Ebenezer Scrooge

One of the things Adaora found ridiculous about the celebration was how many people walked around wearing red jackets and Christmas caps and hats that glittered with the red lights used to design them. They designed shops and filling stations with Christmas greetings and lights, but get sold things very expensive. As she closed her eyes, leaning against the backseat of her Mercedes-Benz, she wished Darego could see the kind of queue in the filling station with the exorbitant prices displayed in the machines which showed that fuel had doubled in its price. Again.

Everything about the season from the rise of dollar to the traffic jam and unnecessary noise generated annoyed her. Many people had returned from abroad, and were currently driving round Lagos looking for naive girls to pick up with the promise of a better life abroad. One of her distant relatives had once fallen victim to it, and was currently in her home town nursing a baby and hoping that the heavy bearded young man who had promised to marry her and work her visa would return.

She opened her eyes with a sigh, leaning forward to tap the driver's seat which was occupied by Chide, her driver and Yemi's husband. Darego once teased her about operating a family business where the wife of the driver was her housekeeper and the brother her gateman.

"Yes Madam." Chide turned to her, lowering the volume of the music playing in the stereo. It had been low alright before, but it was a whisper now, coming through the speakers like a conspiratorially muttered gossip.

"When do you think it will be our turn?" She asked, wishing she had followed his suggestion to let them buy fuel the night before. But she had been so tired and desperately wanted to go home. Had he been in the position to say that to her, he would have gloated with an "I told you so."

"Ma, the line too much today. I think thirty minutes."

Outside, the sun was fierce, skin-burning blinding sunlight that aimed at punishing whoever was at the receiving end of it. She couldn't step out of the car for a while and stretch her legs due to it, as many people were doing.

"Okay, thank you." Even if she decided to wear her sunshades, she had in a hurry forgotten to apply her sunscreen to her body. She would wait, it wasn't that she had any other choice any way.

* * *

The streets of Lekki that led them away from the filling station and to her company held the strong smell of banger, cheap fireworks in the shape of cigarettes that made loud noises whenever they went out. Children used them to terrorise everyone with its loud noise and the odour of rusting metal that accompanied it, and she wondered why their parents let them do that.

Thoughts of parents made her remember what her mother had done, and how she had intentionally switched off her phone when she had tried calling her. Adaora had dialled her number several times after calling and speaking with Kemi, and it had of course gone to voicemail before finally being unreachable. She would definitely give her mum a piece of her mind the moment she returned from this hiatus of a journey she had forced her into.

Adaora checked the time by her watch as her driver approached the garage of the company housed by a tall building, the tallest in the vicinity and was the most successful as well. It had the words, Dora Jike's Cosmetics in a bold board at its entrance. It was her greatest achievement, one that always pulled her out of the hollow of a bad mood. But it didn't seem to be working this time. Perhaps it was the impromptu journey since she liked being organised and mentally prepared for everything, or maybe it was the disappointment she had been getting from her staff of late.

It was eleven o'clock in the morning, and unless she was the Flash, there was no way she could beat Lagos traffic and get everything done before two. She would have to reschedule her flight, even if it meant purchasing a new ticket. She quickly logged into the website of the airline company, typed and sent her request to have her flight rescheduled to that of five o'clock in the evening.

"We are here, ma." Chide informed her as he parked in the space which had a board planted to the ground, indicating it was for her, the CEO.

"Thank you." Adaora replied, wearing her sunshades and pushing her tall slender frame out of the car. She held her phone in her right hand, and her nude coloured bag the same shade as her stiletto shoes was balanced in her left arm. As usual, she had chosen her outfit well; navy blue palazzo trousers and a matching jacket which was styled to emphasise her lean waist and pronounced rounded hips. The top two buttons of her jacket were open, and there was a slit at the back.

She had thought of wearing red lipstick to lay emphasis on the whiteness and perfection of her dentition, but decided to go with nude a shade lighter than her shoes since her dress was already gorgeous enough. Now, although she concealed the beauty of her brown eyes with shades, her facial features still stood out to give her a spectacular look. Her high cheekbones which had been further highlighted with a bronzer, together with her small pointed nose and full lips, all on a smooth light cocoa skin made her stunningly beautiful.

Adaora walked briskly past the security man by the push and pull doors who greeted her with a "Good morning, ma," virtually bowing his head. She had taught all employees the error of their ways the day before, and it was obvious how they scurried around; cleaners wrapping up their equipment fast, security officers in different positions and other employees running past her to their posts that they had learnt their lessons, or so she hoped.

Walking over to the lift, she indicated her floor number and waited, touching her hair to ensure that the harmattan wind hadn't destroyed the style. She would meet with her hair dresser as soon as she got off work, she made a mental note to herself. She wasn't going to attend a wedding in America looking like what Darego had accused her of, Sponge Bob.

When she finally got to the floor she shared with top executive officers, she walked into her office, impressed to see her assistant already in her position.

"Good morning, ma." She greeted, touching her hair nervously.

"Morning Stacey. Bring me those documents I told you to get ready before next week. They are ready right?"

The discomfort on Stacey's face was readable. "Ma, I wanted to review them today."

Sighing without a word, Adaora walked into her already cleaned and dusted office, picking up the files on the table. She couldn't possibly finish with all those and still meet with her stylist, and she had to be on board by five in the evening. She rang the intercom after some thoughts and waited for her assistant to pick up.

"Stacey, call the M.D. Tell him to meet me here as soon as possible."

"Okay, yes ma."

She hoped she was doing the right thing. It didn't take long before she heard a light knock. It sounded as though the person at the other end were knocking lightly with hope that the owner of the house wouldn't hear it.

"Come in." She pushed back the rocking seat and crossed her legs, bracing her elbows on the glass table.

He tiptoed in soundlessly, careful not to make any noise that would annoy her.

"Good morning ma. Stacey, your assistant said..."

"Yes, I called you. Do have a seat."

He sat, squeezing his large frame to make him look more like a scared secondary school student in the principal's office, than a Managing Director who had before the day before carried himself with arrogance and pride.

"I'll be travelling to the U.S. this evening and I won't be back till twenty sixth. I want you to replace me here, in my office, and call if there is any problem out of control. You know you're on probation. I won't cut your salary anymore after this month if you do your job well. But if you don't, I'll extend it to five months instead of three." Which other punishment could be worse than paying him the amount her assistant was paid for months? She couldn't have thought of a better one.

"Ye...es ma. When do I start, ma?"

She checked her watch, a designers' product gifted to her by her father on her birthday. "Now."

"Now?" His naturally big eyes widened more, drawing perfect circles in the process.

"Yes." Impulsive Adaora, she thought, realising it was even better she gave herself time to pack and get her hair done.

"Thank.. Ma, I will do my job well." The uncertainty in his voice almost made her heart go out to him. Keyword- almost. Scratch that, she needed to make them sit up once in a while or she would be running children's day care centre, not a company.

She watched her assistant try not to ask her why she was leaving so early before she saved her the stress. "I'm travelling, ask the M.D. what I discussed with him and assist him with every official duty while I'm gone." That was it, she walked out the same way she had come. Even her driver was surprised when she said, "drive to my hair stylist's saloon" and nothing else.

By ten minutes to five o'clock that evening, with a newly styled hair and heavy sweater packed for the winter, Adaora boarded the plane to California.

Not in the least impressed with the forced arrangement.