4Girls, 4Boys, 1Weekend

Episode 19

‘So, is the banker selfish?’ Sandra asked. ‘Not this banker! Aside everything he bought for me, he gave me 50k and said I should call on him when in need.

The only problem I foresee with him is that he’s the busy type. He won’t have my time’, I said sulkingly. ‘But I thought you liked the busy type na’, Bimpe countered. ‘People change and so do taste! Now it’s your turn Bimpe. Tell us about your weekend’.

All eyes turned to Bimpe but she shrugged and gave us the shocker of the weekend. ‘Nothing happened, my period visited’. ‘WHAT!!!’, we all screamed, surprised.

We stared at her like an alien. She stared back defiantly. Then at once Koyin, Amanda and I regained our voices and we fired questions at her at the same time. ‘Didn’t you check your calendar?’, I asked. ‘But we used to have our period at the same time? Koyin said. ‘How come you didn’t say anything while we were making plans? You don’t expect me to believe that your period came without a notice, nurse Bimpe?’ I asked her, emphasizing on ‘nurse’ and looking at her suspiciously. We all kept quiet again, I was trying to digest and process the information I’ve just heard, then Amanda jumped up from her seat, pointed a finger at Bimpe and declared, ‘She’s lying! This blitch is lying to us! She finished her period on wednesday! We all looked at Bimpe to confirm or deny what Amanda said! ‘Woooow, una be FBI or CIA? Ere ni mo n bayin se jor!’ she said and started laughing but we didn’t laugh with her, she stopped. ‘Why you dey laugh? I funny? I no funny abeg’ Amanda said angrily. Now Bimpe was looking sober. ‘Come on gurls, I can’t lie to you now, I was just catching fun with you guys, e ma binu segbo?’ she pleaded. I searched the faces of my friends and I could see that they’ve already forgiven her. ‘No wahala, sha gist us’, I said. We all rearranged ourselves on our seats. ‘You know what? I’m hungry, why don’t I gist you about my weekend while I cook us lunch? Bimpe suggested. ‘Good idea ’cause I’m very hungry oo, or what do you girls think?, Koyin asked. Amanda and I nodded our agreements. ‘Alright then, let’s go cook’ Bimpe said and we all headed for the kitchen.

‘What are we cooking ma?’ Amanda asked Bimpe. ‘Since we’ve all been rowdy this weekend like our universities days, I say we cook concoction rice to mark the occasion! Kile feel?’ Bimpe replied. I jumped up like a baby whom had been offered her favorite toy! I really do love concoction rice but I was ashamed to disclose to my friends before today. ‘Why are you looking so happy? Ogini?’ Amanda questioned me. ‘I’m totally down for concoction rice, I don over miss am sef’! I declared. ‘You like food sha, but make I no lie, me sef miss am. Oya madam de cook, we don gree’. Amanda reported to Bimpe.

She brought out all the ingredient we needed for the food and we all helped where we could while she cooked. After she had all the raw ingredients in the pot on the stove, she began the recount of her weekend.

‘Like Amanda, I’Il just tell you about the fun we had and significant things that happened during the weekend. But let me tell you this, even though I had great fun and learn how to tow a boat, I don’t think Tony and I would be seeing each other again’. Bimpe said. ‘Aww, what happened? What did he do to you?’
Sandra asked, her voice filled with concern. ‘Nothing bad happened, unless you want me to jump to the end of the story. Now listen…..’.

When we left here, we went to his house directly.
He lives in Lekki. His rented apartment is a duplex. The house has a dockyard behind it, you could hear the roars and see the waves of the water from his house. It was a serene environment and I loved it. ‘Welcome to my home’. He said as he opened the door. ‘Thank you’, I replied. He led me to his bedroom where we dropped my bags and then he gave me the tour of the house. After that, he offered me a drink which I took. We talked for a while and he said he was hungry. I offered to cook but he said his favorite restaurant was around the corner and he would love to take me there. I said no problem. He asked if I had a slippers I could spare in my bags,p I said yes. He also asked if I had a short knickers or bum-short, I said yes again, then he advised me to change into a tight top, a knickers and my slippers. I asked him why all this preparation for dinner, he said I’ll understand when we get there.

He followed me to his bedroom and he changed into a similar attire like mine. What a strange dinner! I thought. As we were heading out I saw him took a shawl from his wardrobe. [B]‘What do you need that for?’ I asked. ‘In case you get cold’ he replied smiling. ‘It’s actually around the corner and we can walk there, drive there or we can go in my boat, what shall it be?’, he asked. ‘Let’s walk’, I replied. So hand in hand we walked to the restaurant. While we walked, he told me about his favourite resturant. ‘I like this place ’cause I can see the harbour from there and watch ships docked. This place is built into the sea and you can feel the water brush your feet while you eat. And their food is delicious too’, he enlightened me and I understood why he told me to wear a slippers I could spare and knickers. We walked for about ten minutes then we turned into a quiet corner street. We walked another three minutes the I saw the noen sign, SEALOVE.

We walked into the dim lighted restaurant.
The tables were filled with couples and family as I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the dimness of the restaurant. A waiter walked to us and asked Tony a strange question. ‘Oga Tony, long time. Welcome sir, dry or wet?’, ‘Wet, and is my usual table free?’,
Tony asked. The waiter went through a folder and said, ‘E dey sir’. Tony thanked him and led me through a door towards the back.

He opened the door and I was exposed to a beautiful scene. This part of the restaurant was built into the sea and you could see the anchored ships and their beautiful lights. The chairs are love seat unlike the single chairs in the dry part.
Here lovers can sit together on a chair and neck away the cold. ‘It’s beautiful’, I said and shivered as cold breeze enveloped me. ‘Yes, it’s beautiful but cold. We can go and sit at the other side if this place is too cold for you’, Tony said. ‘It’s ok. I’ll be fine, let me have that shawl though’, I said and he wrapped the shawl around me and led me to the right top corner of the room. ‘All regulars have their own seats, this is mine.
You can take off your slippers if you wish too’, he said and I replied, ‘I’m fine with it on’. Another waiter came along and greeted Tony. He gave me the menu and I chose Shawama, Tony ordered for chips and fish. ‘Do you take whiskey, rum, gin, any spirit at all?’, Tony asked. ‘Why are you asking? Se ofe romi yo ni?’, I teased.