Dilemma 1

A fictional read

The course of true love never did run smooth…
William Shakespeare

It all started on a Monday work night. It rained so heavily; it didn’t look like it was going to, so I didn’t leave the house with an umbrella. I wore a brown top with a beige khaki pants and paired it with my black and white All Stars sneakers, which I’ll never wear again due to the damage from the rain and muddy road.

I ran to the closest kiosk nearby and tried to hide my already drenched self from the rain. I quickly checked my handbag to make sure that my phone and laptop had not been affected by the rain.

Meanwhile, my mind wandered to the root cause of the problem. To be honest, I blame all of you - I blame all of you who burn bushes and do different things detrimental to the earth. I blame all of you because if you kept the Earth clean, we wouldn’t have these severe climate changes, and I would have known before leaving the house that it would rain. Not that I check the weather forecast, but I would have known.

The rain had been pouring at a consistent pace for hours, and I started thinking about those rainmakers and why they wouldn't come to my aid. I kept my arms around me, trying to keep myself warm, but my action proved futile. At some point, when the rain began, I had to remove my wig and put it in a nylon bag. Thankfully, I remade my cornrows Sunday afternoon, so my fine girl was still intact.

Just then, a sudden noise snapped me out of my thoughts. I was jolted back to reality by the loud honk I heard. Not very far from where I was, I saw a black Mercedes Jeep parked. The man in the driver’s seat wound down his front passenger seat window and was beckoned on me.

Is it only my eyes, or can’t this man see the downpour? I stood there, arms still crossed around my body.

“Let me give you a ride,” he shouted.

I didn’t have time to worry if he was a kidnapper or not. All I wanted was to leave that place as quickly as I could. It was getting late, and I didn’t want to get harassed by the gentlemen of the road. I clutched my bags tighter to my chest and made my way to his car.

“Thank you very much, sir. I’m so sorry about your car,” I said quickly as I got in.

He reached for the back seat and handed me a piece of cloth to pat my body dry. I didn’t like that I was going to get his car wet and dirty.

“You’re welcome. Where are you coming from and where are you going?” As I listened to his voice, I felt shivers run down my spine. The baritone in his voice gave me goosebumps, but I was glad I could easily blame it on the weather and not the warmth spreading through my chest.

When I first got into the car, I didn’t notice him amidst the chaos of trying to settle down. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow as he placed his hands on the steering wheel.

I was awestruck by his handsomeness. That man looked like he was thrown down to earth to cause confusion. He had caramel skin, with mesmerizing brown eyes.

His hair was the perfect shade of black and it shone. His hair was perfectly trimmed, with each strand expertly styled to accentuate his face. I was mentally thanking his barber for taking care of his hair. His arm suggested he was a man who took his workout sessions seriously.

What was that smell? I couldn't help but notice the subtle scent of high-end grooming products wafting from his direction.

“Where are you going, Miss?” he asked again. Without asking me, he turned on the heater. I’m sure he thought I was still shaken from the cold.

“I stay at Ikate. I was coming from work at Victoria Island and got caught in the rain,” I responded.

“I’m going towards that axis. I’ll drop you off. My name is Roland. Please don’t be scared; I just saw you in the rain and decided to help.”

“Thank you, Roland. I’m Folasade.” He handed me his phone to put in my address on the map, and I did. I have never been so grateful for a heater.

The rhythmic sound of the rain beating on the car and the windshield wiper getting to work put me to sleep. It had been a hell of a day. As I drifted into sleep, I replayed everything that happened at work. I have worked at Good Health Pharmaceutical Company for seven years. I did my National Service there and got retained afterward. It was one of the best feelings ever, as it was very difficult to get a place of assignment. The first three years at Good Health looked like an answered prayer until everything started going downhill when our branch manager was transferred and a new one came in. I was assigned three different roles. Sales manager, Digital Creator and Assistant training coordinator but my salary was not reviewed. Every time I brought it up to HR, he would say that I should be grateful I worked there and so many young graduates are with their CVs looking for jobs and would take any salary offer. I joined the young graduates seeking for jobs as I turned in my resignation letter that day.

“Sade, is this your gate?” Roland asked, tapping me gently on my shoulder.

“Yes, yes. Oh my God, I can’t believe I slept off,” I said, rubbing my eyes.

“Thank you, Roland.” I started to gather my things when I felt the boldness to ask for his contact.

“Can I get your contact? I would like to see you again,” I asked, looking him in the eyes.

“I was going to say the same thing. Please put in your number.” He handed me his phone. I noticed the pretty silver bracelet he wore on his left wrist, it had an inscription I could barely see.

“Goodnight, Sade.”

“Night, Roland, and thank you.”