Ruby's Search For Romance (A Nigerian Story)

Six

There was little Ruby hated than being left in confusion over things that concerned her life. She wouldn't call herself organized, but she felt more in control of her life when she knew what needed to be done, who needed to be called, what she had to buy. Boye giving her mixed signals was not the push she needed to improve her performance at work. First, he had completely ignored her, maintaining the impression that they were only using each other for sex. After she left, he was back in her life, asking her to come back.

"As what?" she asked when she called him after Rose said he'd come to look for her.

"We are friends, Ruby. I really value you as a friend," his voice was pleading.

Ruby had heard enough of those same words. This time, she wasn't falling for it. "No, Boye. You just like sex with me. We stopped being friends a long time ago."

He breathed sharply. "That's not true. Then what do you call this thing between us?"

"What thing?" She was genuinely curious. "Sex?" she answered quickly before he could say anything.

"No, I don't mean that. Why are you so quick to make everything between us about sex. I meant the connection between us." He sounded bitter at her reply.

"Ah!" At this point, Ruby honestly wanted to laugh. It took a lot of self-control to turn it into a small cough. "I don't see any connection, Boye. There is nothing aside sex between us"

"Listen-"

She sighed tiredly. "You listen Boye, you cannot expect me to just keep on sleeping with you forever why you go on having girlfriends. That is not fair, not just to me, to your girlfriends. I cannot keep playing this game with you. I need to get my life sorted out, and sleeping with you isn't going to help me accomplish that."

"Is it boyfriend you want? You can still date other people while-"

"Hmm, it's like you don't even understand what I'm saying. Boye, good night. Don't call my number again." She ended the call with so much finality, deleted his number, and switched off her phone.

***

When she woke up the next morning and switched on her phone, a barrage of notifications— missed calls, messages both on her messenger app and WhatsApp, all from an unsaved number that while she had deleted, could still remember clearly who it belonged to.

A sumRuby of all the messages he'd sent mostly implied, "Come back, Ruby. We fit each other perfectly, you won't find another man like me."

"I just love his foolish ego." Rose laughed as she read out the messages while they had dinner the next night.

Despite knowing that these messages were just a coy to get her back in his bed, at his beck and call, Ruby couldn't help being tempted by them. She loved Boye. It was something she couldn't deny. She had spent a lot of her time and energy on him, that she really couldn't bear the thought of it falling apart. The thought that it was a useless endeavor.

Her date with Uche had not gone well. Indeed it was difficult to find a partner in the very thriving market of serious relationships. But she was willing. She wanted to get into a serious relationship. She couldn't keep on whining about Boye, and the best way to keep him out of her life and her mind would be to find another person to shower her love and attention on. There were other men more deserving of her.

***

"You're serious?" Rose looked at her in surprise. She had paused while putting on her earrings. It was morning and they were both rushing to work. She couldn't blame Rose for being surprised. No one woke up in the morning and started asking for blind dates. Well, except her.

"Yes, anyone." Ruby nodded firmly. "Well, except crazy, intelligent people. They should be fine too. I'd prefer men with beards. Ah, no, beards are not important. Hmmm? He should have money too."

"I thought you said anyone? Are you looking for models?" Rose scoffed. She slid her feet into black pumps.

"I didn't want to be too specific. Forget the ones I mentioned before, but at least let the guy be taller than me biko. That one is extremely, very, extra-important. You hear?" Ruby stressed. She was done dressing and stood by the door waiting for Rose.

"I've heard o. Later they will say Rose has high standards." She made a face at Ruby as she picked up her bag and rushed towards the door.

"Let's hurry up. The BRT bus will soon arrive."

They hurried out of the apartment.

***

After a few more messages and calls from the unsaved number she knew by heart, Ruby finally blocked the number and began the process of forcing herself to forget the digits. She was in the restaurant opposite the firm for her lunch break while she browsed 'How to forget someone's number'. There was little help in the loads of information Google was bringing to her, but she was finding the search fun, sometimes clicking to read articles on 'how to have a healthy relationship', 'how to know he is the one' etc.

The waitress arrived with her plate of jollof rice and set it on the table.

"Get me a bottle of Sprite," she raised her head briefly and then picked her spoon to eat, her attention still on the article she was reading.

"I'd advise you to concentrate solely on getting this plate of rice into your stomach, but I'm sure that advice wouldn't be welcomed." A voice came over her head and someone sat down on the chair opposite her.

She looked up sharply, her neck almost cracking from the sudden movement. Subconsciously, a scowl decorated her face. "Gideon," she acknowledged stiffly.

"As usual, not happy to see me." He looked excited at that fact. "Get me a plate of poundo with vegetable soup, without fish." He said to the waiter when she dropped a bottle of sprite in front of Ruby.

"You seem happy about that." Ruby put her phone aside and turned her attention to her food.

"Well, you're like the only person I look forward to when I come to work in the morning. I'm just happy that my presence affects you." He showed a set of white teeth.

Ruby shook her head in mock pity. "A bad effect, I suppose."

"Bad or good, it's still an effect."

Ruby spooned rice into her mouth, not caring to chew it properly before swallowing.

"You don't need to rush on my behalf. We still have about thirty minutes to go before we return to the office."

She paused. "'We'? You and who?"

His food arrived. He leaned back to allow the waitress to set the food on the table. Ruby couldn't help but eye the mouthwatering, leafy soup that had chunks of meat and stockfish sticking out.

"You want?" He winked at her. He washed his hands in the basin the waitress had kept beside the food.

She ignored him and continued eating. From time to time though, her eyes would stray to the plate of soup Gideon was currently feasting on.

"Have you tasted the soup here? Or it's just rice and spaghetti you eat every time?" He cut out a portion of the pounded yam and molded it expertly.

Of course, she always ate rice and spaghetti when she came to this restaurant. She really couldn't bring herself to eat swallow in public, not with the size of the fufu balls that she could swallow. She didn't answer. Her plate was almost empty now.

"You should try it. Even though you won't eat it here, you can take it home. I assure you, you would regret not buying it sooner."

She smiled stiffly and stood up, still chewing the fried meat that had topped her plate of rice. "I'm going," she said. Without waiting for a reply from him, she left the restaurant. However, she put a mental reminder to stop by the restaurant to buy a plate of soup on her way home in the evening.