AN OVERSEAS HUSBAND
Chapter 14
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Chika was so scared and nervous seeing him around but she wasn’t more nervous than I was when Jeremiah told me that an uncle wanted to see me.
Jeremiah took me to where the said uncle was seated and “lo and behold”, exactly my mother’s way of exclaiming, it was Collins.
“Hi, Stella. How do you do?”
“How do you do?” Stella had replied.
“It’s nice finally seeing you in person. Actually I’m not a stranger. I’m from this state but from Orlu.”
“I didn’t know you’ll be here today.” I said not wanting to sound too forward.
“Oh yeah. I was actually supposed to be here ‘originally”. I was supposed to be the groom and my flight had been fixed so, I had to come back.”
“I’m so sorry things didn’t work out for you as planned.” Now, this was kind of awkward. How did we get here? Chika must have told him alot of things because he’s just talking and talking as though he has known me for so long.
“Oh, it’s nothing to apologize for. I wish her good luck from my heart.”
Ok.
Collins sounds like a nice guy. A really nice guy but I’m not interested in this talks.
“I was doing something when you sent for me.” I said in a hurry to leave.
“Oh. I just wanted to have a brief chit chat with you and become friends, you know.” He says as his eyes scanned my body. I was putting on a lace gown which hung perfectly on me revealing just the perfect features it should. It’s my cousin’s wedding so it was no crime to look good.
“I’m actually busy now.”
“Can I at least have your contact so we can talk. I’m actually around for like 3 months.”
“I can give you my contact but I’ll be going back to Lagos in 2 weeks.” I replied just to see if I can let him off the hook but no way.
“I have someone in Lagos. I can come for your sake?”
I finally looked up, at his face and saw that grin. That grin common among the men.
“For my sake?”
“Just punch in your phone number, we’ll talk better over the phone.” He says passing his phone to me with that smile still pestered on his face. I hate that smile. That smile of victory when victory is not certain.
I quickly inserted my number and handed the phone back to him as our fingers brushed and he held my finger for a few seconds before he released my fingers.
“Urmm. Bye for now.” I quickly ran back into the room trying to put my mimd together but Chika saw me outside, with Collins so she wasn’t helping matters.
“What did he say? Stella, what did he say na?” Chika kept asking till I got myself and replied with “Nothing. He didn’t say anything only collected my number.”
“Make sure you pick his calls o and reply his messages because I know you. See, don’t forget what I told you, we can make cool dollars from these guys.”
“Don’t tell me about it any more.” I cautioned Chika as we finished dressing her up and marched out.
**********
I was thinking it would be Uncle Williams message but it was not Williams display photo. It was Collin’s. His message sat comfortably in my Dm and a photo I was asked to download. I downloaded them and they were all my photos he took during Chika’s traditional wedding. I was unaware of these shots.
“Hi. This is Collins. I know you know that by now. I’m not exaggerating but you’re so beautiful. I know you must have heard that a thousand times but let me make it a thousand and one.”
I can’t believe I blushed at his poorly constructed punchline.
“Hi. This is Stella, someone’s Cinderella.” I laughed at my funny reply which sounded like a pun.
He reacted with a laughing emoji on my message and sent a reply.
“Remove the someone and put ‘my Cinderella’.”
TO BE CONTINUED. .
