Chapter TWO

*Third pov*

The loud bang on the iron door woke Sola up, startled. Clara must have arrived. She thought. Clara was a very impulsive young lady and she did things without considering the consequences. 

Sola remembered how heartbroken Clara had been when a boyfriend of hers, Gideon, who she hadn't even been faithful to, had decided to break off their relationship. 

Sola had had to put up with Clara's abnormally rude behavior just because she had been dumped by her boyfriend. But eventually Clara had overcame the dark times of her life and Sola didn't want Clara making the same mistakes over and over again. 

She got up and quickly and straightened the bed before leaving the room. She got to the parlour to meet Clara sitting wide-legged on the sofa, counting the cash in her hands with ridiculous seriousness.

Sola smiled at her, finding her situation funny as usual. Her friend always managed to look and act funny without even trying.

"Always counting cash ha!" Sola exclaimed. At hearing her voice, Clara raised her dark head up at her.

"Babe, howfar?" she asked smiling expectantly at Sola.

  Clara was a dark beauty. Her big eyeballs giving her the sultry look that always attracted men and even women to her. She was a yoruba/delta born, her father being from the delta part while her mother osun.

Clara was a twenty-three year old business manager and face model. She was almost a year older than herself, Sola.

    They worked together, in a classy food restaurant along festac road, Clara started working as the manager of the restaurant immediately after she finished her youth service in kaduna the last year, due to her parents connection with the chairman of the business.

   Thanks to Clara, Sola was able to earn a position as the assistant supervisor of the place. But Clara was still sola's boss, and she would forever be indebted and grateful to her friend for all the support she had received from her. Clara was sola's heavens sent.

"See, I'm tired like mad. I've been sleeping all evening, what time is it by the way?" Sola replied glancing at the clock by the wall. 7:30pm, it read.

"So you've been sleeping like a cow since eh? Anyway, I just got back from that Julius birthday party... And look how much I made!" Clara was practically squealing with joy.

Sola moved to sit down beside Clara as she looked at her mockingly.

"Clara you and money, y'all are five and six" Sola said chuckling.

"You know that. it's not today. Abeg, hope that snobby woman paid you sha" she was referring to Mrs obi. 

"Yes she did, Clara. she always pays me. And stop calling her snobby" Sola retorted smiling at Clara. 

"Thank God. Babe, make we chop sharwarma this night. I'm certainly in the mood for enjoyment."

Sola shook her head in refusal at the suggestion. She hated sharwarma a lot. And not because she wasn't used to eating it, Sola just found the food irritating most times. She cringed, remembering how she had vomited at work, the first day she tasted the food.

"No o, abeg. I'm not eating. You eat, I'll just buy something else" 

"Sola, stop acting like a village girl please. I'm begging." Clara was scowling at Sola in distaste. 

  

"But shebi you ate at your party nau, why do need to eat another bloody shawarma?!" Sola exclaimed, trying to understand her crazy friend and her insane love for that horrible food. 

"So you expect that to be enough for me abi? Something must be wrong with you, Aunty Sola." Clara replied with a dead panned face. 

"So... How about Amala and Ewedu soup?..." 

Sola stared at her for a moment and then she burst into laughter at the funny look on her friend's face. 

"You look funny when you're vexed. Anyway, let's head out?" 

"Yeah, oh and how much did Mrs obi pay you?"

"I didn't check, hold on let me go and bring it." Sola replied as she quickly dashed into her room and brought out the envelope and her phone from her bag, she went back to Clara and sat beside her. 

"She even gave me food. It's in the fridge." Sola said. 

"Okay. You better eat it soon, before it gets spoilt in there. You know the Gen won't sustain it." 

"Yeah. I'll take it to work tomorrow." 

Sola opened the envelope and proceeded to count the money. She counted fifteen thousand naira, her normal pay was ten thousand. She was shocked. 

"Wooow, that woman is really nice. Five thousand extra. She try o" Clara commented, clearly happy about it. 

Sola was still too shocked to mutter any words, she quickly opened her phone to see she had two missed calls and two text messages. From Mrs obi. Oh... 

She opened the message. 

From Mrs obi: 3:48pm : I hope you have gotten home? Take care.

From Mrs obi: 4:15pm : thank you for your good job. See you next week. 

Sola felt the emotions well up uncontrollably inside her, She blinked several to stop the tears of gratitude rush out. she took a deep breath and smiled, silently thanking and praying for the kind, thoughtful woman. 

She quickly clicked on her phone to call Mrs Obi. 

"Hi, Sola. I trust you got home safe?" Mr Obi's stern, but cheerful voice piped from the other side on the phone. 

"Um... Yes.. Yes, Ma. I just counted the cash you paid me... Thank you so much, Ma. I never expected—" 

"No, darling. Don't mention. I'm happy to do it. You deserve it. I'm loving my compound actually.. You really work magic!" 

Sola smiled shyly and almost laughed as she saw Clara roll her eyes in annoyance. 

Sola spoke to Mrs Obi for some minutes before hanging up with a promise to be punctual the next weekend. 

"What is wrong with this one?" Clara said to Sola bursting into laughter. Sola didn't realize that the tears had escaped and was slipping down her cheeks. 

"Abeg, stand up let's go and flex jare, go and get dressed" 

Sola listened and did as she was instructed. Maybe things in the nearest future wouldn't be bad at all. 

Sola smiled and thought of her parents smiling down at her. God bless their soul, She thought. Before she went on and continued her activity. 

      

                                                ................