Newfound Destination

~ 18 ~

I knocked on the door and went in as I was told to come in.

"Sir, you have a meeting with two members of Yemin LTD company in 20 minutes." I informed him, just as I stepped in.

"Okay, you mean they'll be here in 20 minutes?" He asked.

I nodded as a yes.

"Alright. Thank you." He said.

I took that as my cue to leave and did so.

I went to my desk and sat down. I boredly picked up my phone and scrolled through Instagram.

Then, I felt my phone buzz in my grip.

A message from an unknown number came in.

Wow.

Unknown number: Hey, it's Khalil.

Unknown number: I got your number from Amir.

Oh.

I immediately saved the number.

Me: How far? It feels like we haven't talked in decades.

Khalil: True. I felt the same way and that's why I asked for your number.

Khalil: Are you suddenly too busy?

Me: Yeah. Something like that. I'm trying to earn some minimum wage by working part time.

Khalil: I see, but when would you be free? Maybe we could hang out then?

Me: I'll decide and tell you when I do.

Khalil: Fine then, let me not distract you from your work. We'll talk later.

Me: Sure.

I looked up, just in time to see two men dressed in sharp suits walking towards my desk.

"Good Morning, we're members of Yemin LTD company and we're here for a meeting with Mr Sani, the CEO of this company." One of the men said.

I nodded and simply led them into Mustapha's office then headed back to my desk as they went in.

Well, I handled that quite well.

I made sure no one was watching before I began to dance in excitement.

I was so proud of myself!

Surprisingly, the two men walked out earlier than expected and the displeased looks on their faces were quite visible.

Whoa, did something go wrong?

The telephone rang just as they walked past me. I answered it, "Hello?"

"Come into my office, Karimah." Mustapha's voice said and I ended the call before going into his office.

This time, he was sitting behind his desk and spinning himself on his seat.

"Did you see the faces of those people that just walked out of here?" He asked.

"Yes Sir."

"Did they seem happy?" He questioned.

"No Sir."

"Do you know why?"

Okay, where was this conversation headed?

"No Sir."

"Can you guess why?"

"No Sir."

Oya now, let's just go on with the quiz.

"I'll tell you why..."

Okay?

"I rejected their proposal. Do you want to know why I did?"

"Yes?"

"Because it was an illegal request. I'm an honest man when it comes to business so I couldn't agree to their proposal, even if they paid me millions."

Although I didn't understand the point in telling me all this, I had to admit that I was quite impressed.

"That's very good." I commended.

He smiled, "I'm glad you think so."

So...are we done here or not?

"Do you think I'm weird? Please be sincere." He said.

Okay then, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Is it a bad thing?"

"Maybe." I mumbled under my breath, hoping this wouldn't make me lose my job.

He chuckled, "This is good. We're communicating and you're actually being honest. Yes, you are the perfect candidate for this job."

I smiled, "Thank you."

"Now that you've told me the truth, I'll try to adjust my attitude." He said.

Good.

"Do I have anything else on my schedule?"

"Yes, you have to attend a board meeting in thirty minutes and then, you have an event to attend at 4:00pm." I told him.

"So, I guess I'm leaving work a bit early today?"

"Yes Sir."

"Okay then, you may leave." He dismissed me.

I nodded and walked towards the door.

"And, you may go home once I leave for the event." He added as I stepped out.

I thanked him before walking out of the office.

Well, if that wasn't the weirdest thing that happened today, I don't know what is.

I decided to go down to the canteen located on the second floor just to grab a snack.

I met with the food vendor who I had actually gotten closer to for the past few days I had been here and visited the canteen regularly.

She was a middle-aged lady named Janet.

Her Hausa wasn't so fluent but she tried and for some reason, she felt like she just had to speak to me in Hausa.

"Ah, Karimah! Ya kike, Ya aiki(How are you?, How is work?)." She greeted me with her signature toothy smile.

"Lafiya Kalau(Fine), Aunty. Kema, ya aiki?(You too, how is work?)." I greeted her back.

"Lafiya kalau(Fine). Nagode, Yarinya(Thank you, Girl). The usual, ko?" She asked.

I nodded and she handed me the sandwich I always had when I was here.

"Toh, Wana drink ne kina so?(What drink do you want?)" She questioned.

I had to stop myself from laughing at her Hausa at times. Like seriously, ne kina so?

"Fanta is fine." I told her and she nodded before taking one bottle of Fanta out of the fridge and giving it to me.

I thanked her before leaving.

I returned to my desk and ate my snacks.

Time went by faster than I expected and soon, I was on my home.

As soon as I got home, I did my Asr prayer then started studying for my test tomorrow.

I know, it probably seemed like I wasn't serious with my studies because of all that's been going on but trust me, I never forget about my reason for being here.

Baba's words always replayed in my head,
'Karki manta, karatu Zaki je yi Kuma ba wasa ba.'

Even if I were to play just a little, I would never get carried away.