Three | Nnamdi

Fall in love with someone who makes you glad to be different— Sue Zhao

~•~

Nnamdi walked out of his air-conditioned office, he winced as a blast of hot air hit his face. He stepped into the elevator and headed to the fifth floor.

Working as a consultant for Crystal Ltd. had changed his life, he never knew his parents —he had been very young when they left to find greener pastures— and had lived his whole life with his grandmother. The old lady had tried her best to provide for him but she didn't have enough.

Tired of being an object of ridicule fuelled by a burning desire for adventure he had left the village. At 16 he had come to the city heavy hearted and alone with no hope in sight.

He stepped out of the elevator and signed as the memories of his past flooded him.

He had resulted to doing menial jobs with one aim in mind, to return to school. At 18 he took WAEC and JAMB and he got admission to study computer engineering in the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT).

With help from one of his supervisors, he got job with a company that dealt in the repair of technological gadgets. When he had felt that the job wasn't worth his certificate, he had continued job hunting.

He had come in contact with Engr. Desmond through a friend and he was determined never to return back to the life of poverty he lived in the past. He took care of his grandmother but still had that gnawing feeling of rejection.

"Good morning sir," Linda Kelechi's secretary greeted him.
He walked past her completely ignoring her greeting.

"Well looks who's here, the one and only Nnam," Kelechi hailed as his friend stepped into his office.

"I've told you to stop calling me that, it's archaic," Nnamdi scoffed.

"Sorry oh, you're always so dour," Kelechi smiled. He knew his friend always hiding his feelings, he could be described as the strong silent type.

Kelechi sat on a swivel chair behind a huge mahogany desk which held a few files, his Mac laptop, phones and a framed picture of his fiancee Nadia.

A large screen TV hung on the cream wall above the medium sized LG refrigerator. The entire floor of his office was covered with a brown plush carpet and behind him was a large french window which overlooked the bustling city of Enugu.

It was almost like Nnamdi's office except that his office was smaller and the walls were painted blue.

"So what's up? This one you came to my office today am I safe?" Kelechi said after offering him a seat.

Nnamdi laughed. "Sure you are. How have you been? Are you still hearing from Nadia?"

Nadia was Kelechi's fiancee, she was currently in London studying in one of the universities for her master's degree.

"You know Nadia and her complaining. The weather is too cold, the food is too bland," he rubbed his face. His fiancee was such a character. "She's fine though," Kelechi added.

"How about you, have you been bumping into any beautiful ladies lately?" Kelechi asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Wait what? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I was there now, after the conference meeting three days ago when you bumped into, what's her name again?"

"Kemi," Nnamdi mumbled.

"Oh so you know her name," Kelechi laughed softly while observing his friend with an intense gaze.

"Why won't I know her name, we work in the same company," Nnamdi said defensively.

"But you like her, don't you?" Kelechi said probing further.

"No I don't, she's obviously blind. She wasn't looking where she was going!" Nnamdi exclaimed.

"Ouch! No need to call her names and besides you get defensive when you are uncomfortable, am I pushing your buttons?" Kelechi asked obviously enjoying his friend's unease.

"I'm pretty sure I don't have 'buttons'?" Nnamdi said. "And I'm not uncomfortable because I don't like her," he continued.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you like her, hmm tell me I'm all ears," Kelechi said crossing his legs.

"Don't you have something else to do other than poking your nose into other people's business?" Nnamdi retorted obviously tired of the conversation.

"Says the guy who walked into my office unannounced. Talk joor I'm listening". He reminded Nnamdi of a market woman probing her neighbor for gossip.

"I don't just like her."
"So no reason?" Kelechi doubted his friend, he had noticed him stealing quick glances at her during the meeting.

"Yes," Nnamdi answered in a monotone.

"But do you think she's beautiful?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nnamdi shouted.

"Nothing bro chillax, I just think you seriously need a woman in your life. I mean look at you so serious and arrogant all the time," Kelechi said smiling, unlike Nnamdi he was enjoying the conversation.

"You're insane."

"The friend of an insane man is also insane, I think I heard this from someone probably Buhari I dunno, but you get my point."

"I'm thirsty, you didn't offer your guest anything and you're busy spewing rubbish," Nnamdi said desperately trying to change the topic.

"Enyi m, you're not a visitor and you know your way to the fridge.
It's almost Lunch time sef, let's go to the cafeteria and continue our discussion there."

Nnamdi glared at him.

"Fine, let's just go there, eat and look at each other wondering why we're not saying anything."

"That's a better idea," Nnamdi stated smiling.

💎💎💎💎

"God today is just stressful," Ada said flopping down into a yellow seat. They were in the cafeteria and they had already taken their orders.

The walls of the cafeteria were painted red, yellow and orange being the colours known to stimulate one's appetite.

There was a food court by the corner where several delicacies were displayed ranging from pastries and snacks to local and continental dishes. The workers paid for their meals and sat on the colourful lunch chairs to eat or sometimes took the food to go.

"Is there any day that's not stressful to you Ada?" Kemi said before bitting into her burger.

"Yes of course, Saturdays and Sundays."

Kemi chuckled, "I meant a working day."

Nifemi laughed, "I agree with her, today is stressing me out and what's with this hot weather, we're in the middle of  November for crying out loud!" She rolled her eyes.

"Am I dreaming? Oh my gosh you actually supported Ada for once in your life!" Kemi exclaimed.

"It's no biggie now," Nifemi murmured with a stern look on her face.

"It is, I feel like we are besties already, can braid your hair?" Ada said in a childish voice.
Kemi giggled and rolled her eyes. She concentrated on the other people eating in the cafeteria, she hissed when she spotted Nancy.

Nancy was sitting with Rita the receptionist and Linda Kelechi's secretary. Nancy noticed her staring and gave her the middle finger, Kemi thought of how many ways to kill Nancy and get away with it.

Strangling, poisoning, knife through the eye—

Nife's voice made her jerk back to the food in front of her, "Very soon you'll be talking of sleepovers," Nife commented scrunching her nose in disgust.

"Yay, that's a great idea!" Ada exclaimed. "My place Saturday night, we'll go to my church on Sunday and then we'll come to work together on Monday."

"Ahahn, she's already planning it, what are we twelve?" Nifemi hissed. "I only was joking."

"God, you are such a kill joy. You just spoilt my mood!"

At this point, Kemi wasn't listening to the both of them. She didn't care if they strangled each other's necks, she just saw Nnamdi walk in. Kelechi was laughing at something he said and he had an amused expression on his handsome face. He was wearing a blue shirt on a black jeans with cute Nike sneakers. God could he get any cuter than this? Kemi thought to herself.

"Aha!" Adaeze shouted startling Kemi making her choke on her food.

"What?" she queried.

"So the guy you were ogling is Kelechi abi?" Ada continued.

"Heavens no! I was only staring at Nnamdi, he..."
Kemi stopped abruptly as she noticed her friends staring at her wide-eyed. God no!

"So it's him you like?" Ada and Nifemi chorused.

TRANSLATIONS

JAMB: An exam taken in Nigerian by students hoping to get admission into the University.

Enyi m: My friend *in a sarcastic manner*

———————

Hey my loves💋,

If you've read till this point you might as well add this to your library.

Please 🌟 💬 and 📣 you'll make me very happy.😊

Teddy: And send a chocolate!

What do you think about the characters?

Love,
Sky_teddy✌