Americana’s Diary V: Not Too Late
“I will definitely do, I will make inquiries into her marital status, I know she will be willing to discuss that with me” Bodmas replied Dee, raising the wine cup into his mouth for a drink, taking a sip out of the content in the cup, he said, “I hope you are managing this refreshment with us?”
“Uhm-uhm”, Dee said in between the content in his mouth, while Segun did not reply except nodding his head. “Please manage it with my family, that is how we use to refresh ourselves once in a while you know, and I used to join them in the kitchen to polish my cooking skills”, Bodmas conclusively added, looking at Sege
“Uhm. That is good of you. However, on what we are saying, it will definitely be pleasing unto me if you can help me make inquiries into your sister’s marital status”, Segun said, looking at Bodmas straight in the eyes, his left hand touching the cup of wine while he stretches his right hand to take a bouns
Someone’s footsteps is heard as Bodmas’ father and his friends’ laughter are heard in the living room, we heard one of them saying “thank you my daughter”, to the person’s whose footsteps we heard and since the man said my daughter it means that it is Shade’s footsteps that we heard. She must have greeted them while walking past them for that is our culture anytime you walk past an elder person or persons, the junior or children are expected to greet them. In fraction of seconds, Shade emerged with the pies verily hot, just removed from the oven in a serving tray. When she gets to us, she greeted us again.
“Well-done sirs” genuflecting as she greets us, about 5 centimeters from the table at the center in the front of the trio friends
“Thanks honey” Bodmas replied her sister
While Segun said, “You are welcome”
“Shade has always be accommodating, and full of hospitality since the very first day that I have come across her” Dee said to Bodmas
Shade who has not left us, on hearing what Dee said, says, “Uhm-uhm, was that so?” She then paused after putting the serving tray with the pies in it covered by paper handkerchiefs on the table as she turned to Dee
“Oh yea” Dee responded with fervor written all over his face
“Uhm. Thanks sir for the compliments. Old habits, grammarians say, die hard” Shade answered him
“I cannot agree less,” Dee entertainingly and strikingly responded to her, “That is however very good of you, because I am talking of how and what I have known you with for over a decade. You need to know that keeping this up will give you an edge over others before your spouse and I am sure it will endear you into his heart”, Dee enthused. Bodmas and I are swallowing something while Dee and Shade continued with their interactive session
“Hen hen? Is that so?” Shade asked looking intuitively
“Yea dearie, it is a fact, every brother likes a responsive and responsible lady by him at any time…” Dee replied, taking the half-filled cup of wine into his mouth to take a sip of the content, as Segun comes in
“You know some ladies as you are, a graduate, would not even mind welcoming her brother’s friends not to talk about welcoming her parents friends or any family members…” interjecting their discussion, I added
“Sege,” Dee called me, touched me and said a proverb in our land that, “do not sweat much,” even some who are still in secondary schools will be looking at their family’s visitors like a “Lucozade” not minding to attend to them, thinking she has gotten to the echelon of the world” he concluded as we all laughed to the “Lucozade” added describing the position of such ladies
“There is a proverb that our mum always said to us,….”
Dee interrupting her asked, “and what is that proverb if I may?”
“Thanks sir. She used to say, “water is a must for visitors” adding that even if there is nothing at home to offer your visitors always ensure that you serve them a cup of water on seeing them stepping into your house. This has always been in my mind, I have always been practicing it”, she concluded
““water is a must for visitors” indeed” but what of if the person is fasting?” I asked to know what her response to this shall be
“She believes one should just do that first. In the case of a person who is on the mountain, it’s the person would decline the offer, but let it not be said that a visitor is the one who at first asked for a cup of water before offering him or her she used to say” Shade explanatorily replied Segun
Segun probing her further, “what does it mean for a person to be on the mountain?”
“A person is said to be on the mountain in our faith when such a one is exercising a spiritual exercise like fasting”, she genuinely replied him
“Oh! I see.” I said.
“It makes sense you know…” Dee said
Interrupting his speech, “Excuse me sirs” Shade says and leaves us… the pies are still hot, just being taken off the oven
“Sege, tell me what brings you back to this State?” Bodmas asked again
“So you have not forgotten your million dollar question?” I asked
“Nope sir, I haven’t I want to know why”, Bodmas said
“Before I leave this town, I do not know maybe you know or not, I have started my business here…”
“Yea, I think Dee said something like that to me some years back through the social media” Bodmas responded nodding his head
“That is good. Before I left this town, I used to supply some private establishments. Apart from this I formed a partnership with a guy. After the full registration of this partnership company with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the country, we saw some bids on the pages of the dailies and we decided to bid for the contracts, but the contract did not click until I left the state, however there are some private establishments who still value me because they know that I am sincere and straight forward with my supplies so, I introduced the new partnership company to them to fill in the gap. My partner and I have been living on this since I relocated, because relocating to a new area is not easy without financial backups…”
“I cannot understand that less Sege” Bodmas said
“My partner has been faithful to me and he has not disappointed our business partners at least no complaints have been brought to me…”
Bodmas interrupting again, “That is good of him”
“As I grow the business in the new town that I have moved to, he is maintaining the business here…” I touched the pie, seeing that it is not as hot as before so I take one, take a bite as I continued in between the chewing, “he called me about a month ago that the government officials wanted to shortlist the names of the companies who bid for a contract and the representatives of the companies ought to be present…”
“Is that the norm” Dee interjecting asked
“Oh yes, that is the norm, all the companies ought to send their representatives so that they would not complain that their companies have been short-changed …”
“I think that is fair enough, people cannot be trusted, they may want to favour their own companies or even the companies of their relatives” Bodmas interrupting added
“He asked me to be present, so I decided to come because I have an employee at my new business center in the town where I am starting off the new business and I know she has gotten some knowledge about the goods in stock and incase there is any issues at all she will contact me through any of the instant messages, but in case the issue is of urgency she will call my number…”
“I hope you are also calling her for update every now and then, because that is of utmost importance too” Bodmas said as he puts the pie in his mouth
“Where one’s heart is, there one’s treasure is, stating the word of Jesus from backward forward” Dee added to Bodmas word
“Oh yea”, I said after gulping down the pie in my mouth ”I do call her everyday and during the call she will update me of the events of the sales of the previous day and in case there is any message she has for me she will deliver the message” I replied him
“That is mostly good of her” Bodmas said
“I am however yet on ground because the date scheduled for the short-listing has been shifted by the government officials claiming that the governor has a meeting with them that day, an emergent meeting, thus the date had to be rescheduled” Segun added
“Oh, sorry to hear that” Dee said
“Rumors had it that when the short-listing is completed, within 72 hours the governor and the state executives will make her choice of the company to handle the project and 72 hours after, the take up grants will be released for the company to execute the project” I added
“I think it is better you stay around of a truth to monitor the development together” Bodmas said
“The project is expected to be completed within weeks, because the Vice President will be visiting the state soon and the governor wants the project to be commissioned by Mr. Vice President of the Republic” I said
“Ha! That should bring a great income to your business if the contract is won by your company, I hope and pray your company wins this contract in Jesus name…”
“Amen” Dee and I chorused the reply
“This is because if this works out, I know it will assist your business’ growth in no mean measures because my experience with my daddy in the business has shown me that business growth, expansion, establishment requires good capital…”
“Uhm-uhm” I said sipping the juice
“If God can help you to make this and you re-invest it in your business, with time who knows you may also be gunning for the richest man in the country” Bodmas said
“Ha ha ha? Is that assumption not too early?” I asked laughing
“I said with time, with time…”
“Alright. Okay. Okay.” I replied
“With time the business will grow except you do not want to be in business again” He said
“There is nothing impossible with God, let us leave everything in God’s hands” Dee added
“I cannot do less, we have always been doing that from our secondary school days, we cannot now leave such, nay not for anything” I said
“The business guru” Dee shouted as we all laughed
“This reminds me of someone”, Dee said
“Who is that?” I asked inquisitively as Bodmas readjusted himself on the seat
“Bodmas, do you remember “Shabado”? Dee faced Bodmas
“Oh yea, I remember him” Bodmas said
“I did not bother to ask you Segun because I know you know him, but I asked Bodmas as a person who has left us for a while and may have forgotten him because Whites connections…”
“Travelling out does not affect my long term memories” Bodmas said
“The Cerebral hard disk is still intact it has not been corrupted by virus” I added smiling
“’Do not mind him, he thought it has become corrupted not knowing that it is virus free” Bodmas said laughing
“Both of you are not serious” Dee said
“So what is it about Shabado?” Bodmas asked
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