When Love Finds Us

       Designer wears were not for her, Eno had concluded. Or maybe they were not for people who barely earn enough to make ends meet.The designer bag and shoes she had bought for her younger sister's wedding party had drilled a hole in her account. She could not bring herself to look at the bank transactions.      She had two choices: bring a fiance to the wedding party or give off the illusion of a rich spinster. She just couldn't stand people "whispering' things in her hearing. Some even had the habit of walking up to her every family party and asking her why she still hasn't brought a husband home at thirty, like her Aunt Louise. Maybe people would conclude that her wealth made men run away from her, that would be better than not being successful and not being married. She had been hell bent on proving that she was the rich spinster she wasn't, but her meagre salary couldn't afford a rental car so she had to make do with her 2010 Toyota Corolla. One might miss the dent if one didn't look too closely. The car had been given to her by a rich boyfriend as gift. She did pay for the car, she always told herself. The misery she felt in the relationship if calculated in monetary terms could buy her the car. Her current relationship was one of convenience. Two models who wanted a flexible relationship, always there for each other when they needed a plus one. He was going to be her plus one for her sister's wedding party. Eno hoped he could act the part. Hang on each other's shoulders at events, spark gossip blogs - that was what her life was at the moment. And she couldn't escape, hell, she tried. Things just didn't work out. How was she going to explain to her parents who weren't supportive from the beginning. Not really from the beginning, she had started modelling when she twelve and they had been supportive. They just couldn't believe that their daughter wanted to pursue a career in modelling. They had both looked at her like she was crazy. When they found out she wasn't, they waited for her to grow out of the phase till they realized it was no phase at all. When she was younger, she was imaginative.She would imagine herself being crowned as Ms. World, and just stay in her room. Quiet, still, staring into blank space, she even wrote out the speech! Her imagination died with her teenage years. Now she couldn't even imagine a better life. She just wanted to live. They had tried to get her to study some "professional course". Like medicine or nursing. Something they could tell family members "that's our first daughter. She studied medicine and surgery" and show her off at family gatherings. But she had been adamant, she had studied Animal Science. She couldn't get a job with the course, she knew that. When her parents begged her to go for her masters degree, she refused. She could have at least have had a lecturing job. Eno was sure other children rebelled against their parents. She knew friends that had gone against their parents' plans for them and they turned out fine. Maybe the universe was against her. When she turned thirty in November, it was like an eye-opener. There was eighty percent possibility that her life would continue this way. Yet it felt like her hands were tied.     If there was one lesson, life had thrown at her, it would be to not live an expensive life - if one wasn't, well expensive. She had bought a house for which she paid in instalments. She didn't know what she was thinking then. She had just got a modelling gig then, she expected it to be huge. Well, it was. She added a "little" weight and could not feature in the show anymore. Eno had arrived at her parents' house days before the Engagement Party to help her sister prepare. She wasn't in good terms with her parents and they still had trouble responding to her greetings. She would greet them and they would grunt in reply. Someone knocked at the door and invited them self in. Eno did not have to look to know who it was. The intruder walked around the room, ran her hands along the dressing before she finally sat down. She tucked her robe between her thighs and crossed her feet at the ankles demurely. Pauline was in her night dress. Probably one of the many see-through night dresses and negligees she had bought for her honeymoon. Her hair was tucked beneath a satin cap. Few strands peeked out. She still had her makeup on – the one for the Engagement party, and her artificial lashes brushed her cheeks when she blinked.      “Hey,” Eno said, thrusting her chin forward. “what is the bride-to be doing in my room late this night?” “Nothing,” she said. Her hands swept at the stray strands of hair; futilely trying to tuck them under her satin headwear. “Wedding blues?” Eno suggested. “Oh, please.” Pauline flipped her wrist. “Just…” Pauline had turned to face the mirror in front of her, and was applying Eno's Mauve Victoria Secrets lip gloss. She smacked her lips, and rubbed the smudge at the corners of her lips with her fingers. She tucked her hair successfully under the satin cap and turned to face Eno. Eno was getting impatient. Pauline of not telling you straight up what she wanted to say. Like, she wanted to keep you in edge for whatever she was going to say. Or sometimes forgot that she was going to tell you something. "Okay..." She seemed to come back to herself."Oh, I was saying something, wasn't I? Eno pressed her lips together, and shook her head. Any more beating around, Eno was sure she would hit her in the head with her iPod.   "Are you dating Francis? Are you guys in a serious relationship? Eno placed her phone on the bed, and sat up. "We are. Why are you asking?" Pauline's eyebrows shot to her forehead, and she clicked her tongue. "Nah, don't believe you. . " Eno gave out a tired sigh."We are not in a serious relationship."    "You are in one of your 'convenience' relationship, right?"      "It's not like I have time for a relationship right now. They are emotionally draining". Pauline only responded by tipping her cup. Eno felt the need to talk. That was probably why Pauline came to her. To ttal't believe it.   "So, you are getting married next month?" "Yes," Pauline breathed out like she could not believe it herself. "And the Geraldine stuff?"    Eno watched Pauline's eyes clouded, a vein ticked in her jaw. "We've resolved it."     "Pauline, what about the Twitter thing?  That was a week ago, after he had proposed to you!"                   "Eno, just drop it, Ken said he was sorry," Pauline said. "And I'm no longer on Twitter."    "You deleted Twitter, but the one who started it is still with you. You are fighting everyone but him." "Eno," Pauline muttered, pressing her hand to her temple. "I'm not walking into anything, I'm getting married." Pauline had uploaded the video of her proposal and someone retweeted with the video of another proposal video. This time it wasn't Pauline, it was Ken with some girl. It went viral, Pauline almost went crazy. Eno had to stay with her through out the whole episode. There was also Geraldine. Pauline called her at two am on a Monday morning that her friend had sent a video of Geraldine lap dancing Ken in a bar. Ken had lied to her that he was traveling to Morocco for an official assignment, but was seen lap dancing Geraldine, one of Pauline's closest friends in a pub somewhere in Lagos. And Pauline magically seemed to have forgiven him and forget the whole thing. Eno could have done something, she should have. But there was little one could do when someone you want to help thinks they don't need helping.Ken wouldn't, couldn't abuse her, would he? She had never been a victim of abuse herself, but she knew the horrors of an abusive relationship. She knew a model who was in an abusive relationship. They had been in the changing room together one day, and she noticed the bruises. She had known, she just did. What she didn't understand was why people remain in abusive relationships. A sigh broke into her thoughts. “Eno, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.” Her tone suggested that she would not like to be prodded any further. Eno regarded her for a while and asked regardless. “He doesn’t hit you, does he?” Pauline tensed.  “No. No, he doesn’t.” The room was silent, save the ticking of a clock.   “And you understand you can break it off if you want, right?”      Pauline looked smaller. “I do.”      Eno gave a small nod and picked up her phone that had been pinging with notifications. “Right.” A small noise of committal sounded in Pauline’s throat. They both fell silent again.    Pauline cleared her throat eons later. “I actually came here to ask you if you would want to go out.  I discovered a nice restaurant a stone’s throw from here. Opens 24 hours” Eno managed a dry smile. It might as well have been plastered to her face. She just couldn't pretend that everything was fine. “Reese’s?” she asked. “I didn’t know it’s now open.” "It's now open. It's been open for a week now.”    Eno smiled, this time genuinely. “Yeah, you would know". Pauline laughed. “I'm friends with the owner," she said defensively. - They decided to walk to the restaurant since it was just around the corner. Maybe what she needed was walks to clear her head. Their heads.     Eno used to get upset at Pauline for suggesting something for both of them. It was something she always did, even to their parents. “I’m the older one,” she would say. As she grew up, she understood that Pauline was the more thoughtful one. Like her wheels of thoughts were always in motion even before situation required it. Although she would not admit it to her face, she admired her for that. It smelt strongly like Christmas. Almost all the shops Eno saw had Christmas decorations – green and red ribbons and Christmas lights. The dry cold Harmattan wind further stressed the point. Pauline held her hand as they walked down the street. Eno felt stronger. Like Clark Kent and Hulk combined. She looked down at their hands. Pauline’s ring caught the light. The rock did. It was pretty impressive.Their relationship was not.           Eno held their entwined hands up. “Impressive,” she said. Pauline smiled and examined the ring like it was the first time she had seen it. “I know, right.” Eno hoped it was not his money that had made him worth it. Pauline’s income was. She had a decent house and decent cars. She was doing well. She could not help but notice that the ring did not fit Pauline’s finger well enough. Not too loose to easily drop but could still drop if one was not conscious enough. “It doesn’t fit you well,” Eno mused. Pauline slid it up and down her finger easily. “He said he was going fix it, but I told him not to. He doesn’t have to, not now. Who knows, returning it to the store before our wedding could attract bad luck.”     “It looks like he had someone else in mind while buying it,” Eno teased. Maybe it's the ring he bought for the lady in that video, she wanted to add. She didn't, Pauline didn't want to be reminded. Pauline glowered at her, a small smile playing on her lips. Had she forgotten the argument they had some minutes ago? Eno decided it was best she "forgot" it, too. Eno was six years older than Pauline. They could pass for twins if they wanted to though. They both stood at 5'8 and 5'6 respectively. While Eno was the model, Pauline was the History Professor.      “And look at that.” Pauline threw her hands up in delight. The restaurant was still open. Twenty-four hours, Pauline had mentioned.    “It is really nice,” Eno said, her eyes sweeping through the room.        “It is." Dull yellow lamps hung from the ceiling. The light shone directly on the chairs. It was painted in grey and white - simple and elegant. Eno felt at home; like she was back in her parents’ kitchen. Not hers. Hers was not the model kitchen. Nothing “model” about unwashed plates stacked up in the sink just because she was too lazy to run her dishwasher. Maybe she would get a housekeeper one of these days. But then, she had been pushing that forward also. They picked the chair beside the window – Pauline did. Pauline’s perfectly manicured fingers picked up the menu as they settled into their seats. She had her thinking face on. Commotion broke out in the table next to theirs. A lady was shouting at a waiter, and demanding for the manager. The man she came with looked tired. He was tugged her at her arm, and tried to get her to sit, but she continued. The man decided to return to his food. A typical Karen, Eno thought. She couldn't happen but notice how different they looked. The lady looked like she had just walked out of a t****k video, and the man like he had just walked out of a business magazine. Maybe opposites did attract. She tore her eyes away from them, and glanced up at the waiter who had been trying to get her attention. Pauline's order did. “I’ll have…” Pauline mused. “Salad. Vegan, thank you. ” she said to the waiter. "Spaghetti Bolognese." "Drink?" The waiter asked.       "Pulpy," Pauline said. Smiling politely at the waiter. Pauline didn't have to do it, but she did anyway.Pauline had a smile for everybody: the cobbler at the roadside, marketwoman, children, everybody. It was as though she was the motivation behind the smiley face. One mistake one could make with her was to ask her why she was always smiling. When they were younger, she had made Eno explain why she shouldn't be smiling. Since there was no answer to that, Eno had gotten so frustrated that she went into her room and shut the door behind her.     Eno waited till the waiter left before talking. "Salad? You come to this fancy restaurant, and you ask for salad?"    “Yes,” she said as she spread her hands matter-of-factly. “I’m watching my weight.” Eno stared at Pauline for a while.Pauline didn't look like she needed to lose weight. She shouldn't even have to lose weight. She was a size 16. "Watching your weight? Since when did you have to watch your weight."         Pauline shrugged. “I'm aiming for a size twelve before my wedding" Eno's eyes narrowed. "Size twelve? Why? Is your wedding gown a size twelve?" The waiter choose the time to arrive. He must have sensed the tension. He didn't even ask if they needed any other thing. He just dropped it and left. Pauline dug in immediately, and shoved an impossible amount of salad into her. She didn't want to talk, Eno figured. Eno didn't ask any more questions. She wondered what her excuse Pauline would be if she was done eating the salad.