He hesitated. He didn’t want to look nervous like he
felt. He was all shaken inside. He reversed without much concentration. “Watch
it you moron”, an old lady screamed as he screeched the tyres. He rolled his
eyes and eased his car into the narrow slot he found at the parking lot. He squeezed
out of the car after his last check in the review mirror. He walked into the
law firm.
Bimpe stared hard at the elevator screen. It had been
stuck on the sixth floor for close to fifteen minutes. “Even if it’s a football
team”, she said to herself. She didn’t want to have her soon to be ex-husband
staring at her as she walked in or causing unnecessary interruptions because
she was late. She just wanted to be in and out. Simple! Three then two then
one, it finally turned to zero. Bimpe hurried in amidst the shoving by the
crowd all impatient to get to their various destinations. “Please hold on”, a
voice so familiar, a voice she had heard more than she wanted. It was too late.
Ifeanyichukwu was inside the same elevator!
They were alone and nothing could possibly be more
awkward. She brought out her phone and he stared at his wristwatch like his
eyeballs could freeze the ticking hands of his time piece. They badly wanted to
avoid the elephant in the room but then again, it was an elephant! “Erm”, they
said at the same time and for two seconds or less, they both giggled and forgot
that they were here for the most difficult thing. Something they swore before
God that they were never going to come to. It was for better or worse right? They
became aware that the elevator had stopped moving. The law firm always had this
issue. “Does he miss me?” “She looks good though” “I am sure he has slept with
five hundred girls since me!” “For her to look this good, a new man must be in
her life”. A long, piercing siren made them aware that they had not pressed the
floor they were going to. They stretched their fingers simultaneously and
something inexplicable happened to both of them. Bimpe jerked backwards and
crashed into his solid chest.
She knew that
she belonged there but not with all this hurting. He lifted her head with her
chin and wondered what in God’s name was going on. This wasn’t right, not here
or now. She was the one who filed for divorce. He was the one who cheated but
came home to cry wolf. He hit her sometimes but he was back to looking into her
eyes that used to bear love for him but all he saw was pain. He just wanted to
kiss it all away. Bimpe stretched on her tip toes in spite of her mind’s
warning. Their lips met. She shuddered as she wrapped her arms around his head
and he around her waist. His breath was ragged as she bit his lips the way she
knew drove him wild. The four walls couldn’t handle the level of intimacy that
exuded from both of them. The beep of the elevator threw them apart. So did the
doors. She couldn’t look at him. He knew they just made the process harder. She
walked out confused as hell and towards the ladies. He walked towards the
conference room while cleaning the lipstick from his lips and wondering if her
cologne would ever be forgotten.
