Just A Taste
Episode 7
©onyeneke Abel .July 2017 all rights reserved
NADIA CONTINUES: I didn’t have to think twice, I picked the call…there was no way I would see Wilson’s call and ignore, ah! for what? I wouldn’t dare”Hello?”I called out when I picked”Nadia, how are you? Where are you? Everyone has been searching?”He asked, I was a bit disappointed. He didn’t really hit the nailI was expecting. There was no’Nadia, I miss you. Please come home’If he had said that, I don’t mind abandoning whatever goal I had and hurry back to him.I cleared my throat and replied with the most polite tone I could think of”Am fine Wilson, I can take care of myself”He was quiet, and it felt awkward. So I chipped in”Am in a food academy, am learning how to cook”.He remained quiet, and then all of a sudden he burst out laughing. I wondered why, foolish me I laughed with him. Thinking he was actually happy for me until he burst my bubbles.” Nadia, we both know you are horrible at that, what could you possibly learn? You would still come out a failure. Or probably make a fool of yourself”.
©onyeneke Abel
My heart rent in two, his words went deep into my membraneand stuck there. I dropped the call and buried my face in my palms”You would still come out a failure”It kept repeating in my head.He called back, but I wasn’t going to pick this time.A tear dropped from my eyes and another, and another, till I was now sobbing”Hey, look who’s crying”Joyce tapped meI quickly sniffed and wiped my tears, trying to hide the fact that I have failed as a leader of my supposed gang”I heard everything, your phone was on loudspeaker bae”Shit, I didn’t even notice, I was just too excited and eager to hear from Wilson”He doesn’t love you, forget him”She finally said and went into the bathroom.It was 4am already, so we had to get ready for our lessons.Although I expected Daniel to somehow have his revenge, I didn’t realise it would be sooner than I expected.Just metres to our training Hall, I was bathed with a mixture of substance whose stench was probably the worst in the whole wide world
©onyeneke Abel
I was close to the Hall already, and everyone could see this. Daniel raised the alarm”Is that Nadia?”Brenda hurried to take a peek, I looked like someone who escaped from a sewage dung..Brenda stopped everyone from laughing and instructed I sit out that particular lesson”Go and change, you look disgusting”Daniel gave me that wink, I didn’t bother, I just felt I deserved it anyway. I was too broken to even fight back.
©onyeneke Abel
I just bowed my head as people gave way, holding theirs noses to help escape the stench I was emanating.I was close to my room when I bump into someone, we both fell.”Am sorry ma, am sorry”She was an old woman, God what was I thinking? She was holding a broom and dust bin. But it was all spilled when I bumped into her. I didn’t even watch where I was going.
©onyeneke Abel
My guess is she was one of the cleaners.But what would a woman this old be doing with this kind of job? She has got no grown up children to take care of her?”Don’t worry my child, I can take care of these”She suggested when I attempted helping her gather the dirt I had spilled. But I persisted and helped her till we’ve gotten to where she was to dispose themI was still wondering how she was able stand the stench on me”Thank you”She smiled at me, I smiled back and hurried back to my roomto freshen up
DANIEL: The remaining part of our lessons that day was on how to design the Egyptian hawawshi.Trust me it was fascinating, as Brenda designed it into different shapes”Appealing people to your meal, is not just by the taste, but bythe appearance and packages. You can make them salivate for it even before having a taste”I agreed, it was really true. The way she placed it carefully on different tray, one marched with a vegetable salad, another with a fruit salad. The last with a cup of coffee. I was salivating just as she as presumedMy mind trailed off to Nadia, I had arranged for some boys who could be bought with little change to bath her with disposed sour foods just when she was close to the Hall. They did their job well.My mum was a psychologist, so I learnt from her, and I was able to understand what I saw .My planned revenge didn’t seem to have any effect on her, I felt bad. I felt guilty. Because she was broken even before my attack.
NADIA: Face it ladies, there this one guy in the whole world who we’ve given that power to smash our whole world, trusting them not too. Bad news is, they always take advantage and eventually break our heart. And until you learnto break free, they would still have that hold over you.My hurt was turning to anger, Joyce was taking it funny now when I repeated the same words Wilson had said”The guy really hates you bae”I went out for a walk, Joyce was adding more fuel to my anger, I had to resist the urge to break her scattered set of teeth. And the only way to do that, was to go out for a while”You again?”That old woman bump into me again. It was my first time strolling out. I didn’t know if it was allowed, but I didn’t care. I was so scared, and so when I bump into her, I didn’t need a prophecy to tell that my skeleton would jump out of its skin.”It’s ok, come with me. There is something I want to show you”I hesitated for a while, but then a guard shouted and hurried towards us”Who’s there?!”I quickly followed her? What can this old woman possibly do to me? If she tries anything stupid, all I have to do is just give her one heavy blow, case closed.”Why do you want to be a cook, Nadia?
“Jesus? How did she know my name.Immediately I remembered all those Nigerian movies I had watched about familiar demonic spirits.And horrific part is they are all old women.I stopped and took a step backwards”Don’t be scared, I knew your name today, you are popular already, when you tried to cook a fruit salad”I didn’t know when I laughed. So my fame is building up.”So answer me, why do you want to be a cook?”I boldly followed her, although I still resolved in my mind to carry out my plan If she tries something fishy”To have revenge on my ex husband”I muttered out when we entered her supposed room..It was the most beautiful in the whole academy. Stocked with kitchen equipments of different types.I gasped In shock”Wrong answer, if that’s your motive, you’ll never learn. And you’ll fail”I nodded my head. My eyes was still surveying my present environment.She took off her coat and ordered me to seat”Allow me teach you Nadia. Be my private student”Without thinking twice, or even once, I jumped at the idea”Of course ma, of course!”
Just A Taste
Continues
Just a taste
Episode 8
DANIEL: I was back in the comfort of my bed. Akin was fast asleep already and I was so happy for that.
I had planned to call All my side chicks that night, and I didn’t want any interruptions.
But then, my mum called. The most devastating call I could ever think of at that moment. It took me another 5minutes, and an endless dials after 4missed Calls, to finally pick the call.
But then it wasn’t my mum on the line.
My heart missed, did something happen to her?
“Hello, Daniel?”
I frowned now, it was my uncle. We where never in good terms, I just feigned to flow along with him. I knew he had eyes for my place in kayode’s kitchen.
©onyeneke Abel
You can imagine that guy trying to steal what he didn’t work for. And I know quite well, that the only way he would achieve that is if am dead
“Yes, Uncle?”
He was actually whispering.
“I just found out something, I’ll text it to you. Your mum confiscated my phone because of this”
He ended the call, keeping me in hot suspense. Like water heated for more than 30minutes
NADIA: You know how God works? How he picks the neglected and good for nothing, just to shame the enemy?
That was my testimony. A private teacher? My hopes were so high. I forgot to ask her name. I forgot to ask her aim? I forgot to ask for the prize in return.
I forgot that all favor comes with a prize.
I got back thru a secret tunnel she led me thru..
I was back in my floor within few minutes
“See you tomorrow, 7pm. Same place”.
She smiled at me. Although I was a bit nervous. It seems she knows too much? Who is she? How did she even know about this tunnel?
Why she working as a cleaner with such a extravagant apartment?
All these questions welled up in my mind as I watched the grin on her face.
But then, I smiled back
” Thank you ma”
Two days was for Banga soup.
As I approached, I was wondering what Daniel would look like now.
I had succeeded in recruiting two more girls to my crew.
And our most dreaded rule which enacts outright expulsion from the crew was
“Absolutely no one! No one! Is allowed to fall in love with any guy in this academy”
We’ve all been cheated by the man we gave our hearts too, in one way or the other.
And so as I wrote love out of my dictionary, I expected them to do the same
“Is it just me, or Brenda looks smaller today?”
Ok that’s Jenny, the critic. She finds fault in anything.
“Emm, Jenny I think your eyes has grown black feathers”
Sharon said, we couldn’t help but laugh.
That’s Sharon, the comedian.
I guess you all know Joyce. The talkative. And she had to get us in trouble
“Joyce and emm Nadia.. You four, you would represent us in this weekend’s competition”
Brenda announced.. She has been noticing Joyce blabbing to the ends of the earth.
It was then I remembered the old woman.. I had completely forgotten.
After the boring lessons, with a promise to go Into the practical the next day. I tried to search for Daniel. He didn’t attend that day lessons.
©onyeneke Abel
7pm that night I hurried to the old woman’s apartment..I almost lost my way but then when a guard shouted at me again. I instantly remembered.
“Hello?”
I called.
What I saw next, well.. I wouldnt call it cooking. She was manifesting. She had a scotches egg in her pan. A bread in her hands.
Like a speed of lighting she threw the fried egg up. My eyes went wide, of course it’s gonna fall, but then she caught it with her pan.
She threw it again and this time caught it in between her bread.
I took my steps towards her. Her circus show was alluring all my senses.
She poured a little quantity of oil into the pan and added vegetables:
Tomatoes, garlic, green pea, green pepper, cabbage and a pinch of salt.
While it steamed she placed the bread with the egg in it. Straight into another pan with oil and used a big spoon to compress it.
She was actually toasting it. But she had a toaster, I could clearly see it. Why didn’t she use it.
She looked back to her steamed vegetables, poured it out into a ceramic plate and placed her bread beside it. she had a boiled coffee already, so it took her a minute to prepare a coffee tea which she added a tin peak milk too
My dear readers..I was SALIVATING..
I swallowed hard countless times and licked my lips subconsciously.
She acted like she didnt even see me..
“Hello madam”
She stopped eating to look at me
“Welcome, you are prepared for your lessons?”
I nodded. And God knows I prayed so hard to just have a bite. If I had known this would happen, trust me.. I would have fasted and prayed ahead.
But to my greatest surprise, this woman downed the food, to the last crumb, she dried the cup and made sure there was no drop remaining. And then she turned and extended the dirty plates to me
“Let’s start with you washing the dishes”
My head went loosed
What? You must be kidding me!
Just a taste
Continues
0 Komentar