Abuja To Lagos ?❤
Episode 10
Final—
Clifford stayed up at night wondering what next to do. He had long fallen so much for Adaora whom she sees as her late wife. They both look alike and shared few other things in common. Yet, he was insecure about her. What if she doesn’t end her ties with Omalicha? What if her past affects their marriage in the long run? So many what-ifs clouded his mind.
Clifford went down from the bed, reached the fridge in the dining and got himself a bottle of beer. It was 1:24 am and Adaora was fast asleep.
Clifford was willing to d@mn the consequences and marry her but the fear of the unknown held him. Before 2:00 am he had gulped down two bottles of beer, going for the third.
The next morning, Adaora woke up and saw that Clifford was out of bed already, but only to step out and saw him sleeping at the dining table. Three empty bottles of beer were at the far end of the long dining table, and he was snoring.
Adaora needed nobody to tell her what must have prompted him to drink himself to a stupor. So, he reached the table and cleared the empty bottles, and also wiped the table with a rag.
“Babe,” she said and tapped him.
She had goosebumps realizing what she just said. She never called him that before.
She continued to tap him silently until he raised his head sluggishly.
“d@mn, it’s morning already,” he rubbed his eyes and yawned heavily.
“Good morning,” Adaora greeted.
“Good morning, pretty,” he replied and hurriedly left for the bedroom.
He had an important meeting to catch up with. Adaora didn’t get to ask him anything. It was a cold moment for the two love birds.
Clifford soon dressed up and dashed out from the bedroom, dressed neatly in his black suit.
“See you when I come back,” he turned to Adaora who was washing the dishes in the kitchen.
“No breakfast?” she asked lamely.
“Don’t worry, I’m not even hungry.” He pecked her carefully, making sure not to get stained by the kitchen.
Adaora watched him silently as he hurried out of the kitchen.
***
Two days after, Clifford’s mind was made up. Adaora couldn’t contain her Joy when he agreed to go with her to see Omalicha.
That evening, around 4 pm, they drove to Omalicha’s apartment. It was about forty minute’s drive from Wuse (Abuja) where Clifford lived.
Adaora led the way when they arrived at the tall beautiful building. Omalicha was staying on the second floor of the 3 story building. They got to the door and she knocked.
“Yes, who’s there? I’m coming,” they overheard a voice that they presumed to be Omalicha.
“Adaora, what kept you? I told you… ,” Omalicha stopped when she saw Clifford behind.
“Good evening,” he greeted when their eyes met.
“Who’s he? Well, come in first,” said Omalicha who turned and walked back while they followed behind.
Omalicha was wondering why she came with a man to her apartment.
“Please, what can I offer you? Omalicha turned to Clifford who was busy with his phone.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about drinks.”
“Ada… ,”
“I’m fine, her majesty,” Adaora replied, turning down her request for a drink.
After a few seconds of silence, Adaora cleared her throat, and she coughed, she began by appreciating her boss lady for all the years she stood by her and for the protection from evil eyes, and lastly, for the good clients she sent her way.
Omalicha kept staring, wondering where all that was coming from.
“Having said enough ma, at this point, I sincerely want to quit being a call girl.”
“You are joking right?” Omalicha cuts in.
“No. She’s not kidding. That’s why I’m here with her to appeal on her behalf. We both have a future together.” Clifford finally said something.
“What future are you talking about here?” Omalicha queried.
“I want her forever.” He said.
Adaora had goosebumps when she heard him say that.
“You want a call girl forever? Didn’t she tell you about our rules?” Omalicha asked him.
“Of course, she did, and that’s why we are here.
There was a short silence in the room.
“Before now we had an agreement and you know what and what is involved,” she turned to Adaora who nodded her head in affirmation to her query.
“Remember, whoever is ready to quit, surrenders every penny she made from this business. Are you still willing to quit?”
This happened to be the hardest of them all, and it’s the reason most of them never turned their back once they start. The fear of going back to square one would make them continue.
Adaora was calm. She turned towards Clifford and he told her to go on, signaling he was with her.
“Ye.. Yes.” She stammered.
After accepting every other thing Oma said, which included removing the bracelet on her wrist and the leg chain which protected her from evil eyes. Omalicha then took her in to perform some rituals, leaving Clifford in the sitting room.
***
Two months had passed since Clifford and Adaora returned from Lagos.
Somehow, they made it work.
When they compared notes, they were surprised to find out how much they were worth together. Clifford still had some of his inheritance left from his parent’s death and had made some smart investments with his book sales and university salary. Adaora had a good chunk of change saved up for the day when she would no longer be a call girl. Most of her money was in several investment accounts that were to have been her retirement. Plus, Clifford had a fair amount of equity in his house, and Adaora’s was paid off.
Clifford continued to teach at the university and lacking any other direction, Adaora threw herself into the restaurant. She had a good head for business but knew nothing about cooking. What she did know was the art of making a deal. She quickly learned how to negotiate with contractors, navigate the health department’s bureaucracy, and all about managing employees in a small business.
First of all, Clifford and Adaora incorporated themselves as ECA Food Services, Inc. (Ezinne, Clifford, and Adaora) and then liquidated some of their investment accounts, pouring them into the restaurant. They calculated their start-up costs and took out a couple of low-interest small business loans. Yes, they could have paid cash, but they wanted to have some savings left in case there was an emergency.
They couldn’t find a building they liked, so they built a new one and made it look exactly how they—and Ezinne—wanted.
It took almost two and a half years to get everything finished, from a cold start to opening night.
And then, of course, there was the wedding Clifford and Adaora somehow found time to fit in.
There were licenses to apply for, construction to oversee, and permits to obtain. Some days were good. Some days were complete cluster-f-__-ks. Yet, somehow, the good days outnumbered the bad and the restaurant opened on a Friday, using the name Ezinne had picked out, “Tongue Tell.”
Adaora didn’t want anything to do with the restaurant side of the operation. She was the (self-trained) accountant and handled all the numbers. Clifford told her what he wanted or needed. She told him how much he could spend.
They hired the kitchen and service staff a couple of months ago, and the week before they had a dry run for friends and family. It was a disaster. Orders were mixed up. The food was cold.
Through it all, Clifford and Adaora remained calm and everything got fixed (they hoped).
This was the night of their grand opening. They received a fair amount of buzz in the local press and there was a good crowd in addition to the people who had received special invitations.
Clifford was running around nervously, checking on all the little things.
Adaora made sure to say hi to some of their high-profile clients, she roamed the restaurant, taking pictures of the staff and some of the patrons, especially Clifford’s friends from the university. Even Omalicha came by to see how her former working girl was doing.
After checking in with some of the staff, Adaora retreated into the office. The opening was out of her hands now. She and Clifford had poured their hearts and souls—not to mention a whole lot of money—into this venture over the past two and a half years. They had hired good people. They bought the best equipment. They marketed their business the right way. They had a good menu, fresh ingredients, a healthy wine list, and reasonable prices.
Now they just needed people to come.
She took off her jacket and hung it over the back of the chair. She picked up her phone and sent Clifford a text message. Then she moved a couple of things around the desk, walked around to the other side, and waited.
A few minutes later, he burst through the door. There was a crease in his brow that came only when he was under intense stress. She had an amused smile on her face.
“You worry too much,” she chided him gently. “Lock the door.”
“What are you doing?” Clifford asked abruptly. Since they had met, Clifford had only grown more handsome. Their relationship blossomed, strengthened by their mutual commitment and all the time they spent together. “Have you seen—”
Adaora turned, bent over the desk, and spread her legs. Her @zz stuck out for Clifford. She flipped up her skirt to show him that she wasn’t wearing any P@ŋtîēṣ.
“Just stop and f_ck me.”
“We don’t have time—”
“We do if you hurry.” Adaora looked over her shoulder with an alluring smile.
Clifford was torn. He wanted to get back to the restaurant. At the same time, he couldn’t pass up his wife. He had never passed up his wife. And he didn’t intend on starting now.
With two steps he was behind her. She heard him fumbling with his belt buckle and soon his trousers fell to the floor.
One hand was on her @zz. She felt the head of Clifford’s Ç0çƙ rubbing against the slit of her p@zzy, which was already wet for him.
“What are you waiting for, Clifford?” Adaora said with a huff. “f_ck me. We haven’t christened the restaurant yet.”
That was all he needed.
With one hard and fast push, his Ç0çƙ was buried deep inside her.
Adaora braced herself against the sturdy desk. This was one of the reasons she had bought it. And with the pounding Clifford gave her, it was worth every penny.
He didn’t last long, but she didn’t want him to. This was what they called a “f_ck and run”. They may have been married for close to two years, but the passion never faded.
She still loved it when Clifford took her. Sometimes she did it to him, too, but more often than not, it was Clifford who would spontaneously strip her down, mount her and get off. Sometimes she would 0rg@zm. Most of the time, she didn’t, and that was okay. She loved walking around with Clifford’s Com inside her. It made her feel as if he was always with her.
Clifford’s fingers dug into her @zz.
“f_ck me hard,” she chanted, fairly sure that no one outside the door would hear them over the commotion of the restaurant’s opening night. She really wanted to scream for Clifford, but there is a time and a place for everything and that would come later.
He gave her one final th-ru_st and then held it. Her womb filled with warmth and she knew Clifford was cumming inside her.
With a sigh, Clifford pulled back and his Ç0çƙ popped out of her. She turned and was on her knees instantly.
Then she pulled his trousers up and helped him tuck in his shirt. She smoothed out the creases in her blouse and skirt, then stepped into Clifford’s waiting arms.
Clifford pulled her close and they held each other for a long moment. They had been busy for the past couple of weeks leading up to the opening and hadn’t had as much time together as they would have liked.
“I love you, Mrs. Clifford” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you, too, Mr. Clifford,” she replied, trying to steal one more kiss. Then she patted him on the backside and sent him back out into the restaurant.
All too soon. The night was over. It was almost midnight.
Adaora walked around the restaurant as the last of the staff cleaned up their stations.
Clifford was sitting in a chair, sipping on a glass of wine. He had the “thousand-yard stare”.
He had never worked in a restaurant before. Where he saw chaos, the professional staff saw a carefully choreographed dance. It may have been just a step above absolute bedlam, but there was a method to the madness.
His intentions were good, but Adaora finally told him to not worry about doing everyone else’s job. Clifford acquiesced, gave up trying to manage everything, and simply hung on for the ride. The busboys and hostesses especially were very appreciative to have Clifford out of their hair, and they thanked Adaora profusely.
Adaora put her arms around him from behind. He turned and kissed her on the cheek.
Diary of a resourceful call girl who found love. ❤
End.
Thank you for reading this short story. I hope you enjoyed it.
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