Chapter Five

Monday, 16^th November 2015.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror to inspect my outfit. I was dressed in a black high-waist pencil skirt and a white blouse, typical office wear. I had to be at the company building by 8:00 a.m., and it was now 6:40 a.m. Driving was out of the question because I didn’t own a car and a cab would be quite expensive, so a BRT bus was the only option. There was no way I would show up on my first day at the office on an okada.

I nodded at my reflection in approval and grabbed my handbag along with my folder before I dashed out of the house. 

I frantically dusted off my black skirt which seemed to have acquired all manner of lint as I arrived at the building located in Victoria Island. Luckily, the bus stop was across the road from the building so I did not have to walk a long distance after I alighted the bus. I just stood there for a moment and stared at the architectural beauty before me then I crossed the road.

The exterior was made of a smooth blue-tinted material that reflected the surrounding environment. I discreetly glanced at my reflection to check that everything was in order before I walked through the revolving glass doors.

"Good morning, welcome to Legacy Real Estate, how may I help you?" The lady at the front desk said.

I quickly redirected my attention which had wandered off to take in the interior design and layout of the ground floor.

"Good morning," I replied as I walked towards the front desk. "I am Miss Eniola Fayola and I'm here with my appointment letter, it says I am supposed to start work on the 16^th, which is today."

"Alright Miss Fayola, may I see the letter along with a means of identification?" The lady asked.

I showed her the letter along with my voter’s card. She peered at them carefully then tapped at the keyboard of her computer.

"Your appointment has been confirmed. Mr Lanre will be here to see you in a few minutes. You can have these back." She handed over my documents and gestured toward some seats nearby.

The name sounded familiar then I remembered it was the name signed at the bottom of my offer letter from the company. I took a seat and looked around. There was a standing split unit nearby that provided air conditioning. A few real estate magazines were arranged in a neat stack on two tables at each end of the row that consisted of about ten chairs.

A lady sat about two seats away but she didn’t even glance in my direction, she was completely focused on her phone. Several people in corporate outfits moved purposefully in and out of the building.

Something about the atmosphere made me giddy with anticipation. I took a few deep breaths to ease the nervousness I felt. A glance at my watch showed that the time was 7:45 a.m. I was early. I picked up one of the magazines to pass the time when sudden activity by the entrance caught my attention.

A tall man walked in authoritatively, closely followed by another who hurried after him with a briefcase and a bundle of files precariously balanced in his arms. The weight slowed him down but the first man walked ahead of him without a backward glance. For a brief moment, I felt a sense of realisation hit me. I would soon be in that second guy's shoes as a personal assistant, chasing after my assigned superior.

What happened next was quite embarrassing. I gasped as all the files crashed to the floor and caused the second man to stop altogether. The man ahead of him had already gotten into the elevator and only looked up at the loud noise to see his subordinate picking up files.

I only caught a glimpse of his face before the doors closed. I didn’t seem to realise it when my feet had already led me to the pile of files on the floor. I stooped down and helped the other man gather files.

"Are you okay?" I asked when we had all the files neatly stacked.   

"Yes I am, thank you so much," he said as he looked up at me.

Upon closer inspection, he looked much younger than I assumed. He was probably in his teenage years. His office shirt and dark-rimmed glasses made him look slightly older.

"You’re welcome." I gave him a brief smile as we stood, files safely secured.

"I don't think I have seen you around the office before. Are you a client?" He asked.

"Oh no, I am actually new here," I replied. “It’s my first day at work.”

It was a strange place, not only were there teenage staff but the rest behaved like they were hyped up on energy pills as they dashed from one place to another.

"Well, in that case, welcome to the company!" He grinned widely.

“Thank you.” I smiled in return.

He radiated so much positive energy and vitality which made me feel comfortable around him.

"Oh wait, I've not introduced myself yet. My name is-"

"Bayo, double up, the boss is looking for you!" A lady said as she hurried past us.

"I'll be right there, Nkiru!" Bayo replied. "Duty calls, it was great meeting you though."

"Same here." I barely got the words out before he was gone.