《Chapter 5 - A Walking Partner 》

Chinaza totally relieved switched to another topic and they soon began talking.  The workers left after their break hour and Obiageli and her colleagues continued with their works: washing dishes,  cooking,  packing plates and clearing the tables. They divided these works among one another and while some attended to customers, some did the dishes.  

Obiageli felt a hand on her shoulder while she was doing the dishes. It was dark already and she couldn't wait for closing hour. She flinched  at the sudden grasp of her shoulder and turned swiftly only to see the smiling face of Ifeanyi still in his factory wear: a yellow helmet, black boots and a track suit.

"How are you?" He smirked, "How are you doing?"

Her jaw dropped in shock as she looked him over.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him but didn't wait for him to respond before shunning him out of the kitchen.

"Here is out of bound for all customers.  Only staffs are allowed in the kitchen." She wiped her hands hastily on her apron. 

"I'm a staff. Don't you know?" Ifeanyi smiled at her as he moved closer to the dishes she was washing.  

Obiageli shook her head at him. "Do you think I'm  joking? You can get me in trouble if madam comes here." She looked at Adaobi who was rinsing the plates for support but Adaobi was stiffening a laugh instead.  

"Why is it today of all days that madam will come? When last did she come, gbo?"

"Do you know it is when  you don't expect it that it happens? You need to leave this kitchen this instance."

"I'm  not going." Ifeanyi shook his head stubbornly and Obiageli  gasped. Adaobi was laughing loudly now. 

"Ada, tell him na. Why are you laughing?" She pushed her a little.

"What do you want me to say, gbo? He had said it all. He's part of the staffs." She replied amid laughter.  

Obiageli was exasperated  as she stood dumbfounded staring at both Ifeanyi and Adaobi.

"Calm down, Oby. If madam sees Ifeanyi here, she won't do anything. Ifeanyi is like her son. She's even his aunty, sef." Adaobi explained finally. 

"What did you just say? Aunty, Kwa?  You told me you didn't have any relative here in Enugu?" She glared at Ifeanyi and Adaobi laughed again.

"She's  not my aunty o. She just likes me, you know I'm  a likeable person." He winked at her and she slapped his shoulder lightly.

"Why did you make me worry unnecessarily?" She rolled her eyes as she turned to face the plates she had been washing.

"Why are you here, gbo?" She asked him.

"Do you think I was joking when I said I've found a walking partner?" 

Obiageli's eyes widened as she faced him again. "Are you okay? It's  just seven and we close by eight. Do you intend to wait one hour for me?"

"Why can't I?" He asked and Adaobi  burst out laughing again. She seemed to enjoy Obiageli's fear.

"You can't." Obiageli  yelled. 

"Of course I can. I will help in the service of food or better still, help in packing the plates." Ifeanyi turned to go. Florence was coming into the kitchen with a tray filled with dirty plates. 

"Are there still more to pack?" He asked her but Florence looked down immediately; her cheeks flushed as she nodded slightly. She looked like she would disappear soon. Obiageli exchanged a look with Adaobi and they both burst out into  laughter; laughing at Florence's timidity.

Chinaza walked in that instance and Obiageli  called her attention. 

"Come and see your son o. He wants to wait for us to close so we can go home together." She informed. Chinaza had always referred to Ifeanyi as her son and Ifeanyi sometimes - only when in a good mood - called her his mother. 

"Ifeanyi, are you okay?" Chinaza held his hand.  "So you came all the way from the factory to - "

"Yes, na. Do you think I enjoy going home alone? Give me something to help out with."

"Go and sit down. I'll bring you food to eat. There's nothing to help out with." Chinaza dismissed  and Ifeanyi smiled happily at the mention of food.

"You see this was a good idea." He  winked at Obiageli and everyone laughed. 

Ifeanyi had stayed until the closing hour and had taken the bus with Obiageli. They had talked about random things in the bus and had laughed like kids. People had turned to throw knowing smile or glare at them each time they laughed so loud. 

They walked together through the street as they approached Obiageli's house. It was pitch black except for the fireflies that flew in the sky.  Obiageli stood in front of her black gate with Ifeanyi looking around. The sounds of cricket was loud; it was like they were close to them. The toads were croaking too; all blended to form a kind of song.

"So this is where you live?" Ifeanyi said more than asked. "I pass here everyday but never knew this was your house."

"Now you know." She smiled at him. 

"My house is down there." He pointed into space. She couldn't see anything for it was really dark. The moon had refused to do its job; the sky was black and devoid of stars.

"I will take you there on Sunday.  What church do you worship?" 

"St Steve Catholic Church."

"Wow. That's my church too. How come I haven't seen you in church since?" He asked but she shrugged.

"What mass do you attend? Early morning?"

"No. Ten o'clock mass." She replied. 

"No wonder. I go for seven o'clock mass." He told her and she nodded. 

"I'll  come for 10 o'clock mass however.  Then we can go to my house from there."

"You don't have to come. Your number is forty seven right?  I can visit in the evening."

"Don't worry, I'll  come. " He waved to her and continued his journey. 

She sighed deeply as she opened the black gate and walked straight to the two bedroom flat she rented which was at the back of the house. It was unknown to her why Ifeanyi wanted to walk with her. She saw him as a good friend and wanted it to stay that way. She hadn't told him about Jideze yet but she knew she would sooner or later. Her heart was sold to Jideze so why should she hide it?

Ifeanyi just as he had said, came to her house that Sunday morning. He was dressed in black coat and a Jean trouser with a canvas. He held his bible in one hand  and his rosary in the other hand.  He smiled at her as she opened the door to let him into her room. She was dressed herself but was yet to tie her scarf. 

"How did you know my apartment?" 

There were some other buildings inside her compound and she was surprised that he found hers even when she hadn't revealed it to him.

"I asked," was his simple reply and she shook her head.  

She sat in front of her mirror,  tying her white scarf so it completely covered her hair. She turned to look at him; he was staring at her. 

"How do I look?" She asked him.

"Beautiful as usual." He smiled at her and her heart fluttered.  

"Thank you. Let's get going." She stood up from her chair and shut her windows. They walked out of the house after she had carefully locked her door. Obiageli greeted her neighbours as they walked out of the compound; she could feel them staring at her and she didn't like it. She walked quickly  so as to get out of the compound quickly. 

St Steve's Catholic Church was at the entrance of their street. It was at a walking distance and so they walked quickly as it was almost time for mass. They  sat together on a pew as they sang hymns and listened to the readings from the scripture. Father Donald took the Sunday sermon and intercessory prayers.

The bread and wine were consecrated by the priest during the Eucharistic prayer and Ifeanyi smiled as he watched Obiageli shut her eyes tightly to receive communion. 

After that Sunday mass, Obiageli stood, greeting some of her sister friends with Ifeanyi standing at a distance waiting for her. Most of the people attending early morning mass didn't attend ten o'clock mass so it was not unusual for him not to know any one.

After she had greeted some considerable amount of people, she turned to go home with him.  They spoke about what had been preached that day and Ifeanyi told her he liked the ten o'clock  mass and might attend again. 'Might' the keyword.  He told her he preferred early morning mass because it gave him enough time to rest before the start of a new week. 

They stopped at her house; she had earlier told him she wanted to change her cloth before going to his house.  She changed into a simple black gown and pulled her scarf away from her head,  letting her thick black hair fall on her shoulder.  

She fingered it a little then took her big comb to comb it. She locked her door and went to meet Ifeanyi who was sitting on her  pavement.  He stared at her like she was a ghost at first before getting a hold of himself and leading the way. Obiageli didn't pay much attention to that instead she asked him if he had enough food for she was starving.  

The walk to his house was quite tiring as the sun was at its full peak and it burned her forehead.  She complained to him and he assured her they were almost there and so she wiped away the sweat forming on her forehead hastily with her fingers.  

They got to his house which was a one room bedroom flat in a storied building after some awful minutes of trekking. The compound was large and by the side,  some crops were planted. Obiageli had asked who owned the crops and Ifeanyi had informed her that it was one of the tenants.  

Obiageli was very impressed with Ifeanyi's  apartment.  Though it was small, it was very neat and we'll arranged.  She wondered if it was because he knew she would come with him that he had taken his time to arrange his room. Nevertheless, it was very beautiful.

She sat on a sofa by the side of the huge bed covered with beautiful bedsheet while Ifeanyi hung his coat on a nail hammered to the wall. He pulled off his blue long sleeved shirt haphazardly like he had forgotten about her presence.  She turned away quickly as she fixated her eyes to the picture on the wall. It was black and white picture of him as a child.  

"I'll be in the kitchen." He told her and she nodded.  He had changed to a white singlet and a short.  

She watched him go before walking to the picture and staring at it intently. He looked handsome even as a child. There was a woman's picture on the wall too. From the strong resemblance, Obiageli could tell she was his mother. As she stared at his mother, her thought drifted to her own mother back in Imo.

It was quite hard to leave her family; people she had grown up together with. She knew why she had left but it had been three months since she left, yet no sign of Jideze. She was beginning to waver in her resolve.

Her mother's words in her last letter was more like a mockery to her. She had not written ever since then;  she didn't  know what to tell her. There was nothing new or interesting in her life to discuss with her mother.  

The aroma of the food Ifeanyi was cooking brought her out of her reverie as she made way to the kitchen only to see Ifeanyi sweating  profusely.  The sight was funny so she burst out laughing as she  walked closer to him. 

"Is it ordinary rice that is making you sweat like a goat?" She asked amid laughter. 

"The weather is hot. It's not because of the rice." He rolled his eyes at her.  "Besides, go and wait for me in the room. The food will be ready soon."

Obiageli  shook her head at him. "What will I do there? I'll  rather stay here and watch you cook." She told him as she took a stool and sat down on it.  She helped out  in some chores: she had helped sliced some onion - Ifeanyi said he liked the aroma roughly cooked onions gave to food.

They ate to their fill after he had dished the meal out. Surprisingly,  the food was very delicious  and Obiageli bit  her lips.

"So you can cook like this?" She asked him; shoving a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

"You underestimate me too much." Ifeanyi held his chest like he was hurt. They  both burst out laughing.