Surprised to see the receptionist standing in front of me, I asked her with a look of seriousness why she was here.
"Sorry madame but the manager said you should wait a bit."
"Anything wrong?" She looked at me without talking and I figured if she had anything to say, she didn't want to say it standing outside.
"Come inside." When she came in and I closed the door she didn't waste time in telling me what was happening.
"The Police is here and they are talking to Oga so he told me to come and tell you to wait until they leave." I went to the window and looked outside again. The Police car was still there, parked as I saw it parked the first time.
What were they here for, and why did Chuks tell the receptionist to tell me to wait?
"What is really going on here?" I asked turning to face the receptionist.
"Nothing madame." I walked up to her and looked straight into her eyes. It made her blink.
"I get a knock on my door and you said it couldn't have happened. Your manager tells me to come down for breakfast, and because the Police is here he tells me to wait. Surely something is wrong don't you think?"
"I'm only a receptionist so if there is anything wrong here I don't know."
"You don't know?" She nodded.
"But I see the way you look at the manager." A surprise look fell on her face when I said that.
"And I know it's not the way an ordinary employee looks at their boss." I didn't take my stare off her as I really wanted answers. If there was something behind her attitude towards me, I had to know now.
"Ah madame, me I don't have anything with him o."
"Are you sure? Because it looks like you are into him so much you would do anything to be with him, am I right?" A sense of guilt surfaced on her face as she struggled to avoid my stare.
Could it that be there was a sexual affair going on between them which she was taking as a serious relationship?
"I don't know what is going on between the two of you but I refuse to allow you insult me the way you did downstairs."
"Eh madame, no vex, I dey sorry if I offend you." She put her hands forward and grabbed my hands and kneeling down started begging me.
"I beg madame, a beg make you no tell oga if not he don talk say he go sack me. De tin be say he never behave like dis to any other women wey don come here before." she kept on talking on and on.
It was too much what she was telling me in quick and rapid succession. I could hardly keep track of all that she was telling me. Only one thing was clear to me-that Chuks the manager, had great respect and admiration for me, and perhaps even love.
But this didn't bother me. What bothered me was the woman the receptionist mentioned that she claimed was dragged out of the hotel and killed. I had to know the details of it. And I needed to know what she knew about it.
"Look we are women, I don't think its fair we have disagreements over a guy just because he owns a hotel." Then in clear and plain pidgin I had to really tell her what was on my mind.
" Look if he want me, he go spend money. And me if I want, I go chop am. If he want you he ready to spend money because he get am."
"I know, madam." she said faintly as if regretting whatever actions she had already undertaken. A moment of silence fell into our midst while I struggled with the idea of how to bring up the topic of the woman that was killed. Then an idea struck me and I employed it.
"So my advice to you would be to focus on your job. I mean you are young and attractive. I'm sure someone you can call your own is out there somewhere." Her face brightened up in reaction to what I had just said. It seemed I had turned on a switch inside her.
"God, if it is not that you don't know that woman, I would have said both of you are sisters."
"And who are you talking about?"
"There's is a woman that used to come here regularly. She kept giving me the same advice."
"Well as you can see I am not wrong. You see that already before me, someone else has given you the same good-sounding advice." Hands folded and staring at me I had a feeling she wanted say more. I was right.
"Her name was Kemi and she used to come here with some good-looking man."
"Maybe they are just a couple that wanted to spend some quiet time together, far from family and friends."
There was a little silence after I said that and so I used that opportunity to look out of the window. I saw the police officers getting into their car and drive out of the gate. Chuks waved at them as they reversed their car and drove out.
"The Police have left." I said turning to face her.
" I think its time you go and meet your boss" I went straight to the door and opened it.
"Madame those two were not couples." she said as she walked up to the door. " The woman, I think she was not married, but the man I believe he has a wife."
"Well, it can happen." I said smiling. Just then the manager shouted her name. "Nneka! Nneka!"
"Sir, I'm coming."
"Tell Sunshine to come down. Those people have gone."
"Okay Sir." When I heard Chuks call the receptionist to tell me to come down, I told her to tell him I'll be with him shortly, she nodded and left. When she left I closed the door
and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and wondered for a second what this breakfast meeting with him was all about. Was it that he wanted to know who I really am?
He had already told me that another woman that looked like me was dragged out of this same hotel by hired killers. The fate of the woman was unknown.
The receptionist from what I overheard, when she was talking to the manager, said the name of the woman was Kemi. What happened to that woman? So many conflicting thought crossed my mind while I carefully considered everything the receptionist had told me.
One thing struck my attention while we were talking. This was the last thing she said,
"Madame those two were not couples. The woman I think she was not married, but the man I believe he has a wife."
I knew the only friend who was closest to me was my friend Kemi, whom my husband despised so much because of the many Alhaji friends that she had.
Could she be the one the receptionist was talking about? I hate to believe this to be so. I took a deep breath again and got my bag and opened the door and went downstairs to meet him.
When I got to the reception I saw the receptionist smiling at me.
"Madame he's waiting for you."
"Where is he?" I asked looking around and seeing no sign of him.
"Here let me take you to meet him." She led the way and in a few minutes we were standing in front of a door. On the door was written Private Area. I had to assume that this was some kind of a place the manager kept for himself.
She knocked on the door and went in only to come with the manager to the door.
"Sunshine welcome to my private area." He held out his hand and took my hand while he pulled out his usual smile. The receptionist excused us and left.
"Thank you." I said as I went in. When I entered the room, it was filled with some sweet smelling fragrance which I believe was coming from an air-freshner. The room wasn't too big, but there was a parlor and a dining area and it was well decorated. Chuks must have spent some time to decorate this place he called private area.
"Sunshine don't just stand there, come and sit down and let's have breakfast." I followed him into the dining area where the table was already set for the two of us. It seemed he had already arranged my welcome party like he knew I was going to come to this hotel.
I was apprehensive as he pulled out one of the chairs for me to sit down.
"Thank you." He smiled and took his seat.
"So Sunshine, welcome to my private area. You are one of the luckiest woman, and the only woman after my wife to enter into this area. I don't share it with anybody except her. But we are no longer together."
I was flattered to know he considered me lucky. But I had mixed feelings about it. I knew he wouldn't have invited me in here just to have breakfast. I started to think of the many reasons he might have for this breakfast meeting. I then thought back at that moment he asked me if I was alright.
He then went on to say I looked exactly like Kemi. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be an ordinary breakfast get together. Chuks the manager may have decided to ask me privately why I came alone, and also to know if I was running away.
While I sat down opposite him, I was afraid that if this meeting didn't go as he expected, he would call the Police. Since I was already here it didn't bother me what happened. I could only hope it didn't involve me being taken away and locked up.