Amaka (Part 6)

I call this painting "Amaka".

The meeting was a success, Shola gave the team every detail of the building he had in mind. He had an exclusive taste, Amaka observed. They agreed to continue with a regular meeting once a week over the internet so he could follow-up on the progress. Shola said goodbye to the team as he needed to catch his flight back to Abuja.

Now that every small detail for a great design was put in place, Amaka and Andrew assigned more Architects and Engineers to the project. The idea was to have a group of persons working on each layer of the building, this way they would beat the deadline. They booked for a meeting the next morning to get the team up and running. Tony and Rita were the M&E experts so they also got their team set for work.

Amaka gave me Shola’s full names. It was difficult to get any details from the social media since Shola was a very private person. My spy would need to spend a couple of days in Abuja to be able to sniff out a good detail about Shola, I said to Amaka. That would not be a problem, but know that we have just 1 month to finish up the design of his building, said Amaka. I usually do not communicate directly with my clients once the project was over so we have one month, said Amaka.

She gave Shola’s project all that she could, working late nights most times. She usually does a good job with all her projects but this one was close to her heart so she gave it even more. She checked regularly with the team.

I think Amaka likes Shola, said Andrew to Tony. She is not even pushing this much for the Enugu State project that is due in two weeks, said Tony. I’ve never seen Amaka blush before but she did in our meeting with Shola, said Andrew. She did? asked Tony in surprise.

Amaka is nice and deserves a good man, said Tony. How can we get this Shola dude to make some moves? asked Tony. “The guy fit no know whats up, na so so phonee him de blow, hope you no go enter wahala?” said Andrew. "Leave that story", said Tony. He might be married, added Andrew. Well, we can find out and if he is free we can find a way to hook them up, said Tony. Tonee, said Andrew with thumbs up. I love my job so count me out, said Andrew. "You be chicken na, no worry I will handle it", said Tony. First, I will check with Nnenna and tell her my plans to hook up Amaka with Shola and hear what she says. Three of us were schoolmates from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and she is Amaka’s closest friend, said Tony. Amaka could fire anyone even her closest person if they broke company rules, you knew how she threw Martins out inspite of his expertise, said Andrew. Guy, Amaka needs a good man and I can put my job on the line to make her happy, said Tony.

I got a call from Tony saying we needed to talk. I agreed to meet up with him during lunch time the next day. He narrated his findings and asked me to keep it a secret knowing if Amaka found out, him and Andrew would be thrown out. I showed surprise not mentioning that I already knew. I was happy to have Tony as a back-up to speed up the process from Shola’s side. I did not tell Tony anything about my plans or Amaka’s feelings. Two days later, my spy called from Abuja. Madam, the man is an Abuja based business mogul that just got back from Florida, said the voice. He recently opened a Ceramic factory in Abuja, they have two sections, marbles, bathtubs, and toilets wares, and another section that produces kitchen wares including decorative ceramic pieces for homes and offices. They currently supply within Nigeria and other African countries, he said. Any details about his family? I asked nervously. My source told me that his wife was in- charge of the Kitchen and decorative section of the company and their two children were studying in Harvards. I didn’t know whether to hang up or cry, but I managed to say good job, good to know that Shola is doing well for himself! I hung up the phone and cried. I cried because there may never be another Shola again and Amaka would die a widow.