YOU FOUND ME

CHAPTER 7- PART 1

TENIOLA ADAMS

   Everything had to be perfect. And I made sure it was so. Planning the housewarming party of the boss' friend, Mr Chuks was a task I wanted to accomplish excellently. Over the past week, I had looked forward to this day. Every meal had to be thoughtfully prepared. On the menu was an all-time favorite of the famous peppered gizzard, chicken barbeque and suya combo including a variety of local and intercontinental dishes. The champagne and cocktail lounge was definitely a no-brainer. Call it an ordinary housewarming party, and you'll be grossly mistaken. The rich do know how to throw a lavish party at any given opportunity. This was definitely nothing like I'd planned before.

    We were almost at the described address on Ericsson street, Bell-View Estate. One of my assistants Chima, was driving. The journey was generally a smooth ride though we encountered a slight traffic jam on the way which cleared as soon as we crossed the Third Mainland Bridge. Prior to now, I had been to the Island on quite a few occasions, my most recent being for the wedding of one of my classmates in university. I remember wondering how different this part of Lagos was compared to where I lived on the mainland; how the houses had a foreign ambience to them and the roads were neat, nicely tarred and laced with street lights in every neighborhood.
I noticed that the 'Islanders' had adopted a lot of the Western culture; how jogging was a normal routine every morning and people were generally health conscious. Try that at my neighborhood and you'll be prey to the stares of the children on the street who had just found their new source of entertainment.

    "We are here ma'am", Chima said, jolting me  out of my wandering thoughts.
"Oh. Ok". I looked up to see the tall brown gate right in front of us.
Chima pressed the car horn twice before a young man dressed in a uniform came out to meet us.
I got down from the truck to talk to him.
"Good afternoon madam. Who are you looking for?" I liked how he spoke with so much confidence.
"Good afternoon. I am the chef catering for the event."
"Sorry, madam?", he asked with a bewildered look.
I figured I had just succeeded in confusing the man with all those unnecessary details.
"Um... I mean I am here for the party, from Mr Chuks."
"Oh. Ok. I will open the gate now".
"Thank you". So all I needed was just to mention his boss' name? So much for security.

   We drove into the expansive compound and were welcomed by the breathtaking gorgeousness of the exterior of the building. The house itself was a sight to behold; the yellow ochre and brown painting made gave it a glistening shimmer as the sun shined brightly. Artistic wooden carvings were seen around the compound, each of them seeming like they were telling a story. There were tastefully designed finishings carved around the tall glass windows. Beautiful flowers lined the walkways, providing a fresh scent of natural goodness. I sighted the water fountain at the middle of the driveway. Another man directed us to where we would park while I couldn't help staring in amazement at how thoughtfully planned the house was. The garage still smelt of fresh paint. I wondered how the interior would look like if the outside was this beautiful.

   I alighted from the truck and told Chima and my other assistants, Sam, Debby and Betty, to get down as well while I got things sorted out. I made my way towards a luscious garden area where I could see decorations already being put up. I walked up to one of the decorators and introduced myself as the caterer, asking to see the event planner.
No sooner was I done that I saw a woman in glasses walk towards my direction.
The guy I was speaking with earlier nudged me and said, "She is the one coming, ma".
"Oh. I can see her. Thank you"
I could barely recognize her from the picture I had seen on her Whatsapp. She looked much younger in person. Most of our planning had been via phone calls and whatsapp messages.
"Ms Adams right?", she asked stretching her hands for a handshake. "I'm Toyin Badmus, nice to finally meet you."
I took her hands and smiled. "Nice to meet you too".
We moved swiftly to discuss the arrangements and where the serving spots would be. She seemed very professional and at the same time I loved the fact that she sought my opinion on how things were to be organized.
"Over there would be the barbeque spot", she said pointing towards an area surrounded with beautiful hibiscus flowers.
"It's nice", I replied.
I was still in awe of the beauty of the whole environment and I wasn't exactly particular about all the details she was feeding me on.
She began walking ahead of me and I struggled to keep up with her pace.
"The cocktail lounge will be close to the swimming pool, so that the guests would be able to relax and enjoy the view".
I nodded in agreement. I saw a mini-basketball court ahead of us, close to the chalet behind. I wondered if Mr Chuks would really have time to play, given the busy Lagos life. That was none of my business actually but I couldn't help but think about it. My mind was constantly imagining a lot of things.

   After what seemed like forever, we were done with the details and I and my team sprung into action. We organized each place to meet the desired specifications. I noticed that a few people whose faces I couldn't make out had arrived and  were walking towards the entrance of the house. Shortly after, a tall man walked towards us and I saw him speaking with Toyin, the events planner. I saw him look towards my direction while nodding his head to something Toyin was probably saying. I left what I was doing and headed towards them.
He reached out to shake my hands as soon as he saw me.
"Good evening, Ms Teniola Adams. I'm Chuks Bright."
Oh, this is the Mr Chuks.
"Good evening sir. Nice to meet you."
"Please just call me Chuks. I'm just a small boy", he replied with a cheeky grin.
I rolled my eyes. Small boy? The owner of this big and beautiful house?  Well, at least he seemed to have a sense of humor.
"And I must say I really love the amazing job you are doing". He paused momentarily. "Not that I'm actually surprised, I take my good friend Korede's recommendations very seriously".
"Thank you very much for the opportunity".
"You deserved it, I'm certain", he said with a warm smile.
Chuks' attention got divided by loud greetings from a group of friends who had just arrived. He turned to face us.
"Please excuse me, I have to leave now. Awesome job", he said with a show of thumbs-up and left to meet the guests.

   I couldn't help but think of the boss' involvement in my getting the job, and a part of me was a bit surprised that he would do something like that. Not that he was a bad person, but he just seemed like someone that was too hard to please. But the least I could do was to say a 'thank you' to him, for at least considering me in the first place. Speaking of whom, I remembered I had not laid my sight on him today. Probably he was still coming, or maybe not.
I put my thoughts aside to face the business at hand.
I proceeded to do a quick double-check of everything as the party would start anytime soon.

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