OMOGE

Gilbert was neither tall nor short. Light or dark. He was not Boris Kodjoe or Brad Pitt but he was no Seal either. He kept a balance in his life and it kind of reflected. He wasn’t fat and his subscription to the gym was so hefty that he went there so often that he didn’t gain weight. He wasn’t Bill Gates rich but he had a job. A job that afforded him invites to classy events, access to exclusive boutiques, spas and hotel, respect and recognition in the necessary social groups and powerful acquaintances he could call. He wasn’t doing too badly. He wasn’t single but he wasn’t exactly taken. His social life had a myriad of girls slipping him numbers and starting conversations. His phonebook was interesting. Belinda ‘Lua’, the long legged one he met in Chez Ntemba who danced Koffi Olomide’s Lua so well he remembered her by it. Candy, name so sweet it matched her demeanour, however she was too much work so he texted her every other day to soften her up, it wasn’t time to move in for the kill. His phonebook also had a Mimi, a Chichi, a School girl, an “always asks for $” and a few married women’s numbers. He didn’t discriminate.

It was a day that started out hot but then suddenly became hot. Sweat was relentlessly collecting on his brow and the tightness of his three piece suit was suddenly manifest. It was not a pleasant Monday for Gilbert. He had walked into the deli for a healthy salad but found himself taken by the ice lollies and he bought one, which he began to suck on immediately while waiting for his salad. He was half way through the strawberry pop when he noticed her. She was in a royal blue dress that would have been sweeping the ground if it wasn’t for her firm and shapely de rear and ample breasts. She was also waiting for a salad or something of the sort. She wore gold earrings that looked like miniature roses and a gold pendant hang low on her chest drawing his eyes down her body once more. Gilbert saw beautiful women all the time, she was definitely among the most beautiful on his list. Her full lips made her look like she was always pouting and her skin was perfect, no obviously smudged on make-up. As mentioned earlier, Gilbert was exposed to beauty, it was the forlorn look in her large eyes that made him check her left hand for a ring and peer over to see if she was accompanied. Once he had made sure she looked single, he stepped forward and stood next to her. He was served his salad and he kept standing there, waiting for her to be served, once she was served, she turned to walk away and he followed her, walking easily next to her like they had come into the deli together.

Omoge rolled her eyes, she had noticed the man in the three piece suit but refused to acknowledge his antics. Who preyed on people at a simple salad bar anyways? She walked on and he kept following. This wasn’t completely unusual, Omoge looked older than her simple 20 years and older men hit on her all the time. The unusual part was how he said nothing but just followed. The child in her wanted to blow her nose and wipe it on his well pressed shirt but she just kept walking, obviously he’d leave once she reached the bus stop. Oddly enough the bus stop was empty and she had to stand next to him. Wasn’t he afraid? Didn’t he have a wife that was going to spot him?

A blue and orange finally came around with smoke and people and the bus station was suddenly alive again. Omoge sighed and eagerly waited to get on. Then she felt him touch her elbow.

“Hey, you looked lonely so I kept you company and it was a pleasure. Here is my card, if you ever need my company again, I’ll be more than willing. Have a nice day.” Gilbert said and slipped the card into her arm. He watched her take it begrudgingly and she turned to get on the bus. She didn’t say a word, he had no idea what she sounded like or what her name was, but at least she took his card. He smirked at her and walked away knowing fully well that she was silent but feisty so she may have already thrown the card way.

“Hey...” She texted. There were two ticks, an online, an offline, then a last seen but no reply. Omoge was getting frustrated. She had been texting her boyfriend for the past week and it had been the same. Her pride had long left her and she was now just texting because she promised she would try. She tossed her phone onto the bed and threw herself onto the bed as well. She was bored, broke and kind of lonely. School wasn’t that busy and she had no hobbies. Whenever she was bored the card burned a hole in the drawer she had thrown it into. She got the card from annoying three piece suit man who she later on discovered was named Gilbert. Older men usually had English names of that kind. As she sat on that bed, bored out of her mind, the urge to call Gilbert increased and she did. He wasted no time, he called her, visited her all the time and gave her the attention and company she sometimes longed for. Before she knew it, she was in a leopard print dress going to meet him for a late dinner.

It was the first time she had accepted his dinner request and he was actually surprised she agreed. He usually just asked knowing the answer will be no. Gilbert had been pursuing her for six solid months since he gave her his card at the deli and it was old fashioned how she kept their associations so vanilla and innocent, it was also endearing in a way.  He had been waiting at the outdoor restaurant for fifteen minutes and he had expected to wait longer when she appeared. Omoge looked even more beautiful at night, that’s what he concluded when he saw her. Her white straight teeth shown in the moonlight and contrasted perfectly with her red lipstick. Her dress was a dark leopard print and covered her from the neck down to her knees. It clung to her like it was made just for her and she surprised him by matching it with black and white low heels. The kid had fashion sense. He stood up and hugged her, she let him. She smelled like a girlfriend; total femininity met with intimacy, the kind of scent that clung to your clothes after you held her. In that moment he forgot his phonebook of women and decided to just be in the moment with Omoge, the twenty year old with forlorn eyes. He wondered about her.