The shirt cost me three grand. I've forgotten the name of the boutique where I purchased it. The name was European, I think. Either Spanish or Portuguese. Although I'm sure it would have little or nothing to do with clothes or fashion in a general sense because the owner didn't look like he'd traveled past Togo in his search for wares. His English wasn't even good. The boutique was one of those shops along CENTRAL PLAZA that starched the OK clothes, wrapped them in nylons, put them in show-glasses, and pumped the prices into over-kill, so much you'd think they were Dolce and Garbana franchises or Armani sub-outlets. Be that as it may, my image on the mirror looked good enough for the evening out I had planned for Diane and I.
"You look handsome enough." my cousin Clara said from behind me. I turned to see her standing at the doorway into my bedroom with a smile on her face. "So quit staring at yourself like that would improve anything."
"It's a first date! It's been a long time for me, or have you forgotten?"
Clara chuckled and sashayed up to me. "Come on! Talking like that will jinx the whole evening. She's going to look even more beautiful than the first time you saw her, and you'll find out you both have more than a lot in common..." She smoothed my collar at the back of my neck. "...She will tell you how much she enjoyed her evening, hint that she may see you again, and you'll kiss her goodnight in the end."
I laughed. "Clara, the hopeless romantic! No wonder you're still a virgin." I teased. I went to sit on the foot of my bed and pulled on a pair of white Espadrilles. I love flats. I looked up when she didn't reply.
She was scowling. "There is romance still left in the world, Obinna. Just wait, you'll see." She said it with a sureness that struck me as odd. I stared at her as she walked out of my bedroom without another word. Oh well, I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I grabbed my green, sleeveless, Dior jacket laid out on the bed and left the house through the front door, shouting at her to lock up after me.
I took my two year old VW PASSAT 2008 – a red salon which was crawling to a ninety thousand mileage on its odometer. It was in pristine running condition regardless of its age, thanks to my buddy, Jerry who now managed his father's garage.
"OWU NO DE TOUCH MY BODY! OH BOY!" Naeto C and Reminisce were singing on the car's music box as I rolled out of the compound. Clara was in my rear mirror locking up behind me. I waited to get infected by their grand feeling of I-am-larger-than-life, but these rappers weren't communicable tonight. I felt no better than myself as I drove, which was probably for the best.
I turned the music down to dial Diane's cell number as soon as I hit Oron road which linked the street I lived with the rest of the town.
"Obinna!" She must have been using the phone because she picked as soon as the dial tone kicked in. "Woah! Is it six pm yet?" She seemed surprised.
Okay. That was totally unexpected. I'd readied a pleasant, maybe-I'll-get-a-kiss-at-the-end-of-tonight voice. It took a moment to switch back to normal, feeling the scowl spreading on my face. "You're kidding right? Where are you?"
"I'm at home! At home! Are you on your way?" She sounded unsure. I almost pulled up. "I haven't even had my bathe yet!"
Is that it? "Okay...uhm...how long do you need to get set?"
"An hour?" She smirked over the phone. "No, thirty minutes," she reiterated.
I parked outside the open gates into her apartment building forty-five minutes later. It was a one story building in the middle of a not-so-large, sandy compound similar to all the other houses along the quiet street. They all looked more than a couple decades old to me, but still retained a certain level of dignity. I didn't have to wait long. Diane exited the ground flat. Two other girls exited the house with her but stopped to watch from the front verandah – flat mates. I didn't notice much about them. My attention was glued to the beauty package walking...uh...approaching my car.
I'd say I'm a breast man, but I'm sure every guy out there is too, so the point is moot. Her breasts weren't visible and yet you knew she was well endowed on the chest level. She was wearing a brown, pintuck, short sleeve shirt with white horizontal stripes at the chest level tucked into a loose, blue skirt which had white polka dots that came down mid-distance between her knees and ankles, and a pair of red, heeled boots. (I know female clothes because my cousin runs a fashion blog) She held a pink purse in one hand. Very modest, and yet the way she moved, I swear I could tell she was very sexy underneath.
I smiled at her as she got closer, taking off my Rayban glasses to give her a clearer perusal. She rolled her eyes at me but smiled too. She got into the car.
"Diane! You look breathtaking!"
"Thank you! You're not looking bad yourself!" She observed.
I grinned as I started the car. "Really? I was afraid you'd think so." I joked and drove off.
We'd agreed we would first put up with a movie at the cinema (there was only one cinema in the whole town). Afterwards, we'd hit a bar or a restaurant, whichever appealed to us then. Nothing really serious, it was just a first date.
On the drive over, I asked her about her day at school. We'd chatted a couple times on BBM before today, so we knew a bit about each other. For instance, I already knew she was a final year student of microbiology at the State University who had just returned from a yearlong industrial training at Nigerian Breweries. She knew I was doing my graduate studies on ICT Management at the Federal University still in the same town. During the drive, I got her talking. It was easy. She liked talking and I happened to have the right questions. She mentioned the seminar presentation she was preparing, and seemed confident she'd murder it. It was a pretty pleasant drive all the way to the cinema location at Udoma Avenue, right at the edge of town. The lot was wide enough. It was easy to find space to park. She was surprised when I got out of the car to open her side of the car. That got her giggling.
"Okay, not that I've entered too many cars owned by guys, but this one never happened before."
I was surprised. "Like seriously?" I chuckled. "Glad to be your first." I said and stepped back because she made to punch my shoulder but sidestepping was easy. I laughed. She smiled. I was glad she was relaxed. I locked the car with its remote key. I offered her my hand. She declined it and walked off towards the cinema entrance. I caught up with her and we went in together.
The movie – a romantic comedy – had a field day with the audience's emotions. It was about the right hand man of the boss of a drug dealing cartel, who stumbled on a girl, fell in love with her, and eloped with her to his own peril. The same night, the boss' heir steals a great deal of loot from his father, and everything is blamed on the AWOL right-hand man. Aha! That was the title of the movie – AWOL. It was an interesting movie that got everyone emotional in the end. Diane had misty eyes which she tried to hide from me. I put an arm around her shoulder and patted. She fished for a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed her eyes. She wore no make-up, so there was no fear from that angle. We still had left over popcorn but our cans of coke were long gone.
"I really enjoyed that...the movie I mean," I said as the credits ran.
"I'd download it to my tab and watch it again. It was really amazing. Can you imagine..." she ran off and started narrating the story in bits like I didn't just watch it with her. Others were commenting too in their own little groups as we all trooped out of the viewing hall. I listened to her and chipped in my two cent.
I don't know if she realized it, but we were holding hands as we made our way to my VW. Night had fallen and that had probably made her relax the boundaries a bit. Her conversation had jumped from the movie we'd just watched to other movies by the same producer. I told her I wasn't a movie fan. I preferred sports. She liked soccer. We both loved Manchester United.
"Man-U!" She suddenly shouted, raising one of her hands.
"For Life!" I returned and we both started laughing. I couldn't tell her that she had a sizeable chest suitable for our club's next TV commercial. Man-Chester. That would be a compliment, but pre-first-kiss...probably too much too early. I have to mention this though, lest I forget. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound I ever heard. It wasn't just the sound. It was the way her face lit up like there existed a special switch connected to the spread of those luscious lips of hers, or the exposure of the beautiful gap in between her incisors which turned on a set of bulbs hidden one layer beneath her facial skin which made her face glow almost literally.
"I can't believe this!" Diane said. "I wonder what else we have in common!" I tentatively threw it out there to guage her reaction. Not that it was a big deal... In this part of the world, soccer fans were either for Manchester united, or Chelsea, or Arsenal, or Liverpool, Barcelona or Real Madrid. I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager the chances were one out of fourteen. Okay...yes, quite a big deal. How did I come about that math again? Fuh-gehht-a-bowt-ith!!!
"The night is not over, is it?" She asked. Eureka! My hope was completely off the roof. It must have showed in my eyes because she laughed. "Lemme see..." I looked up at the clouds, frowning thoughtfully. "Uhm...I'll bet there is a bit more that can be done before curfew time, My Lady." I said opening the door to the front passenger side for her to get in. She even had a thank-you smile for me. My blood vessels...tissues and organs too...fluttered.
For no reason at all, I looked around the place as I walked around the car to my door. i spied a well-dressed male stranger standing at the entrance into the cinema, watching me. My heart quit fluttering in my head and focused, but with the casual smile still on my face. I was quick to capture the face of the watcher before he looked away. He knew me. Or he knew my date. Or he... I searched my memory as I slid in beside Diane. I couldn't remember ever meeting the guy. But then, I'd been in this town long enough to be recognized by people I didn't know.
Still, the way the guy had looked at me...
"So, are we going to a restaurant or a bar?" Diane asked oblivious of my distraction. Focus on the beautiful girl beside you. I pushed all thoughts of unfamiliar-face wanna-be watch dog to the back of my mind. Maybe it was some dude who meant no harm. Just envious of...I looked at Diane. Of course I had the right to be envied, my ego said. Focus!
I drove us to a restaurant by Udoma lake on the other end of the three miles long Udoma avenue, mainly because I was hungry and I was perfectly okay with her doing most of the talking. A couple beers and I'd be competing with her God-given urge to voice her opinions.
Dinner went without a hitch. I got us a glass of wine each and when the menu came, she surprised me with her request.
"I'll have the West African Peanut Stew...with sweet potatoes, please" She noticed my raised eyebrows and shrugged. "I'm a vegetarian," she said. I smiled, even more surprised. "Really!
