27

THE large entrance door opened and Tarmah was ushered in, by a guard and she flopped down on a couch, heaving a sigh of relief.
As soon as the guard left, a maid came in, and asked if she would like to take anything.
“Welcome ma’am, what would you like me to offer you?”, the maid asked and Tarmah almost bursted into laughter.
“Don’t worry dear, I am fine”, she said and waved her left hand.
“Alright ma’am”, she replied and then left.
Tarmah watched her leave and then turned her gaze to every single thing in the large living room.
From the chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling, to the exotic interior designs, to the heavy electric gadgets, to the 3D flooring. Everything was wow.
Actually this wasn’t the first time of her coming into his mansion, Jeremy’s mansion, she had been there for like six to seven times in the past if she could recall vividly, but still, it always was as if you haven’t even been there once, whenever you come into the mansion again.
Everything was always looking new, and she suspected he do change these things timely.
After feeding her eyes with these items, she got up and found her way to the kitchen. Some maids were in there preparing dinner probably, for it was evening.
She had resolved to visit Jeremy that evening, and relay to him everything he needed to know, everything, she wasn’t gonna hide a thing from him anymore.
Jeremy wasn’t even home yet, she had wanted it so, she had wanted to make it to the house first, before he returns.
“Good evening ma’am”, they greeted as soon as she walked in and she nodded her head, smiling in response.
Then she walked up to the large standing see through refrigerator and took out a bottle of soda, and closing it back, she walked out of the kitchen.
She opened the soda at the instant she got into the living room and began gulping, it was so chilled, it chilled her insides.
Still with the bottle in her hands and sipping at intervals, she walked up to the library, Jeremy’s collection of books which was at the far end of the living room.
She was now standing by the shelf and checking out his collections when she heard a muffled voice behind her, and startled.
Slowly, she turned to behold Jeremy, in his usual blossom of handsomeness, staring at her. He was actually about to ascend the stairs to go to his room.
“Hey…”, she smiled broadly and walked up to him.
“Tarmah?”, he called visibly surprised, Tarmah nodded satisfactorily, that is it, she had always wanted to take him by surprise.
“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming”, he said and his eyelids flickered, and swallowed hard, this guy was so dashingly handsome.
“Big brother”, she called, smiling broadly, revealing her thirty two.
“Something very important, very very”, she added and sipped some soda, “brought me here”, she concluded.
He looked away from her, trying to recall if there had been any left behind conversation or deal between them, or any new update concerning Amelia. She smiled, aware of what was going on in his mind.
“Big brother, it’s something new. Something…”, she tried to find a perfect word for it, “… something ecstatic, I know you gonna like it”, she said giggling.
He snorted.
“Hmph, I really do hope it is, for you are always coming up with some silly stuffs and calling it ecstatic”, he said and began ascending the stairs.
Tarmah laughed.
“This one is different bro”, she replied.
“Okay then, I am just returning from work, I need to go freshen up”, he said without turning back at her and she nodded.
“We talk over di…”.
“You staying up for dinner?”, he sharply turned and asked, cutting her short.
She nodded.
“Yeah”, she replied shortly.
“We talk over dinner then”, he said and continued ascending the stairs.
Tarmah sighed, that was actually what she had wanted to say when he cut her short.
Anyways, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk back to the library when she suddenly noticed that he didn’t even asked of Amelia.
She laughed, this shows he really doesn’t love her. Well, that shows a green light to what she is about to discuss with him.
….. Minutes Later…..
Jeremy settled down for dinner, and was busying himself with his phone as the maids served the meal.
The maids were done serving and were now walking out of the dining when Tarmah strolled in. Two maids stayed back, and took a stand at different ends in the dining.
“Hey…”, Tarmah said smiling and shoving back a dining seat to sit.
Jeremy looked up from his phone and at her, he scoffed, she was already changed into a different clothing and that explained where she had been, for when he returned to the living room before coming into the dining, he didn’t see her any where.
She must have been at one of the many guest rooms, the one she claims was hers, remembering this, he chuckled slightly turning his gaze to the food.
Tarmah caught him chuckling.
“Anything brother?”, she asked and he turned to her again.
“Nothing really. Can we get down to eat? I’m literally starving”, he said dropping his phone beside him on the table.
“Ohhhkay!”, she replied and began uncovering the glazing white enamels before her.
A ‘wow’ escaped her lips as her eyes glanced through the meal on the table, it was boiled potatoes mixed with fried plantain chips and scrambled egg sauce, and beef.
Different fruits scattered around the table as well, to your taste, then pack of juices, wines and water, it was a balanced meal.
Two glasses for each glasses had already been filled with juice and water.
“Yummy!”, Tarmah said and licked her lips.
Jeremy sneered.
“Make a prayer Tarmah”, he said and bowed his head, closing his eyes.
She sighed deeply and bowed her head as well and put her palms together, closing her eyes.
“Lord in heaven, we thank you immensely for this meal you have given us this day, we ask you give us more through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!”, she prayed.
“Amen!”, Jeremy replied and opened his eyes, then picked up his cutleries, Tarmah picked up hers as well, grinning.
“Enjoy your meal Tarmah”, Jeremy said to her and she nodded, still with the grin on her face.
“I will”, she shortly replied.
They had eaten in silence for like five minutes when Jeremy picked up his glass of water for the first time since they begun eating, and gulped down half of it, then dropped it on the table.
One of the maids standing immediately came forward and refilled the glass, then went back to her position.
“So, spill it Tarmah, stop deliberately keeping me in suspense, and in the dark”, he said to her as he dipped a slice of potato into his egg sauce and straight into his mouth.
Tarmah smiled, he was right, she was deliberately keeping him in suspense. She dropped her cutleries and picked up a souvenir to clean up her mouth with it.
Alright, how was she gonna begin now? She thought, then it hit her and slowly, she turned to him.
“I’m so very happy you returned from Soweto 5 without being harmed and abducted as planned, or should I say…”, she looked away thinking of what right word to use, “… kidnapped”, she finally said, twisting her lips.
Instantly, his eyes widened in shock as he slowly dropped his cutleries and gazed at her, inquiringly, their eyes met, and she made a weird face.
Jeremy was totally stunned and astounded, he was so very damn sure no body else knew about his escapade that fateful day at the abandoned warehouse, not even Carrie, not even his parents, let alone Tarmah?
He was gobsmacked and dumbfounded, how had she known? He finally looked away from her and turned his gaze downwards to the table, and sighed deeply.
He looked up at her again.
“How did you know about this?”, he asked.
She nodded her head slowly to an unknown rhythm of a song.
“Who did you think got you out of there?”, she asked, “an angel? Or better still, a guard, like one of your guards?”, she puffed and waved her right hand.
Jeremy still sat in shock looking at her, his mouth was now ajar in utmost shock.
“Come off it, it was a human, it was someone flesh and blood”, she continued.
Jeremy sighed, closing his mouth. Alright, so who was this human, if it wasn’t Jasira? Or could it probably be her? As in Tarmah herself?
Today wasn’t even his problem yet, his question for her was how had she, Tarmah known about what had happened that day?
“Tarmah, how did you know?”, he asked again, his voice very cold.
“Okay okay, I’m gonna spill…”.
“Spill the god damn stuff”, he interrupted suddenly becoming wild, and banging his right fist on the table.
She didn’t flinch or shook, she instead smiled and picked up her glass of wine to sip. She did and looked at him, still holding the glass in her left hand.
“I did”, she dropped the bombshell.
He flinched on his seat, looking at her.
“You what?”, he asked.
“I was the one who found out you were in trouble, and had to ring your saviour, who finally came and saved her… no I can’t say damsel, and saved her gentleman in distress”, she added and sipped from the glass again.
“Huh? Did you just say you rang her? Did you know her?”, he asked in shock and she nodded, smiling.
“I do. I had managed to get the info about the attempted abduction, don’t ask me how brother, I just did. Immediately I swung into action, and the only person that came to my mind to ask to save you, was her”, she said and gulped down the remaining wine left in the glass, then dropped it on the table.
As expected, one of the maids came forward and refilled it.
For a split second Jeremy was totally dumbfounded, so it was her all these while huh?
“Hold on a second, where did you know her from and why did she come into your mind when you thought? Is she a detective or something?”, he asked and she shook her head sideways.
“Kind of”, she shortly replied, deliberately avoiding to reveal her true identity, “as for knowing her, we became sisters and close buddies weeks ago, I had made her my friend, and since then, we have been keeping in touch”, she said and shrugged her shoulders.
“Wow!”, he exclaimed and a bright smile appeared on his face, flushing the surprise and shocking look away.
He then leaned forward shoving the plates of the half eaten food to the left, and placing his arms on the table, facing her. It wasn’t time for food now, food was more important than this.
Tarmah saw him do this and almost laughed out. Was this really love? Well, she ignored her food too for the moment.
“Hold on, so you mean to tell me, you been seeing this lady on daily basis, and I have been going round the whole of New Jersey, looking for her, like she isn’t on planet earth?”, he asked rhetorically and she laughed out.
“Bro?”, she called, “you are going crazy”, she added laughing.
He scoffed, crazy was an understatement.
“How do I get her Tarmah?”, he asked and she smiled satisfactorily, this was a man who knows what he wants.
“That brings us to the reason I’m here”, she winked and he heaved a sigh of relief.
*
*
Two days later saw Jeremy sitted on one of the round tables at the a strategic position in a cafe, looking tensed and anxious.
Today was the day, yeah, today was the day he was gonna meet with his beautiful lady at last, finally! Not just his beautiful lady, but also his saviour.
He and Tarmah had planned it, with Tarmah volunteering to bring Jasira out. How she was gonna do it, wasn’t his concern to be worried about. He was only going to present himself and foot the bills, then do the needful.
That wasn’t a problem at all.
He smiled and dropped the phone in his hand on the table and began rubbing his palms together, exhaling out.
It was a funny sight indeed, but men, the almighty billionaire CEO looked so anxious, nervous and tenterhooked, like it was his first date.
“God damn it!”, he exclaimed softly and looked towards the entrance for the upteenth time.
He had actually come alone, without his guards in a quietude, but trash that, billionaire CEO was a celebrity wherever he went, the people who knew who he was were staring intermittently at him, and this got him more nervous and uncomfortable to the bones.
As for the cafe chosen for the meeting point, it was Tarmah’s choice, if it were to be him, heaven knows, he wouldn’t have chosen such low classic cafe for a date.
Although he disputed it at first but Tarmah said that Jasira, doesn’t fancy or seem to like flashy or expensive places, she prefers the low classic, and so, he gave in.
He looked at his wristwatch and it told him it was 6:29, and it sent shivers down his spine, a minute later she was going to be there, they had planned to meet at 6:30pm, except if she was the late type.
At exactly a minute later, he saw her entered, looking as expected so beautiful and glamorous in a corporate dressing. He swallowed hard.
He watched a waitress walk up to her immediately, they discussed a little and then they began walking up to his table, and Jeremy adjusted, sitting up straight and keeping a slight smiling face.
Halfway to the table, the waitress left her and slowly and looking so astonished, she walked up to the table, looking around like she was still looking for someone.
“Hello”, he said in the most softest voice she had ever heard, cutting into her looking around, and abruptly, she snapped her head to gaze at him.
“What do you want?”, she snapped the question at him, in an angry voice, and he smiled.
“You are my guest beautiful, I am the person you have come to see”, he said using his left hand to smoothen down his neck tie.
“You are…”, she paused and snorted, really? “… what!”, she exclaimed.
How dare Tarmah? And without as much as a word or reply to him, she turned and walked out on him.