Consequences

Chapter 59

I was determined to break away from the life I was living with Ola. I reasoned that continuing to live like this, I could only see myself staying that way for a long time. I didn't want that, I wanted a more settled life, perhaps alongside someone else.

But how was that ever going to happen seeing we were talking to each other regularly on the phone everyday? Not one day passed by without us getting in touch with each other. If he didn't call me, I would call him up and we would stay on the phone talking for long hours.

I enjoyed every bit of the time we spent talking to each other. However, I still had in mind to end this way of living with him. I had made a commitment not to be with another man, but I had started nourishing the idea of changing that. I needed someone close to me, someone I could see daily.

  I knew what I wanted, and it was something Ola wasn't giving me. He had told me to come over and stay with him  in the new house, so we could continue using the house I was staying in, for our weekends.

I liked the idea, but thoughts of the past and how it all went, made me decide against going there. I had to break free from him and thinking of how to do it, I realized there could be a way.

Abuja presented me with that opportunity. After leaving Ola, I went back home to take my car. I had to change from the clothes I wore to see him, into something different. When I finished dressing up I left the house and went to the office.

On reaching the office I went to see my dad and to say good morning to him. When I got to his office and knocked on the door he told me to come in.

"Good morning dad." I greeted, as I went in and sat opposite him.

"Morning Tola, hope you are ready for work?"

"Yes, dad. I'm all charged."

"Good, because there's a lot of work to do."

"Okay." I replied. He opened one of the desk drawers and brought out a flight ticket and pushed  it towards me.

"What's this, dad?"

"It's your flight ticket." He grinned. I looked at the ticket he had just given me.

"Oh, and where to?"

"Federal capital, Abuja. Is there a problem?"I didn't reply immediately as this was something I least expected to hear so early in the day.

"No. I mean, there's no problem."
"Good." he said smiling, "You leave in about, say...," He looked at his watch and I could see that it was the one I had bought him. "Three hours from now."

"What?" I asked jolting.
"You'll represent this company in a meeting being held there. I trust you can do a good job."
"Dad, such meetings need some amount of preparation to...,"
"There's nothing to prepare. You're going as an observer. You only need a paper and a pen to take notes. When you come back write a report. So...," he brought out a fresh notebook and some biros, "these are all you need. A hotel has already been booked for three days. Once you get there someone will pick you up at the airport and take you...,"

"Dad?" I interrupted him, "I need to go home and prepare myself." He stared curiously at me like he knew what I wanted. His hands  went to the top right drawer of his desk. He opened it and brought out a credit card.

"You only need this." He said pushing the card  towards me. I stared down at it and couldn't say a word.

"Tola, this is the world you'll live in if you want to run a company like ours. You must always be where the action is. That's because you're not the only one in this line of business. You have competitors who can knock you out anytime."