Mabel broke into laughter. She laughed really hard
and almost choked on the yoghurt.
“Sorry my dear,” Mrs. Biodun
said. “Let me get you water.”
“Don’t Worry ma,” Mabel said.
“I am fine thanks.”
“Ok.”
“You mean they said all that?”
“Yes o.”
“It’s funny.”
“It was Glory who told me
exactly what happened, in confidence. You know you did not give me details when
you called me on phone.”
“I was not in the mood at all.”
“I understand.”
“People and rumour. They must have
spoilt my name in the office by now.”
“Not at all. They are all
concerned about you.”
“Not all of them o. I know
some who are eyeing my seat in the office.”
“well, they all seemed
genuinely concerned.”
“I know who is who in that
office o.”
“Even the Manager asked after you
and I told him the little I know.”
“He asked?”
“Yes. He said you should take
as much as one week off if you need to.”
“That’s nice of him, but I
don’t need one whole week off. I will resume the day after tomorrow.”
“Is that not too soon? Are you
emotionally stable to face your work? You know how detailed you need to be on
duty.”
“I know ma. Working will get
me busy and distract me from the silly thoughts and regrets.”
The bell of the
gate rang. Mrs. Biodun listened. It rang again.
“Where did this gateman go
to?” she asked rhetorically.
“Could it be your husband at
the gate?”
“Most likely. He doesn’t like
using the horn of his car to announce his arrival. He prefers coming down to
press the bell.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know for him. As for
me, I start using my horn from the junction.”
They laughed.
“Let’s go and check,” Mabel
said.
“I wonder what we hired a
gateman for if he cannot be at his duty post,” Mrs. Biodun lamented as she
walked to the door. Mabel followed her.
They went out to
the gate. Then they heard the sound of a car horn.
“It is my husband,” Mrs Biodun
said and walked faster to the gate. “Today he used his car horn, he must be
angry.”
She opened the gate. Her husband drove in with their
two kids and she locked the gate. She opened the car door and helped the
children come down.
“Welcome Honey,” she greeted
her husband.
“Thanks love,” he replied. “Where
is the gateman?”
“I don’t know o. I have not
seen him since you left.”
“Oh he was waiting for me to
leave so he would also leave.”
“He is now an oga na.”
“Did you check his room?”
“I did. He is not there.”
“I will handle him.”
He locked the
door of the car and they went towards the house. Mabel greeted him and Mrs
Biodun introduced her.
“I think I have met her
before,” he said. “How are you?”
“I am fine sir,” Mabel
replied.
“Greet aunty,” Mrs Biodun told
her kids.
They greeted her
shyly and ran into the house.
“Children will always be
children,” Mrs Biodun said.
“Fine fine children you have,”
Mabel said.
“Thank you. Yours are coming
soon.”
“Amen o.”
They went inside. As Mabel sat down, there was power
outage.
“Ohhhm NEPA!” they said and hissed.
“Honey, can you help put on
the generator?” Mrs Biodun asked her husband.
“Let me call this gateman on
phone,” he replied.
He dialed the
gateman’s number, it rang but he did not answer.
“Ah ah why is he not picking
up?” Mrs. Biodun asked.
“Are you sure he has not run
away,” Mabel said. “That’s what they always do.”
“He has nowhere to run to. I
just hope he is not in trouble.”
“The man is mischievous,” Mrs
Biodun’s husband said. “Maybe he is gambling down the road.”
“It is possible that he did
not go out with his phone,” Mabel said.
“Not our gateman,” Mrs. Biodun
said. “He can forget himself but not his phone.”
“Let me try him one more time,”
Mrs. Biodun’s husband said.
He dialed the
gateman’s number again and he picked.
(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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