CHAPTER TWO

I woke up the next morning bustling, just as I was for the rest of the previous day. I will be honest though, that was one of the few times I woke up happy on a Monday morning. I walked through the gates, accompanied by stares as I entered my workplace. Even my colleagues could barely respond to my greetings. They all looked like they had seen a ghost. "Are you okay man?" my friend Rowland asked as I got to my desk.

"Sure bruv. Why not?" I asked, perplexed.

"Well, you've been smiling. Really widely. It's creepy," he riposted.

"Oh, so that was what all the stares was about. I thought something was odd. I met some---" I replied, but he cut me short.

"Yo man, there's this new babe in our department. Man, you should see her hips. Her waist to hip ratio is absurd. I don't think---" he said, but for some reason unknown to me, he went mute.

"You don't think what?" I asked, looking up to see Maryam standing in his face. She wore a sly grin in my direction. I was the only one unaware of how I loud I was. I yelled in shock. She caught me of guard. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?" she teased. I couldn't even muster the words to reply. "You didn't call yesterday though. I'll be needing my card back," she goaded with her hand outstretched.

"Now that's just plain petty. I meant to call actually, but I got caught up in some work at home," I said. Truth was, I didn't know what I'd say. I spent so much fantasizing our call that it almost registered that I did. But in the end, I pushed it to later.

"Well I'm sure that you saved my number, right? If so, you don't need it. And if you didn't, you don't need either," she retorted.

She got me roped there. I had almost forgotten how quick witted she was. One of the things that attracted me to her. She always knew how to get her way. Arguing with her just meant falling deeper into her trap, smothering yourself in seasoning, waiting for her talons to snatch you and devour you. Sad thing was, I hadn't saved the number, although I still had the card.

"My bad, really. Just let me off the hook this time, will you?"

"Do you even still have the card?"

"Sure," I said, pulling the card from my pocket.

"You'll have to make it up though."

"How may I please her highness?"

"Dinner. Your queen wants dinner."

"Yes, my supreme," I bowed. And in a few seconds, we both let out a hearty laugh. It had been a while since we joked like that. All through this, Rowland was speechless.

"Y'all are weird, for real," he said.

"Rowland, this is Maryam. Maryam, Rowland."

"Nice to meet you. Let me know when you're closing," she said. "And by the way, it's 27 to 39," she added, looking in Rowland's direction.

"What is?" he asked.

"My waist to hip ratio," she gloated, leaving for her office.