Every Woman: Episode 1

“Lights, camera, action!” shouted the director of Love wins, a soap opera featuring the 28-year-old upcoming star, Jadesola Ero-Phillips. She was excited to have gotten the part of Joanna, a young girl who must overcome all odds and defy her brother Tayo to marry the love of her life, Akin.

She was in her office when her agent called her to tell her about the part. Her agent, a chubby balding man by the name of Mr. Gboyega was excited when he spoke with her over the phone.

“Jadesola, I have a role for you!” he practically yelled with excitement.

“Come on, tell me. I hope this time I won’t have to play the part of a wicked maid.”

“Oh no. I think you’ll like this role. It’s a romantic soap opera. About a young girl who had to overcome all odds to marry the love of her life.”

“Hmmm…” she remembered Niyi her ex-fiancee, who dumped her for Vladkla, the Polish girl he met in Poland when he travelled for a business trip.

“You there Jadesola?” her agent asked with concern in his voice.

“Yes, I am Sir Gboyega!” she replied breezily. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you were silent.”

“Oh, that. Like you were saying…”

“Yes, yes, I think this role will be very good for your career. I’ll send the script to you so that you can read it.”

“Thank you, Sir Gboyega.”

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The room was dim, with objects lying about. It was the perfect setting for Janet Da-Silva, a 29-year old biracial girl with a nose ring and a dimple on her chin. People often called her Oyinbo, as she had skin the colour of butter. She looked around the room and sighed to herself before getting up to arrange the objects lying on the floor. Suddenly, one caught her eye. It was her blush brush and as she held it, she went back in time to when she was in makeup school. Enuka’s house of fab and beauty.

“This is a blush brush”, her instructor, a thickset woman called Enuka told her.

“What’s it used for? Rouge?” she asked.

“Yes, it is used for rouge and blush.” Enuka informed her. “Blush brushes bring good luck to a makeup artist. They make a guy propose to a woman!”

“Really?” Janet asked doubtfully.

“Since when did you start doubting me?” Enuka asked sadly.

“I’m sorry to have come across that way. It’s just that I’ve never heard that before.”

“That’s okay”, Enuka flapped her hand at her. “There’s always a first time.”

Then why is my boyfriend of two years yet to propose to me? She wondered to herself. I’m at my wit’s end. I try to be nice to him, I cook for him, wash his clothes, keep his house clean but he’s yet to pop the question. Why?

She walked out of the room in her bathrobe and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself. It was a Tuesday, so there was no bride for her to makeup today. She decided to use the opportunity to spring clean her neat little apartment in Lekki phase one. Ah, if all Tuesdays were like this! Life would be a lot simpler for me, she mused.

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Today was a hectic day for Oge-Tosin Igwe, a 30-year-old Test lead with Verizon bank, Gbagada. The clients were all irate and yelling because she was unable to make the new application work as smoothly as they would have liked. She was quiet and efficient, but hated it whenever people shouted at her. It took all of her self-control for her not to yell back at the customers, “Can’t you see I’m trying to make the application work? Be patient!”

At close of work, she packed her bags, tidied her desk and was about to leave the office when her friend, Ira Gaines, the Black American lady working with e-payment came up to her.

“Oge baby, how’s you?” she asked.

“You and this ‘how’s you’ you love saying! Is it an Americanism?” Oge laughed.

“No, just my way of greeting you. I’m going out with my hot date I met at Niteshift on Saturday.” She paused, looking closely at Oge, who returned her gaze.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You never talk about men. What are you, a closet lesbian?”

“No.”

“Then come with me to the club. I’ll love you to meet a few guys tonight.”

“I’ll pass. I’m really tired, what with all the shouting of the customers.”

“Ok. Goodnight!”

I hope I don’t appear as a lesbian to guys o, Oge said to herself as she drove home. Maybe that’s why no guy in the office has hit on me since I started working there. Oh, well, I don’t mix business with pleasure! She sighed.

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Till Next week People :)

Enjoy your weeekend
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