Toyin Onabowu
Nadine slowed down at the top of the High Road and turned left onto the A12. The tailback of the rush hour traffic was just clearing up off after an earlier accident. Another episode of road rage gone haywire. London’s drivers were becoming more like the New York cabbies Nadine often read about. Well, she was nothing if not patient, and she waited, ignoring the maniac tooting loudly behind her. She wasn’t ready to plunge to her death by trying to cut her way through the unyielding traffic that swished past as though the roads ahead would soon close down. Finally, a space opened up and Nadine edged into the major road. The indicator returned to its position and ceased ticking, just as the Love’s Coming at You ring tone sounded on her mobile phone.
‘That’s Frédéric! Stop staring at your nails and answer it for me, would you?’ She yelled at Tessy, as though her sister was three seats away, instead of right beside her. ‘Tell him I’m driving and I’ll call him back as soon as I’ve found somewhere to park. Oh, why didn’t I plug in the hands-free?’ ‘Keep your hair on, Sis. It’s only a phone call – he’s not going to run off with another woman if you miss one call!’ Tessy was digging into Nadine’s handbag. ‘Don’t blame me if I can't find anything in this Aladdin’s cave of yours. When are you going to empty out this stuff? Look at this; a Tesco shopping receipt from last summer, ah here it is!’ She held up the phone just as the chirping stopped.
Nadine slumped against the headrest. ‘Why didn’t he call five minutes earlier?’ She turned wild eyes on Tessy. ‘And don’t you even joke about him going off with another woman!’ The phone chirped again. Tessy set it on to loudspeaker. You have a voice message.
‘Nade, it’s Frédéric. Things have changed; so I can meet you at café Tait at eight. See you there.’ ‘That man should be hung by his throat till he can speak no more.’ Tessy announced. Two red spots dotted her cheekbones, a clear sign that she was enraged. ‘What makes him think you would drop everything…’? She caught Nadine’s eye. ‘No way. You're going?’
‘Of course.’ Nadine said, craning sideways to examine her face in the mirror. Her long hair was pulled back into a neat bun, and her deep-set eyes were a dark grey in the fading sunlight. The cream and green striped dress she wore to a meeting earlier that afternoon in Central London brought out the sparkles in her eyes, or so she was told; it would be a suitable alternative to the black outfit. Slowing down at the next set of lights, she pulled out her spare make-up bag from the glove compartment, and in a swift, practiced motion, applied a coat of mascara to her short, fine lashes, before slapping on some powder and lip-gloss.
She was good to go.
‘I’ll drop you off at Leyton station. Better yet, I’ll drop the car off at Tesco’s car park and we can both get the train. I’ll get to Stratford faster that way. How do I look?’ Tessy rolled her eyes and shook her head. ‘You’re the pits, Nadine Jenkins. You're gorgeous, intelligent, and sassy, with flawless skin the colour of dark chocolate; yet that man wags his little finger and you come running.’
‘Much as I appreciate the compliment, that’s between me and Frédéric.’ Nadine knew she sounded stern, but Tessy wouldn’t butt out otherwise. ‘We already arranged to meet up tonight. I had nothing else planned.’ ‘Mel is nothing else, is she now.’ Sarcasm oozed from Tessy’s words. ‘I’ll be sure to let her know.’ Trust her sister to know exactly what to say to deflate Nadine’s excitement. Didn’t she realise how important tonight would turn out to be? She swung the car into the supermarket car park, negotiated a parking space and switched off the engine. They got out of the car and Nadine bent down to examine her reflection once more in the wing mirror. Not bad. Not bad at all.
‘Come on, Sis. You know what I mean.’ She said, feeling a pang of remorse. She hadn’t made time for her best friend in months; and Mel wasn’t exactly having an easy time of her pregnancy. ‘I’ll pop round to see her on Sunday after church.’ ‘If that helps you sleep at night. I’m not the one you need to convince.’ Tessy said, before stalking off towards the High Street.
Nadine arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after eight thirty. The place was crowded as usual. The Odeon cinema opposite showed an artistic film each Wednesday, and the crowds were unbelievable; probably also had something to do with a certain mobile phone provider’s two for one cinema ticket offers on the said weekday. Frédéric was already seated at their usual table, heartily enjoying his meal. ‘I was going to finish this and go back home.’ He said without looking up from his meal.
It was that telepathy they shared. She knew immediately if he was within ten feet of her, and vice versa. Nadine skidded to a halt next to him. ‘Sorry, darling. I had to go back home and get changed after being drenched by a passing car outside Tesco’s. Tessy made off with my mobile by accident, so I couldn’t call.’ She stooped and gave him a kiss. Frédéric was looking like the million dollars he‘d soon be worth. Nadine had never seen anyone look so handsome in a simple white shirt and black trousers. In his mid-thirties, Frédéric reminded her of the dark-haired, sword-wielding star of The Lord of the Rings. Tonight, his shoulder-length hair was slicked back into a ponytail. As Tessy would say, he looked good, and didn’t care who knew it. ‘You’ve ordered for me?’
‘I didn’t think you’d mind, knowing how much you enjoy my taste in food.’ Frédéric said with a smile. Nadine’s heart skipped like a lamb. She could just make out the sculpted broadness of his chest under his shirt. How God blessed her with this specimen of manliness was beyond her. ‘You're here, now, and that’s what counts.’ Frédéric said, digging into his cheese and courgette frittata. Frédéric was a fastidious convert to vegetarianism, and Nadine was his willing captive. She studied her spicy seafood pasta: easy on the pasta, light on the seafood, and heavy on the wild rocket and garlic cloves. If she didn’t know better, she would swear Frédéric was working on keeping her at a distance.
She sat down and pushed her fork around the plate. The food was already cool, and terribly unappetising – no offence to the restaurant. ‘You finished work early, then?’ ‘Linda had other plans, so there was no point wasting time on something that could wait till tomorrow.’ Linda was Frédéric’s line manager, who’d been working with him on a project destined to take their company into the FTSE 100. ‘So, what do you want to do later on?’ Nadine leaned forward and changed the subject. A frown had appeared on Frédéric’s forehead when he mentioned his manager’s name, and Nadine wanted it gone.
‘I may have missed out some details in the description for the new flat I’m considering. I wanted to have another quick look at it.’ ‘What are we waiting for?’ Nadine could read him like a book. He’d used the line several times already to get her round to his apartments. Frédéric’s job as an estate agent was a great hunting ground for the apartments he bought to let. He was brilliant at his job – so much so that his employers had short-listed him, along with three others as potential head of their new branch opening in New York. For some odd reason, they’d named the project Alectra, after the managing director’s wife. Frédéric sold more properties than most of his colleagues put together, and managed to find a few of his own on the side. Tessy considered this unethical, and told him so to his face. Nadine, ever the peacemaker, tried to convince her he was being proactive.
Frédéric flicked his neck slightly, in a studied enough manner for his ponytail to swish back and forth. ‘You sure? It’s fully furnished, so shouldn’t take you long to form an opinion.’ Nadine’s instincts were the golden ticket as far as Frédéric was concerned. Early in their relationship, he’d become convinced she had a knack for the business, and although he did not encourage her to start up on her own, he asked her opinion on every home he bought. They finished the meal and Nadine paid her share. ‘Why don’t we walk?’ Frédéric said. ‘My car’s parked round the corner – the flat is not far from here.’ ‘Fine by me,’ Nadine said. ‘It’s pretty cold though, you have to wrap your arms tightly around me.’ Frédéric threw her an odd look, then drew her towards him. ‘Anything for my best girlfriend.’ They crossed the street outside the restaurant, and walked briskly for twenty minutes. The night air was fresh West–End, as Nadine called it. An odorous waft of cigarettes, beer and Chinese stir-fry coated the air heavily. Traffic as usual crept past them slower than a baby could walk.
By the time they reached the block of flats, Frédéric’s long strides meant he was about five feet ahead of Nadine. He inserted the key into the doorway and led the way to a second floor apartment. He fli‘Oh, F!’ Nadine gasped. He frowned. ‘I wish you wouldn’t call me that.’ ‘Sorry, habit.’ Nadine said, wandering round the apartment. Each room was furnished to the hilt, with real wood flooring, top of the range beddings and built-in wardrobes. ‘This will cost a fortune to let.’ ‘I’m considering keeping this one for myself.’ Nadine felt the strong scent of Issy Miyake cologne envelop her, and froze as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She loved the feel of him next to her, but hated it when he began to plant little kisses around the nape of her neck, as he was doing now.p>
She jiggled her way out of his arms and pretended to examine the empty walk-in closet. ‘I think it’s beautiful, and it would make a great home for some lucky couple.’ Her words came out as a squawk. ‘I’m ready to leave now.’ Frédéric placed a hand on her shoulder and spun her round. ‘We can't keep doing this, Nade. I know you love me – why are we still waiting? It’s been over a year.’ He was so gorgeous; Nadine could just lose herself in his blue eyes. ‘Because we both know it’s not right, Frédéric. We’ve been through this before. I’m waiting till our wedding night – don’t you want to experience me for the first time the way God intended?’ She looked at him with imploring eyes, loving him so much, but wishing he wouldn’t put so much pressure on her. She would marry him in a flash – forget all the white wedding trimmings. She wanted him too, but wasn’t prepared to compromise on her beliefs.
Frédéric’s face hardened. ‘I’m too old for your silly, teasing games, Nade. You either want to be with me or we both make room in our lives for other people.’ ‘Frédéric-,’ Nadine placed an arm on his shoulder. ‘I thought you were happy with the way things were.’ ‘Not so much, Nade. I’m only human.’ Then ask me to marry you. Nadine stopped herself short of uttering the words. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’ She bit out, instead.
Frédéric swung away from her, and moved towards the well-stocked bar in the middle of the open plan lounge. ‘It’s cold. I think I’ll call it a night right here.’ ‘What about me?’ Nadine walked after him, heart heaving into her chest. Why was he being like this? This wasn’t how the night was supposed to end! Frédéric was supposed to commemorate their one-year anniversary with roses, a proposal, and an engagement ring; not get upset because she wouldn’t put out. ‘I have a lot of work to do before tomorrow.’ Frédéric poured himself a small shot of whiskey and threw his head back, giving a sharp sigh, as the drink worked its way down his throat. ‘The board will announce their decision about New York; I want to be bright and ready. See yourself out.’
Nadine thought her heart had stopped. She inhaled two deep breaths, pulled on her long navy coat and picked up her keys. She turned round to speak, but Frédéric was gone – into one of the rooms she’d fleetingly pictured their kids in. What had gone wrong? He’d never treated her this way before. Each time they’d reached the obstacle, he withdrew with grace. A wall the height of the ceiling had moved in between them.
Vist My Store To Buy "Rescued by Knight" And Many More