The phone rang twice before she heard a voice respond. It was cracked, yet warm, Mummy's signature voice.

"Hello Mummy, how are you?" she said.

"Ada, I'm fine oh. How are you and Port Harcourt city na?"

"Everything is fine mummy. I hope Hannah is not bothering you too much." Her hands drummed absent-mindedly on her pink bed sheet.

She heard laughter from the line and it triggered a smile on her face.

"Hannah is being herself. She's even bringing more customers to the shop with her sweet character."

That's my girl!

"Is that so?"

"Yes oh. . ." The line went silent for a while.

"Mmm?"

Chinonye heard her sigh. " But your Father is always complaining. You know how he is."

She bunched her sheets and bit her lips. Her father was stubborn, just like her. When his mind was made up, it was hard to persuade him otherwise.

When will Father accept Hannah as his grandchild?

"Mummy, don't worry yourself too much. Is Hannah around? I want to speak to her."

"No she's sleeping. It's just 8 am and it's a Saturday," said Mummy.

"Sleep sleep girl." A smile crept on her face. "Mummy, pray for me oh."

She heard a sigh. "I'm always praying for you my daughter."

"Thank you ma." She sniffed a little.

"Ada . ."

"Mmm. Tell Hannah that I called, and that I miss her."

"I will o. Bye bye my daughter. Take care of yourself oh. Eat well with your money, before you start to resemble stick," Mummy teased.

She laughed as she stopped hearing her voice, the call ended. Mummy always knew how to make her smile. Her sweet mummy. Too bad she was not flowing in cash, she'd have taken her to de abroad.

With a smack-on smile, she rolled onto her back on the bed. She slowly rubbed the left side of the bed; the spot Hannah always slept on. Ever since the beginning of the third term break, which was the week before, she had sent her off to Umuahia to stay with her Mother, trying to cut her expenses. But she missed her. She missed the way she snored slightly, the way she rolled and snuggled between her breast and a pillow. She took the pillow on the bed and hugged it. Was this her body's way of telling her she was lonely? No! She was strong and independent.

For so long, she had been used to staying alone, until Hannah -- sweet five year old Hannah -- came into her life.

Grabbing her black jotter she always kept on top her bedside drawer and her favorite blue Bic, she began to write down her goals. She would not give Mr Otokini a reason to doubt her. She would try to learn, even if it was for the sake of her Hannah. But first, she jumped off the bed and padded across the room, opening the door and entering the kitchen opposite the room. She needed a glass of water to start her day.

* * *

The rain was working against her, she decided. Why else had it rained all through the night? Now it was fifteen minutes past nine and she was late for her first meeting with her business coach - Mr Otokini.

He'll have to wait. After all, she had waited for him on their first meeting.

Her feet stopped moving as she rounded the corner of the street. It had not been hard to find the building at all. As she stood on the middle of the road, she swallowed twice in a few seconds, unsure of how to move. Before her in bold prints was a sign that said, Tee's menswear and accessories. It was in front of a big glass building, the front well-lit and welcoming. Different sizes of Senator, t-shirt's and other accessories where on display, adding color and beauty to the otherwise simple building.

This is his central business site?

She took slow steps towards the entrance, thinking that she was imagining it all. When Sandra had said he was successful, she had not expected it to be so glaring. A part of her was jealous, but she refused to acknowledge it, instead, she took it all in. It was proof that she too could make it big with fashion designing.

Sucking in a generous amount of air, she stepped inside the building, looking at the items and clothes on display as she made her way to the receptionist.

"I'm here to see the CEO - Mr Otokini," she said, voice strong and bold, as she reached the receptionist -- a young man with a clean-shaven face and bright eyes. He was smiling the way Otokini had been during their last meeting.

"Oh, good morning ma'am. Do you have any particular reason?"

She squared her shoulders a little. "Yes. I'm his new student. The one he's coaching."

"Oh." He looked her up and down. "Go straight ahead, turn to your right. . ."

She knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in!"

Otokini's smiling face greeted her as she entered his office. She left the office door open so that she could easily see the receptionist from where she sat. She relaxed a little.

"Ah Miss Chinonye, good morning," he said.

"Mr Otokini, morning," she replied gravely.

She sat down on the single leather chair in front of his mahogany hardwood desk where he sat behind, paper work and files neatly arranged on top of it. The office was similar to a make - shift storage room. There was a shelf that held files and documents by the corner. It was well arranged, but close to being overflowing with paperwork. Another shelf, bigger than the other one, held different samples of some accessories she'd seen in the main shop. Hats, brooches, buttons, and other accessories graced the shelf, kept in by the glass barrier. The clock above the wall to the left was big and sky blue. Other than some basic things, there was nothing much apart from an empty wastebasket that manned the side of the door.

"You're quite late on our first official coaching session," he said coolly from beneath the folder he was leafing through.

A stray braid fell across her face, she tucked it into her loose bun. "Oh, you know, the weather was just too amazing."

"Yes. Quite the weather for two." He barked out a laugh as he dropped the file. She did not laugh. He cleared his throat. The air tingled with uncomfortable silence for a short, tense moment.

"Why do you need an office? Is it necessary?" The question that she had been dying to ask from the moment she'd stepped into his office flew out from her mouth before she could stop it.

He looked up at her briefly, his russet brown eyes catching the light and taking on a glow that made him look a little bit daunting. "I am the CEO, which means I manage the affairs of the business. I do not believe I can work well from my house, so coming out everyday gives me a certain 9-5 work feeling. It makes me more productive," he replied.

Nodding, she took a deep breathe. Don't be jealous, she chided herself as the growing feeling spread in her chest and gnawed at her insides.

"So. . .how about you show me the stuff I asked you to do for me?"

Grabbing the paper from her bag, she handed it over to him like she was giving him control over a piece of her.

He stroked the beard on his chin as he read what she'd written. After a while, he spoke up. "Can you reduce them? How do I put it. . . Write down more realistic goals. Ones that you can achieve at the moment."

She stilled. Hadn't she done what he'd asked her? What else did he want?

She collected the paper back from him a little forcefully.

"Now let's do a little something. A small business. . ." he said, reverting into a real business man, not the smiling man she'd met at Sippit, but more like the reserved but strict head boy back in FGC, Umuahia.

Chinonye decided that she would play along with the charade in form of a free coaching. After all, she was in already.

"Are you listening to me?" he asked after he finished his droning on about what a small business could be defined as.

She gave him her best smile, complete with teeth. "Yes."

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Some people have asked me to put stuff like - Chinonye's POV at the beginning of a chapter. But. . . I don't think that's necessary because this is Chinonye' story.

I'm writing in limited third person POV so there's no need to put it there.

I may consider writing in Otokini's POV in the future though.

I hope I've cleared your confusion. 🙃☺❤
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