Chapter 3 THE FIGHT

On her way home the next day, Folake saw Olamide in his car looking sideways. She had a hunch that he saw her but chose to ignore her.

She also tried shunning him but couldn't as the guilt was eating her up.

She then decided within herself to apologize to him for being rude and harsh.

The next morning, she saw him drive past the bus she boarded and began to wonder why their path seemed to always cross. She then remembered he said he works at Governor's road which was more like a stone throw from the junction where she usually alight from.

Throughout the week, Fola was not opportune to approach him as she intended.

On the first day of the following week, luck was on her side. She saw his car parked at the junction where she was supposed to alight from but noticed he wasn't inside the car. She then decided to wait for him.

After a few minutes of waiting, she heard his voice from behind and almost jumped up out of fright.

"Hello, how can I help you?", he asked, politely.

Fola was dumbfounded at his behaviour. 'Is this not the same man I chatted with a week ago?', she asked no one in particular.

He was looking at her as if they were meeting for the first time.

'Is he trying to put up an act or what?', she asked herself again. She couldn't utter a word as she kept looking at him.

"Hello, how can I help you?", he asked again

"Are you an actor?", Fola finally asked, unable to contain the rage within her.

Olamide smiled and questioned, "Why did you ask?"

"Just answer me", she almost yelled.

"No, I am not", he said coolly.

"Good, why then did you behave like one just now?"

'Who the hell is this girl who thinks she can intimidate me?', Olamide thought to himself.

Fola on the other was looking him straight in the eye while he smiled mischievously without uttering a word.

"Do you know me?", she questioned again

"Yes, I do and no, I don't", he replied sharply, seemingly ready for the question.

Fola smiled to herself and put her arm across her chest. 'This man doesn't seem to know who he is dealing with', she muttered to herself.

"I know your name is Zahara, an aspirant and nothing more", he concluded.

"So?", she said screwing up her face.

"I wanted to know you more and if possible become your friend but your behavior was not encouraging. You were acting as if I was asking for something more than that. With your mode of dressing, I thought you were religious, kind and well behaved but I am beginning to have my doubts. That is why I concluded within myself never to budge you again. After all, it won't cost you anything but rather for you to benefit from me. I was not............"

"Stop right there", Fola interrupted him in fury and this startled Olamide. "I think I now know the kind of person you are. For your information, giving someone my friendship costs a lot, so you are wrong by saying it won't cost a thing. You have no idea what friendship is. You can insult and shun me all you want, I don't care. Initially, I wanted to apologize for the other day, but now I think it is no longer necessary. I can't afford to give my friendship to someone this pompous because I don't take friendship for granted. I don't need anything from you so get lost", she said in one breath and walked away.

Olamide was speechless. "This little girl just called me pompous? Who does she think she is, I am going to deal with her", he said getting into his car.

Fola kept fuming all the way to work. "How dare he say those trash to me? Who does he think he is? He is such an arrogant man."

She was still battling with the anger within her when she got to work and freeted the cleaners at the entrance before proceeding to enter the inner office. Just a few distances away from her little cubicle, she heard whispers and giggles behind her.

Fola was always minding her business and doesn't associate with any of the girls at work because of their indecency and behavior. The other girls call her all sorts of names because of that.

Fola knew immediately that the laughter was directed at her but like every other day, she wasn't ready to ignore them.

She turned back and saw Rachel standing with a mischievous smile on her face. Behind Rachel we're Bisola and Jummy who took orders from Rachel.

Out of anger, Fola kept her bag behind the partition dividing her cubicle from others, and approached the three girls.

When Bisola and Jummy saw Fola coming towards them, they stopped laughing and became agitated.

Fola came face to face with Rachel and ignored the other two. "Were you by chance referring to me?", she asked her.

"No, I was talking to your shadow", Rachel answered with hands akimbo and a sly smile.

"That's better", replied Fola while nodding her head and folding her arms across her bosom.

She continued: "Rachel, you know so well that I have always let you have your way with me. Just because I don't respond to any of your silly and childish comments towards me doesn't mean I am daft or stupid."

She dropped her arms from her bosom.

"Now let me make things clearer, don't you ever call me names again from today onwards till I leave this place or else I will show you the real Fola. You should let me continue being the good girl that I have always been", she completed and gave a fake smile, then turned to go when Rachel pulled her back grazing Fola's shoulder with her long manicured fingers.

"Where do you think you are going, you foolish girl? You think you can come here and intimidate me abi", Rachel said pulling her back.

With rage, Fola gave her a resounding slap on the cheek which made her fall to her side. The other two girls gasped out of surprise. Fola pulled Rachel back up from the floor and gave her another slap on the left cheek. Rachel whimpered as she fell to the ground once again.

One of the cleaners at the entrance of the building hurriedly rushed in to separate the girls.

The woman whom Fola usually calls grandma was surprised at Fola's action and she quickly led her back to her cubicle.

Rachel on the other handd bursted into tears. "You foolish girl, I will deal with you. You think you can slap me and go scot-free abi? You will surely suffer for what you have done", she ranted.

Bisola and Jummy who were more of spectators during the fight rushed to Rachel's side to help her up but she pushed them away.

"Let go of me stupid girls. You let her slap me without standing up for me yet you are asking if I am ok. You two are nothing but cowards, foolish girls", she said to them and ran to the washroom.

The cleaner asked Fola for the full details when they were inside the office and Fola narrated everything to her. The cleaner told Fola that Rachel got what she deserved which made Fola smile.

The woman spent another 30 minutes with Fola to cheer her up before going back to her duty post.

Rachel and her clique avoided Fola and kept to their corner throughout the day.

"The arrogant bastard has helped me earn the respect I deserved from these stupid girls", she said to herself with a satisfied smile.