IMADE AND JAMAL novel Chapter 7

Natasha.

  "Kemi, at this point, it's no longer funny. I feel like Jamal is slowly slipping from my fingers and I don't like the thought of losing him one bit." I complain angrily to my best friend, Olakemi, feeling the need to vent out my frustration.

"But you said it yourself that there's nothing going on between them now, so why are you so stressed out? Is it until this guy finally leaves you before you stop being an irritant? Will you be satisfied when that happens?" She replied and I'm shocked.

   "Kemi, you're supposed to support me. I'm your friend and you're supposed to understand me. That girl and Jamal had something and I'm sure about it although Jamal has stylishly tried to deny it but I'm not buying any bullshit that comes out from his mouth. The way she looks at him Kemi and the way he looks at her, it's crazy! I can practically see the crazy emotions that flashes through his eyes and it's sickening Kemi. It's very sickening!" I reply snappily and she sighs.

"So what do you want to do? You already said he denied it so confronting him again will only worsen things with him. I don't know this girl you're talking about but the Jamal I know is too selfish to fall in love, pardon my bluntness but you know it's true. He's very mean and love doesn't seem to be on his to do list. I'll never understand why you still stick with him sef." She tells me,  shaking her head.

"I stick with him cause I love him Kemi and I've spent seven years by his side so trust me I'm not willing to let one stupid skank take him away from me just like that. That man is mine and I don't plan on losing him anytime soon!" I tell her sharply and she scoffs.

  "You've wasted your life for seven years standing by a man who has refused to fall in love with you. He repeatedly disrespects you by sleeping with every whore that crosses his path and barely a month after returning to Nigeria, he's already in another entanglement. You better start thinking with your head and not your heart. That stupid jerk does not deserve you at all." She says harshly but I refuse to admit that she's actually right.

"It doesn't matter anymore Kemi. I already have him on my mind and in my heart and there's no going back for me. It's either gonna be me or it's no one else. I won't allow it!" I snap back at her and she simply shakes her head before turning her attention back to her phone briefly.

  "So what are you going to do to separate them? She works at the company so they could run into each other anytime, how do you plan on avoiding that situation? Well, can't you just fire her?" She asks and I sigh.

"If only it was that easy Kemi. If I do that, he'll get mad at me and also firing her will make me look petty in front of her and I don't want that. I want her to be intimidated by me but if I fire her, she'll probably think I'm insecure and I definitely don't want that imagery in her head at all." I tell her quickly and she chuckles.

  "I'm happy you know you're insecure, at least, you can admit that obvious fact." She mocks and I scowl.

"Fall in love first before you attack me for being in love and about that silly girl, I think I have a way to get her out of the picture. I'm not sure if it will work but if she's as weak as she looks, then definitely, she'll break down by the time I'm done with her." I tell her with a sly smile playing on my lips.

  "So what's the plan and how may I be of help?" She asks.

"Well for now, you don't have to do anything. I'll just focus on frustrating her for the time being and hopefully, if I apply pressure, she'll quit her job and my hands will be clean." I respond and she smirks.

"I hope it works out well for you. My only advice for you is; don't let your feelings for this guy turn you into something that you're not. That Jamal guy is not worth two cents of your energy. He's selfish, stubborn and he's cold. He won't hesitate to kick you to the curb once he feels you're no longer useful. As your people would say, Otu okwu ezigo onye mara ihe. So my dear, be very careful." She warns calmly before picking her bag and getting ready to leave.

(A word is enough for the wise)

  "Don't worry Kemi, I'll be fine." I assured her confidently, earning a light shrug and a quick hug from her before walking her out of my apartment.

•••••

Imade.

   Today has to be one of the worst working days of my life. Simply stating that I was in a bad mood would be a grave understatement to describe how horribly my day was going. Mrs Momodu Hamzat had made it a mission to make my stay in this company as hellish as she possibly could and unfortunately for me, Mrs Brown wasn't available to help me although I'm not sure if I had the courage to ask her for help especially after finding out she's Jamal's aunt and I didn't recognize her.

Just in case you're wondering, yes, we're acquainted. She sometimes used to tutor Jamal and I when we were in primary school and that was almost twenty years ago. So it's no surprise I didn't recognise her.

  Back to my horrible day, Mrs Momodu had definitely earned a well deserved spot on my list of people I believe should not be alive because of how inhumane they are. She had adamantly insisted that I did all the work that was supposed to be split between Joseph, Temi and I, forgetting that I wasn't even a week old in the company.