She soon came up with the excuse that she was tired so they could leave early. He did not object and before long they were waiting for the car near the front entrance while their chauffeur brought their car round. Ayo waited with them so they could drop her off at her parents‘ house on the way. The plans last November to move into Ola‘s former flat had fallen through, and Gladys still lived with her aunt. It didn‘t make sense to move when her wedding was planned for later this year.
Edward was tugging off his tie when they were interrupted by a loud female voice behind them. “So it is you Sani. Didn‘t you see us?”
A thick-set man came up and stood beside them. “Isn‘t it now Edward Bestman?”
The woman Gladys had seen earlier moved forward to stand beside the man. “We meet again.”
No one said anything for a moment as the atmosphere congealed. Gladys had looped her arm through Edward‘s and as she felt it tense, she squeezed his forearm. His eyes locked with that of the older couple. Gladys thought they looked vaguely familiar, and then it hit her. They were Chief and Mrs. Okrika, well known in business circles and sometimes fodder for soft-sell magazines.
The car drew up but when they made to walk to it, Chief barked, “We need to talk.”
Ayo entered the car but when Gladys tried to join her Edward gripped her fingers. He‘d been shocked when he saw Chief and Mrs. Okrika, but now that they were out here without other guests looking on, he would hear them out. They all walked some paces away from the vehicle.
“Introduce us to your fiancée Sani, or should I say Edward?”
“Gladys, this Chief and Mrs. Okrika, I told you about them.”
“Indeed, Sani has become Mr. Bestman, corporate chief and a member of high society.”
Mrs. Okrika laughed again and added, “We saw you all over the papers last year and were shocked. Before that it seemed like you disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“Well here I am and I don‘t have time to reminisce. Are you going to apologize to me or not?” Edward wouldn‘t take their jabs lightly. These people had almost derailed his life. If not for the DPO‘s kindness, he would be rotting in one of Kano‘s jails. Bile rose in his throat but he felt Gladys pressing on his arm again and took a deep breath. He thought he had put that part of his life behind him. What a small world it was. “Pah! Apologize for what? You lived off us for more than two years, caused my wife mental distress and stole from me. Did you tell your little fiancée all of this?”