Coffee Shop (Episode 4)

Ekanem locks the door and goes back into the shop.She waits anxiously for her boyfriend to arrive. Luckily for her, he arrives faster than expected.

Philip walks into the shop ,he sees Ekanem fiddling with her phone and joins her at the table.

“Thank you for coming dear” she says with a smile.

Philip looks at her with coldness in his eyes. “Why did you refuse to pick my calls when I called you earlier on” ,he says to her with a frown.

“Won’t you even say hi to me first before attacking me” ,she replies .

“You are so proud Ekanem. Is it so hard for you to say sorry? “, he says to her with a loud voice .

“You are creating a scene please. Can you please assist me with repairing the car. That’s the main reason why I called you “she replies with a straight face.

“Oh!so now I am creating a scene. You only call me when you need my assistance .Is this how we are going to make our marriage work ?”he says to her.

“Which marriage? “Ekanem replies .

Philip looks at her without saying a word.

“I am praying to God to help me survive this relationship and you are here speaking to me about marriage. Are you going to take a look at the car or do you prefer that we continue to quarell before strangers?” ,she asks him.

“By the way where exactly were you when I tried reaching you?” , he replies.

“Philip Bassey, you are not my bodyguard. Quit treating me like a child and give me some respect. You are practically shouting” she says to him with embarrassment in her eyes.

“I will talk to you as I please”, he yells at her and attempts raising his hand on her face .

As she stands up hurriedly to defend herself, Toks walks up to their table.

“Is everything okay madam? Are you in any form of danger ?” ,he asks her .

“No ! he is on his way out “she replies as she looks sternly at Philip with anger and disgust.

Philip storms out of the shop angrily .Ekanem watches him as he exits the building. She sits down on the chair to calm her temper .

“Madame please are you okay? , do you need anything? “Toks asks with a warm voice.

“I just need a mechanic for my vehicle.My car has refused to start “she says to him.

“Okay ma, let me get someone to replace me at the counter while I try to diagnose your car’s problem” ,he says to her with a smile .

Ekanem bows her head as she sits on the chair. She tries her best to hold back the tears.

“I don’t blame this guy for insulting me in public. Ahhh! It’s your fault Ekanem . On a normal day , what would you be doing with a narcissistic man like him”,she says to herself .

Toks collects Ekanem’s car keys and leaves the shop .She observes him as he tries putting the ignition on.When it fails, he opens the bonnet to find out the cause of the problem.

After a while, he returns to where Ekanem is sitted and says to her; “I think your car may have an engine problem because the level of oil is very low”.

“Wow!what am I going to do? “, Ekanem replies .

“You could park your car here and get a professional to look at it tomorrow”,he says with a reassuring look on his face .

“Thank you very much Toks. I hope it’s going to be safe here though? “,she replies.

“Don’t be worried, we have efficient security men and surveillance cameras”,he says to her .

“Okay. Thanks once again. I will just pick up my personal belongings from the car and call a cab to take me home “she says with a smile.

“If you do not live so far away , I could drop you off at your house with the official car .I will be going to the other branch to drop off some items in about 20 minutes”, he replies.

” Okay , my house is 20 minutes from here .I don’t mind the lift because I am really tired” she says to him .

Ekanem finally enters the car with Toks. There’s an awkward silence in the car. She isn’t bothered by the silence because her mind is occupied by all that happened earlier.

“I hope you dont mind me asking what your name is madame ?” ,he asks with a straight face.

“My name is Ekanem ” she replies and starts going through her social media messages .

He finally gets to her house. Ekanem turns to face him in the car and says “thank you very much for coming to my rescue one more time”.

“You are most welcome. Anything for a loyal customer. Can I have your number so that if I am able to get a car mechanic for you , I would be able to contact you” ,he says to her.

Ekanem gives him her phone number and leaves the car.She enters her house, keeps her items in the room and has a bath to freshen up.

She lies down on her bed almost immediately but her sleep is interrupted by Chichi who comes into her room after knocking.

“How was your day dear?” ,she asks Ekanem.

“Horrible” she replies with a frown on her face.

“My car broke down at Ryan’s coffee shop and Philip almost beat me in public” she says to Chichi .

“What is wrong with that Philip. Does he really know who you are and the family you come from? What happened ?” ,she replies.

Ekanem narrates what happened to Chichi.

“Hmmm , my sister relax okay! .So what do you want to do about Philip?” She says to Ekanem .

“It’s over between us.Do you want me to die prematurely? “, she replies her .

“Don’t you think that you should think about your decision first? “Chichi says to her.

“Chichi my decision is final. I am prepared to stay single if he is the only man available for me to marry”, Ekanem replies .

“Talk to your mum first since he is her friend’s son” Chichi says .

As Ekanem discusses with Chichi, her phone rings. She picks it up to see who the caller is.

“It’s my mum calling”, she says to her friend.

Chichi smiles and replies, “make sure you tell her about Philip”. She leaves Ekanem and goes back to her room.

“Good evening mum”,Ekanem says.

“How are you doing Eky ?”, she replies .

“I have had better days “,Ekanem says to her mother.

“Tell me about it dear “, her mum replies with a warm voice.

She narrates her ordeal with Philip to her. Past and present experiences were dished out to her , including the attempted slap in the coffee shop.

“So you mean that boy made you pass through all that?” ,she asks Ekanem .

“Yes mum” she replies.

“”I am sorry my daughter! .I thought Philip was as responsible as his parents. His mum , my close friend, is such a kind hearted woman”, she says to Ekanem.

“Philip can be kind when he wants to. Let’s just say that his bad side overshadows his good side” ,Ekanem replies.

“My daughter, God will bless you with a man that you are compatible with. Try and sleep now, you have had a very stressful day”, she says to her daughter.

“Thanks mum.I love you”. Eky replies.

“I love you too dear” she says to her daughter.

To be continued  EPISODE 5