Entangled: A Little Too Many, A Little Too Close

by Kenneth Igiri

  "Who was that?"

  "I don't know"

  "So why were you staring at her?"

  Sandra examined Abena's face as if she was looking for traces of dishonesty.

  "Well... she was staring so I stared back. Some people are just plain rude! You see someone you don't know at a reception and start staring..."

  "Maybe she likes your suit!"

  Both women laughed hard. Abena broke the frenzy, "You are in someone's office o"

  A few blocks away as Helen walked to her car she called Philip. They had not spoken for weeks except for brief moments when tasks in the office brought them together. She would hardly look into his face these days, so it was surprising that she called. He hesitated and then picked up the call.

  "Helen?" He tried to be pleasant, but his alarm could not be hidden.

  "Your girlfriends are outside. Hope they have told you!"

  "Girlfriends?"

  "Your bank girlfriends!"

  Philip could tell from the tone of her voice that this was not going to be a pleasant call if he continued the discussion.

  "OK..." Philip concluded calmly.

  Helen dropped the call fighting tears. She was angry. Like a wife whose husband had been taken away from her by a younger woman. Like a heart broken bride whose husband never showed up. She felt totally ignored. She could not believe how much she wanted him.

  Her car had been blocked and she confronted the smiling security guard.

  "Whose car is this?" She hollered pointing at the teal Toyota Corolla.

  "Sorry Madam. let me get the keys."

  He clumsily rummaged through a plastic contained where he and his colleagues had been keeping car keys for some one or two minutes before it dawned on him that he had forgotten to pick the keys from the two ladies whom he had helped park. His smile gradually faded.

  "Madam, sorry. I will get the keys right now..."

  He walks briskly towards the reception apologizing to Helen in a shaky voice. She hissed and went after him in much more gently steps.

  "Madam sorry. Please Madam... " He was calling out to Sandra and Abena just about the time the chime from the lift's opening doors filled the reception area. Both ladies turned.

  "Madam sorry. The other madam wants to move, and you are blocking her..."

  Sandra paused. Abena cut in.

  "You can just give him the keys to help you move it."

  "Like seriously? No o. I will move it myself. You can go ahead"

  "Oh! No. I will wait for you"

  As though the lift had heard, the doors shut and it started moving back up again. Sandra step out through the revolving doors. She was greeted again by the floodlights that had turned the entire area into day in the midst of night. She could make out Helen who had stopped half way between the front door and the parked cars. She was leaning against Philip's Toureg. If Sandra had known Philip's car she could have guessed what that stare was really about. Abena saw her from inside and smiled. So that was the issue!

  "What nonsense is this? How can you come in here and just block someone's car and take away the car key?" Helen attacked.

  Sandra stopped. She was about three feet away from Sandra but her voice could be heard as far as the reception and the security house in the other direction.

  "What?" Sandra whispered. Shocked. Abena's eyes widened. She was more worried for Helen than for Sandra. Sandra was the kind that could take her suit off and engage in physical combat with anyone anywhere. She never did in the office simply because she needed the constant flow of money from a bank job.

  "Please come and move this stack of junk let me go home!"

  "Are you OK? Who do you think you are? Are you drunk or something?"

  Sandra was still speaking in normal tones. Kwame, the Security Guard was now playing the intermediary and his colleagues had come to the scene after the first outburst. Kwame tried to get the keys out of Sandra's hands.

  "Sorry Ma. Don't worry Ma. I will help you move your car. Don't worry..."

  Sandra gave him a look that made him drop his hands quickly. "Please move"

  She moved towards Helen who was still standing close to Philip's Toureg. Sandra's heavy figure ought to have made Helen, a size eight, wary about having a face-off with her. Sandra moved towards Helen and noticed the defiance in her face. She gave her soft push. The security men tried to hold her back.

  "Look! Small girl! If you try me this evening I will wake you up from whatever they have given you to drink, better shut up and go play with you mates! Nonsense"

  Four men struggled to hold Sandra back. It was such an interesting scene for those who loved to watch others fight. A fight was brewing here. Between two women. It was one of those awkward moments when a quarrel breaks out and someone who is smart enough realizes there is more to it than the little step on the toe that was visible to everyone. There was certainly more to this matter than the fact that Sandra had blocked Helen's car. Even the Security Guards knew.

  Abena was close. She had been walking briskly towards Philip's car. She knew that car quite well. Maybe this slim lady had deliberately chose to stand by it for this face off.

  "Sandra!"

  "Abena come and see this mosquito..."

  "Bundle her away! If not, I will call the police!" Helen could not be silenced. Her eyes widened. She kept her distance but kept raising her voice, threatening and insulting the ladies, sweating profusely while at it.

  "Madam, what is this about? Is it just the car or something else?" Abena asked. She did not wait for an answer.

  "Sandra please let me have the keys. Let's go"

  "Who is your Madam? Idiot!" Helen snapped. Sizing her with disdain in her eyes. Abena heard the words faintly, she had turned her attention away towards Sandra.

  Abena managed to drag Sandra away with a little help from the dumbfounded security guards. This time she drove. She had just crossed the gate, giving the guards time to burst out in a round of laughter in their 'office' when it was as though Sandra's frenzy resumed:

  "Oh God, Oh God!" She yelled, "Abena you should have let me deal with that mosquito! What nonsense. She doesn't know her size. O!"

  Abena kept quiet. She was visibly angry. Not at the slim, stylish young woman who had embarrassed them in front of Philip's office and not at Philip himself. She was angry at herself for letting this trip to his office happen in the first place. She vowed to herself not to let it happen again. That little lady would not have had the effrontery to initiate that face off of if there was nothing going on between them. Office Wife! Her phone rang. Sandra picked the call and put the phone on her right cheek.

  "Hi Abena. Where are you?" It was Philip.

  "I left."

  "Left? What's wrong?" He was standing by his car. Helen had long gone right behind the ladies and Philip was turning his head back and forth in the now scanty car park looking for Abena as though she would be hidden under one of the ten to twelve cars now left at the front of the brightly lit car park.

  Abena hesitated and then let it out: "Your office wife chased us away. I guess she was afraid we were coming to snatch her husband!"

  "What?"

  "I am driving! I will talk to you later... Bye."

  "Ok." The line was dead before he finished the two-letter word.

  Abena was pensive. Sandra was silent. maybe this was her fault after all. how could she have known the young man was some kind of philanderer knocking women's heads together. The way Abena spoke about him it was as if she had him all to herself, but no one had Philip. Philip had himself and managed to give those he cared about their portion of his time. The time allocated to each lady was good enough to satisfy them and position them as very dear to him. Perception is everything.

  It was in no way deliberate, he was not really trying to knock heads together. He was not trying to have all the ladies. One could even claim they were trying to have him. He was just being nice, and he did care about each princess in his 'harem’. He just did not consid
er any of them his girlfriend or anything close to that. Girlfriend? No! not even Zainab.

  Helen was still on the road when Philip called. She picked the call using her Bluetooth device.

  "Hi Philip. Surprise, surprise. I thought we were not talking to each other!" She sounded in high spirits though she did not smile. They say one can tell if you are smiling over the phone. The excitement in her voice could not have given away her near-death experience a few minutes previously. Philip hesitated now wondering if she was actually the one Abena had encountered. He had assumed it was her since she had called early claiming his bank girlfriends were looking for him.

  "Did you meet two ladies who came to see me before you left the office?"

  "Yeah...any issue?"

  Should he ask this question and how should he ask it safely. He hadn't been on talking terms with Helen for weeks. If he had assumed wrong, then this would probably extend the malice another few months.

  "Did you speak with them by any chance?"

  Helen paused. Then spoke again, with a little less excitement.

  "What did they tell you? That I fought with them? They blocked my car and I simply asked them to move. Why should they block my car? ..." The excitement was back ... in the other direction.

  "So, the issue was your car?"

  "Yes! It was my car. "

  "Helen, I have not known you to be a cantankerous person. And I am even more surprised that you went public with a face off of this nature. I don't know what happened out here but the way Abena sounded, I am sure it was serious. And I have to put it on record, Helen that I am very disappointed with you"

  "Disappointed, are you? Disappointed my foot! So Abena is her name, is it?" Helen noticed other drivers in traffic stealing glances at her through the sealed windows. They could not hear anything, but it was obvious she was raising her voice on the phone and she complicated it by flinging her hand in the air as she spoke.

  "I should be the one disappointed in you! I thought you were a respectable gentleman. I thought you had some honour!"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You led me on Philip! That's what I am talking about! And I was foolish enough to fall for it. Now you have moved to bank ladies... and they are now visiting you in the office... carry on."

  "Helen…"

  "Let me finish! Better tell those girls never to cross my path again... or they will pay for it. Just let them visit you at home.... alright... at home and you can do whatever you like with them there!"

  "Helen, I have to drop this call. You are sounding incredulous!"

  She heard the beep as Philip ended the call and broke into sobs. Struggling, she kept wiping her face with the tissue on her dashboard.

  "Abena," she whispered, "I will get you for this. I will get you..."

  Bullseye

  “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

  Spots of red, yellow and white light interspersed with patches of empty land littered the landscape. Zainab looked out the window. No matter how many times she saw it from the sky, the view always looked amazing. She heard the voice of the lady whose face no one ever saw, telling everyone to strap their seat belts in preparation for landing. The buckle snapped, and she glanced at the huge body builder beside her in a black T-shirt. She thought about Philip. She was going to see him again. Why was she looking forward to it so much? She missed him. Whatever this was between them was really deep and it was not going away soon.

  She did not speak to anyone for any length of time while making the trip from the tarmac to the arrivals. Just a few "hellos" and smiles. The chatting and laughing of passengers, the occasional blare from the PA system, and all the other sounds typical of Kotoka International Airport seemed very far away from Zainab's ears. She thought about Philip coming to meet her at the airport. Why had he agreed to come all the way? It was almost like someone eager to see his wife returning from years living abroad. It was a great feeling, to be bound to someone so strongly, so naturally yet so inexplicably. She could not understand the feelings that were at play in her heart. Did she love him? Did he love her? What would become of them once her program was over? What was the definition of their relationship?

  At the arrivals, Philip stared at the electronic board watching for the line declaring the arrival of the evening flight from Lagos. He had been eagerly going over the lines from top to bottom, looking for the key word 'Lagos'. It wasn't long before she came through the gates clad in a pair of black jeans and white flowing blouse which went with the wind. Her brown boots were amazing, showing off her sassiness. Philip stepped out from behind the barricade, smiling eternally as he waited for her to reach him. He was about to take over the luggage when Zainab reached out and embraced him. She held on tight and he did too. Things were quiet for a few seconds between them then Zainab whispered, "I missed you..." and waited. Did he miss her too? She wanted to know. He did not speak but he held on. He could feel the rush in his hormones. He did not want to let go. Something about this lady simply captured him completely. She pulled back and Philip loosened the grip reluctantly. He felt the stare of onlookers in the crowd almost as much as he felt her hands running up his shirt towards his face. She held his face up with both her palms on his cheeks and looked straight into his eyes.

  "Did you miss me too?" Zainab asked.

  Philip merely nodded. The redness of his face and the look in his eyes betrayed him completely and a nod combined with these two was sufficient for Zainab. She believed he missed her too. Zainab touched his forehead with hers inches away from a kiss on the lips, oblivious of the crowd. Philip pulled back gently, and reached for her luggage, breathing heavily.

  The couple made their way out of the arrivals hall with Philip leading the way. He avoided eye contact with anyone. He was embarrassed. What if someone had seen him? What would they think of him. Zainab was not in the least disturbed about the opinions of others about her. She simply expressed herself the way she felt. It did not matter who was or was not looking. Philip heard whispers in the crowd, a little giggling here and there as he walked over to a counter to pay for parking. Zainab chose not to hear any of the passing comments. She was a little upset Philip had not held her hand. He walked as if he was running from her but he was running from the stare and whispers.

  Nothing much had changed at the house in Zainab's eyes. One week was not a long time, was it? As they stepped into the living room she recalled the first time she was in the same house a few weeks earlier. She recalled the first time they held each other and the nights that they spent sitting with each other all those nights. Philip was scared something worse would happen. She was scared something more would not happen. Why was Philip holding back? it was obvious he wanted something more than just cuddling. Everything seemed right, but it just wasn't right. Why did he let her come back? Why did he not complain about her having stayed over a month? The plan was one week. He definitely wanted her here but what was he going to do with her while she was here. What if nothing really happened and she moved to her own place? Would he ever come around?

  The house was so quiet both of them could hear crickets chirping outside the house, horns blaring from the road side every now and then. Philip wanted the quiet, so he did not turn the TV on. He wanted to know what she was thinking. She wanted to know what he wanted. What he really wanted. They sat on the couch with one foot between them after dropping Zainab's luggage. No one spoke for any length of time. Philip noticed the glimmer on her far from a film of perspiration. It was not a particularly warm night so the sweat must have come from somewhere else. She spoke, not looking at him:

  "Want to watch a movie?"

  "Not really"

  "So, what do you want to do?"

  Philip did not respond.

  "Let me shower..."

  "OK"

  Minutes later just as he picked up the TV remote control, Philip's phone ra
ng. Philip realized he had left it in Zainab's room along with her things. He went for it but she met her at her door, clad in her towel. She looked at it out of curiosity. She did not recognize the name, but she turned green when she noticed it was a lady's name. Who would be calling him from Nigeria at past nine o' clock. She gave him a look as if she owned him. 'Who was Amarachi Onuoma?' she asked in her thoughts. Philip was aroused seeing her in her pink towel. It managed to cover everything from the beginning of her cleavage to just a little below her pelvic area. He must have stared. When his eyes got back to her face he observed the shower cap was the same colour.

  "Your phone," said Zainab.

  "Oh! Thanks."

  His eyes brightened when he saw Amara's name on his display. It was the third ring. She must have really wanted to talk to him.

  "Where are you, Philip?". Those were her first words as he picked the phone. she was never very formal with him. They definitely would have made a great couple. Great friends make great couples.

  "At home. Why? How are you though?"

  "I am fine. Why did it take so long to pick up the phone, Brother?"

  Philip laughed. Amara always made him laugh.

  "Have you joined the KGB? What are you investigating?"

  "It is the CIA I have joined, brother and I am investigating your activities!"

  Philip paused. He hadn't done anything yet had he? He had thought about what would happened between him and Zainab under the circumstances given the emotional tension he could feel in the house. Or had Amara somehow heard he was living with a lady in Accra? Had the Holy Spirit told her? He was nervous.

  "Philip. Are you there?"