Mabel had a very wide smile as she spoke with Yeside while in the elevator. They were heading to their 6th floor office.
'Sure. I have meetings till 11am. Can we meet at about 11:15?'
'I have a meeting from 11-12. How about having lunch together? My treat. '
'Sure. Can we do this more often?'
They both laughed as they got off the elevator.
'Do I get a hint on what the chat is about? Is it an appraisal session? Come to think of it, I need to find a mentor for my High Flyer Program. Please will you be my mentor?'
'Na mentor you call like that? Isn't there a particular level one must be at before you can mentor High Flyers like you?'
'Ah ahn na. Don't you know you're a Big Madam? Only your eyeliner sef will buy my entire make-up kit. When I grow up, I want to be like you ooo'
They both laughed as they went into their respective offices.
*************************************
'Mrs Akingbade, what are your thoughts on how to approach this case?'
'I believe the prosecution has no concrete evidence against our client. Everything that has been presented so far is speculative. No one saw Mr. Haruna firing the fatal shot.'
'Thank you, ma'am.'
Yeside was so thankful that she had taken some time to read through the case files before the public holiday. She had been lost in thought when Barrister Ikedia threw the question at her. She couldn't afford any slips; all eyes were on her as a High Flyer.
She had to always be on point, organized and prove that she was competent. She had to prove that she wasn't rising as a result of 'bottom power' as some of her male contemporaries had crassly put it. She had to make those that nominated her for the High Flyer program proud. She had to make mum proud. She had always heard how it was her duty to pave the way for other women by ensuring that she did her job exceptionally well. She had to prove that "What a man can do, a woman can do better". She had to make her 'sisters' proud.
She had been thinking of yesterday's events. How could a day that started on a promising note end so poorly? She wondered who Wole spoke with in the morning. He seemed ready to take her to 'Jerusalem', even after Olamide's interruption. Then there was that phone call. Who called him? Could Wole be seeing another woman? She had to get his phone somehow and get the identity of the caller. She was beginning to plot how to get the phone when Barrister Ikedia interrupted her thoughts with his question.
'Research on how to get call records', she included on her 'To-do' list.
Her answer must have impressed Barrister Ikedia a lot as he asked her to wait behind after the meeting. She had 30 minutes between this meeting and the next. As she waited for Barrister Ikedia, she quickly checked her phone. Wole had sent a BBM message about dropping off Olamide at school. Mum had asked her for their decision concerning the help they interviewed yesterday. She quickly sent a message to Wole and they agreed that Mum could take the help for the necessary tests while they worked out the living arrangements once the help moved in. She asked Mum to go ahead with the tests. She was just about to send a message to Olamide's teacher when Barrister Ikedia asked her to come.
As they discussed the details of the case, Yeside observed that there was no wedding ring in Barrister Ikedia's fingers. He was a handsome man in his early forties. He was the youngest partner in the firm. He asked how the High Flyer program was going. He offered Yeside an opportunity to help him with research on a similar case he was handling. He had only come around to check up on this case as it was a high profile/high risk one that required Management involvement. She didn't think twice before accepting the offer. Barrister Williams, who was handling this case, was only an Associate Partner; working with Barrister Ikedia would definitely be a wise career move.
As she hurried for her next meeting, she quickly sent a message to Olamide's teacher. She also sent a message to Mum, telling her about Barrister Ikedia's offer. As she copied the message to send to Wole, Emeka distracted her when he asked her to stop 'pinging' on the stairs. He went on to lecture her on stairway safety. Well, he had a point.
She went on to the High Flyer Topical Session. Today's topic was "Dealing with children living with abusive parents/guardians'. It was quite enlightening and interesting. As she left the meeting to return to her seat and wait for Mabel's lunch offer, she quickly checked her phone. She forgot to send the message about Barrister Ikedia's offer to Wole, thanks to Emeka's Stairway Safety lecture. She quickly sent the message. Mum had sent her a message with links to sites she could visit to read more about such cases. Yeside could tell that Justice Anjola was more excited about this offer than even Yeside.
*************************************
'How are you doing, dear?'
Mabel smiled as they settled in and started their lunch 'date'.
'I'm doing well'
They continued eating and talking in the most ladylike way they could.
'You are too focused on your goals and plans. You need to give God room to work.' Mabel said gently to Yeside 'Really? Why did you say that?' Yeside asked.
'Actually, I was led to talk to you along these lines. That's why I offered you that ride a few weeks ago. I prayed that God would give me an opening with you. I noticed you didn't drive that day so I offered you the ride. I wasn't going home directly but I decided to drop you off before going back to where I had planned to go. Everything you've said now confirms all that I've been led to share. It's good to make plans and have goals. However, if they do not originate from God, you will not find lasting satisfaction even after achieving them.'
'Have you considered my mentoring request'? Yeside quickly changed the topic.
Mabel smiled at Yeside's poor attempt at changing the topic. She had to be really patient with her. God sure had a sense of humour, sending her to work with Justice Anjola's daughter. She'll just have to trust God on this one and not try to force things to go her way.
Yeside excused herself and went back to her seat. She had to research how to get call records from a service provider. She would explore that option while trying to get Wole's phone to know who called him yesterday. She also had to check out those links Mum had sent to her.
*************************************
Wole was amazed at how many messages he got from Yeside that day. She seemed too happy for a woman whose plans to seduce her husband didn't go as planned. He knew The Witch was up to something and he wasn't going to be fooled this time. He couldn't wait for the help to resume so he could continue his plans. He had to tread carefully and play his cards close to his chest.
He checked his phone again and saw another message from Yeside. Things must be really slow at her office today. Usually, he got only one message from her at about 3pm asking him what he would like to eat. When he decided to marry a rich spoilt brat, he had expected to be her cook and cleaner as he knew he couldn't afford to hire either. She had surprised him with her interest with cooking. She was one rich girl that could cook. That was one thing that remained consistent even as he discovered how wicked she truly was. She didn't let him down in the cleaning area. He was glad that the help would come and help them keep their apartment clean. That was a bonus.
'A partner in the firm has asked me to work with him on one of his high profile cases'
He knew he ought to be happy for her but he couldn't bring himself to rejoice. He sent her a 'Thumbs up' reply. Why should she be making such progress while he had to respond to another query this morning?
He hadn't turned in his report on the status of the transformer the residents of Igbaje requested for 7 months ago by the deadline. The suppliers kept coming up with excuses and they were the only ones approved to supply them. He had done all he knew to do. The residents had written about their case in the dailies. The case had suddenly become a high-profile one and he was the scapegoat to bear the brunt. He now had to explain why he had not escalated the issue to his superiors when things were not going as planned. He remembered bringing the issue up in a meeting but there was no minutes of meeting to prove that. Only God could help him here.
A text message came in. It was a reminder from the church office about a prayer program in the evening. Who had time for that? He was meeting with Kunle and the gang for a drink after work. Maybe he'll try to attend tomorrow's meeting.
He had to figure out how to use this information from Yeside to his advantage.
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