Shoot Your Shot, Ladies! - Part 1

Please like, comment and share... Part 2 coming on Monday, June 1

AYOOLA I still remember the first day I saw her like it was yesterday. I had just gotten back from a business trip in London the day before and I had to be at the office first thing Tuesday morning. She had been working for my real estate firm for about 4 months prior but I had not seen her yet. The name Korede came up in several business calls with my personal assistant, Adesua but I never bothered to ask who that was, I mean, people get employed to Craig & co every other day. I didn’t even know Korede was a woman till the day we met. “Good morning, what floor?” I ask, with my fingers inches from the buttons, looking at the petite woman who just entered the elevator with her hands full of folders. I look at my watch and realise it is just 7.30 am and this woman is already at work. I don’t know if I should be happy I have a punctual staff or be scared for her security coming to work at this time, especially in this Lagos. “Good morning. 3. Thanks”, she says softly. I press 3 and 10 and stand towards the back of the elevator. 3 means she works as a realtor. I’m guessing she is one of the new realtors we employed recently since she doesn’t recognise me. “I don’t believe we’ve met, my name is Ayoola, yours?” I ask now studying the woman in this enclosed space with me. For some reason, she intrigued me but in a mysterious way. She wore this grey pantsuit that looked smart enough, yet interesting to look at. I took a deep breath and was hit with her perfume that smelt like vanilla and salted caramel. Yummy. I tried to look at her face but she kept looking down, although I was able to catch a glimpse of her eyes when she said the floor she was going to. Her eyes looked sad, almost like she was sad to see me. “Korede.” She replies and turns to face the elevator door; like I’m disturbing her and she would rather not have this conversation. Fortunately for her the elevator doors open and she hurriedly walks out. Well, that was awkward. Could that be the famous Korede, Adesua keeps talking about? For some weird reason, I always pictured a man when she mentioned Korede, but now that I’m thinking about it, Korede is a unisex Yoruba name. Finally, I am on the 10th floor, where my office is. The ride up the elevator seemed slow to me, probably best to get it checked out. There is no point spending millions on renovations if the elevator is moving like a snail. “Mr. C, welcome back. I hope you enjoyed the trip. There are a few documents on your desk that we need to run through this morning. I wasn’t sure if I should order your coffee since you complained about the last one from the corner shop, so I made one myself. Speaking of the corner shop, they now sell suya toasties, should I order one for you? Also…” Adesua says.

“Adesua, calm down. Can I at least enter my office?” Adesua always rambles. To be honest, she still has her job because she is so good at it. If it was my father, she would have been fired since the first day but with me, she’s had a job for 4 years now. “Sorry, sir.” She says embarrassed like a kid caught red-handed stealing candy. “That’s fine. Please schedule an appointment for the electrician to check out the elevators. I think they might be malfunctioning.” I say as I walk into my office. Feels good to be back home and in this space after 4 months. I am always happy to travel the world and rub ideas with great minds but there is a comfort this office gives me. “By the way, could you call Mr Korede, the new realtor, to my office please?” I deliberately use Mr because I want to confirm whether the Korede I met and the one she talks about are the same person. “Uhmm…there is no Mr Korede in this office. The Korede I know is Korede Osagie and she’s a woman. She is one of the realtors we employed just before you travelled. By the way Mr C, she is so good at her job that even Mr Amadi who complains about everyone, praises her. Should I call her for you?” She is the Korede, the woman I met in the elevator and with that I say, “Yes, thanks Adesua.” **********************************************************************************************

KOREDE

Last night I left work at 9pm, today I am here again at 7.30am. I am happy I have a job, don’t get me wrong but it can be hectic sometimes and with Lagos traffic at night, a trip of 20 minutes max, takes me 2 hours. I can be staring at my house but still not reach the gate for another 30 minutes. Thankfully, I get paid for my extra hours at work, so it kind of balances out. Yesterday, I stayed late to wrap up my sale on two properties in Lekki Phase 1. Today I can already tell I’m going to be leaving late again. Since I joined this company, I have been hitting all my targets, even though it has cost me many night out with friends and family. Mr Amadi, the strict business manager, even says I am the best thing to happen to Craig & co. Speaking of Craig & co, this Mr Craig or Mr C as he is popularly called around the office is always up and down sha. Since I started working here I haven’t set my eyes on the man because he is always abroad. I could pass by him on the road and won’t even know he is my boss. “Good morning, what floor?” I hear someone ask, and then realise I had already reached the elevator of my work building. This is what happens when there is a lot of your mind and you just autopilot your way around your office. “Good morning. 3. Thanks”, I say and look up to thank him but what I see makes me sad. He somewhat reminds me of my late husband. My husband was tall, baby-boy handsome with broad shoulders and smelled almost the same. My guess is this guy is wearing one of the Creed perfumes. Sigh. It’s been almost a year since the accident that took my baby’s life and that of his brother as well. I still cry every other day because it hurts so much. Why did God take my baby from me?

“I don’t believe we’ve met, my name is Ayoola, yours?” I hear him ask, interrupting my thoughts. I look up again and it clicks that this guy might be trying to flirt with me. To be honest, I don’t have the time or energy to entertain any flirting right now so I say my name, face the front of the elevator and hope that he has read my body language. Thankfully the elevator doors open and I bail out of there.

I try to settle down at my desk as quickly as I can so I can start work before the others start trooping in. I turn on my PC and separate the folders in my hands according to priority and decide to make my first cup of coffee. Don’t judge me. If you worked in this firm, you would have more than one cup too. Just as I’m dispensing my coffee, I hear Adesua’s voice in the hallway. Adesua is that colleague at work that slowly warms their way into your heart and you cannot get rid of them. She has become the annoying younger sister I never had. The perks of having Mr C, her boss, abroad most times is that she helps me with my work.

“Babe, good morning oh. How you dey?” Adesua says and I can tell in typical Adesua manner, she is about to off-load more information than needed. She doesn’t bother to wait to hear how I am and continues, “The corner shop is now selling suya toasties oh. I’m thinking of trying that during lunch break. You know their bacon and cheese toasties were madd. Mr C sef might be having that for brunch. Should I order for you too?”

All I hear in this whole one-sided conversation is that Mr C might be having suya toasties for brunch. What an interesting day it is. The day I think this man is hardly around is the day he gets back.

“Babe, by the way, he’s asking of you. He said he wanted to see Mr Korede and I told him you are the only Korede I know in the whole office and then he said he would like to meet you.” Adesua continues and shrugs like it’s not a big deal.

Not sure how to react to this so I ask, “Errm, do you know what he wants to see me for?” I am sincerely hoping she knows, that way I can prepare what I’m going to say to avoid embarrassing myself.

“Not really.” She shrugs again and mouths Sorry.

Well, there is only one way to find out what he wants. I drop my coffee on my desk and hope I can get back in time to drink it while it’s still hot. I nervously follow Adesua to Mr C’s office and pray all goes well.

Please like, comment and share... Part 2 coming on Monday, June 1