The Lie I Told Last Christmas

     It was two weeks to Christmas and the magnificent feeling of Christmas could be perceived everywhere. Very sophisticated Christmas decoration could be seen at every nook and cranny of Lagos, and that gave the city a Las Vegas look . I have never been to Vegas, but they say it’s beautiful. I walked into the office that Wednesday morning, swaying down the hall and greeting some of my colleagues as I walked to my desk.

“Good Morning Bruce, hope you had a wonderful night rest?”

Mayowa asked. Mayowa is one gorgeous colleague of mine I admire so much; she is one woman that made me fall in love with Yoruba ladies. She is not so tall but extraordinarily endowed, both in physique and mentally. There is just one thing I didn’t like about her and that’s the fact that she is married to another man. I am supposed to be the lucky man, but no she just had to marry someone else.

“Good Morning Mayowa, yes my night was fantastic.”

I replied her as I walked to my seat, smiling back at her,

“Stop asking me about my night”I muttered a ballistic warning to her in my mind.

“Hey Bruce, what’s up”

Chuks, another colleague of mine asked me, and walked towards me for a handshake.

“Bro I am good, hope you’re good too?”

I replied him with a handshake and then sat down. Chuks is a cool guy, he is the son of a billionaire but very humble and I liked him for that. He is just working here because he loves to work and loves this company, but I don’t like him for one reason, he is one of the biggest problems I have in Lagos city. Whenever I came across a beautiful lady and I felt like “yes this is my last bus stop”, Chuks always showed up and messed the whole thing up. He is rich and has a lot of connections and also has a lot of celebrity friends and that made the ladies prefer him. I sat down and turned on my computer and started working. We are six staff in the hall; Chuks and Mayowa have their seats just beside me, so we do chat a lot. Few hours later, after we have all been dead busy with our different activities, Chuks tapped me.

“I almost forgot to tell you Bruce, I will be having a house party and some celebrities will be there, the likes of Genevieve Nnaji, Linda Ikeji ,Ossas, 2 baba, Rita Dominic, Desmond Elliot, Darey art Alade and P-square. You are invited if you want or do you have a plan?”

Chuks asked me, and I felt so humbled and intimidated. “Imagine the calibre of people coming for his house party. I have never got up to a 100 likes on Facebook not to talk of anybody noticing me in that party.” I thought in a flash and replied.

“Emm… yes I do have a plan, I don’t think I will be coming for your party.”

I replied him with a fake smile, and then tried to pretend to go back to my work but my thoughts had left my office. Just then Mayowa cuts in and brought me back.

“Chuks can I come around with my husband?”

she asked, and I don’t know why the question got me angry; maybe I was just jealous.

“Oh my dear you are so welcome, It will be my pleasure to see you there.”

Chuks replied her with a grin, then looked at me and jerked his eye brows. He knew I had a big time crush on Mayowa before she suddenly got married.
“I will definitely make my own Christmas a swell one, I must think of something quick.”I thought for a second and went back to work.

                                            * * *
      6:47pm that evening on my way back home, I was so hungry and I didn’t cook that day and God knows I won’t have been alive to eat anything if I had decided to go home and cook. So I decided to stop at a fast food to get something. Just as I was about to alight from my car, my phone rang and it was my friend Felix. He was calling from the United States, trying to do a video call with me on Skype.
Felix and I have been childhood friends; we looked like twin brothers, the resemblance was striking. We went to the same schools from nursery till University until he left for the U.S for his masters and settled there.