CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

“Guy take it easy,” Nandem  was laughing. “I like her well.”

“But the girl is truly fine,” Iliya added. 

“Our home girls are always fine,” William spoke with pride. 

“That means I’m on the right track with her right?” Nandem asked. 

“I need to kill this nigga, I’m going to kill this stupid boy, I must deal with you today.” He ran after Nandem while the others all laughed at what had just happened. It was indeed a small world, William had been among those pushing Nandem to find a girlfriend and do the needful. Small world indeed, from all the girls at his neck, he unknowingly chose William’s cousin. What a world we live in.

Nandem changed that day, his friends noticed it, his neighbors noticed it too. He grew in confidence and developed a certain swagger they hadn’t seen in him before. He spoke to his elderly neighbors with maturity and confidence but he was careful not to disrespect them. 

The way he related with ladies changed, he would hold their hands and look in their eyes while talking to them. He had tasted 'it.’ Was there anything else? And so Nandem’s confidence and new found aura brought him many girls. The fact that he had a constant flow of cash made it easy for him. Iliya drew his attention to it but he promised iliya he had it under control. Iliya eventually got tired and stopped talking about it when he began eating good meals. 

These girls would cook delicious meals compared to the ' noodles they ate. 'Let the delicious meals keep coming,' he thought. But it was not just Iliya that was a beneficiary of these delicious meals, the other honourable ministers enjoyed it too. They had their preferences_ the lady who gives them more earns their praise. They would advise Nandem to leave the others for this particular girl or the other girl. Everyone spoke for his preferred ' candidate.’

 By the time Nandem graduated from the university, he had grown in leaps and bounds. His love for ladies was second to none. He lobbied eventually to be posted to one of the big cities for his graduate youth program. A compulsory one year youth program meant for new graduate.

It was in the youth program that Nandem met Helen.  Helen was a tall beautiful girl, she had a long neck and a dimple formed on her face when she smiled. Nandem had first seen her during the morning exercise and hoped for a meeting with her but being in different group made it difficult at that moment. Luck smiled at him in the afternoon during lunch. 

Nandem went to the program with a lot of money and ate all of his meals in a food mall'.  He noticed her walking to the' shopping mall' alone. The young Nandem that went to the university as a chaste would have simply admired her and imagine meeting her and what he would say. The Nandem that came out of the university wouldn’t walk away, he would follow her to see where the road ends. Nandem who was with new friends he had made at the camp excused himself and walked to Helen.

“Excuse me,” he said and as she turned towards him, he spoke with confidence and counted his words as he spoke. “Sorry, is your name Esther?” 

“Esther?” she smiled. “Do guys still use these lines?” Nandem seemed lost, he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Excuse me. These lines?”

“Yeah,” Helen said. “When guy sees girl, guy walks to girl, gives her a name, calls her with the name, she says that’s not her name, guy says  girl looks like somebody he went to school with or someone he knew somewhere. Asks for her name and, and ……”  “Ohhhh,” Nandem said and smiled. He had been caught off guard but how would one be a sharp guy without being able to think on his feet? He came up with something. “No,” he said. 

“What was that?” she asked.

“No, I said no. Actually we’ve moved on from that. Esther, I read my Bible and it describes Esther, Queen Esther in the Bible as a very pretty lady and that’s not just it. I read something, it says ' Esther’s neck was long as a pencil.’ So when I saw you, I just thought you’d also be an Esther, beautiful Esther.” She smiled, she had not heard those lines before, he saw it in her eyes, he knew she was impressed.

“Sorry to burst your bubble. I’m not Esther, my parents didn’t name me Esther.” He wanted so say something but she stopped him, she spoke first. ' Don’t worry, I’ll tell you my name. Helen, my name is Helen. Perhaps you would tell me what you read about Helen.’ She smiled and he smiled too.

“Maybe I’ll read about it. I should read about it. I’ve just been given an assignment by Helen, wait, wait, oh my God. Helen, Helen of Troy. Maybe I’ve read about Helen. How she eloped with Paris and how it led to war.”

“I see,” she smiled. “Actually it’s not Helen of Troy, it’s Mrs Helen Gambo.” She saw the surprise in his face, he looked at her in the eye, hoping to see the truth there, he saw nothing, she simply repeated the words, “it’s Mrs Helen Gambo.” 

He realised she was not joking, he saw it in her eyes, but he wouldn’t just walk away. “You are joking, aren’t you?” She didn’t speak, she simply raised her fingers, he noticed the ring. 

“You see? I’m not.” She said.

“Anyone could wear a ring.”

“I’m not anyone.” She spoke immediately he finished speaking. 

“Wow, wow,” he said while scratching his head, he didn’t know what to say. He had never gone after a married lady, he never imagined himself going after a married lady. How was he to know she was married? She was no more than twenty four. She knew what he was thinking, she came to his aid.