"Of course as my best friend I expect you to render me your shoulder when am crying!" It turned to be a battle of words between the two friends.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I don't care anymore," sizzlingly, Nadia answered, "I'm coming at your work place right now. What happen happens!"
"Nadia," Sonia blurted and stood up so fast, "you can't do that!"
"It's difficult to access your offices without an appointment, just make sure you approve me at the reception," Nadia turned the call off.
In a gesture of confusion, "damn!" as soon as the phone was cut off Sonia blurted again, looking so worried.
Minutes later, Nadia Browne was a guest. She entered into the remarkable skyscraper building, stomping its marble floor like a boss coming on a serious business, upto the wide and elegant counter to meet the receptionist.
"Am here to visit the permanent secretary's office," she presented her identity card and accompanied it with a plastic smile.
Immediately after the receptionist collected the identity card from Nadia's hand, the wide glass main entrance into the building opened again.
"Guess who is here," a loud whisper from a worker to nearby colleagues saturated the air and everyone who heard switched their eyes at the entrance.
Coincidently, here Ishtar was, walking her way into the building.
known for her charming and ease of manner, highly loved and respected, "oh my gosh, it's Ishtar...," super excited were the employees who saw her first unexpectedly.
When Nadia Browne turned her head to see who had captured the receptionist attention out of focus from attending to her, "Ishtar!" She exclaimed, so surprised, in an open-mouthed gaze.
"Ideed she's a beauty," having known her by face from the wedding card back in the days, Nadia, deep within, jealously complimented.
"But I am more beautiful."
"Eight months seems like a life time when you're not around," words to express how she was missed were spoken on hugs and smiles.
Some bowed before her and everyone could not hesitate to show how happy they were to see her after some good time of absence.
In joy, everyone was welcoming and greeting her as she walked along to meet the elevator.
Seeing Ishtar physically for the first time at that time kept Nadia's mind in circles.
"Excuse me Madam!" As her attention was still drawed to Ishtar's looks and presence, the receptionist called.
Nadia did not hear.
Ishtar, in an elegant overall black dotted red cotton dress which eased and warmed up her protruded bump, majestically stomped her white sneakers on the marble floor, gratefully responding to all warm greetings until she entered the elevator.
"Madam!" Nadia startledly turned, back to her senses when the receptionist called once again, "do you have an appointment with the permanent secretary?"
"Y Yes of course I do," she replied stutteringly with her eyes still peeping to the elevator side where Ishtar went, "please tell Sonia Nadia is here."
As the receptionist held the phone on his ear to communicate with Sonia, "this is a good opportunity for me to confront Ishtar," Nadia thought.
"Excuse me!" Immediately, respectfully, the receptionist handed Nadia a visitor's card.
In a rush, Nadia couldn't wait to get into an elevator which took her to the executive top most floor where the offices of the boss and secretary based.
Nervously, Sonia was already up on her feet outside her office, impatiently waiting for the elevator to aproach. Her eyes couldn't go off the counting numbers which kept ascending on top of the elevator door.
The elevator approached.
As the door opened, Sonia stepped up and grabbed Nadia. Quickly she took her by the hand straight into her office.
"You can't do this to me; his wife just came in a few minutes ago!" Sonia complained.
"Why don't you pretend that am your visitor and leave the rest to me?" In question, Nadia briefed Sonia.
Instead, Sonia was stiff and afraid.
"No way! I mean _ you know the efforts it took me to qualify for this office. I can't start risking my job like this!"
"Calm yourself down. Look, me and you are best of friends, right? We live in the same neighborhood on the same apartment block and I've just came to visit you with a problem. Anything beyond that you don't know, okay?"
Nadia had to convince Sonia harder.
However, unsettled with gestures of torment by indecisive thoughts, Sonia kept signing as her eyes moved here and there, seeming too worried.
Restlessly, Sonia longed to get the details of a lie Nadia wanted her to make.
"You really need me to tell my boss that your visit here is because you've got a problem _ alright let me here it, which problem?" Sonia ranted nervously.
But, immediately after the question, abruptly the door was pushed open, which suddenly got both of them distracted. On looking to see who was entering, unexpectedly, here Ishtar walked in.
"Sonia, hope I've not interrupted the meeting in here," with a moderately loud happy voice and a brightly smiling face, as soon as Ishtar stepped inside, she displayed joy.
But her visit in the office was not something that brought a honest smile on Sonia's face, that deep in the mind, "I fully consider and respect the fact that on your mercy I ended up in this big office; as well paying as it is, but you don't have to be in the same space with my foolish and selfish friend," Sonia said.
Sonia had unwavering respect for Ishtar, but only to respond out loud with uneasiness, giving a fake nervous smile, "Oh, madam Ishtar you're most welcome!"
"There is fire on the mountain!" Troubled, at the back of Sonia's mind she added on spot.
The fact that Nadia Browne was having a secret romance with Ishtar's husband behind Ishtar's back and she neither supported the act nor needed she to be involved as part of the betrayal, was Sonia's sudden worry when Ishtar entered.
However, since Ishtar had no idea who Nadia was, never did she question her presence in the office. Ishtar was free and happy, and all her attention was focused around the office environment she once worked in before Bob Lee made her his wife.
Sonia, knowing so well what was going on behind closed doors, was now feeling all the guilt.
And since Ishtar had an undivided attention, moving her eyes warmly around the place, she didn't notice how uncomfortable Sonia was gesturing.
And all she said was, "thanks you," absent mindedly replying to Sonia's greetings.
"Wow!" She further exclaimed in delight, "in here brings me lots of proud memories; can't explain how relaxed I feel now," Ishtar sighed a delightful exclamation.
Nadia was down on the chair observing her curiously and jealously.
Gorgeously smiling, Ishtar moved her eyes and landed them back on Sonia, "was it me who never took time to see how beautiful you were the first time we met!?" In disguise, she complimented how good looking Sonia is.
"Thank you Madam...," once again, only for Sonia to give a tensful smile amid replying.
This time round, Ishtar picked the imbalance with psychological indication of Sonia's emotions.
But since they weren't that close and this was the second time for both of them to meet, "the way you're uncomfortable with me makes me feel like am a scur face thug," she freely joked.
"No madam, that's not it...!" Sonia denied, but only for Ishtar to say, "it's alright, I can understand."
"Sorry, are you a stuff here?" She turned her eyes on Nadia Browne and asked.
At the moment, Ishtar had already quenched to satisfaction the burning desire she had, to visit her former office for clear memories. She now started paying attention to other details.
But before Nadia could gother her breathe to speak a word, "no she doesn't Madam Ishtar, she's just a friend of mine," Sonia responded really quickly, nervously gesturing.
A humble and friendly smile covered Ishtar's face, "Am truly sorry for my weird behaviour _ not to hallo at you when I got in here... hope you accept my sincere apology."
"Do I even have a choice? Besides, not everyone got a chance to grow up in the arms of good parents!" Jealously Nadia replied.
This hit Sonia hard where she was standing that, her eyes opened widely in a shock, and put a hand palm on the chest startledly.