Lady K

"What do you think about this one?"

Natalie squinted at the yellow snake skinned- leather bag in front of her, noticing the details, studying it carefully.
"It's a Veronica Wang design from her recent collection." She barely looked at the store attendant talking to her. You would have thought she was listening but she wasn't. "Unique for it's exquisite look, it's exactly what you need Mrs Ozor."

"Hmm."

Natalie raised her head finally to the woman, a wide smile spreading across her face. Not that she didn't have an entire closet filled with designer bags already, some she had not even worn yet. She just wanted something else, something different. Bag shopping was what she always did to let off steam, to relief herself of stress. It was one thing she never got tired of and that was why she was known all over the country for never ever wearing a bag more than once. The look on her face wasn't satisfactory at all, the attendant could see it.

She let out a nervous chuckle the moment she noticed Natalie's gaze stretching towards the collection of bags on the long shelf in the display glass. She hurried to the glass. It was going to be a shame if Natalie had to walk out of the store without getting what she wanted, especially since she was a regular, an A-list regular. VVIP.

"What about this?" She tried to reach for a silver clutch bag with tiny shiny ruby stones embedded in a G on it. "It's Gucci-"

"Let me see that one." Natalie interrupted her before she even bothered to get the bag down. The lady stopped for a while and then turned to Natalie. She could see Natalie's eyes and pointed fingers focused at the other side of the shelf, far away from the other bags and in a different glass.

She hurried to it as fast as she could.

"Oh." The lady said as she opened the glass and then took out the shiny, plain white leather bag from it gently. The smile on her face brightened as she hurried to the counter where Natalie stood patiently watching her. She wasn't in a hurry to go home anyway, not if she had to have another argument with Christian. She was going to spend the rest of her day doing the things she loved and spending money was in all of that. Natalie slowly took the bag from her. She examined it side by side.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The lady pushed closer to watch her. "There's only two of it in this world. This is one, and the first Lady has the other. It's really one of a kind."

Natalie raised her head to her.

"I'd take it." She announced, pushing the bag gently back to the lady. The lady's face brightened as she hurriedly took the bag.
"Give me a second please, I'd be right back-"

"Excuse me?"

The lady refrained from taking another step as she slowly turned to the really tiny voice that seemed really close to the counter. Natalie didn't turn even though she recognized the voice. It was a voice she was really familiar with. The smile on the attendants face widened as the knocking footsteps got closer to the counter, the scent of her cologne filling the air, mixing with Natalie's. She slowly placed her both hands on the counter and then leaned towards it, exposing her Iced wristwatch and twin iced bracelets, both jewelries coated in shiny diamonds. She wasn't alone, two more hands appeared on the counter, all iced.

"I'm here for my bag?" She talked like she was asking a question.

"Of course, Miss Oma." The lady nodded briefly. "Please hold on."

Natalie smiled broadly as the lady excused herself from their company, then promptly turned to the towering eighteen-year-old next her, saying. They had to be the most "not so eighteen year olds you'd ever seen." Puberty had hit these three five times extra, puberty and a lot of money, just like all the other eighteen year olds in this generation you see on social media with long legs and a gorgeous face, heavy make up and revealing outfits. Anyone could tell they weren't'regular citizens' just by looking at all three of them. Everything was wonderful. From their really long silky weaves to their perfect make up, and designer clothes, your faves had nothing on them. Nothing at all, and the three of them knew that for a fact.

"Oma." Natalie tried to act really close with the first one. The prettiest and also the tallest. The one that looked like she had tasted more luxury and was the leader of the rest of their tiny group. With the way she hesitated for a moment before she forced a wide smile on her bright red lips, anyone would have guessed the light skinned girl wasn't really surprised to see Natalie. As a matter of fact, she had noticed her stand there even before she got to the counter. She just chose to pretend like she didn't. She raised one of her perfectly carved brows, lifting her tiny fine eyes towards Natalie's direction. She blinked about four times at a go.

"Natalie." She answered in a really 'I-don't-care' type of way.

"What a surprise bumping into you here." Natalie told her. "I never thought you were a fan of this store."

The girl scoffed silently, a tiny smirk appearing on her face. She looked disgusted.

"Why? You think you're the only one that can afford designers?" She asked her so plainly. "I can afford to shop here too you know."

"One hunnid." Natalie raised her hands slightly in the air in agreement. "I never said you couldn't." She let out a chuckle. Oma raised her shoulders slightly.

"We honestly don't have to talk to each other whenever we meet like this." Oma continued. "You don't have to play nice to me either. We are not friends, the whole world knows that. No one is going to care, trust me."

Natalie scoffed playfully.

"We are going to be sister-in-laws soon anyway. What's so wrong in trying to act nice and build a relationship while we can?"

"That's if you don't get kicked out first." One of the girls behind Oma whispered loud enough for them all to hear. The other one chuckled faintly trying to control herself from laughing too loudly. It wasn't just her, the other attendant behind the counter too. She had to comport herself the moment Natalie's disappointed eyes met hers. She looked away quickly and then turned back to the lady she was attending to, who also happened to catch the joke. That had to be really embarrassing.

It had both Natalie and I wondering if it was really that funny.

"Don't worry about our relationship in the future." Oma told her. "Focus on your relationship with your husband first, because I would hate for me and Jer to be caught up in whatever chaos you both have going on." She continued. "I plan to have the perfect and happiest life with my future husband, and I want whatever bad energy you both have going on around you to be very very far away from us."

"Here's your bag Mrs Ozor."
The attendant hurried towards the tiny crowd with two large shopping bags in her hands.  She dropped the first one in front of Natalie and then the second one in front of Oma.

"How much are they?" Natalie quickly turned to her bag. She got out a black card.

"You're paying for the both of them?"

"Oh no don't worry," Oma turned to the lady quickly. "I'd pay for mine." She got out a black card too and then dropped it on the counter. "Or better still," she smiled. "I'd pay for them both. Total the cost." She ordered. "I'd like to get a gift for my soon to be sister in law."

Natalie smiled for a second and then looked away.

"Eighteen thousand." The lady announced to the both of them, her eyes on Oma. "Dollars." She continued. Oma slowly turned to the friend beside her.

"Convert that to Nigerian Naira." She ordered them as they took out their phones quickly and began to hit a lot of buttons. It only took a minute.

One of them gasped.

"Six, five hundred and seventy." She answered.

"Million." The other one added as they both looked at Oma who swallowed hard. She held her breath quickly, trying not to look obviously uncomfortable, especially since Natalie was watching her carefully. She had noticed the change in her eyes and composure and was trying so hard not to laugh.

"Six million, five hundred and seventy thousand is no joke Oma. Are you sure you're allowed to spend that much?" Natalie asked her. "Your mum might not feel good about the idea of you spending so much money in a day, especially since you're not the one working for it."

Oma glared at her for a second and then scoffed. She turned her eyes back to the attendant and then pushed her card closer to her.

"Don't worry," Natalie pushed her card closer to the lady behind the counter. "I'll pay for them."

"Swipe it." Oma ordered, pushing hers even further.

"Oma." One of her friends grabbed her arm quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Shut up." She pulled her hand away from her. She was trying so hard not to look affected by it, and her so called friends were trying to make her look like a complete fool. She turned back to the attendant and then raised a brow.

The woman smiled nervously and then reached for the card.

"Give me a minute." She said and then walked away with it. Natalie exhaled and then reached for her bag. She turned to Oma.

"You know Oma," she started "There's going to be a family dinner at the house this weekend."

"So?" Oma raised her hands to her face to play with her nails.

"You should come. You and your mum of course."

"I think I'll pass. I'll be busy this weekend."

"That's Sad." Natalie feigned a frown. "We were all looking forward to having dinner with you and your mum, especially since Jeremiah is back now."

A frown quickly appeared on Oma's face. She turned quickly to Natalie, glaring at her. She blinked.

"Oh." Natalie pretended to be surprised. "You didn't know?" She pouted. "I'm so sorry. I thought you did. I thought Jeremiah must have told you since you both were so close. I mean of course he told you, and even if he didn't, someone must have told you. You can't be left out on the whereabouts of your fiancé. My husband and I aren't even close enough as you pointed out, but at least I know his whereabouts. I mean you should have been the first to know Jeremy was back." Not that she meant to be so petty, but if Oma could go low, Natalie wanted her to know she could go lower.

Oma cleared her throat nervously. She quickly turned back to the counter. Natalie was obviously trying to pay her back for stepping on her toes earlier.

"I feel so bad he's not going to be going to Nile anymore." She continued. "I was really hoping you guys could school together, get a chance to be closer to each other before the wedding. Too bad he chose to go to NAUN instead." Natalie scoffed. "But hey, what do I know? You probably knew about that too."

Oma gulped hard. She was trying so hard to keep it together. She was in too much shock to even think straight. The thought of her just hearing these things for the first time surprised her.

"Anyway," Natalie checked her watch. "I have to go now." She raised the bag so Oma could see. "Thank you so much for this." She told her. "I'd be sure to get you something just as special next time."

She smiled and then turned to the other girls who just stood still staring at her.

"Bye girls." She told them.

"Bye Natalie." The last one waved at her with a sincere smile on her face before the first one pushed her slightly to stop her. Natalie turned and left.

"What?" She whispered to the first girl. "I like her."

The first one eyed her and then turned back to Oma just as the attendant hurried back with her card.

"Thank you, Miss Oma." The lady announced, pushing the bag slowly towards Oma. Oma rolled her eyes and then walked away as fast as she could.

"Oma!" The first girl ran after her immediately.

"Thank you." The second one told the attendant as she hurriedly grabbed the bag and Oma's card. She ran after them too.