TWO

"What is the meaning of I lost my job? I am asking you Shola?" 

"Abi you don lose you reasoning sense? It means I no get work again!"

Wumi had just messed up her perfect liner when Shola dropped the news on her. If they were sharing a box for a house, they also had to share the bills and that was not going to work if they were both jobless.

"See eh Omashola, this thing you're saying is not funny. How are we supposed to cope? You know I can't sustain us both on what I get from the club,"

"I know I know! I know ma! That's why I'm beginning a new job hunt tomorrow. I'll get a job before you know it, don't worry." Shola answered scrolling through jobs offers on her phone,

"I must worry oh! " Wumi continued, brushing a blonde wig on her hand, "the last time you were job hunting, you deny job wey go afford better living space for go dey smile and bow for restaurant,"

"It was a stripping job,"

"Ehen! And so? It's not like you'd be doing what I do,"

"It's no different. It's basically sex on a pole,"

"Guy leave us with all this big English sha. All the school wey you go; all the degrees wey you get; nobi us two dey still share this sardine box? And now you're jobless! You better learn surviving skills oh my sister,"

"Wumi; a beg I don tire! I said I will start searching for a new job tomorrow. Don't turn this place into the house I ran away from, please!"

Wumi check her tight outfit in the mirror, affirmed she looked hot and ready to go, she grabbed her purse and turned to Shola still on her phone, in the bed,

"I'm leaving. You like to get job, no get job, as long as you dey help for bills, weti be my own?"

Shola groaned as she heard the doors clamp shut. She let out a heavy sigh of frustration,

"Eh God! Ki ni mo she? ibo ni mo ti shi she? kilode ti awon aye n tele kadara mi. oluwa..." just as she was about ending her prayers, she heard a knock on the door, "God why nah!" She cried, "Wumi, did you forget something?"

"It's Simi."

"Ah! Come on in jarey. You're knocking as if you're a stranger here."

"I thought that nasty cousin of yours would still be here. How are you sha?" Simi jumped on the bed; it made a squeaky sound. 

"I'm fine now but will be dead if you break Adewumi's bed."

"Which kind of bed? A beg! Anyways, I'm really sorry you got fired! What are you going to do now?" Shola turned her eyes to their dilapidating ceiling, sinking into her thoughts,

"Honestly girl, I don't know. Job hunting in the country too is not a piece of cake." She shook her head horizontally, "but one thing's for sure, I'm coming down to D'lux tomorrow."

"Why again?" Simi asked her,

"I worked for a full month and a week, which should still be worth something to be compensated for; plus, I have to return something."

They both remained silent for a long while, "well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Simi got up and picked up her handbag before leaving,

"See you tomorrow my friend,"

Shola spent the rest of her day surfing through social media, gawking at the luxurious lifestyle of young girls younger than her, "chaiii! God! Look at lifestyle? I'm sure only her glasses cost more than my entire wardrobe. Oluwa, joor, so oro mi di Ayo! God a beg eh!" She finally fell asleep and dreamed of herself in Victoria's secret lingerie, in a marble bathtub surrounded by pearls and diamonds, sipping from a golden cup, Martini.

She got up the following morning without the strength or zeal to want to do anything. But she just had to; at least today, she had all the time in the world. Her cousin had not yet returned but she couldn't care any less. She took her bath, taking her time to get it all done perfectly. She washed shampooed and conditioned her hair; something she hadn't done in a while. She wrapped it all up in a towel, giving it time to dry a little before she could style it. Lately she had just been putting it up in one messy bun and 4C hair in a messy bun was really messy and not in the cute way. Today she was going to make it look like Ariana Grande ordered it. But first, she did her usual light nude makeup but today she added a pair of lashes, and it gave her a whole new edge. She did her hair Ariana Grande style with extensions, dressed up in a knee length black skirt, a faded Versace shirt, and gold flats. She shoved her job-hunting requirements, CV and all, into a black bag and threw one last glance at her ensemble in the mirror. God I look so cliché. She frowned. Well, it's not like she could click a finger and appear in a Balmain getup. She shut the doors and shoved the keys inside the pockets of an old jacket hanging by the door.

Obviously, her first destination was her former job site. As she got off the taxi, more like tricycle, Shola felt something bitter in her throat, disgust. She just wanted to swing by Mr. Onuka's office, collect her balance and leave. But then caught a glimpse of a certain grey haired Caucasian male at the restaurant section, her internal flames burned to an infinity degree Celsius.

That bastard!!! she thought. She matched over to the restaurant with a few words for the bastard. To her greatest surprise, when she got there, she met almost the entire staff in a frenzy, busily turning the place upside down, searching for something. Mr. Onuka on the other hand was on his phone, telling whoever was on the other line to report to work for emergency reasons. While the bastard stood in one corner like none of the rest was happening. Mr. Onuka spotted Shola,

"And you, what do you want?" He asked her, drawing all attention onto her, including Solano's,

"I came here for my balance."

"Aren't you the chit that attended to my table yesterday?" Solano instantly asked, always as calm as the sea on a good day, Shola's nostrils flared,

Make this one no just temper me today,

"Yes I am," she replied in the most snobbish manner ever, "why?"

"I lost my wallet and I want it back."

"Hmmm! Sorry oga! I didn't see it," Shola turned back to Mr. Onuka, "I need my balance Mr. Onuka,"

"You're so insensitive you this Yoruba girl. Can't you see we're a little busy here? I don't have time to attend to you so go, come back tomorrow," Mr. Onuka kind of shoved her aside. Shola gasped,

He didn't just...

"You do not just want to go there," she dropped her bag on a table, "do you know how much I spent just to end up here daily? A beg a beg a beg! Settle me I beg! I have other things to do,"

"I said I'm busy and..."

"What the hell is going on here? I want my wallet and I want it now!" Solano matched majestically over to where Jude Onuka stood, a few feet away from Shola.

"At least that makes two of us. Mr. Onuka I have places to be. Can I just get my fucking balance?"

"Oh, so you think we are sharing points of view now. Little lady! You think this is a contest?"

"No, it's not. Because I already have the upper hand. You got this idiot to fire me, now you get him to give me my money or..."

"Or what?" Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were watching. It was like a TV show scene.

"Or" Shola thought about her next words. They could either give her the upper hand or they could send her to prison. She always had a talent for extorting people or getting them to do stuff for her using certain leverage against them, "or that wallet you're looking for might permanently disappear." Everyone's eyes bulged in surprise; not only because of how Shola spoke to the white guy but also because of her revelation.

"You little chit! You have my wallet! Give it back!" Solano almost walked into her, this time losing his calmness,

"Go to hell!" Shola shot back, eyeballs to eyeballs,

"Shola! Shola! Shola! How many times did I call you?" Mr. Onuka asked holding his ear, "So now you're stealing?"

"Oh please! I found it while cleaning the table yesterday and…”

"And you kept it!" Solano asked,

"As leverage, in case I got fired.  I was going to return it in peace but now, it’s going to work for my benefit. You know about my leverage skills nah Jude? Oya! Before I provoke, bring my balance."

"For heaven's sake how much is this god damn balance? I'll pay it, just give me back my wallet," Solano shouted. His voice was husky and angry, like the roar of thunder. It could bring knees to the floor, but Shola liked it anyway. She started finding herself getting turned on by this man. His entire physique was a total turn on, but she never was one to fall for appearances. It was the little unimportant details that caught her attention to a man.

"Eighty thousand," Shola answered,

"Dollars?" Solano questioned,

"Naira."

“Bloody hell! Get her a pen and paper, put on your bank account details. Now for the love of everything sane, can I get back my wallet?"

"You’ll get it but only after I receive my money."

Shola wrote her bank details on a sheet of paper and Solano just took a screen shot and sent them to someone before placing a call. While the phone rang, he kept on throwing death glares at the young girl who didn't seem to care a fist,

"Sunday, could please do a cash transfer of a hundred thousand naira to the details on the photo I just sent you?" He hung up his phone and the place felt into an uncomfortable silence. Everyone waited. Then Shola's phone vibrated. She checked her phone and then grinned. She catwalk to the table where her bag was, brought out the wallet and handed it over to him,

"Pleasure doing business with you." She smiled fetish, running her tongue across her lower lip, and then compressing it between her teeth, "Goodbye Mr. Vicenze." Then she turned to a stunned Mr. Onuka, "Jude." Before exiting the scene. She felt so proud of herself. Since she moved to this big city, all she's had to do was smile and bow to people in the name of customer's service. For the first time in a long time, she felt relieved to be herself again; that girl who didn't take shit from anybody, not even her own family.

Solano watch her exiting form with new views. He was intrigued by this girl. Even though to him, her money was pennies for fountain wishes, she still fought for it. He needed someone like that to collaborate with him in Nigeria. So, he followed her.

"Little lady," he called, she turned almost immediately,

"Oh, come on! If you still think I took your wallet on purpose, then just go inside and check if anything is missing. I didn't give it back yesterday because I was angry and seeing how much you had in it, I knew if I had left it here, you probably would have never gotten it back. People can be very desperate around here."

"You talk too much you know that?"

"So, I've been told countless times,"

"So, tell me, why you didn’t just take the wallet. I mean everything inside is worth a hundred times more than your," the amount left a bitter taste in his mouth, "balance."

"I know. But my parents raised me right. It wasn't mine. I could never keep it."  

Solano became more intrigued.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand you're in search for a job right now, right?"

"Thanks to you," Shola whispered, "now that I think about it, why am I talking to you. You got me fired!"

Solano sighed heavily. They'd walked to the parking lot of the hotel. He took out the calling card from his wallet and handed it to her,

"Call me tomorrow. I might have a job for you." He jumped into a black Range Rover Vogue, "and try not to be so sassy when you start working for me."

"What? Wait are you giving me a job?" He said nothing, he rolled up his glass, reared his engine and drove off.