By Design (BWWM) [Complete]

Chapter 10: Infamous

Taiwo rose early the next morning. After a refreshing shower, she dressed in grey cotton sweatpants, a white t-shirt and sneakers. Grabbing a wad of cash, she jetted down to the lobby to look around for Samnibba who was in conversation with a cook who was setting up his stations for breakfast.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked as she snuck up on him tapping his shoulder.

"Morning. I'm ready." Employees stationed at the front desk greeted her and wished her a safe morning. "Where to first?"

"Take me to rent a car, I have some shopping to do."

"Climb in."

Though her presence was noticed, Samnibba preferred to negotiate the best deal for a reliable car. Times like these made her realize there were still so much inequality in the world towards women. If she were to put a positive spin on things, at least she wouldn't get cheated since Samnibba was by her side championing for her. Once the transaction was successful, they parted ways with a hug.

Taiwo's mind was on clothes. It'd been a long time since she splurged on a couple of outfits. She just crossed her fingers and toes hoping that Niobe's Fashion Boutique was still in existence. Air and earth filled her lungs as she drove with the windows down. There were so many new buildings she wanted to explore, yet two weeks wouldn't be enough. Thankfully, as she put the car in park, Niobe's was still open for business. The shop looked exactly as she remembered. The building sported a rose color with white trim all around set off against a row of flowers hugging the perimeter of the entrance. Stepping inside, she was quickly welcomed and encouraged to look around.

Niobe peeked out from the storage closet eyeing Taiwo. "Can I ask what you're doing here?" Turning, she stared back at Niobe folding her arms defiantly. An instant smile lit up her face as she raced toward her childhood friend.

"Niobe!"

"Taiwo." Tears pooled in her eyes at her friend's unexpected visit. "How long have you been here?"

"We flew in yesterday evening."

"We?"

"We."

"Who is he? Tell me all about him." Grabbing Taiwo by the wrist, dragging her to the rear of the store, she ordered her to sit n the stool and spill her guts.

"I came here to shop."

"You can ge to that later. I'll even hive you a discount. Spill it."

"I wasn't looking for Connor-"

"Connor? You've gone and done it. He's white isn't he?"

"Irish."

"I knew you'd take the unconventional route."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always fought for more, more than what's in Benin. I knew once you left, you'd make something of yourself. You never seemed afraid to dive into the unknown. You were the brave one."

"I wasn't being brave."

"You came back here with a white man. You don't call that brave. And your uncle..."

"I'm sure he's heard by now. I'm going to take Connor with me to meet my family."

"I hope this Connor has a strong backbone."

"He's a good man."

"How did you meet?"

"It's a long story but I don't regret crossing paths with him."

"Do you love him?"

"You could say that."

"Yes or no child."