Business before Pleasure

Business before pleasure.

Amaka come here quickly, chief kobo called. 
I  was an I. T student from University of Port  Harcourt. I am 6ft 5 inches tall,now that too much tall for a 3rd year student.

As I walked into chief kobos office. The A. C chilled my skin. I literally had goose bumps. 
Chief i called, why dont your turn down your a.  c for a minute.

Chief took a liking to me because of my beauty i guess that why he employed me as the sales representative of his company.

Kobo enterprises was the major distributor in tiles and ceramic flooring. He was well known around town.

Chief kobo was a mean business man. He beats his competitions even before they get a whimp as to what is happening. I admired him as a business icon.

But chief kobo had one weakness women. And not just women on this occasion. Me, Amaka.

In the day time, he deals with his business with clear mind but once is 5 o' clock. He rushed off as though he has an engagement, but he ends up in the beer parlour.

Drinking himself to stupor and making prank calls. I wonder if my number is on his speed dail. He seems to always call me when he is drunk. Well thats a story for another day.

This morning, he was calling me into the office as usual. What's our routine for today, that was his opening line today. He looked sober this morning and without hangover.

The idea was funny to me, most mornings he showed up to work wearing sun shades. He was a sight for sore eyes.

Well, we have to visit the new hotel opening down the street. Chief akabogu, you have to put a call across to him by 12. Meeting with the senator by 2 pm. Then call your mother in law by 4.

Ok! Lets go to the new hotel. 
I sat in the front seat while he sat at the back. I was chatting with the driver, how the weekend was awesome, while in reality i spent my weekend at the hospital.

We got there, we met with the hotel owner. Chief was offering to distribute tiles for the hotel.

The owner of the hotel was a young man. He was good looking too

I opened up the catalogue, he complimented me on my perfume. While the fact was that that fragrance was a combination of two aboki perfume. I smiled.

Well, he closed the catalogue. I will take the offer because of this beautiful girl he said. 
Chief eyed me. I was already used to his antics. So i moved away. He showed chief around the hotel premises and places he wanted to tile. I followed from behind. The hotel was huge indeed.

He signed the contract. Chief told him, he will send me back with the tile specifications for the various sections of the hotel.

We got back to the office  chief was fuming, he didn't like how i was relating to his clients. I just sat there looking at him. I was already used to all this his bikering.

I apologise for how i relate with your clients but without me your clients wont exactly be your clients. 
He was quiet for some seconds. 
I thought i had finally gotten him to close his mouth, 
Then he started going on and on as how he is the one helping me and how i have no respect for him, how i dont take the business seriously  because he is laughing with me.

I just turned off my ear drums. I didnt hear anything else he said. I sat there in disgust and contempt for the man that stood before me.

Well let me tell you how i got to chief kobo office.

My mother was a bar girl. Hey the decent ones that serve drinks at the bars of 5 star hotels, she was well paid. Really well paid. So she tended to her business as well as her other colleagues. But i like to think my mother is more beautiful than i am. So customers took a liking to her. Every one wanted her to be the one to serve their drinks. 




. There was this young man who took no interest in her. Her manger and her colleagues dared her. Now that's one customer who is not mesmerised by your beauty her manger teased her.

This customer became frequent at the bar. My mother was a reserved person so, she didn't really want to have an encounter with him.

One unfortunate day, that young man, came in and nikky  served him. He drank rather solemnly. Their manger called my mom, he doesn't look good. 
Who doesn't she asked,

That one, he pointed.. She laughed. She is not my customer. Ask nikky to attend to him. After few minutes, she decided to go. 
She walked up to him. He was tipsy. They started up conversation. He was lively even though he was drunk. After a couple of minutes. He said he was  going home. He stood and he staggered.

I think you should call someone to help you home. I have a reservation upstairs. Ok. He fumbled with his pockets. She told her manager what was happening.

Well help him upstairs, its no big deal.

I helped him to the elevators, he gave me the keys.. We got to the 19th floor. As we came out to the corridors, we met eyes staring at us. It was an akward sight. I helped him to the door. I opened the door and he staggered inside. I turned to leave and he said please wait. 
I stood by the door. He entered the bathroom. I flicked the lights on. Please wait, he said again.  Staggering towards my mom. You smell so nice was how it started. My mother ended up on the bed, with her clothes shredded into pieces. Her work clothes was lying on the floor. That young man has passed out.



She was tired and felt helpless, how was she going to face her manager and colleagues downstairs. Then she heard the big bang on the door and the the key knob turning. Her manger flung it open. She has never seen a man scream so loud. 
He fell down at her feet and cried. He blamed himself for what happened to her.

Quickly, you have to go home. First thing in the morning you go for laboratory testing , then come to work i will make sure this man pays.

She left for home through the back door. She was devasted. A young girl that stays with her elder sister how will she explains this experience. She tried to cheer up but her sister saw through her. 
She naratted the experience. The next morning she rushed off to lab with her elder sister. When they got to the hotel. The man was long gone. 



The hotel receptionist said he  signed out of the room by 4 o clock in the morning. They traced his details from the hotel log book.

When they finally found him. He denied the act, called my mother names. Their manager was more shocked than my mother .

He threatened fire and brimstone, if we ever showed up at his office again. My mother was perplexed as to how her life had turned around just because he helped out a strange man.

But she decided to move past it. But fate was about to surprise my mother . That single unfortunate act that night resulted in me. 
My mother was pregnant  but that was not all the bad news yet. She also tested HIV positive.

Hell was about to break loose. My mother's sister was her anchor. Because she choose death at all costs. She drank different dangerous substances so she could take her life but death didnt want her just yet. 


Either my mom sister walked in on her or the neighbours did. 
She was enrolled in prevention of mother to child transmission of Hiv. That was the only reason i was saved. Most times she took over dose of the antireroviral drugs. She will have the worse case of the side effects but she survived them all. 


She battled with death all throughout her 9 months of pregnancy. She tried to commit sucide for over 10times.

But on the day i was born, all her hatred turned to love . All the pain she went through, the terrible headache, tuberculosis, rashes was all worth it to her.

The hotel manger never abandoned her, he saw her as his responsibility. Her elder sister and her husband was always there for her. By the time i was 52 weeks and i was certified hiv  negative. It was the day i was dedicated and it was also my naming ceremony /the day my mother baptised me. I was named Blessed Amaka okorie.

Fancy name huh,

So fast forward till today, that 17 years later. I was sitting in this man's office listening to him blab, while my mother was rottening at the hospital. As i grew up. I knew something was wrong with my family. I had no father, my mom was always sick. I was just too smart for those adults that tried to hid the truth from me. Finally when my mother opened up about what happened to her. I swore that she would love to see me destroy that man.

That vengeance was my driving force. They say Revenge is the best Motivation. I was top of my class from my primary 6 till this 3 year in university. 
I am the best student with a CGPA of 4.4 in department of civil engineering University of Port Harcourt.

After chief kobo ranting for the day he went about his business. Time flew by quickly. I rushed to the hospital. Everyone there knew me. My mother has been admitted for over 3 months. 
Good afternoon mr paul, hope today was better. 
He smiled weakly. He was an old man, wth stage 3 of WHO classification of physical attributes of AIDS.

Oompa, i hailed him. 
How was work today! 
That silly man was ranting throughout today. 
Don't mind him, do you have my favourite 
I do as i fumbled with my bag, i brought out one coffee super star chewing gum. 
Oompa does have any teeth remaining but he loves the taste of that coffee gum.

I gave it to him . I meet the nurse leaving my mother room. I rushed to her and forgot to greet my friend. (hold on i will tell you about her, let me. Check on my mother first)

Is my mother alright, amaka she is good. She is responding to the antibiotics treatment, but you have to suit up before you see her and you can no longer sleep on the same bed as her. 
Why HIV doesn't spread by bodily contact. 

I know you should see the doctor. 

I left with her to the doctors office. 

Amaka, how was work he asked. 

How is my mother, was my answer.

The nurse said i have to suit up to see her. 

Amaka hold on he started. 

Dont paint the situation, just tell me how it is simple. 
Ok Amaka you mother has lived with HIV gor over 18 years and it hasnt progrssed because she heeded to her medications. 

But the bad news is that the hiv has rapidly progessed and her condition is detorating rapidly and we do not know the cause.

How long does she have?

Your mother is a survivor, she has time but the treatment from now hence forth will be too painful for her to bear. The side effects are..... 

Infact most patients die due the side effects that the disease condition itself. I have never cried since i found out my mother was HIV positive. Today was the first day.

My mother cannot die yet. I  was  angry and furious. That young man in my mother  story i was going to get him. I left the hospital, i stood at the junction, i dialed chiefs number. He picked up quickly, maybe he wasn't drinking today. I  told him i needed to see him. He said he was at Heros lounge. 
I took keke #50. I got there . I told chief i need money that my mother was at the hospital.

He smiled i wonder how my predicament was a laughing stock for him. 
He said well how much do you need. 
I need the 2 million Naira. 

What  are you crazy where do you expect to get that type of money. I dont have it. 
Chief, i know you have it. 

How do you know i have it. 

This was my 3rd month as an i. T student at chiefs firm. I know how many millions of naira he has. Its safe to say he has over 10 billion dollars across accounts.

I just sat there sipped the fayrouz he bought for me. I looked at chief he had plans. I too had plans. Amaka you know i don't have money but if you desperately need this money there is something you have to do. What do you want me to do chief, i will do anything.

Lets go to my room. He was drunk already. I helped him up he gave me the room keys. We went up the stairs it was just one flight, but by the time we got there both of us was panting heavily.

He was resting on me all the way. I was already tired. I reached my hand behind his back i need to pull out those his office keys. What are doing amaka he startled me

I sighed. I hope this wont be a failed mission. We got the room. I opened the door, flicked the light,

mehn it was an amazing sight. 
That room was so lovely. i have never been in this type of room before.

I need to get to work immediately. I poured him a drink i sipped it and added a little potion to it. I gave him he drank and slumped into the bed. And slept like a rock. I rolled him over to his side. I took out that bunch of keys. My destiny depended on it. 


I locked the door. I raced downstairs. I told receptionist that the person i went up with was sleeping. I will be back.

I headed for the office. I saw the gateman. Amaka this one you are back. I came to pick something i left here. 

Ok. 

I rushed upstairs. I was trembling. I opened the door and headed to the last drawers. I saw that white file. I flipped open the pages. It contained documents of transfer of ownership. I grabbed it. 
I saw the gateman again. I bid him good night. I headed to the hospital. When i got there. They had all gone into their ward. I suited up and entered my moms ward. They had passed a tube through her nose. Her breathing had changed. 
Amaka you came late. I brought this for you to see. 
You finally found the documents. How did you get them, she spoke screeching through the tubes. Tears flowed from her eyes. The pain was too much. My beautiful mother is now lying in the hospital bed i could count all her bones. All her hair have fallen off, her teeth all gone, her nails looked like what has been eaten by a termite.

She held my hand tightly, both of us lived for the day we will bring him down.

Chief kobo wrecked my mothers life, bore me and rejected me. The satisfaction of this uncensored victory was of boundless joy to my dearest mother. I will be back by morning. I locked the documents in my moms hospital drawer and headed back to the hotel. 
I met the receptionist, we glanced i threw her a smile. I headed to the room.  Chief was fast asleep. I couldn't wink. Exactly 4 o clock i started weeping, my sobbing woke chief up. I had undressed him and he wearing only boxers. I pulled the sheets to my chest weeping hysterically. 
Amaka he called out startled. He looked at himself, he saw my shredded cloth on the floor. 
I think he had a sense of satisfaction that he slept with me. 
I lamented i slept with him because of my mothers condition, and lamented how he was rough on me. He smiled and consoled me. I sobbed and he consolation was going no where.

Ok he wrote the cheque. He asked me to dress up, cash the cheque and head  for the hospital immediately.

I did as was asked of me. I dressed and headed for the hospital, took the documents and headed to the lawyer. The change of ownership, he had already signed it but didn't fill out the name. 
I guess fate isn't nice at all. 
I filled in my name and signed the documents. 
My lawyer called his lawyer and they both counter signed it. 
Funny thing. His lawyer never called him to double check with him.

I went to the hospital and spent the entire day with my mom. Our revenge was finally over. These were my moms final words.

Learn to love fearlessly. 
A drunken man has no memory! 
Be cheerful, some people are experiencing worse than you are
Beware of men!

She passed on peaceful while gazing at the setting sun. 
May the soul of clara okadigbo rest in perfect peace. Amen!

I went to work the next day, chief asked after my mother. 
I thought of a thousand things to tell him, but i told him she was getting better thanks to him. 
I left chiefs office to the reception. I nearly ran into his lawyer.

Few minutes later, he came out. Please someone get me water
What happened the receptionist asked. Chief fainted. 
I used the back door, took my bags and headed home. 
On my way home. I thought about it. 
Chief can get anything with money, now i wont let that happen. 
I went back to the office, the whole place was nearly deserted where is chief. 
He was rushed to the hospital the gateman answered. 
I rushed to the hospital. 
Chief was resuscitated. Everyone went it to see him. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about. It was just shock. He suggested bed rest. 

I went in when everyone had left. I laughed so loud than i had ever done. Chief chief i hailed him. You forged these documents was what he said. I guess  you fainted before the lawyer showed you the results of the paternity test.

Wait, i want to know what shocked you exactly, that you saw my name, or that you remember who my mother was. Or the fact that i know you are hiv positive.

Chief chief

What are talking about, let me refresh your memory old fool. I told him my mother's story and he wept. 
Too late chief and you even wanted to sleep with your own child. 
Abomination. 
What happened to your mother,  she died yesterday of the Hiv you infested her with. You made me an orphan. 
Old fool. 
As i turned to go 
He said please wait.!

I flashed back to when my mother was telling me her, story! 
He deceived my mother with please wait. 
I grabbed the door handle, turned and looked at him and said may you suffer for your sins.

I left the hospital.I wish my mother was alive to see our victory. 
The next morning, we got news that chief died of heart attack. 
I was the sole inheritor of all his business.

Life is indeed business before pleasure