THE OLDER THE WINE…(2)

A few weeks later, after my boss had congratulated me for winning the account, I decided to pay the client a courtesy visit to see how things were going. I was walking through the front door when I bumped into Sydney*. We exchanged pleasantries and he excused himself. He had taken a few steps towards the parking lot when he spun around suddenly as if he recalled something. “Ummm…hey…I was actually on my way to have lunch with an old friend” he said smiling “if you are not too busy, would you accompany me?” I smiled to myself as I wondered how busy I could possibly be to turn down such an important invitation. “Actually, I was to have a meeting with Sam* (the account manager) but he just texted me that he is out of the office”, I lied “So, lunch wouldn't be such a bad idea”. “It won’t” he concurred with a flirtatious wink.

Lunch for me is usually a trip to the nearest confectionary for chicken and chips on a very good day but lunch in Sydney’s world was a totally different ball game. So when his SUV we drove in pulled up at the Hilton, I knew I had stepped into a world that I wouldn’t forget in a hurry.  When we walked into the restaurant, it was a smiling Caucasian man that stood up to greet us. “This is my close friend and business partner; Mark*. Mark*, this is my new friend and business partner; Chioma”, Sydney went through the introductions. I was laughing at the “business partner” title when Mark* took my hand tenderly to his lips “I’m pleased to meet you, vous avez une beauté si enchanteresse.” I was completely smitten even though I had no idea what in God’s name he just said to me in French. “Si vous continuez à essayer de la duper avec votre accent et je lui dirai ce que sont un joueur vous!” Sydney seemed to playfully retort him and they both laughed. “Hey, hey, what is going on here?” I asked totally lost in the sudden language change. Mark pulled out my sit as he explained “Pardon me, mademoiselle but your friend here was reprimanding me for complimenting you” he smiled revealing his tobacco-stained teeth. “Well, with four ex-wives and a chain of broken hearts under his belt, who knows what other strategies he’s deploying?” Sydney explained while we both laughed.

During the three-course lunch, the two old friends played catch up while i learnt a little this and that about Sydney. Like Mark, he too was a divorcee and he had a 20 year old daughter who lived in Australia with her mother. While we were having desert which comprised of delightful waffles laced with whipped cream and strawberries, Mark excused himself to go tend to his addiction, giving Sydney and I some alone time. He looked into my eyes with a teasing smile for a few seconds then asked if I had a husband or boyfriend. “None of the above” I responded matching his gaze. He seemed genuinely concerned “Why not? You haven’t found your type?” I laughed as I replied, “Quite frankly, I don’t know my type…I just fall in love… I guess.” He sipped his wine slowly then nodded his head in agreement still looking into my eyes, he said, “After all, the heart wants what the heart wants.”

That weekend Sydney took me out dancing. And it wasn’t one of those new clubs that play hip hop music. He took me to a Salsa dancing bar where we drank Mojitos and danced the night away. By the end of the night, I was sure where all that was heading and even though I wanted to kick myself for giving in so quickly to his advances, I was too buzzed to care. We drove to the Hilton where the Floor Manager led us to his reserved penthouse suite. It was an exquisite room and I must say worth the hundreds of thousands of naira it cost. He went into the bathroom and I got comfortable on the bed. When he came out, he stopped and smiled at me, “Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked as he approached me. He climbed onto the bed and cupped my face in his hands and slowly kissed….my forehead. I raised one eyebrow and opened my eyes to look at him as confused as I could possibly be. He immediately got off the bed and headed to the door, “There’s something I need to sort out in town…I’ll be back soon”. I heard the door shut before I could even speak the words brewing in my mouth.

“Just like that?” Kate* asked me the next morning as she munched the pancakes on our breakfast tray. “Hmmph! My sister… Na so I see am o” I replied almost sounding sorry for myself. I had invited Kate* to the suite last night when all efforts to reach Sydney* had proved abortive. I was even more upset when the Floor Manager had showed up in the morning with a lush breakfast that Sydney had instructed him to serve me. “Anyway, weren’t you the one going after an old man?” Kate asked me mischievously, “And how is that helping??” I retorted angrily. “Ehn…maybe he can’t…you know…perform!”

The next time I saw Sydney was a few days later at a Shopping Mall across town. After several attempts to see him at his office without success, I had concluded that he didn’t want to be reached. I was about to walk into the cafeteria where he was having coffee when another lady beat me to it. She was a tall, slim and very beautiful blonde. He stood up as she approached his table, hugged her lovingly and kissed her…on the lips. I stood there in utter shock not knowing whether to continue towards him or just walk away. Then I noticed Mark* join the two lovebirds with his own cup of coffee. The three smiled pleasantly as Sydney introduced the lady to him. He said something I couldn’t make out and took her hand tenderly to his lips…