RAGING PASSION

Star sat up on her bed and yawned tiredly, barely noticing her spacious and beautiful mustard and lemon furnished bedroom. She didn’t feel like getting up today, let alone going to work. She wished for a holiday but if wishes were horses she mused and stretched yet again, too tired and too reluctant to leave her bed. The thought of another gruesome day at the office was too much to bear and she had a lot to do. A meeting with some executives working under her. Another one with Uche and lots of appraisals, proposals and presentations to attend to.

There might be a meeting with Chuck, this she wasn’t particularly looking forward to, not that she still had crush on him but because she was still embarrassed by her outburst at Eden castle when she learned of his romance with Helen.

Since his marriage to Helen, Chuck had been talking about retirement. Maybe he’d finally made up his mind. She smiled as she remembered that Helen wasn’t her real name but no one seemed to care and no one called her Ehi, not even her husband.

She groaned again as she remembered that Rose’s prestigious annual party was also same day and she was yet to pick up her dress from Nma. She let out a frustrated sigh and covered herself with the duvet

‘I need a break’ she almost screamed.

Suddenly her bedroom door opened and she peeped from the corner of her duvet and saw her mother come in.

‘No work today?’ her mother asked

Then a very happy smile spread all over face. That was how happy it made her seeing her mom happy, fresh and so healthy. No one would believe she used fry akara mornings and evenings in front of slum compound in the ghetto they found themselves after her father threw them out of the house. She had vowed then to bring her mother out of poverty and she had done that by taking her studies seriously because she knew then it was her most promising way out of poverty and it had paid off.

‘Good morning mom’ she greeted and sat up again ‘I am going of course’ she answered her mom ‘Just feeling a little tired today, what’s up’ she asked knowing her mom didn’t come into her bed room this early for nothing

‘That our new neighbour came last night’ Joy began and Star groaned knowing where the talk was leading to but she feigned ignorance

‘You mean the doctor that just moved in next door’ Star asked

‘Yes the doctor, Do you know he is a top doctor at Bright Star hospital?, now that’s some achievement’ Joy said undeterred.

‘Mom I have to go to work’ Star said, lifting up the duvet ‘So what did Mr. Achiever want?’

‘To invite you to his birthday party tonight’

‘Please make my excuses to him, I have Rose’s annual party tonight’

Joy heaved a sigh ‘Somadina’ Joy called her full Igbo name

‘Yes mom’ Star answered in a drawl

‘I am beginning to be worried about you, You are hardly trying at all’

Star got up from the bed ‘I don’t know what you are talking about’

‘There is a fine young man interested in you and you show no interest at all. Don’t you want to get married? My darling you are in your thirties…’

‘Early thirties’ Star interjected smiling

‘Big difference that makes, when was the last time you were on a date, when was the last time a man came here calling for you’

‘Maybe I call on them’ she joked

‘This is not a joking matter, when a girl gets to a certain age, people stop asking who the father is and begin asking who the husband is. Besides I want to carry my grand children before I die’

‘Mother you are too healthy and too young to die so please stop talking about death’ Star said, she didn’t even want to entertain thoughts of loosing her mother. She didn’t think she would survive without her. She entered the bathroom to brush her teeth and her mother followed her.

‘Don’t think I don’t know what the problem is’ Joy said

‘There is no problem mom, I assure you once I find the right man, I would get married’

‘And that right man must be a billionaire like your boss or like Chuck’

Star turned to look at her mother, shocked on how astute she could be at times. Not that she was looking for a billionaire but after spending so much time with men like Uche, she didn’t want to settle for less. Pity she didn’t know this before he met Nma or before Chuck fell for Helen. Not that she was angry or envious, she was very happy for the two men and their wives but sometimes she couldn’t help wondering why she didn’t fight for their love the way she had had to fight and work very hard for all that she had gotten.

‘Mom you are very funny’ she said and began brushing her teeth.

‘I understand, this is not me thinking you are too selective or greedy, I know that it is not just their wealth, it is their personalities, that aura, prestige and charisma. The fact that they are not only rich but smart and very ambitious’

‘Ok mom, what’s the point of all these talk this morning’ she asked frustrated because her mom was hitting the nail on the head.

‘So I am wondering, Stanley is still very single and the last man standing, what are you waiting for?’

Star turned about with alacrity staring at her mother shocked and speechless. She quickly turned about and rinsed her mouth. ‘Mom’ she exclaimed ‘Have you gone insane?’

‘He is the kind of man you always go for, you know the alpha males. The daughter I raised does not wait for things to be handed to her. She goes out there and fights till she wins and takes what she wants. So I ask again, what are you waiting for?’

‘Did it occur to you that I may not want him?’ she asked still shocked and even more shocked as Stanley’s handsome face swam into her view. She shook him out of her head.

‘What is it you don’t want about him, those sexy bedroom eyes, his enchanting smile or his ripped body, his money or his prestige?’

‘I am shocked you noticed all these from the few times you’ve seen him’

‘I noticed because he is totally your type’

Star let out her breath in whoosh. ‘So you are saying I should seduce Stanley for his looks and money, mom are you hearing yourself’

‘I am saying you should give him the green light, he is very single and so are you. He is the kind of man you always go for and I have seen him with a lot girls but you are more beautiful. If that local girl IJ can hold his interest for two years so can you and for a life time’

‘Mom I am going to finish getting ready for work and I am going to pretend we didn’t have this conversation’ Star said and began pulling her night gown over her head

‘Well if I am talking nonsense then you should pay attention to the good doctor’ Joy started walking out but she stopped when she got to the door ‘or did I just forget that he is not an alpha male’ joy smiled sweetly at her daughter’s shocked face and left.

Star stood transfixed after her mother left. Stanley’s very handsome face swam into her view once more. ‘No! No you are not getting into my head’ she said to herself ‘Don’t take what she said to heart Star, she is just a desperate mother looking for a grandchild’ with that she turned back to her en suite bathroom to get ready for the day.

Star rushed out of the bathroom, very aware that she was out of time, she quickly glanced through her wardrobe and picked a red maxi Caribbean gown. It was Friday after all and she didn’t plan on spending too much time at the office not when she had her dress to pick up from Nma. The gown was button down and she left it half button from mid thigh to dance to the will of the wind, with very minimal makeup, she slipped her feet into high heel stilettos sandals. She picked her green purse and and the briefcase containing her laptop and some documents, she was ready at last. She was about to leave when she walked passed the mirror and saw she didn’t have any hair on. She did a turn about and went to her hair stand. Most of her hair she had turned into wigs. She didn’t have the time for hair installation. This way she had variety and could change her hair style whenever she wanted. She chose a thick and wavy dark blond Indian hair with lighter highlights to set it off. With one last look at the mirror, she dashed out of her room.

As she drove to work, Star found out she couldn’t get her mother’s words out of her mind. She and Stanley? First of all she had known Stanley almost all her life and not even once had he shown the slightest interest in her. No she assured herself, she wasn’t going to chase Stanley. The only man she came close to chasing was Chuck and that did not go well for her at all. Star heaved a sigh and blamed her mother for putting the idea into her head because as it was then, she couldn’t seem to get Stanley’s face out of her mind.

What madness is this? She asked herself. She didn’t harbour any kind of romantic feelings for Stanley in her mind. Whatever teenage crush she had on him died years ago, he saw to it himself. So why did it then seem that her mother only brought up a secret or a truth she wasn’t ready to face before. With frustrated movement she came down from her car, a red Range rover and began walking to the elevator, determined not to give Stanley another thought.

Not Giving Stanley another thought became a lot harder than she thought as she went through her day. As difficult as her day was, she found she couldn’t concentrate. Well it didn’t matter if she had always wanted him but had managed to suppress that feeling which possibility she doubted. Stanley didn’t want her, if he did, he would have made some kind of move on her no matter how subtle. One thing she had come to know about Uche and his friends or alpha males as her mother called them was that when they wanted something or someone, they didn’t beat around the bush. They go out there and get it. Besides they were never in doubt of what they want or who they want. So if there was a possibility that Stanley harbored an iota of feeling for her, he would have acted on that feelings long ago.

Then again if this was her mother’s words kindling a new kind of hope in her mind, she was better off squashing that hope because Stanley seemed to have begun dating Betty Abimbola. The Abimbola girls six of them were beautiful, classy, rich and smart. Five of them were all married to wealthy men and were doing great. The rumour was that Chief Abimbola, having only girls and no boy made sure his girls married only the creme de la creme of the society. Well his last girl Betty and the most beautiful of them have been seen with Stanley out on date on two different occasions and the internet buzzed with the rumour that he was the next Abimbola’s target, Star thought trying to rein in her errant thoughts.

She managed to wrench her mind from thoughts of Stanley and tried to concentrate on the meeting she was in.

One of the junior executives was doing a presentation on the telecommunication their company was interested in buying. The telecom company had gone under and was being held by the bank. They have been approached for possible acquisition and it was her job to do the ground work to make sure it was a profitable venture. At this rate, she thought, she was going to mar her success rate of always picking the right business to invest in. She didn’t hear a thing the man said and he was already wrapping up his presentation.

‘Ok Mike,’ Star said, hoping that no one noticed her distraction. ‘let me have your written report after now. I need to see the boss with these findings’ she got to her feet signifying the end of the meeting. She watched as her team got up and left. Thankfully she had just one more meeting left before she left for the day. And that was to hand over their findings on the telecom company to Uche. She let out a frustrated sigh. She hoped she would at least have time to glance through the report before she would have to discuss it with Uche. Star left the conference room heading to her office for a breather before she would see Uche.

Carrying her laptop in one hand and the printed report in the other, she juggled both as she walked to Uche’s office. She knocked slightly on Uche’s door and entered. She didn’t find him behind his massive desk as she thought she would. When she looked around she found him sitting down at the mini sitting area in his office and not alone. Her heart skipped several beats as she saw he was with Stanley, Chuck and Charles but she could see only Stanley. Had his eyes always been that dreamy, had his smile always been this sexy? His jacket was gone and his sparkling white shirts sleeves were his rolled up to his elbow, showing very ripped and muscular hands. Had he always looked this handsome or was her eyes seeing things. Gush! Get a grip, she cautioned her mind. She blamed her mother, if not for her unsolicited advice, she wouldn’t be in this mess. She wouldn’t be at loss for words starring at a man she had known for decades like a besotted teenager.

There was no need to stay for the meeting with Uche. She wouldn’t know what to say to him after all because she couldn’t recollect one thing the report said. And then They all looked up as they saw her

‘Hey beautiful’ Stanley smiled at her as usual. And got up from his sitting position. She saw that some part of his shirts had come up from his waist band. And she stared, scandalized at the thought going through her mind. And then she realized he called her beautiful and somehow her heart flustered at the endearment watching him transfixed on the spot as he walked towards her, heart beat on the rise, she waited for him to get to her.