WHAT IF'S

Chapter 1.

She woke up to the enervating heat of the room,the room was hot like the hearth of the furnace was placed there.
power had long been gone as it is barely stable these days,everywhere was dense dark.
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm, she groped for her phone in that thick darkness that has sprawled in the bedroom. There her phone was, lifeless and breathing.
As she picked up her phone and tapped the middle button on her phone, the phone reverberated, guess it was on hibernation, she checked the time it was 6:am. She jumped off her bed, scurrying down to the bathroom to take her shower.
The bathroom was a transparent one, it was covered with glass, while she was bathing her mind wandered why she wakes up late these few days-----the water was cold and was exactly what she needed at that time of the morning. She mopped her body with a white towel, as soon as stops dripping of water, she walked out of her neatly tiled bathroom. her lotion was on the table and other cosmetics neatly arranged on her dressing table, the dressing table was positioned adjacently, while it leaned on wall facing her Big Standard bed.
She hurriedly rubbed her cream,while pacing around and confused on what next to do. She got to her wardrobe, brought out a black skirt and a multicolored blouse wore it almost immediately.
She descried while fitting into her shoes her eyes went to directly to the wall clock

It was 6:30am. "Damn!"
she exclaimed. She was running late for work already, even though she resumes work by 7:30am she is supposed to leave home early enough so as to maneuver her way and beat the traffic that looms Lagos and it's environs.

She dashed out in a hurry as time was running fast, mounted her Toyota Camry 2015 model and sped off.  This was the third time this week she woke late--- In fact if it wasn't the power interruption she would have slept till 7:am or thereabouts. She began speculating what could be the cause of her waking up late?
Was she working too hard?
Was she stressed or fagged out?

At exactly 8:28am, as she made way to enter her office lo and behold her boss was already seated in her office,
Cheta wanted to sink to the ground, she was aghast, her boss barely comes to work this early, she seldom came late noon as she had other chains of businesses she was overseeing.
What would she do now?
With clenched fist she hit the wall.
There had been query last week, she doesn't want another query, not this time,not now!
Her stealthy footstep was heard,She thought of sneaking into her office but that's an impossible one because her Mrs balogun's office comes before hers, She knew the situation was inevitable, she gave up and tried taking a bend to her office, Mrs balogun voice brought her back to live.
"Cheta why are you coming to work at this time of the day?"
"ma'am, It was traffic,"
"Did I hear you say traffic?" Her boss asked
"Yes ma'am,it was enormous" cheta replied
"would you keep shut! you are a single girl and here you are talking about traffic, I have kids, yet I try to keep up with time,so don't give me that flimsy excuse!"
Cheta took the reprimand with a smile on her face as she apologized.
"ma'am I am sorry, it won't happen again"
"it better not repeat itself again!
"Yes ma"
She replied and whisked into her office.

That day she wasn't happy, the way her boss reprimanded her about her lateness to work got her stewing all day.
She told her self vehemently, that she had to curb such habit before it gets worse.
This was her only means of survival, she was an administrative officer, she had to keep her job either ways.

                                   ~
She was home after a long day at work, she stepped into her living room it was the way she had left it. she lived in a one bedroom apartment, her living room had four upholstered white leather cushion, three seaters and two single seaters positioned close to each other,
A fluffy white center rug was laid on the tiles beneath the glass table. while the glass table sat in the middle of the house, A large plasma TV was hung on the wall,and a flower vase was on the table.

She seem tired after driving long  hours while stuck in traffic, finally she was home. She dropped her bag on a table beside her big bed,undressed and quickly went to bathe out the sweat dripping down her long scrawny neck,
Cheta was a lanky, tall, slightly curved with a breast cup of 34A. She was of caramel skin and a pointed nose sitting in between her robust cheek her oblong face was smooth and void of acne. whenever she wore a red lipstick you could see her white sparkling teeth shone through.
Cheta was beautiful no doubts,her Caramel skin glows her kind of beauty was called "brown beauty".

She was preparing dinner--- (microwaving) as she had cooked varieties of soup the previous weekend and stucked them in the refrigerator so if she wants to eat, she brings it out and microwaves the food. while she waited for the food to  simmer in the microwave just then her phone rang. It was her mother who was calling, she picked;

"Nne how are you?"
"Mum I am fine,"
"How is work?"
"Work is fine ma,"
"How is dad?"
"Your father is fine,he sends his regards"
Nne, this is another Christmas;
When will you bring that man home,
Nma chi's daughter the last child, her wine carrying was today, when will your own hold Cheta?"
Cheta stuttered "erm, erm,...mama very soon"
"Nne when is your soon going to ever come, this was what you told me last Christmas eehn cheta?
Cheta was silent, speechless and lost,
"Cheta are you there"?,
"Hello!Hello!
The receiver's end was silent, Cheta was mute as she was lost of words.
Mrs Ejiofor hung up the call after a long silence.
Cheta dropped the call and switched off her phones!.