The security man had come out of the building answering a phone call. I looked at the radiating smile on his face and had the impression that he was probably talking to a woman.
He must have a wife, but he may not be talking to her right now. This was the thought that came to me as I watched him speaking on the phone. From the look of things he was completely relaxed so much that he wouldn't have noticed a thief entering the building. As I looked at him I looked at the gun he carried on his hips.
What if I threatened Ola a bit with the gun? Maybe he would open up his mouth and say something. I kept staring at the gun and thinking about how Ola had dragged me out of the car. His warning words kept sounding in my ears as if he was repeating them continuously to me. I nodded my head. I convinced myself that taking the gun was the right thing to do.
"Fine Ola, you asked for it and I'll give it to you." I took my bag and came down from the car and after locking it, I walked up to the building. I had to take the gun from the security personnel.
I had to put some fear into Ola so he would open his mouth and talk. My heart beating fast, I slowly walked towards the security man. He was smiling and had started laughing and this gave me the chance to move closer to him.
Inches away from him, I bumped into him a little and was able to take his gun and put it into my handbag. He shifted a bit but was still busy talking.
"Sorry o oga." I told him.
"No problem madam." He said continuing his discussion and laughing again. I walked into the building and smiled at the receptionist and went down the long corridor. Finally standing in front of the door of Tolan Consultancy, I adjusted myself and took a deep breath.
I clutched the door handle, turned it and opened the door and went in. The secretary immediately came up to me.
"Excuse me how may I help you?" She asked.
"I want to see your boss."
"Did you take an appointment?" I looked squarely at her and then closed the door.
"It is absolutely necessary that I see your boss." I demanded.
"But madam, things are not done that way. You need to take an appointment." I shook my head.
"No, not this time. I must see him, cos if I don't, I am not leaving this place. So it's best you tell him I am here."
The secretary immediately left me and knocked on the door of his office. The minute she knocked on the door and entered, I quickly followed behind and also went in.
There he was seated, dressed in a three piece suit looking so elegant. When he saw me he was surprised.
"Could you excuse us so we can talk?"Â I asked the secretary. She looked at him and he looked back at her. He nodded at her and she left. Finally alone with him, I sat down and facing him peered into his eyes.
"Ola, do you still remember you have a wife by the name Tola?" His first reaction was to blink. Then he answered my question.
"Look whoever you are, I don't know you." He said quietly.
My temperature was slowly rising as I had started boiling with anger. Tears immediately rolled down my eyes and I tried to hide them by looking away.
I searched inside my bag to look for a handkerchief to wipe my tears. But I spotted the gun and instead, my right hand went for it. I didn't mind wiping my tears anymore. I faced him and stared angrily at him.
"Ola Segun, tell me you don't recognize me anymore. Tell me now, that I was never your wife?!"Â I pulled out the gun and pointed it at him.
"My God! Woman, what are you doing?!" He shouted. The secretary came and seeing me pointing a gun at him quickly rushed out shouting.
I closed the door and locked it.
"Ola I don't know what game you are playing. But I need answers, and fast!"
My hands were trembling as I had never held a gun before. I had no idea if it would go off by itself or not. But I held onto it.
"Abeg madam, please don't shoot me. I have a family, please, I beg you."
"We were family, Ola! You and I were husband and wife! What happened to that family?!"
Just then the door swung open. Someone had forced the door of his office open and was pointing a gun at me.
"Drop the gun or I will shoot you. Drop it, now!" Shouted the female voice. I slowly turned my head and looked at the face of the feminine voice that had told me to drop the gun.
The woman was wearing a casual dress with a black leather jacket on top and blue jeans. Her eyes were covered with the darkest shades of glasses I had ever seen. She had a lethal look on her face that gave me the impression, she could be dangerous.
"Drop that gun now before I send you to your ancestors!" She repeated. I looked at Ola and then took another look at the woman. I have nothing to lose, I told myself. And if this moment spelled the end of my earthly existence, I would take Ola down that path with me.
"I have nothing to lose, nothing. Not anymore." I told the woman. What I said upset her a bit and put her into a little confusion. I saw how agitated she was and wondered why.
I still had the gun pointed at Ola and even though it was only to put fear into him, I held onto it fearlessly.
"Hold it both of you! Drop your guns!" I looked over the woman's shoulders and saw Nancy with a few policemen. They were pointing their guns at us.
"Miss K, Tola? Drop your guns now!" Nancy shouted. At the mention of the name Miss K, I froze. I had heard that name somewhere, and hearing it again stopped my world. Where did I hear this name? I kept asking my self repeatedly. Then I remembered.
It was the first time Nancy had introduced me to Ola's friends at the University that the name was mentioned casually. I still remembered Lanre's words.
'I don tell am say that babe level pass him own, but he no wan hear.' He had said back then.
I was in the same room with this woman and she was pointing a gun at me. Whoever she was, I was convinced that she knew how to use a gun. I dropped the gun I was holding onto the desk.
"Miss K, it's your turn now. Drop your gun!" Nancy shouted again. Miss K took one long look at me and sighed before putting her gun behind her back. She was putting the gun inside the back of her jeans.
Immediately she put her gun back, she walked out of the office much to my surprise. Nancy then ordered one of the policemen to take the gun I had placed on the desk. The other officer held my hands and handcuffed me.
Nancy came forward and looked at me. The next thing I knew she gave me a slap.
"Nancy?" I asked surprised tat my best friend slapped me.
"Will you shut up? What do you think you were doing?"
"Is that why you slapped me?"
"Tell me what you came here to do, Tola? Officer abeg take her to the car and wait for me."
I was taken out of the office and led through the corridor in handcuffs like a criminal. Soon, the news of my arrest would get to the ears of my parents.
What would I tell them seeing they had done their best, and even warned me to forget about everything and move on with my life?
This was something that bothered me till the two police officers that had taken me out had put me inside the police car. I waited for Nancy to come out and kept looking at the building. Then I saw Miss K come out walking confidently.
She was alone, walking towards a car, the same car that had dropped off Ola earlier. I finally knew who she was. She was the woman he referred to as his wife. How could he do this to me and get away with it?
This was quite unfair. But I couldn't do anything as perhaps from here, I would be taken straight to prison and would spend a very long time there. Finally, Nancy came and opened the back door and stared at me.
"Tola how did you get here?" Was the first thing she asked. I was quite ashamed to tell her that I had come here alone. But I couldn't tell her a lie.
"I drove down here myself."
"So where are your car keys?" She asked. I had left my handbag in Ola's office when I was handcuffed me. Nancy seeing I didn't reply, immediately told one of the officers to go back and check for my handbag.
The officer found it and came back with it. With handcuffs around my hand, I checked the bag and got the keys out and gave it to her. She threw the keys to one of the police officers and then got into the police car and sat down beside me.
She then ordered the cars to move. My car was driven by one of the policemen. When we got to the central police command, Nancy led me to a cell and removing the handcuffs locked me inside. She shook her head seeing me inside the cell room.
"Nancy, why are you doing this to me?" I asked her. She looked at me from head to toe in utter disgust. I knew she was very disappointed in me.