Ice Cream

Chapter Four

Chiké

I didn't expect the night to turn out the way it did; walking home with the railway-singing lady. Work had been pretty hectic today and I had spent the entire time at the office, making sure everyone worked hard to secure the huge profiting deal we successfully acquired from our clients in China. I was looking forward to expand my business into Asia, precisely China, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. I initially had second thoughts concerning Malaysia seeing as it was there my Nigerian birth-mother gave birth to me and abandoned me but then the country was one of the fastest growing business/technology countries in Asia so I couldn't pass off the opportunity. Therefore, that morning we secured the contract to establish branches of my Company, McAdams International, into China. Hopefully, the following month, we would be having a meeting with our Japanese business partners.

Speaking of hope, I realised my soul would have regretted terribly if I had taken the leap to die some days ago. If for anything, this huge business contract I was honoured to sign today would have crumbled if I had died. I shook in distaste over the thought that I hadn't even placed anyone in charge of my business in my demise. Sure, my uncle was my next of kin and a Mogul in business but there still existed things I did that he couldn't handle. Actually, none could. So thank God I opted out on killing myself.

However, the burden to get more answers intensified within me so much so that I had to go in search of the railway-singing lady. A huge part of me felt she had a part to play in what my mother was trying to encourage me into doing. Finding the ice cream shop was a no-brainer as it was located here in Quebec city, just a stone's throw from a large departmental store. I confirmed that it was indeed owned by a man named Alfred Flynn, who worked as a part-time stripper in a club Downton. Why would he name an Ice Cream shop after his stripper nickname was beyond my understanding. Worse, didn't the people who worked there and the others who bought the ice cream there, think of how weird the whole thing sounded? Human beings sure did crazy things.

I wasn't out of this theory as I sure did crazy things as well. Coming by for the past five days (now six, if you counted tonight) to the shop, sitting at the same spot and ordering nothing but then leaving a tip for absolutely nothing. Well they never complained that I frequented there and never ordered anything so the least I could do was tip them well. Going back to being crazy, I would sit and do nothing but stare at the railway-singing lady, wondering what step to take. Each time she came to my table to take my order, I would always be at a loss for words and just shake my head, declining whatever she offered. I wondered when I would be bold enough to say something that would Iead me to finding my answers.

But then today, when I closed from the office pretty late, I ought to have gotten into my car and ordered Phillip to drive me home however, I found myself telling Phillip to take my car back home while I walked to clear my head. I walked and walked for hours, watching people along the way, some alone and others with family or friends or business colleagues or spouses. An ache in my heart throbbed over reality that I was alone, no one close enough to talk deeply to or to just be with. My health was a bit stable since I began to receive treatment although I knew I was only prolonging the inevitable. I pushed these thoughts out of my mind so I wouldn't do something I'd regret.

Gaining consciousness of my thoughts and current environment, I was astonished to find myself at the Ice cream shop and deeply shocked to glance at my wristwatch observing it was past 10pm. How in the world did I get here by this time? I noticed the other employee was just about to lock the shop when she noticed my presence. She seemed shocked as well that I had come. The singing lady was nowhere near, maybe she had left earlier. A wave of sadness zoomed in on me but I ignored it. The polite thing I could do to the lady who still hadn't said a word but roamed my body with her eyes, was to smile and wave my right hand in greeting. That did the trick of opening her mouth to say something and then when I asked about her colleague, she spoke at the same time the railway-singing lady walked out from behind the bus. I seemed to be saying the words "railway-singing lady" too often for my liking. It wasn't like she was some kind of pacifier or angel, so why did my heart beat a tad faster when I saw her and the expression of surprise she wore on her face? Why did I find her beautiful when she gaited closer? Why did her voice as she finally spoke, do funny things to my stomach? A huge NO, to any of these emotions. I wasn't going to give in to anything other than asking her a few questions that could answer my questions and then walk away without looking back!