The moment I met you (Chapter 193)

   By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

‘Eat slowly…’Michael didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw how carelessly she ate. He wasn’t appalled. Infact, he loves her for who she was.

                  

Then he caringly passed her a glass of water. Choma took a sip, and continued with her food.                                                                         

‘Do you wish to work in my office?’Michael asked Chioma as he gracefully ate his food.                                                                                                             

Chioma would have loved to work in his office than being a waitress but then, she wouldn’t want to work at Moon Corporation because she knew what the outcome would be. People might think that she was using her status as Michael’s girlfriend to step on them. If she were to work in any company it would be on merit, not on connection.                      

Chioma shook her head after a thought. ‘No.’ she refused the offer.   

                  

‘Are you afraid of what people would say? Look, people talk whether you’re good or not… … the world will be boring if we have no one to talk about our daily happenings. Besides, merit no longer exists in this country. Opportunities are often based on connection, not merit.’ 

                   

Michael was right but Chioma wasn’t ready to accept working at Moon Corporation. ‘I love my job. If I am to get another, then, I will let you know.’Chioma looked at him and smiled.                                          

Michael kept putting food onto her plate, and Chioma kept digging in without grace.                                                                                                   

‘Only when you’re with me should you reveal your childish side,’Michael said with a smile on his face, and Chioma blushed. ‘Get ready, I will bring you to my parents any moment.’                                        

Chioma was shocked. ‘So soon?’                                                                  

‘Yeah, so soon. You need to meet them this early.’                              

Chioma was afraid his family might not like her. What was she going to wear? How was she going to face his powerful family? What if his parents wouldn’t want her for their son? She remembered Jessica telling her that the Njemanze family will never accept her.