Eight “WOW! LOOKS LIKE it’s even going to be bigger this year.” Caleb observed, studying the document Austin had given him earlier. It was a detailed account of what his 2014 Young Entrepreneurs Week Program would encompass. The Young Entrepreneurs Week was a pro bono youth development and empowerment program Triple-A Consulting started organising three years ago. It had started off quite small – just a few known companies willing to offer their sponsorship, but with what he’s been telling him, it appears this year’s program was going to hit the roof. At the moment he had three top banks offering their sponsorship and another two transnational conglomerates. “It’s not just going to be bigger,” Austin grinned, “it is going to be better. You won’t believe it but I’ve been getting requests instead of making requests.” Caleb laughed. “That’s not much of a surprise. The impact of last year’s program last dropped quite a lot of jaws. And the sheer publicity of it - not just on broadcast and print media nationwide but above all on social media – now that has the interests of these big companies peeked.” “You can say that again, my friend.” Austin relaxed against his seat. “And I’ve got other Motivational Speakers asking to collaborate with me. I mean I have speakers for this one week program, I don’t even know where to chalk them in.” “Good for me.” Caleb chuckled. “Now I get to take a rain check this year.” “Uh huh, no you don’t.” Austin shook his head. “I have you booked for our second day, morning section as usual and I’m not letting you off. Entrepreneurs who started from the scratch are much more inspiring than Motivational speakers who just have great words.” Caleb scowled. “Thanks.” Passing the document back to him. “Now I’ll have to write a paper and start practicing - you know how much I hate speech making.” “Just think of the many youths you’d be inspiring if you add that to your talk – I hate making a speech but knowing that it can be avoidable, I always practice -.” Austin winked. “They won’t be so inspired if they knew my palms are always sweaty no matter how often I’ve stood before an audience and talked.” He retorted with a grimace. “No speaker is ever perfect, trust me. We all do so many different things to boost our confidence each time.” “And what do you do to always appear so calm and so annoyingly confident... smoke a joint? Austin laughed. “Then I’ll be inebriated not confident. No, I have my secret weapon and I never tell the secret of my success.” He flashed him a toothy smile. Caleb shook his head. “So much for best friends.” He sighed. “Since I’m a good guy and don’t mind sharing all I know and have with you, should I get you another can?” He asked nodding to the empty can of malt drink in front of him. “Unfortunately I have to say no.” Austin declined with a shake of his head. “Olivette wants me shedding off some pounds, so I’m cutting down on my sweet drinks.” Caleb sniggered. Olivette, Austin’s Sierra Leonean wife, was a fitness and health nut. Whenever they visited them, the kids always asked first if they could eat at home because they were never certain what Aunty Olivette would be serving them – and she was never short of healthy green foods. “If she does, then I believe she wouldn’t be expecting you to have a can at all, much less with cookies too.” He stared pointedly at the empty saucer. “You served me the cookies... and the drink too.” Austin protested. He lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug. “But I didn’t know you had your marching others to avoid them like plagues.” “I wasn’t told to avoid them, just don’t take too much.” He sat back in his chair and twirled. “I don’t know... maybe I should call Olivette and find out for myself... I’ll hate to be giving you the wrong things.” Austin narrowed his eyes. “It won’t work – I won’t tell you my secret and you are still going to be a Speaker at the Program.” “Then I’m telling on you.” Caleb said poking out his tongue at him. Austin snorted. “That is just so manly and mature of you, Cal. C’mon tattler, I’ve got to hit the road, still has to reach the office before I head home.” He heaved to his feet. Caleb got up too. “I’ll be a generous guy and drop you off... even though you so rudely called me a tattler.” He said picking his car keys from the desk. Austin only sniggered. The Triple-A office was at Allen Avenue and though he’d driven his car over here, his mechanic had come to pick it up for servicing and would be taking it back home afterwards. “No need to trouble yourself, pal. I can just take a taxi back.” “It’s no trouble.” Caleb picked the empty can and tossed it in the waste basket. “Besides, I’ve to stop over at Ikeja and get a bigger whiteboard, Rukky is starting off home lessons tomorrow.” They stepped out of the office. “He is? Why?” Austin frowned. Caleb stopped to give instructions to Ann before following Austin out the entrance door. “He is all of a sudden not doing so well in school.” He explained as they walked towards his Ford Edge. “So, I had to get Miss Elizabeth to come give him extra lessons at home. They are starting tomorrow.” Austin stopped on his tracks. “Miss Elizabeth? As in... fair-skinned, beautiful, pretty-eyes Miss Elizabeth whose physical appearance is of no interest to you?” Caleb opened the driver’s side door and got in. “Yes, that Miss Elizabeth.” He retorted dryly. “Rukky’s class teacher and soon to be his home teacher too.” Austin got in and slipped on his seat belt. “Wow! This relationship is certainly taking a whole new angle.” Caleb groaned as he started the car and pulled out of the yard. “There is no relationship. She’s my son’s class teacher and he wants her to give him extra lessons too... straight and simple.” “Well, there is one starting now.” Austin smirked. “And so you know, I saw the way you sized her up that day.” Caleb took his eyes off the road briefly to glare at him. “I didnt size her up. Jeez! She is my son’s class teacher for heaven’s sakes. That would be inappropriate.” Austin let out a derisive snort. “Inappropriate my butt. What is inappropriate is that you see a pretty woman and you can’t admit it... that is inappropriate. Inappropriate and sick.” “Sick?” He angled his head to the right and gaped at him. “Are you serious?” “I am definitely serious. It’s unhealthy this lifestyle you are living.” Caleb nodded his head as he focused on the mild traffic. “It’s unhealthy that I’m not gallivanting the entire city, running after every woman that flounces past me? Unbelievable!” “No. It’s unhealthy that you have refused to let go off your grief, stop hiding behind this self-imposed celibacy and learn to live again.” “I have let go of my grief.” Caleb snapped slapping the wheel in exasperation. “And I’m not hiding behind any self-imposed celibacy... I choose to be celibate... my wife is dead and I don’t care for easy, casual, meaningless s3x.” Austin inhaled deeply, shaking his head. “I’m not talking about having casual s3x here - though it might be a welcome release if you ask me.” He chuckled at Caleb’s snort. “Cal, I’m talking about building something new again – a new, meaningful relationship with a new, pretty and responsible woman.” Caleb spied Austin’s office building just after the Oshopey Plaza and almost sighed in relief. He was in no mood for his usual start-living-again talk. “I’m doing just fine on my own and with the kids. Believe me, Austin.” He said pulling off the road and stopping the car. “You are living in denial.” Austin shook his head, opening the car door. “A man can only hold back for so long, at some point he will crack.” He got down from the car. “You are cracking, Caleb.” He started the car again. “Okay Speaker, thanks for the pep talk.” He laughed when Austin pointed at him and mouthed cracking as he pulled back into the road. Yeah right, like that was even possible. Cracking indeed! **** “I need your opinions, movie-fanatics.” Elizabeth said as she strode into the living room. “What do you think of this dress for tomorrow?” She held up the sleeveless colour-block striped maxi dress. Neither of the two staring at the TV screen turned their heads. She jerked her eyes to the screen – Chiwetel Ejiofor clad in a funny white blouse-like shirt was working on some kind of wood house. She pursed her lips and stepped forward to stand right in front of the screen. “What is the matter with you?” “Get out of there!” They both yelled in unison. She only arched her eyebrow. “Chill out, both of you. It’s a DVD, you can always rewind. I need your opinions on this dress.” She swayed the dress in front of them. “Just move aside and allow me to pause it please.” Tonye growled. She grinned and shifted her body. Tonye angled his hand as he pressed the pause button on the remote control, muttering under his breath. “Now what?” He demanded with a scowl. “What do you think about this dress for tomorrow’s lesson classes?” She asked raising the long dress again. “It’s been long I wore it. Just want to make sure it’s good enough for going out.” Tonye stared at the blue-black-and-grey colour- block dress. “It’s ugly.” “It is not.” Elizabeth glared at him. “Don’t be mean, just because I deprived you of a few minutes of drooling over your movie. Give me your honest opinion... serious opinion.” “Seriously... it is old school-ish and ugly.” She bared her teeth at him before turning to their mother. “Mum, what do you think jor?” Evelyn considered the dress for a moment. “Well, it does ...” Tonye pinched her. “Ouch! She twisted her neck to glare at him. He was just staring nonchalantly at the paused image on the TV screen. “Errm... I think I agree with Tonye, it’s a bit old school.” She said returning her eyes to her daughter. Elizabeth frowned at both of them. “Are you two just saying that because I interfered with your movie? Because I think this dress is casual and not bad at all.” “You wanted our opinion and we gave it. Now we have to play the defendants because of it?” Tonye shook his head. “ Women!” Evelyn slapped him on the back. More out of a desire to punish him for pinching her than a need to rebuke him for his sneering last word. “Ouch! Mum, easy... I meant this woman,” he jerked his head towards Elizabeth, “not all women. In any case, Teacher Eliza, that dress is not good enough... which I suppose it’s why you stopped wearing it...” “I never stopped wearing it, I just forgot all about it.” Elizabeth snapped defensively. Tonye exhaled. “We are speaking the same language. Bottom-line, it’s not good enough for going out... you should just go with your biro-blue poly-denim dress, it’s casual enough and trendy too.” Elizabeth bent her head to stare frowningly at the dress. “Is it because it’s sleeveless? I could add a small jacket.” “It makes you look like a seventeenth century nun... just go with the denim dress.” Tonye told her rolling his eyes. “Now, can we go on with our movie please?” She tossed the maxi dress over her shoulders. “Fine, movie-addicts, go on with your silly film.” She poked her tongue at Tonye and strutted off. “It’s not a silly film, it’s Twelve Years a Slave – an Academy Award winning blockbuster movie.” Tonye called after her. “Educate your movie-brain.” Elizabeth muttered something about movie-brain, but they didn’t hear her clearly. Tonye chuckled and turned only to find his mother looking at him with narrowed eyes. “What?” “Why did you want us disapproving that dress?” He shrugged. “Because it wasn’t good enough.” “For what exactly?” “To go teach at the Onofighes’ residence.” Evelyn arched her brows. “Onofighes? Who are they? Or who is he?” “You are one wise woman, Mamma mia.” Tonye gave her a lopsided grin. “He is a widower with two kids – his son is in Eliza’s class.” “And?” “And he is interested in our dear Eliza.” He nodded his head sagely. “And did I say he was a widower with two kids?” Evelyn frowned tapping her fingers on her knitted caftan dress. “And how do you know he’s interested in her?” “I’ve met him twice and those two times, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.” Tonye replied with another sage nod. “A lot of men can’t take their eyes off your sister – she’s a very pretty woman.” Evelyn retorted. “That don’t always mean they are really interested in her.” Tonye angled his body so he was facing her. “Mum, I know when a man is interested in a woman – I am a man. And he’s not interested in a lewd-pervert kind of way, he is I-think-I-like-this-girl interested in her.” She looked at him, then shook her head. “But that doesn’t mean he might be good for her. Or that she should give him a chance.” Tonye sighed. “C’mon mum, we both know Eliza is never going to willingly give another man a chance in her life. But we also know that she can’t continue to live like this. Don’t you want more for her than just go to work, church and have a few fun times with family?” “Of course I do.” Evelyn retorted, sighing too. “But you know what happened...” “None of us can change what happened.” Tonye interrupted. “But she has to learn to live with it and not hide from it.” “And isn’t that what she’s trying to do.” His mother argued. “Not by avoiding men or relationships. There is something more out there for her... someone out there for her.” “And you think that this widower with two kids is that someone?” Tonye thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know. I only know that she has to begin somewhere and there’s no better person to begin with than with someone who has more than just s3xual interests in her and who she has interests in.” Evelyn’s eyes widened. “She has interests in him?” Tonye inclined his head. “Definite I’m-attracted-to- this-man interests, mmm hmm. But she’s on the defensive as usual. Which is why I dragged her to the Printing firm with me last time.” Her eyebrows lifted. “The man works at the Printing firm?” “The man owns the Printing firm.” “Aha! I now see why you insisted... you mischief maker.” Tonye smiled affably. “A brother’s got to do his best for his relationship-shy big sister.” Evelyn nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe. But we have to tread carefully, we don’t want her hurt or broken again, do we?” “No we don’t. But we don’t want her ending up like Miss Havisham from Great Expectation either, right?” Tonye queried with a pointed stare. “I thought you two would have drowned in the movie by now.” Elizabeth said coming back into the room. “How come you have the movie still paused?” “And that is the thanks I get for being a kind brother and waiting for you to join us before we continue.” Tonye responded smoothly in a mournful tone. Elizabeth dived into the space beside him. “Oh, you were waiting for me? Aww, you are such a dear.” She slipped her hand around his shoulders and hugged him. “Okay, then we will have to restart the movie... so hit rewind, little brother.” “Yes, hit rewind so we can all start again.” Their mother said smacking him on the lap. “Ouch!” Tonye cried un-pausing the movie and clicking the rewind button. “Gosh, this is what a man gets for always being so generous... women!” He raced off to another seat before their hands could reach him.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 18:05:18 +0000
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