My Personal Taste

Episode 3

Rose POV

Two weeks later*
.

“The MTN number you’re trying to call is not reachable at the moment, please try again later, thank you!” The customer servicer announced to me for the thousandth million times since two weeks now!
Oh lord!

“F–k! f–k f–k you Jonny! What’s happening!” I yelled in frustration.

This can’t be.

For two weeks now, i’ve been trying to reach my boyfriend through the phone to ask him for his address. His house address and all that.
I don’t know the f—–g address!

I never bothered to know.

Okay, all i know is that he lives in Lekki..

What kind of a fool am I really?

Jonny only told me he lives in Lekki.

And i never bothered to ask him, where in lekki?

Which street?
which house?

Now, How do i find Jonny in the big city of Lagos if i eventually travel over there?

“God! I should have asked him for all this all those times I do reach him. I should have.” I blinked my eyes as tears flowed freely out of my eyes.

“What if something has happened to Jonny?”

No, i shook my head, “No, no there musn’t. There musn’t, not when Lady B is just on my neck.”

The Fifty thousand hadn’t stopped her from troubling me each day that passes by.

It was becoming unbearable for me.

So Jonny would have to know about this. And not just knowing about it, but also doing something about it.

But how do i get his address,.

Im very sure that i have no friend that lives in Lagos that i can go to her house if i don’t find Jonny.

Who could have Jonny’s address?

Okay, his friends?

He has lots of friends and ofcos I can’t just start walking from Tom’s house to Jerry’s asking of an Address like an insane lady.

Now i have to calculate.

He has best friends.

Yes!

And only best friends could tell each other their deepest secret.

Yes, That’s correct!

Now, Jonny had this two friends who I sure could bet were his closest friends before he travelled.

Stanley and Harry.

Okay, I like Stanley. He is good mannered and hardworking. And he owns a very nice Chemist shop.

But Harry disgusts me. He is a thief! A beast! A drunkard! A womanizer! He never thinks of anything else except to get under a passing girl’s skirt.

I disdain him!

Jonny’s friendship with Harry was so not okay to me.

I would tell him that, and he would tell me, Harry had been his childhood friend and so he can’t just cut his friendship with him no matter what.

Well,

There was no way i was going to that idiot for what so ever! I’ll go see Stanley right away.

*

I quickly got unclad, wrapped my towel tightly aroud my body and walked to the small passage in my apartment, where i keep then I found out there is no water left. I’ve used everything and I never even thought of fetching water!.

I dropped the bucket and walked back to the room to change.

I grabbed a black bomshort and a blue singlet and pulled them on.

And went out with a gallon, to the Tap just outside the house to get water.

As I entered back inside the compound with the gallon of water on my head, I saw Papa Efe, my so called neighbour coming forward with a small empty bucket in his hand, obviously heading to the tap too.

He saw me and began to grin..

I hissed.

“Goodmorning Papa Efe.” I mumbled and continued my walking.

“Wait nah Rosa. ” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“What is it papa Efe?” I turned to face him.

“Ehm, see Rosa. The thing be say.. The thing i wan…I wan ask you..be say.. the thing be say…”

He was blabbing and his eyes were all over me..Obviously trying to see the tiniest hair on my skin.

“See, Papa Efe, why you dey talk and you just dey look me like this. na wetin?” I asked with a frown.

He grinned sheepishly, displaying his coloured teeth. “Ahh, Rosa Rosa.. You too fine die, why i no go look and appreciate this kind big big things wey you carry eh Rosa the Rosa,.

Just See your yellow paw paw skin. Na this kind sweet pepper soup wey i dey like make e dey make my body dey hot like hell fire!..”

“Na that hell fire go consume you this foolish man!” I cursed, pointing my finger right on his face.

“Eh? Rosa. No talk that thing na. I just dey praise your beautifulness. Say you too fine.”

“Go and meet your wife, She’s too fine as well.!!” I snapped.

“Ah shh na! Rosa no shout abeg. You want make my wife hear you eh.”

“Whatever! And haven’t I told you severally that my name is Rose and not Rosa? ” I said and took a step.

“Eh, Wait Rosa.. sorry i mean Rose. Anyone na the same. I be wan yarn you something.” He said.

“About what?” I was loosing my patience already, standing here with this old fool.

He scratched his beard and adjusted the wrapper on his waist.

Cleared his throat.

Hmm, all this processes for what?

He cleared his throat again, “Ehm, you see eh, Rosa…”

“Rose” I corrected

“…yes, Rose. What about the thing wey i tell you na”

“What?”

“Say i like you wella wella.. If you give me your matter ehn, i go carry am for my head. I wan make we be tighhhhht friend. You know that kind thing na” He said, grinning and scratching his head.

Gosh!

“Well, Papa Efe, as you can see, i don’t have your time.” I said.

“Rosa. See i go take care of you oh. You see that your yeye boyfriend, Jonny wey leave you go lagos go dey flex life there. Forget am. Make you allow me, Akpenvwe make i take care of you.” He ranted.

I looked at him with disgust.

What rubbish!

“See Papa Efe, let me warn you for the first and for the last time, Don’t you ever stop me on the way to vomit rubbish to me.”

“Ah ahn, Rosa, no be like that na.. Na word of wisdom i dey give you so oh..”

“To hell with you! I just wish your yoruba wife would keep breaking that dumb skull of yours each day! Foolish man! And one more warning. Caution those silly cats of yours, i don’t want to see them around my domain anymore.” I said and walked away.
*
“Chai. Papa Efe, look at the foolish drunkard making advances to me.. Ahh wetin Rose no go see for this life sef.

Stupid man that he’s yoruba wife is always breaking his head with bottles all the time. Eleven children, and none of them are going to school. Just to walk the whole streets of delta hawking pepper and tomatoes, While the mother goes about hawking ogogoro and cigrette and also at the same time hawking her toto too!”

” I soliloquized as i took my bath.

“Akpenvwe is nothing but a stupid lazy man who does nothing else than to drink and vomit rubbish all the time. I wonder how my landlord allowed them into this house ehn, saying there are his family. I’ve been a tenant in this house for four years now and in three years that i lived here, It was peaceful and relaxing. But ever since Akpenvwe and his lousy family came in a year now, There is just nothing else that greets me goodmorning and goodnight every day, but Akpenvwe and his wife quarrels and fighting. Or the children lousy cries. Trouble all the time!. God! if not for the problem Jonny had put me into now, I’ll would have just pack out of this house to a better place. A peaceful house! Anyway, Jonny you shall soon see me!”
**

As i was all dressed and ready to go see Stanley at his shop,
My phone rang.

I checked the caller and it was Aunty Caro.
I smiled and picked it immediately.

Me and her don become five and six.

“Aunty Caro I salute!” I said.

“Rose the Rose! Just Guess what?!”

“Ah Aunty Caro. You know i no dey good for guessing things. I dey hurry, i wan go out.” I said.

“Abeg no spoil my mood naw oh, just guess anything abeg!”

“Okay, you don catch new young bobo?” I asked, grinning.

“Oh my Goodness! Yes Rose! Wow, you need to see this guy’s pictures. God! and he’s super rich!” She said so excitedly. I laughed.

What else could make my Aunty this happy except these kind of things.

“Aunty Caro! You need to take it easy oh..” I said, laughing.

“Wait wait, Rose, You no dey happy for me eh?”

“Jesus! ofcos i am Aunty Caro. Yes i am. Don’t think so.” I said.

“So tell me what’s the bobo’s name?” I asked.

She giggled for few seconds before answering, “Kelly, Kelly Ejifor.”

“Wow nice names. So have you met him?” I asked.

“No, just social media stuff for now. But we’re planning on that.” She said.

“Wow. I’m happy for you dear Aunty.” I said. Ofcos there was no way i was happy with the way she live her life. She needed to stop all this trash and see if she would meet a matured man who would ignore her past and marry her.