The Ladies Club started during the colonial era, it was started by a handful of women who were alumni of only female secondary schools in Lagos and Western Nigeria. It was known as the New Era Ladies Club then. It aimed at supporting women to have equal opportunities as their male counterparts and to build and strengthen a sisterhood bond amongst the women. Over the years the club had so grown that it had members from all parts of the country regardless of whether they attended only girls schools or not. The club now boasts of women who have made their marks in their chosen careers, many of them have even reached the peak of their professions. From lawyers to Judges, Doctors, Engineers, Economists and what have you. The club met annually, and the venue was rotated among the six regions of the country. It was the turn of the Northwest to host the club and the city of Kano was chosen for the event.
The intense sun that greeted Isabella as she climbed down the ramp at the Aminu Kano International Airport pierced through her skin, she walked as fast as her legs could allow across the tarmac and gave a sigh of relief as she entered the cool building. The sun coupled with the fact that she hated flying, no matter how short the distance was, had drained her. She made for the waiting area. She had travelled light since she would be leaving the next day, so she had no luggage to wait for by the conveyor, but she wanted to rest a bit, she was not running late and she was not eager to go back under the hot sun. She sat down on the available seat, rested her head on the headrest, and closed her eyes.
-let me just take a breathe-
"Bella, Bella, Bella, is this you" the excited voice roused her, she opened her eyes and saw the familiar face looking down at her. She jumped from her seat and they both hugged excitedly.
"Doyin, Doyin, how long has it been?"
"Five years I think"
"You have not been attending the meetings regularly"
"See who is talking. You were not in Port-Harcourt last year, I specifically searched for you" Doyin said as they both sat down.
"You are right, the firm had lots of cases to handle and our clients were on our neck, it was just after the elections, I had my hands filled. But what about the years that preceded last year? I didn't miss any of those and I didn't see you"
"You know na, my business always keeps me busy, and a times Victor may require me to go on one of those oversee business trips with him. I have been lucky lately that the dates of the meetings are not clashing with any of those trips"
"How is Victor? I have been reading about him in the papers. If he is not acquiring one company he is building another"
"He is fine my sister, God has been so good to us. To you too, I hear John has been shortlisted for ministerial appointment.
"Yes, he has. What's remaining is just some formalities like the interview with the Senate"
"Oh! Nice. Who would have thought...? We've both come so far. I can still very much remember our days in Queen's College and Ibadan" Doyin said reflectively
"Ditto. It's just like yesterday"
Isabella Ogagah and Doyin Adedapo had met for the first time as young girls in secondary school and they had become very close friends and their friendship had continued when both of them gained admission into the University in Ibadan, they had both studied law and they were inseparable throughout their school days. They both met their heartthrobs at the university and married immediately after school. Isabella had married John Osaruwense while Doyin had married Victor Adebantu. Isabella had gone ahead to law school and joined a growing law firm in Benin while Doyin had remained a house wife living in Lagos and later went into business. They were separated by marriage and locations but the Ladies Club had become a means by which both of them met every year.
"I tried your number, the land line, several times but NITEL keeps telling me that the line wasn't listed " Isabella said
"Oh! It was because we relocated, Victor finished the house on the island and we moved from the mainland. I'm sorry I didn't inform you about it, everything was crazy then, I even lost your number too. Let me give you the new number."
They exchange numbers
"Why are you seated here, are you waiting for someone?" Doyin asked
"No, I was just taking a breathe, the intensity of the sun here is something else. I practically ran across the tarmac"
"Me too. But we can't stay here forever, let's go to the hotel, you'll be able to rest better there before the event starts"
As they exited the airport building, a slim man in kaftan rushed at them
"Hajia, Madam where I dey go?"
Doyin dipped her hand into her handbag to fish out a card then read from it "Royal Tropica...."
"Royal Troficana Hotel" he interrupted her enthusiastically "I savi za flace, kuzo muje na kai ku, enter za mota". He said as he rushed back to his taxi to open the back door for them and held it as they entered. He closed it gently then rounded his vehicle to enter the driver's side.
"How far is the hotel?" Doyin asked the driver
"Not too par malama" he replied as he drove out of the airport
"Why don't you put the AC on?" Isabella said
"Ai rankidede, AC I chop am for fetir and fetir I chop am for moni"
"What's fetir?" Doyin asked
"He means petrol, fuel" Isabella replied, then to the driver she said "don't worry, we will pay for it. Just put it on please, this heat is too much"
"Okay hajia, ba masala" he said as he switched the air-conditioning unit on
"You know Doyin, I almost decided not to attend the event this year?"
"Why is that?"
"My daughter just gained admission into the University and her matriculation is next Wednesday, it was earlier slated for Monday but then shifted. I wouldn't have been able to make it here had it not been shifted."
"Oh! That's nice. What school is it?"
"It's Ife"
"Ife! I have a son there too"
"Really? I didn't know"
"It's because it's been awhile we met, and he just gained admission last year, he is in his second year. I plan to visit him this week. I haven't picked a day yet, but with you going there on Wednesday, I guess I'll pick Wednesday, it'll be nice to get together again, celebrate with your daughter and all.
"That will be nice, I'll like to see your son too" the barrister said.
*********************
************
******
The intense sun that greeted Isabella as she climbed down the ramp at the Aminu Kano International Airport pierced through her skin, she walked as fast as her legs could allow across the tarmac and gave a sigh of relief as she entered the cool building. The sun coupled with the fact that she hated flying, no matter how short the distance was, had drained her. She made for the waiting area. She had travelled light since she would be leaving the next day, so she had no luggage to wait for by the conveyor, but she wanted to rest a bit, she was not running late and she was not eager to go back under the hot sun. She sat down on the available seat, rested her head on the headrest, and closed her eyes.
-let me just take a breathe-
"Bella, Bella, Bella, is this you" the excited voice roused her, she opened her eyes and saw the familiar face looking down at her. She jumped from her seat and they both hugged excitedly.
"Doyin, Doyin, how long has it been?"
"Five years I think"
"You have not been attending the meetings regularly"
"See who is talking. You were not in Port-Harcourt last year, I specifically searched for you" Doyin said as they both sat down.
"You are right, the firm had lots of cases to handle and our clients were on our neck, it was just after the elections, I had my hands filled. But what about the years that preceded last year? I didn't miss any of those and I didn't see you"
"You know na, my business always keeps me busy, and a times Victor may require me to go on one of those oversee business trips with him. I have been lucky lately that the dates of the meetings are not clashing with any of those trips"
"How is Victor? I have been reading about him in the papers. If he is not acquiring one company he is building another"
"He is fine my sister, God has been so good to us. To you too, I hear John has been shortlisted for ministerial appointment.
"Yes, he has. What's remaining is just some formalities like the interview with the Senate"
"Oh! Nice. Who would have thought...? We've both come so far. I can still very much remember our days in Queen's College and Ibadan" Doyin said reflectively
"Ditto. It's just like yesterday"
Isabella Ogagah and Doyin Adedapo had met for the first time as young girls in secondary school and they had become very close friends and their friendship had continued when both of them gained admission into the University in Ibadan, they had both studied law and they were inseparable throughout their school days. They both met their heartthrobs at the university and married immediately after school. Isabella had married John Osaruwense while Doyin had married Victor Adebantu. Isabella had gone ahead to law school and joined a growing law firm in Benin while Doyin had remained a house wife living in Lagos and later went into business. They were separated by marriage and locations but the Ladies Club had become a means by which both of them met every year.
"I tried your number, the land line, several times but NITEL keeps telling me that the line wasn't listed " Isabella said
"Oh! It was because we relocated, Victor finished the house on the island and we moved from the mainland. I'm sorry I didn't inform you about it, everything was crazy then, I even lost your number too. Let me give you the new number."
They exchange numbers
"Why are you seated here, are you waiting for someone?" Doyin asked
"No, I was just taking a breathe, the intensity of the sun here is something else. I practically ran across the tarmac"
"Me too. But we can't stay here forever, let's go to the hotel, you'll be able to rest better there before the event starts"
As they exited the airport building, a slim man in kaftan rushed at them
"Hajia, Madam where I dey go?"
Doyin dipped her hand into her handbag to fish out a card then read from it "Royal Tropica...."
"Royal Troficana Hotel" he interrupted her enthusiastically "I savi za flace, kuzo muje na kai ku, enter za mota". He said as he rushed back to his taxi to open the back door for them and held it as they entered. He closed it gently then rounded his vehicle to enter the driver's side.
"How far is the hotel?" Doyin asked the driver
"Not too par malama" he replied as he drove out of the airport
"Why don't you put the AC on?" Isabella said
"Ai rankidede, AC I chop am for fetir and fetir I chop am for moni"
"What's fetir?" Doyin asked
"He means petrol, fuel" Isabella replied, then to the driver she said "don't worry, we will pay for it. Just put it on please, this heat is too much"
"Okay hajia, ba masala" he said as he switched the air-conditioning unit on
"You know Doyin, I almost decided not to attend the event this year?"
"Why is that?"
"My daughter just gained admission into the University and her matriculation is next Wednesday, it was earlier slated for Monday but then shifted. I wouldn't have been able to make it here had it not been shifted."
"Oh! That's nice. What school is it?"
"It's Ife"
"Ife! I have a son there too"
"Really? I didn't know"
"It's because it's been awhile we met, and he just gained admission last year, he is in his second year. I plan to visit him this week. I haven't picked a day yet, but with you going there on Wednesday, I guess I'll pick Wednesday, it'll be nice to get together again, celebrate with your daughter and all.
"That will be nice, I'll like to see your son too" the barrister said.
*********************
************
******
"It's your turn to tell me about yourself. How was growing up like for you?" This was their second meeting and it's a week after their night at the tennis court. They had not had the chance to meet and he had really not being eager to see her. Not that his feelings for her had changed but he was trying hard to avoid the trouble he strongly feels the future holds. With Pago in the picture, he believed that if he kept on seeing her, it would end badly for at least one of them if not for the three of them. But he just couldn't stop himself when she appeared in his room that evening. He was only glad Wale was not in the room when she came. He had quickly left the room with her then they had walked around the campus and finally settled for the park in front of the school's library and beside the Senate building. There were other couples there but there was a reasonable distance between them and the closest couple.
"We are just two" she replied
"Two?"
"Yes, my older brother and me, his name is Richard. He is in the States, schooling"
"Why didn't you go to the States, I am sure your parents can afford to send you there too"
"Yes they can, but as the baby of the house, Mummy wants me close by"
"And you don't feel somewhat cheated? That you are being deprived of your right or something?
She smiled at him "I don't really see schooling abroad as a big deal. I agree their schools are better and free of crises and all that but it still doesn't freak me. And unlike Engineering, one doesn't really need a sophisticated laboratory in order to learn Economics."
"You've got a point there"
"Anyways, I'll be doing my Masters degree over there so" she shrugged
"You still haven't told me how growing up was like for you"
She was quite for a while then said "My childhood wasn't as interesting as yours. I didn't play truant, I couldn't even if I wanted to. The schools I went to had well secured fences and gates and I was dropped at school every morning and picked up after school. I really didn't have any interesting adventure while growing up. My brother though gave me some troubles, he is a couple of years older than me and he was a constant pain in my you-know-where. We were always at each other's throats but as we grew older we became closer. All my friends were school friends, no neighbourhood friends. I guess that's pretty much all about me. Like I said nothing interesting"
He knew she had left the privileged part of her childhood out. He had thought she would talk about her summer breaks abroad about the number of countries she had visited and the number of toys she had but she disappointed him. Unlike many in her shoes, she didn't wear her privileged status on her sleeves and he liked her for that.
When she noticed he wasn't talking but seemed to be deep in thoughts she asked "you have any question?"
"What do your parents do?"
"My dad is an Economist and my mum is a lawyer"
"They made you pick Economics I guess"
"Yea, but I think I have a flare for it, I like it. They picked Ife too and I'm beginning to like the school"
"You should trust your parents' judgements then"
"Not all exactly. They didn't want me to stay in the hostel, they wanted me to stay at the quarters with one of their doctor friends, I stood my ground and I haven't regretted it"
"Good, that place would have been boring for you"
"Not that the hostel is cool but I still enjoy it there"
They were silent for a while, then he asked "Do you know what this park is called?"
"No, what's it called?"
"Motion ground"
"And you know how it got the name?"
"No"
"Oh! You are yet to find it in those books you read" she teased
He smiled "it'd be a waste of time searching and I really don't care how it got its name. By Wednesday on your matriculation, this place will be filled up with people taking pictures"
"Really?"
"Yea, that's how it has always been"
"My mother will be coming. You will be free enough to come right?"
"I...I... I really can't say, the matriculation is for freshers, we the others will still be having lectures" He said, he didn't want to start meeting rich mothers.
"And you can't find time in your busy schedule to drop by?" She asked sarcastically
"I'll see, it depends on my timetable that day"
"I won't be happy with you if you don't come" she said pouting and he laughed
"I am serious, you must come"
"I will try my best to" he said as he silently prayed that he would find a forgivable excuse not to make it on Wednesday.
"We are just two" she replied
"Two?"
"Yes, my older brother and me, his name is Richard. He is in the States, schooling"
"Why didn't you go to the States, I am sure your parents can afford to send you there too"
"Yes they can, but as the baby of the house, Mummy wants me close by"
"And you don't feel somewhat cheated? That you are being deprived of your right or something?
She smiled at him "I don't really see schooling abroad as a big deal. I agree their schools are better and free of crises and all that but it still doesn't freak me. And unlike Engineering, one doesn't really need a sophisticated laboratory in order to learn Economics."
"You've got a point there"
"Anyways, I'll be doing my Masters degree over there so" she shrugged
"You still haven't told me how growing up was like for you"
She was quite for a while then said "My childhood wasn't as interesting as yours. I didn't play truant, I couldn't even if I wanted to. The schools I went to had well secured fences and gates and I was dropped at school every morning and picked up after school. I really didn't have any interesting adventure while growing up. My brother though gave me some troubles, he is a couple of years older than me and he was a constant pain in my you-know-where. We were always at each other's throats but as we grew older we became closer. All my friends were school friends, no neighbourhood friends. I guess that's pretty much all about me. Like I said nothing interesting"
He knew she had left the privileged part of her childhood out. He had thought she would talk about her summer breaks abroad about the number of countries she had visited and the number of toys she had but she disappointed him. Unlike many in her shoes, she didn't wear her privileged status on her sleeves and he liked her for that.
When she noticed he wasn't talking but seemed to be deep in thoughts she asked "you have any question?"
"What do your parents do?"
"My dad is an Economist and my mum is a lawyer"
"They made you pick Economics I guess"
"Yea, but I think I have a flare for it, I like it. They picked Ife too and I'm beginning to like the school"
"You should trust your parents' judgements then"
"Not all exactly. They didn't want me to stay in the hostel, they wanted me to stay at the quarters with one of their doctor friends, I stood my ground and I haven't regretted it"
"Good, that place would have been boring for you"
"Not that the hostel is cool but I still enjoy it there"
They were silent for a while, then he asked "Do you know what this park is called?"
"No, what's it called?"
"Motion ground"
"And you know how it got the name?"
"No"
"Oh! You are yet to find it in those books you read" she teased
He smiled "it'd be a waste of time searching and I really don't care how it got its name. By Wednesday on your matriculation, this place will be filled up with people taking pictures"
"Really?"
"Yea, that's how it has always been"
"My mother will be coming. You will be free enough to come right?"
"I...I... I really can't say, the matriculation is for freshers, we the others will still be having lectures" He said, he didn't want to start meeting rich mothers.
"And you can't find time in your busy schedule to drop by?" She asked sarcastically
"I'll see, it depends on my timetable that day"
"I won't be happy with you if you don't come" she said pouting and he laughed
"I am serious, you must come"
"I will try my best to" he said as he silently prayed that he would find a forgivable excuse not to make it on Wednesday.
About the author.
Soji Adeola Ayanleke was born about 3 decades ago in Kano.
He studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, he speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently and he is
trying to learn Igbo and Spanish. His hobbies are reading, writing and
playing some indoor games.
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