Her mother called her and she turned in her direction before walking to where she was sitted and sitting beside her. "Meet Chief Chinedu." Her mother introduced him and the man laughed.

"Edu Brazil." The man said in a thick Igbo accent and Akudo was disappointed in her mother's choice of men for her but didn't want to judge him yet until she gets to know him.