Must Read: As Deep As The Sea

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: As Deep As The Sea

To the cubicle close to the
window.

Oyetunde groaned and pulled
out his list of assignments
from the board. He marched
away in anger.

Promise shook her head.
‘God, thank you for this
dream job of mine. I need you
to help me excel in this
company’, she said a silent
prayer and found out that the
only desk left was the one
opposite Boma.

********

At about twelve noon, Boma
left the office and found his
way into the cafeteria on the
ground floor of the company.
The place was crowded with
staff members who were
buying and eating their lunch.
He bought a set of chicken
sandwich and a can of orange
juice.
While trying to find a place to
sit, he saw Oyetunde downing
a bowl of pounded yam and
melon soup at a corner.
“Mr. Man, don’t you think you
are swallowing the wrongest
meal at this time of the day,”
he sat beside him.
“I need all the energy I can
get. That sandwich you are
eating won’t get you
anywhere today.”
He sipped at his drink, “Your
heavy lunch will only make
you sleep.”
“I hear you,” he concentrated
on his meal, “That reminds
me.”
Boma met his excited gaze.
“We are lucky to have three
beautiful ladies working with
us.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Promise for instance is
the prettiest of them all. She
is tall, slim and curved in the
right places. She might not be
as physically endowed as
Kemisola and Adaeze, but,
that girl is fine. Her smooth
dark chocolate skin is… ”
“Oyetunde!”
He started to laugh.
“Are you sure you are not
falling for her already?”
He shrugged, “It won’t matter.




A girl that looks like that is
either engaged or in a
serious relationship.”
“Hmmm… ” He thought about
what his colleague said.
“Kemisola is also pretty and
well packaged in all areas,
but, I don’t like the way she
is exposing all her goods
outside.”
“I agree with you,” a picture
of Kemisola’s exposed
cleavage assaulted his mind’s
eye.
“Adaeze is a beautiful Ibo
girl, but she too is exposing
herself. I don’t know what is
wrong with these girls.”
“They lack knowledge.”
“A man who wants to play
games goes after girls that
appear loose and dress
indecently. But, a man who
wants to get married will go
after someone like Promise.”
Boma nodded in agreement.
“I hope they learn from her,”
he downed his drink and got
up, “I have to go. See you
later in the office,” he headed
out.



Boma finished his sandwich
and sipped at his drink. He
was grateful to God for his
new employment. He had been
looking for a new job for
over five months. His former
place of work went bankrupt
early that year and la!d off all
their staff. His fiancée
cancelled their wedding in the
process and left the country
with a man she barely knew.
He had been devastated, but,
God stood beside him, healed
his broken heart and
provided him with a new job.




His salary and allowance was
twice what he used to earn. It
would enable him to change
his Honda car and rent a new
apartment. He had been using
the car since he graduated
from the university, it was
long overdue for a change.
He glanced at his wrist-watch.
His one hour break was
almost over. He finished his
drink, got up and headed out,
lost to the longing stares
from some of the female staff
in the cafeteria.




********


It was the third time she had
tried to take a nap, but, the
giggles and loud gossip
comments filtering into her
ears had made it impossible.
She wondered how Adaeze
and Kemisola seemed so close
despite the fact that they
were just meeting for the first
time that morning. They
summed up the popular
saying, ‘Birds of a feather
flock together’.
“I overheard one of the
secretaries in the office
opposite us talking about
Boma Etuk.”
“Really?” Adaeze leaned
forward. Her ears anticipated
the gossip.
“She said as far as TL
Communications was
concerned, he is one of the
most handsome men in the
company.”
“Wow!”
“His name is on the lips of
every girl who wants to drag
a man to the altar this year.”
Adaeze bursted out laughing.
“Assuming he was taller, let’s
say, about six feet tall, he
would have been compared to
a sun god,” her dreamy eyes
beamed.



She nodded in agreement.
“His five feet ten inches
height isn’t bad anyway. At
least, he is taller than me,”
she winked.
“His creamy brown skin is so
smooth, I wonder what cream
he uses.”
“I won’t mind caressing it.”
Adaeze smiled and nodded.
“I wonder what it would be
like to lie with him in bed and
feel his total body against… ”
“Kemisola!”
“What!”
“You are crazy.”
“Shut up!” She eyed her, “As
if you haven’t thought of
sleeping with him too.”
Adaeze started to laugh
again.




Promise got up and walked
out. She couldn’t stand their
loud laughter again.
Kemisola and Adaeze hissed.
“That one thinks she is fine.”
“Fine indeed. She is flat in all
the right places. Yuck!”
“I doubt if she eats at all.”
“She cannot compete with the
likes of us.”
“No, no, she can’t. We run
things here.”
They gave each other a high
five.
“Oyetunde isn’t bad either.”
“That short rat!” Kemisola p …