Jangolova (Part III)

October 4, 2003

While shaking her head in time with the music coming from the strategically placed speakers at the spot, Ivie directed the piece of meat from the other end of the toothpick into her mouth and smiled to herself in satisfaction.
She did the right thing.
Susana, Sunita, Sakobi or whatever it was she called herself was a weird woman.
She did not like the woman and the affinity the 'winch' had for any and all things relating to her father. Like her for example!
This morning, she received a courier from her; it was a parcel containing a birthday card, box of chocolate and a teddy bear.
She found seven hundred and fifty Naira recharge card inside the birthday card and a note telling her to have a blast!
She shuddered and rolled her eyes in disgust from the memory.
The lady never bothered to find out if she had a mobile phone to start with.
She shared the box of chocolate with her roommates, chucked the teddy bear in her laundry bag and sold the recharge card for a hundred Naira less to the woman at the call center close to the buttery. Adding a little extra from her hidden stash of money, she decided to splurge.
She was pulled out of her reverie by the emergence of a female apparition from the direction of the toilet. She dropped her toothpick on the plate and tried hard not to stare but damn the chick was pretty!
Decked in sky-blue low waist bell-bottomed jeans, a pink tank top and matching sneakers, she looked like the girl in Sean Paul’s ‘Get busy’ video. (That is if she traded her ‘million braids’ hairdo for a closely cropped weave and her pink Barbie doll themed outfit for a black and white one with longer sleeves). The chorus of Alex Zitto’s ‘Baby Walakolombo’ slipped into her head, she let out a rosy chuckle. She watched as the girl picked a phone from her handbag, fiddled with it as though she were sending a text message and return it back to the bag.
The girl looked like she was at a loss for what to do with herself.
Ivie smiled.
Sadly, she left her camera at home. She was going to ask-whine-beg or plead with the girl to seat with her in her booth.
She would make a perfect date!
Grabbing a handful of change from her backpack, she dropped the bag on the seat to keep the space and bounded to the direction of the ‘lost girl’. Stopping to compose herself, she slid behind her and tapped her shoulders.
Startled, the girl let out a tiny shriek and spun around but busted into a laughing feat almost immediately at Ivie’s impish wave and cheerful face. “Hi.” She offered. “ I am Ivie, do you mind seating with me?” Flipping her braids over her shoulders she blinked and dragged her gaze away from the direction of the entrance. She tried not to look anxiously at the gate and planted a smile across her face. “Nope, not really. In fact, I’d love to! It’s my birthday today.” As though on cue, 50 Cent’s ‘In da club’ came over the speakers. She looked at her sharply, they exchanged glances and chuckled. She continued. “I was hoping my boyfriend would come.” She blushed. “Well, he is not really my boyfriend. He has a girlfriend, she is in Warri! He calls me his special friend. I love him and I’m spending the rest of my life with him.” Realizing she was blabbing she kept quiet. Ivie giggled. “You don’t have to explain, today is my birthday as well!” Her eye’s widened in amazement. “Are you serious?! It’s my boy-” she stopped herself. “Its my friend’s birthday as well. I’m Isi by the way.” She offered her hand Ivie took it and covered it in a warm handshake. “Pleased to meet you Isi.” Giving in to the urge to check once more, she tilted her head slightly and looked towards the entrance again, after about two heartbeats, she let out an excited squeal. “He is here!” She pointed to a tall dark man alighting from an 'okada' parked beside the gate. He was dressed in a tee shirt, faded ‘dirty’ jeans and had a tennis band around his right wrist. She bounced on her heels and tapped Ivie repeatedly in elation. “He is here!” She clapped her hands together, ran to the man and proceeded to jump on him. He caught her around the waist, clasped her in a tight embrace and twirled around. Still holding onto her, he let her slip to her feet and planted a noisy kiss on both her cheeks.
When she was done fussing over him, she linked her hand through his and pulled him to the booth were Ivie was now seated. “Ivie meet my future husband Sesan.” She giggled and slid into the boot dragging Sesan with her. “Sesan meet our birthday mate Ivie.” She turned to Ivie. “Sesan has been here on company assignment for the past two months." She smiled proudly at him and continued. "He is planning to quit that and start a company of his own! Still he wants to run back to Port Harcourt and leave me here all by myself. In a weeks time!” She punched his thigh causing him to grunt in pain. She grinned wickedly happy with the result of her onslaught. “But lucky for me, I’m graduating November! I’d work my service to Port Harcourt so we can be together.” She smiled cheekily and batted her lashes at him.
Sesan rubbed his assaulted thigh and gave her a meaningful look. She let out an unladylike grunt followed by a giggle. Ivie cleared her throat to get their attention and added brightly. “Hey I’m finishing November as well! Are you in Uniben?” Isi nodded. “Ekewan campus. Fine and applied arts, I’m going to be an interior designer. I'd do Houses, offices, events venues, Aso rock name it! How about you?” A waiter in a faded orange tee shirt with the name of the joint crested across the front came to take their drink order. Sesan suggested they share a bottle of wine and mix it with soda.
They agreed.
When the waiter left, Ivie continued. “I am at Ugbowo, sciences. I applied for a postgraduate certificate in science communication; I want to be a wildlife journalist. I wish I could show you some of the pictures I’ve taken; I dropped off my last roll of film at a lab in GRA on my way here.” Isi frowned and looked at her. “Aren’t you going to do youth service?” She rolled her eyes in aversion. “I am of the opinion that youth service is a total waste of time. Anyways, I will participate though. I just turned 20. The masters program is for eighteen months. When I’m done with it, I’d come back and serve the fatherland.” She placed her left palm across her chest in mock reverence and added. "I promise" Isi exclaimed. “Ah! I turned 20 today as well, so we are birthday mates as well as age mates. I like you Ivie, we should be friends!” Feeling neglected, Sesan let out an exaggerated cough. It caught her attention. Pushing back the braids that had fallen to her face, she turned up her nose at him. “Don’t mind this one, he couldn’t wait and be born the same year as us, he is an old papa.” She made a face and stuck out her tongue.
A car surged into the car park and screeched to a halt about 10 meters away from where they were seated raising dust in its wake. An overweight lady tumbled out of the driver’s seat, banged the door shut behind her and charged straight to the bar. She stood in front of the counter and took to hitting the top as she spoke “Where is that witch working here? Where is she?” she reached across the bar and grabbed the barman's shirt. Wrapping her fingers around it, she used it to pull him closer until she had him in a firm grip. She caught his left hand and begun twisting it. Not wanting to fight with the woman, he remained calm until he doubled over in pain. He whimpered. The woman ignored him and called out. “Witch, better come out and confess if not this man’s death would be on your head.” A smallish looking waitress ran out from behind the door that led to the kitchen, fell to her knees and pleaded beseechingly. “Ma please leave am alone, e no do you anything.” The woman left the barman and in a few strides was balanced on top the smallish girl. She began to hit her and pounded her repeatedly with her knuckles, knee and clenched fist while demanding she confess.
Isi got up and ran to the lady with the intention of pulling her off the girl, Ivie and Sesan joined her.
Together, they managed to pull the woman off and drag her away. Eventually the security on ground came and escorted the woman back to her car.
Sesan stood guard until the woman was out of sight.
Isi helped the girl to her feet, led her to their booth and eased her into a sitting position while Ivie went to look for and bring back a bowl of water and a towel to clean her wounds.
The girl surveyed Isi in gratitude and whispered softly. “Thank you ma.” Isi stroked her hair and winked. “Its okay mami. Take the afternoon off! Join us, we are planning a party.” The girl smiled shyly, put her hand under the table and into her pocket and brought out something. “I no get present for all of unna but I swear, I no go forget wetin you do for me.” She handed what looked like a broomstick to Isi. “My mama bring am as she come from yonder. We dey use am change something.” She pressed it in Isi’s hand and continued. “You light am, when the fire catch you go blow am breeze till e off. As the smoke they blow, you go say the things wey dey your mind one by one, as you dey talk, you go count am one, two, three until four. When morning reach, na so dem go dey happen.” Isi smiled and put the stick inside her handbag. “Thank you mami!” Sunny Neji’s ‘Oruka’ started playing she gave a lopsided grin and nodded her head to the music. Patting her handbag, she added with a chuckle. “Cool wish thingy, I already know what I’d wish for.” She looked pointedly at Sesan and wriggled her eyebrows suggestively at him.
The girl got up and genuflected before standing straight. “I wan go, unna do me well today. That madam no be ordinary madam. I help am do something but she take her mouth change am spoil. She no come like am as e happen come think say if she kill me, e go favor her. As you see say death no be my portion come give me second chance, when I sabi finish, I go make sure say your second chance too go happen.” She gave a final bow and returned to the kitchen.

October 3, 2013
Her spoon fell to the floor and gave off a resonating clang. Letting out a sharp gasp, Ivie blinked and surveyed her table-mates. They looked like they were slowly coming out of a trance.
Still seated in the booth, everything looked the same save for the now empty bowls in front of them.
Sesan dropped his spoon face up on the tabletop and hooted in amazement. “Oh boooi! What was in that pepper soup?” Isioma dropped her spoon beside the plate, let her right hand fall on top her left hand which was nestled on her lap and sat up straight. Talking to her laps but loud enough for the others to hear, she spoke as though she were counting her words. “ I did it, I remember now.” She looked up and met Sesan’s quizzical expression. “I remember you.” She turned to Ivie. “You too Ivie.”
She brought up her left hand and examined her wedding band as it glinted in the sun.
She smiled wanly. “My wish came true.”
Ivie looked perplexed, with slight frown lining her forehead she ventured. “What are you talking about Isioma?”
Isioma flinched at the sound of her full name.
Very few people called her that these days.
Memories forgotten, they were returning to Ivie as well.
She folded her left hand into a ball, brought up her right hand, used it to cover her clenched fist and placed it on the table.
As she spoke, her face turned blank and her voice devoid of emotion “We were close in a different life, about ten years ago. I dated Sesan and you were going to be a big shot journalist.” Sesan scoffed and relaxed on his seat. He toyed with the toothpick holder in front of him. “How can I date you and not remember you? Was it a spiritual something?”
Isioma shook her head in objection and continued to talk. “The Joss stick might have had something to do with the otherworldly but our relationship was real. I was crazy about you, I think you were as well." She paused. "I was never sure. We were going to have a baby.” Sesan flared up, shot out of his seat and tossed the toothpick holder away. “This is bullshit. Rukky put you up to this right? The bitch is evil.” Ivie flung out her right hand and caught his elbow stopping him from leaving. She tightened her hold on him and tried to pull him back to his seat. “Please seat down, I don’t think she is lying.” She placed her left hand on his forearm and continued to speak. “ I think she is saying the truth, I believe her." She studied her for a second and continued. "I stopped believing in myself a long time ago, I still feel as though I missed something. If she says she remembers, please seat and let her continue.” He remained standing, breathing heavily with the heat of his anger radiating from his pores. She tugged at his elbow. “ Sesan please?” He ignored her. Giving up, she released him and let her hands fall to her side and waited for him to leave. He did not. Instead, he pushed the soup bowls towards the center of the table, picked the toothpick holder from the floor and returned to his seat.
Ivie waited. She tried to understand the images returning to her mind, tried to make sense of it all before tuning to Isioma.
She placed her the fingertips of her left hand lightly on her forearm, with a voice bordered by fear of the unknown, she inquired. “Isi, what worked?”


... to be continued