......... Continuation:
It wasn't like she expected to own a home or anything at this point in her life; that, was the responsibility of her future husband. Still, she had no land, no stock portfolio, or anything else that had real value to speak of. There were no assets she could sell to keep her head above water. What about my bags? Zuri thought. She knew there were some excellent pieces in there, which she had collected over time… Chanel, Alexander McQueen,
Céline, and Louis Vuitton bags she didn't even carry anymore. Chai! How exactly will I sell them? She wasn't sure there was even a market for used designer bags in Lagos. Everyone was too proud, and if she started asking friends and acquaintances to buy them from her, it would certainly be an indication that something was seriously wrong—then the rumours and gossip would start. There had to be another way.
Her doorbell rang. Tami! She was supposed to have lunch with her at Casper & Gambini's. She had seriously been craving one of their famous burgers all week but her new circumstances were cramping her style. She had to re-evaluate her spending. But before she tackled that problem, first she had to figure out how she was going to explain this to Tami.
She went to open the door. Tami stood there, arms folded across her chest. Zuri forced a smile. "Hey! Babe, sorry oh, I completely forgot about our lunch plans!”
Tami rolled her eyes. “Forgot, ke?”
“Trust me! The gbese I'm trying to sort out right now is doing my head in.”
She could say this to Tami; they had been best friends for years and spoke freely with each other. Anyone else in Lagos, it was best to keep your mouth shut and pretend everything was great… before dem carry your matter.
“Well, I'm coming in because I'm starving, ” Tami said. Zuri stepped back and let her friend head straight to the kitchen.
They'd met just before they started secondary school in Benin City. They had seen each other through common entrance exams, boy drama, dramatic weight gains and the battle to lose it all, but they were the complete opposite of each other so it was a wonder their friendship had lasted so long.
She was one of those friends you shouldn't attend a party with if your intention was to spend time together,especially if you were the quiet type—she would leave you hanging! It would start with a string of 'hello darlings!' , quickly followed by a series of air kisses with eighty percent of the guests at the party, leading to her being dragged from one meaningless conversation to the next, and ending with leaving her partner stranded. It was never intentional, but it was always annoying.
Zuri shook her head ruefully. Tami was an extrovert, the charismatic social butterfly
in their group of friends. People were drawn to her; she had flawless caramel-coloured skin, a petite frame, and a smile that could stop most men in their tracks. It wasn't her beauty that drew most people to her, though. She had such a genuine spirit, such a giving aura about her, that people liked her instantly. She was also
fiercely loyal, which Zuri probably why their friendship had lasted so long.
Zuri actually felt slightly better about her situation knowing she had someone to confide in and distract her from her money woes. Plus, Tami always had gist, so itwas a welcome distraction. The sound of Tami slamming the refrigerator door interrupted Zuri's thoughts.
“So you don't even have food in this house?” Tami said with mock disdain in her voice.
“You no hear say I no get money?” Zuri laughed.
Tami rolled her eyes. “When I say find a rich boyfriend, you won't hear!”
“Leave me alone, jo,
” Zuri said.
“Girrrl, if you had a man, all this would be story.” Tami smiled.
“How much is the bill?”
“Not bill—bills,” Zuri said.
“And they add up to just over a million naira.” Tami's eyes widened.
“Seriously, Tami, I don't know how I'm going to get out of this mess. Even if my salary hits my account today, I still won't be able to pay them all.”Tami shook her head.
“Honestly, you need to get a man. You need someone to support you. All this independent woman nonsense you are doing is what will get you in trouble. I've always told you, your parents let you stay in obodo oyinbo too long. Living abroad for so long is what has got you thinking like an oyinbo woman. This is Nigeria, so you better start behaving like an African woman."
Zuri laughed. Tami had a policy never to date married men, but the men she did go out with definitely had to be rich and in a position to help her—gifting her with upper class tickets to whatever destination tickled her fancy, rent for her studio, and closets full of labels from time to time. She was a successful fashion designer and worked from a tiny studio in Lekki, but Zuri was pretty sure Tami's lifestyle wa supplemented by her very wealthy father and the string of rich boyfriends she had dated since university. “Let me give you gist,” Tami said. “Do you remember Amanda from high school? She was a few years ahead
of us. Tall, light-skinned?” "Vaguely.” “You are so annoying! You never remember anything.
She was friends with Adesuwa and that lot!”
Zuri nodded. “Yeah. Okay, yeah, I remember her. I didn't know her well, but what did she do?” “She has hit!” Tami clapped her hands together gleefully. “She is dating Seni Foster, the CEO of Foster inc. and a big boy in the oil sector. He bought her a BMW, a flat in PaZuriew, and, apparently, a flat in St. John's Wood in London. All in the space of eighteen
months!”
Zuri stared at her for a second. “But… isn't he married?
I could have sworn I saw pictures of him and his wife on BellaNaija, attending that Balogun wedding in Dubai a few weeks ago.”
''Married… fire! So?” Tami hissed.“Why are you
acting as if it's news! None of these Lagos big boys are faithful to their wives. Don't be so naïve!” Zuri rolled her eyes. “He is hardly a boy, Tami. Isn't he in his fifties?”
“It doesn't matter! He has money, so he is a Lagos big boy! Finish! Anyway, that was not the point of my story. Amanda is now in the big leagues! I hear he is so in love with her, he is even ready to marry her as a second wife. Word on the street is, he is begging her to have a baby with him.” “Haba, Tami! A married man? Stop it! He can't want her to have his babies. I'm pretty sure that part is a lie.” Zuri couldn't imagine ever settling to be a man's second wife
To be continued
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