The Moment I Met You (Chapter 426)

 By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

After wandering through an interesting area with dozens of smart little shops, Louisa couldn’t help but beam at the magnificence of the shops. Most of the shops had rail after rail of beautiful dresses. She remembered going with her mother to fancy stores and buying anything that caught their fancy. But now, she had no choice but haggle with almost everything she wanted to buy.

          

As Louisa and Bisi can only window shop, they kept pointing at beautiful clothes, laughing at the sight of how elegant they looked. Bisi could hardly believe the huge variety of goods only available for those willing to fork out the money and buy them no matter how much they were.

There were rows of shoes in every colour of the rainbow, high-end jewellery, and luxury brand cosmetics. Louisa saw as women who were elegantly dressed went into the huge shop with their children, groups of girls from rich homes giggling and chatted as they looked at make-up and jewellery from luxury brands. Some went up to the high-end café for afternoon tea after shopping. She wanted to buy the attractive hats, high-heels shoes and dresses but couldn’t afford to buy any of them.

Bisi looked at Louisa and saw that she had tears in her eyes. ‘Hey, is everything all right?’                                                                                

Louisa forced a smiled. ‘I think I am so excited with the fancy dresses, that’s why,’ she improvised a lie. ‘Let’s go over to that hairdresser’s.’ Louisa pointed, trying to stop Bisi from asking more questions as she wasn’t prepared to tell anyone about her past.                          

‘That’s men’s barber,’ Bisi said, glancing at Louisa with a raised eyebrow.                                                                                                                           

Before Bisi could say more, Louisa dragged her without thinking into a gloomy, scary place. The men were lying back in chairs with their faces covered in shaving soaps. There were razors, clippers and sharp snipping scissors in there.                                                                                      

‘I will definitely cry if I were a boy,’ Bisi said as they quickly ran out of the place. ‘How can I let my hair be shaved with that painful stuff?’                                                                                                                                 Just then, Louisa bumped into a handsome and dashing but also gentle and refined young man. He seemed to be an intellectual; Louisa was able to notice that.                                                                                               

‘Hello, is anything the matter? Nicholas asked, looking at her.            

‘N-nothing.’ Louisa shook her head. She couldn’t believe it that this dashing man right in front of her, was looking at her gently and not cursing at her for bumping into him.                                                                           

Even Bisi was infatuated with this handsome young man. Who wouldn’t be infatuated at times? It was totally accepted, Bisi thought. But then, the man seems more interested in Louisa and not her. Louisa was very beautiful, so she was got many male admirers.                               

‘Then, why are you running as though the devil was after your soul?’ Nicholas asked as he looked at Louisa. He felt that she was as cute as a doll; so delicate and beautiful. He couldn’t come up with words to describe her, but all he knew was that he would never forget her beautiful face, for it was already engraved in his heart.

‘We were window shopping at that shopping centre.’ Louisa pointed, acting coy. ‘We decided to go take a look at that place as well.’                  

‘That’s for men.’ Nicholas raised an eye brow. ‘Come on, I will take you to a nice salon meant for women.’                                                             

Louisa glanced at Bisi and she nodded with excitement. Since Bisi had wanted to get a fancy hair style, Louisa didn’t wish for Bisi dream shattered. So, they followed Nicholas behind. Louisa had trusted him as she had trusted Edward on their first meeting. She didn’t know why, but she felt that Edward and Nicholas might be related. It was just a feeling, and sometimes those feelings ended up being true.                         

  They stopped in front of a classy salon, and entered. Louisa admired the pink and white décor, the glass door and photographs of elegant models on the wall.                                                                                           

  A sophisticated young lady was sitting behind the desk as Nicholas and they girls walked in. She had pink puff-sleeved dress, chiseled cheekbones and curly eyelashes. Her dark hair was in sleek chignon updo, which fitted her face perfectly well.                                          

Nicholas reached for the magazine picture on a chair and flipped through it. ‘This style will be absolutely perfect for you,’Nicholas looked at Louisa and said.                                                                                                         Louisa nodded with a smile. Then, she glanced at Bisi who seemed left out and said, ‘Bisi will have to choose as well.’                             

Nicholas nodded, handing Bisi the magazine. Bisi excitedly chose a fine hairstyle.                                                                                                          

They girls spent about two hours, fixing their hair. Looking in the mirror, Louisa smiled at how beautiful she looked.                                          

‘You’re beautiful,’ Nicholas admired. He totally looked like he was enthralled, his eyes not even blinking.                                                       

‘Thanks,’ Louisa breathed excitedly.                                                                

Just like that, another friendship was formed but Louisa didn’t take it as deep as he had taken Michael’s. She just saw herself and Nicholas as good friends nothing more. On the other hand, Nicholas took this friendship serious. He was hoping to make Louisa his woman.                                                                    

Two weeks later, Louisa met with Patricia and Isabelle at a high-end restaurant. The girls had invited her out. Louisa had worn the bow-waisted dress her mother had bought for her a few days ago while returning from the market. She had felt like a real city girl wearing lipstick, mascara and her hair tied back at the nape of her neck with black velvet bow, which matched her dress.                                                          

  ‘Have you been to London before?’ Isabelle happily asked Louisa.     But immediately she regretted asking such question. She had known Louisa to be a poor young woman, and not someone that had a rich background to travel to a place like London.

‘I was hoping to but that dream was shattered.’ Louisa looked sad as she spoke.                                                                                                          

‘Where do you look sad all of a sudden?’Patricia noticed Louisa’s sadness and quickly asked.                                                                                     

  ‘I don’t wish to look back over my shoulder…I have to look at the bright future before me.’ Louisa forced a smile.                                                          

‘Do you have a boyfriend, then?’ Isabelle asked with a giggle.                  Louisa nodded. ‘Yes…but I’m afraid his family might object. He comes from a super rich family while I am from a floating slum.’                   

Both Patricia and Isabelle laughed.                                                                   

‘What do you mean by floating slum?’ Isabelle asked.                                      

‘Venice of Africa,’ Louisa replied, lowering her head to eat her salad.                                                  

‘I think i have heard that from Edward before.’ Patricia tried to recall everything Edward had told her about the young lady he wanted to marry.                                                                                                            

 ‘E…Edward?’ Louisa muttered.                                                                         

‘Yes…My parents and his parents want us to marry. Edward’s parents hates his choice of wife…she’s from the slums, and might ruin his family’s reputation. But then, I am not against Edward’s choice of wife. We have been best of friends since we were children, it’s only normal that we get married to save the family from public ridicule,’ Patricia said with a shrug. ‘Children of rich men have no say when it comes to marriage. We marry for business expansion while poor folks marry for love which is not acceptable in the business world, you see.’             

  ‘It seems you have a boyfriend named Edward?’Isabelle looked at Louisa who was staring into space; she lifted a glass to take a sip still she hasn’t drunk anything from it. ‘I have never seen anyone drift off into a dream world in just a jiff.’ She waved her hand before Louisa. ‘She’s probably thinking of her boyfriend, for sure,’ Patricia said with a chuckle.                                                                                                               

Louisa pulled herself together, forcing a smile even as she prayed that her Edward wasn’t the same Edward Patricia had mentioned. ‘I was not dreaming of my boyfriend,’ she said and laughed. She just wished Edward Njemanze was hers for ever. ‘I was admiring your beautiful high-end dresses you two are wearing.’ She gulped down her juice.                                                                                                                       

Patricia was wearing a pale blue dress, which fitted her perfectly. She accessorised her outfit with pearl drop earrings. Her dark hair was set in sleek waves, causing her to look like a beauty queen.                  

  Isabelle looked attractive as always. She was wearing a light, printed, long-sleeved dress with a pair of beige heels. Her face was delicately made, and her long wavy hair was swept over to one side and secured with a glittery slide.                                                                                

  ‘Maybe you will introduce your boyfriend to us next time,’ Patricia suggested.                                                                                                         

Louisa nodded. ‘Okay.’                                                                                 

  ‘If Edward marry’s me, Nicholas will marry Isabelle,’ Patricia innocently said, but Louisa felt convinced that she properly knew these men Patricia had mentioned. ‘But the two of them seemed to be in love with a slummy girl. I’m not afraid because our marriage has been arranged to happen in two weeks.’                                                                      

  Louisa forced a smile, pretending to be very hungry; she wolfed down her plate of rice.                                                                                   

And just as she had thought, Louisa’s fear came true. She both knew the men Patricia had mentioned. Nicholas was in love with her, but became heartbroken when he found out that his brother Edward was in love with the same woman he was in love with. But he had to give up and accept his parent’s arranged marriage with Isabelle, and Edward couldn’t stand for his love, except to calmly accept Patricia.