The miracle I need episode 16

#THE_MIRACLE_I_NEED

EPISODE 16

“I really think we should have waited until tomorrow to do this wh0le ‘husband hunting’ thing o. Who looks for a job on Sunday?” Prisca asked as she slowly drove the car.

“Well, why leave for tomorrow what we can do today?” Kimberly asked with a smile ma-king Prisca raise a brow.

“Coming from someone who has kept procrastinating on seeing a thera-pist all these years?” Prisca asked with a tsk.

“Well, that is different, and you know it!”

“Different? Really? plea-se tell me how it is different.” Prisca said incredulously.

“Come on! My inheritance is at stake in this case, and that is the only reason I don’t mind going to scout for a husband every day of this week until I find the ideal man for this position.” Kimberly said matter of factly.

“And you so conveniently forget that you won’t be at the verge of losing your inheritance or having to find a temporary husband had you gone for thera-py and st©pped sleeping with different men every weekend.” Prisca fired back.

“I can still cancel the order for that weavon, shey you know?” Kimberly threatened.

“Cancel it na. Go ahead and cancel it! As if you’re not the one I’m trying to help. Do you even have any idea how your lifestyle rubs off on me? Do you know that stupid Ken was really thinking he could sleep with me?” Prisca asked with a frown, “See I completely support your father. Maybe if you get married me sef I’ll be able to have small peace too.”

Kimberly said nothing as she listened to all that Prisca was saying. She couldn’t even bring herself to get angry with Prisca, so after a while she sighed, “So why are you still with me? If my lifestyle is reflecting so poorly on you as you say, you do know you can just st©p working for I’ll me and move out of the house, right? Or you could just move out of the house and keep working, you know I won’t fire you.” Kimberly said, ma-king Prisca frown.

“That isn’t the point.”

“What is?”

“I just want you to change for the better. If you were my blood sister I wouldn’t leave you this way. You’ve been more than a friend to me, and all I really want is to see you change. I can’t leave simply because your life is a mess…”

“It is your life that is a mess.” Kimberly fired at her ma-king Prisca laugh out loud, “Nuh insult me o.” Kimberly warned, pointing at Prisca with her foref!nger.

“Abeg relax jare! It is me your friend that can tell you that your mouth is smelling. You’re beautiful and very smart, but this wh0le S-x thing is messing you up. So even if you succeed to get married, I’ll still suggest you go for thera-py or better still deliverance sef.” Prisca insisted.

“So where exactly are we driving to like this?” Kimberly asked, wanting to change the subject.

“I was thinking we could drive around the mainland.”

“We are in the mainland alre-ady na. Where I’m p@rticular do you think we can find the kind of man I want?”

“Maybe we can go to a mall, see a movie…”

“If he has money to go to a mall then he definitely won’t be needing my deal.” Kimberly pointed out.

“How much do you need to go to a mall? With less than five thousand naira anyb©dy can go to a mall. And trust me, half the men in Nigeria would jump for this deal. Who wouldn’t want a contract marriage with a pretty, S-xy @ss intelligent and successful young lady?” Prisca countered.

“Me I don’t want a man with girlfriend that will beat me or pour me acid. And I don’t want a guy that will try to kill me and inherit my property either.” Kimberly stated.

“As if the guys you’ve been ban-ging told you they’re single.” Prisca said with rolling eyes.

“See, let’s just go to a bar instead. That’s where a destitute will likely hang out. One might be there wanting to drink away his sorrow.” Kimberly suggested.

“You want to marry a drun!k?” Prisca asked, and before Kimberly respond Prisca frowned, “The steering wheel is stiff…” Before she could finish her s£ntence the car gradually went off.

“Wait! What is happening?” Kimberly asked with a frown.

“You’re seeing it you’re asking me. The car just went off na.” Prisca said before getting out of the car, “Let me check if it is the battery.” She explained as she opened the bonnet and looked around, while Kimberly remained in the car.

“Is it the battery?” Kimberly called from in,side the car as she fanned herself with her hand.

“Madam I don’t know. I think we will have to call Johnson to come and check the car.” Prisca said ma-king Kimberly step out of the car.

“Walai! This sun can roast plantain. Everywhere is so h0t.” Kimberly complained as she joined Prisca in front of the car, “Oya call him na. We will have to leave the car here…”

“Leave which car where? You don’t know in these areas they can easily steal your tyre and even your battery if you leave your car unattended? We have to wait for him to get here first.” Prisca said ma-king Kimberly look at her phone impatiently.

“Me I can’t wait o. The heat is too much.”

“You can book for bolt and leave, I’ll meet up with you after Johnson gets here.” Prisca suggested instead.

“But I can’t just leave you here like this.” Kimberly protested.

“Am I complaining? Just go, don’t worry. I’ll stay in the car and wait. Who knows, you might even find the perfect guy before I get there.” Prisca suggested.

“Okay, let me just take a cab instead, since I don’t even know where I’m going to yet. I’ll let you know where I am, so you meet me.” Kimberly said before flagging down a cab.

“Sha, just be careful.” Prisca called after her as she hurried over to the cab.

“Good afternoon ma’am, where are you going to?” The cab driver asked, looking at her throu-gh the rearview mirror.

“Anywhere I can find a husband.” Kimberly said without thinking, ma-king the cab man look at her with a frown.

“I beg you pardon?” He asked, ma-king her giggle.

“Just take me around. When I make up my mind on where I’m going to, I’ll let you know. Don’t worry about the money.” Kimberly @ssured him before giving her complete attention to her phone.

The cab driver gave her a weird look, before turning on the car’s ignition and driving off. He wondered why such a beautiful young lady would make such a joke about finding a husband. Anyway that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He had more than enough on his plate at the moment, and it wasn’t in his place to be worrying about another person’s problems.

Kimberly kept laughing loudly and talking to herself as she scrolled throu-gh different trends on Twitter. “Nigerians sha, people were normal for this country nuh plenty again.” She said out loud with a giggle and met the driver’s amused gaze in the mirror.

“Sorry I’m laughing like an idiot.” She apologized with a grin.

“I suppose you’re laughing that much because you’re taking a stroll down the dre-adful streets of Twitter, abi? That’s how I laugh when I re-ad throu-gh different comments on Twitter too, so I un-derstand.” He said, returning her smile.

“You’re on Twitter?” She asked sounding slightly surprised.

“Why do you sound so surprised? Or drivers are not allowed to be on Twitter?” He asked, his tone was neither amused or annoyed.

“Sorry… that’s not exactly what I meant. Like, I just didn’t think you’d have the time for that. After work I suppose you’d be so exhausted that you’d fall asleep, you get?” She asked, hoping he would un-derstand what she was saying. The last thing she wanted was to hurt his ego, when he was trying to make an honest living.

“Do you work?” He asked ma-king Kimberly raise a brow, “No offense, you know majority of young ladies in this p@rt of the world are either dependent on their family, or b©yfri£ndfor money, so I’m asking to know if you work, or you’re just one of those girls.” He explained with a shrug.

“I work.”

“Cool. Then you should know all work and no pl@ymakes one dull. I know how to pl@ywhen I want to play.” He told her in a quiet tone before returning his attention to the road once again.

“Why are you a driver?” Kimberly asked curiously.

“Why do you do the job you do?” He asked without sparing her a glance.

“You just sound really intelligent and too bold for a driver.” Kimberly said with a shrug as she di-pped her phone in her handbag, giving him her complete attention.

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. So have you made up your mind on where you want to go to?”

“Can I buy you lunch?” Kimberly asked impulsively.
_____________

“St©p me here! See my friend standing there!” Sharon told the driver as she pointed at Kathleen who had just stepped outside the gate to wait for her.

“Wawu! See my friend o! You’re really living in a big man’s estate!” Sharon exclaimed the moment the driver st©pped the car in front of the gate and she got out.

“Reduce your voice abeg! And pay the driver quic-k instead of shouting like a village girl.” Kathleen said, looking over her shoulder to make sure Pete wasn’t anywhere around. The last thing she wanted was to run into him after that episode.

“I blame you? Maybe I should remind you that this village girl brou-ght you to Lagos.”

“Kuku announce it na.” Kathleen said in amusement ma-king Sharon turn to look at the bolt driver.

“Oga I brou-ght this stupid girl to Lagos o.” She told the driver who simply chuckled.

“Pay the man jare, you too talk! You should just use a public address system and announce to the wh0le neighborhood that your brou-ght me to Lagos. Every small thing ‘I brou-ght you to Lagos’. I won’t rest because you brou-ght me to Lagos.” Kathleen retorted.

“Announce? That na small thing, just wait until you marry a rich man, on your wedding day I will bring my own microphone to the reception venue.” Sharon promised as she took out her big handbag from the car.

“Oga sorry I’m delaying you o, it’s this useless girl that is ma-king me talk plenty talk. plea-se how much am I giving you?” She asked the driver who simply nodded, “Five thousand eight hundred naira.” The driver said politely.

“Haba! Now now the money has entered five thousand? What happened na?” Sharon complained ma-king Kathleen hoot with laughter.

“Shey you were doing big girl? Madam ‘I brou-ght you to Lagos’ you didn’t want to enter bus abi? My friend pay and st©p embar@ssing me. I don’t want that man I call my boss to see us standing here.”

“Let him see us abeg, maybe he will pay for me.” Sharon said with a playful wi-nk before handing the driver six one thousand naira notes.

“I’m sorry ma’am, I don’t have two hundred naira.” The driver said apologetically.

“Hia! So that what will now happen? I will pay six thousand naira? No o. Abeg check well for change, because I can’t leave that two hundred naira for you o.” Sharon said with a pout.

“I think I have three hundred naira, will you have five hundred naira to give me?” Kathleen asked, di-pping her hand into the back pocket of her shorts to take out the change she had gotten earlier. When she didn’t find anything in the pocket, she remembered that wasn’t what she had been wearing earlier, “I think I left the money in,side. Just give me a minute, I will get money.” She said as she quic-kly hurried in,side the compound and headed for her ap@rtment.

She searched around the living room for the money but couldn’t find it, and then she remembered she had put the change in the pocket of her go-wn after buying the bre-ad and mineral, and now she had soa-ked the go-wn in a bucket of water.

“Jesus!” She exclaimed as she quic-kly rushed into the bathroom to take out the go-wn from the water, “Eh God! I don’t have money yet I want to spoil the small one I’m managing?” She complained as she took out the money which was alre-ady dripping with water from the pocket of her go-wn.

She hurried outside to join Sharon and the driver but was surprised when she didn’t see either Sharon or the car outside, “Ahan! What happened?” Kathleen asked no one in p@rticular as she looked down the road for any trace of the car. “Abi they went to look for change outside the estate?” She asked herself. But she had told them she was going to get change, so why would they leave without waiting for her to come in?

She decided she was overthinking things when she could just easily call Sharon, so she returned in,side her house to pick up her phone. Immediately she dialed Sharon’s number the call connected, “Where una go na?” She asked impatiently.

“I didn’t go anywhere, I’m in,side the main house.” Sharon said in her usual careless manner ma-king Kathleen’s eyes wi-den in surprise.

“in,side what main house? Doing what?”

“Come in,side jor. Your boss is such a nice man, he helped me settle the cab guy, and then he even offered I come in, since he knows you would have nothing to use in entertaining your guest yet. He went in to get me wine.” Sharon said in a quiet yet excited one, ma-king Kathleen m@ssage her temple. What sort of a stupid friend did she have?

“Did you come in,side my house and asked me to entertain you and I failed?” Kathleen asked throu-gh gritted teeth.

“Babe relax, it’s not a big deal. Shey you know the boys quarter is also p@rt of his house? So it’s the same thing. Come in,side, I’m waiting for you.” Sharon said and quic-kly disconnected the call when she saw Pete approaching.

Kathleen closed her eyes and tried looking for ways to calm her temper which she was about to lose. Why on earth would Sharon go in,side her boss’ house after all she had told her transpired between them? Kathleen glanced down at what she was wearing, and decided to change into a jeans trou-ser and polo before heading for the main house.

She paused when she got to the door and heard Sharon’s laughter. What was she laughing about? She wondered and decided to eavesdrop on their conversation before going in,side.

“So I take it she is always like that?” She heard Pete ask Sharon.

“Yeah. But she’s really funny and sweet once you get to know her, trust me.” Sharon responded.

So Sharon not only went into her boss’ house, they were both discussing her too? How was she supposed to go in there knowing she was the t©pic of discussion? Kathleen wondered with a frown before turning on her heel and returning to her ap@rtment. If Sharon wanted to see her, then she should come over to her ap@rtment when she was done with Pete.

************

Both Kimberly and the cab driver were sitting opposite each other in a lounge bar with two gl@sses of wine in front of them while they waited for their orders to be served, but neither of them was saying a word to the other.

Kimberly hadn’t expected the driver to look so intimid@t!ngwhen he got out of the car. He had the perfect ‘John Dumelo’ height, and a b©dy build that looked like he spent most of his time in a gym. She had gotten a not so clear view of his face throu-gh the rearview mirror earlier, but sitting opposite him now, she could see he looked really handsome in a Ramsey Noah sort of way, only that he wasn’t smiling. From the looks of him, he was someone who she could hire for the job, but only problem was she didn’t want to settle for the very first man she comes across when there could possibly be better options. Besides, he didn’t look like someone she would easily be able to control.

After a while the cab driver sighed, “Eric King.”

“I beg your pardon?” Kimberly who had been thinking of the best way to start a conversation between them asked.

“I figured you should at least know my name since we are having lunch together. I’m Eric King. What is your name?” He asked taking charge of the situation.

“You can call me Kim.” She said, not sure she was re-ady to reveal her total identity to him yet.

“Kim? Like Kimberly?”

“Yeah. Kimberly.”

“So Kim, do you randomly ask every man you see to have lunch with you, or am I just special?” He asked in a very calm tone, while looking directly into her eyes in a way that made her uncomfortable.

“Maybe you’re special.” She said with a shrug.

“I don’t like Maybes. Why did you ask me to have lunch with you? This isn’t one of those random acts of kindness stuff, right?” He asked, and decided to elaborate when he saw the confusion on her face, “I mean you aren’t just trying to buy this poor driver lunch because you think he probably can’t afford it, right?” He asked again.

“I wanted to eat, and I wanted you to eat with me since I still want you driving me around until my friend picks me up. I couldn’t possibly just leave you in the car to wait for me.” Kimberly lied, ma-king Eric raise a brow.

“If you say so.” Eric said as the waiter brou-ght in their orders. His was barbeque fish, while she had ordered grilled chicken.

Kimberly watched as Eric washed his hand, and just as he was about to cut into the fish, she cleared her throat to get his attention, “You’re not married, right?”

WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 17