Chapter 33
Dominic’s driver arrives at my store promptly at eleven o’clock in a black Range Rover Velar. Like an excited schoolgirl, I grab my purse and hurry into the car, excited and eager to see where I will be having brunch with Dominic today. To my surprise, Johnson doesn’t go in the direction of Bourdillon, but instead, he drives into Victoria Island, approaching the massive structure that is the Oriental Hotel.
“Is this where we’re having lunch?” I ask in awe. I have driven past this hotel many times before, but I have never entered it. It’s a choice location for the crème de la crème of Lagos and beyond, because of its impressive size and breathtaking interior. I have also heard that lodging here practically costs an arm and a leg. I can only imagine how expensive dining here will be.
“It appears so,” Johnson responds belatedly to my rhetorical question.
We drive into the premises and Johnson eases the vehicle to a stop at the entrance of the hotel. A man dressed smartly in a suit steps forward to open the car door for me.
“Welcome, madam,” he says to me politely. “Please, come with me.”
I hesitate. “Um, I think I’m here to meet someone,” I inform him uncertainly. Shouldn’t it be Dominic standing there to welcome me? Who is this stranger? Has this person mistaken me for someone else?
“Of course, madam,” he replies with a warm smile. “Mr. Inyang is waiting for you upstairs. Please, come with me.”
I accept his offered hand and let him help me out of the car. As soon as I alight, Johnson pulls away from the entrance, towards the parking lot. I follow the polite stranger into the hotel and let him lead me to the elevator. A part of me is annoyed that Dominic has not heeded my suggestion about keeping our relationship discreet for now, instead, he has invited me to meet him in a hotel room like a roadside call girl. Ugh!
The elevator ride seems to be going on forever and we’ve practically passed all the existing floors indicated on the number chart. Did he book the penthouse or what?
“Are we going to the penthouse?” I ask my unfamiliar companion.
“No, ma’am. We are going to the roof.”
“The roof? Why?”
“Mr. Inyang is waiting for you there.”
The elevator dings and pulls to a stop before I can ask another question. When the doors slide open, I see Dominic standing in front of the helipad on the roof, dressed in a crisp white shirt with a navy-blue jacket on top of it and a pair of blue jeans. His Italian leather shoes gleam in the midday sunshine. His eyes light up when he sees me and his face curves into a pleased smile. As soon as I step out of the elevator, the helicopter that has been in resting mode behind Dominic comes to life and the blades begin to rotate slowly at first, before picking up speed with each passing second.
“Welcome, my darling,” Dominic greets me with a grin. He has to yell so that I can hear him over the roar of the helicopter. “Come on, let’s go.”
He grabs my hand, leading me through the windy path being created by the helicopter blades. Once we step into the copter, an attendant helps us strap on our seat belts and don our headphones to block out the surrounding noise, then she pulls the doors shut. The helicopter begins to lift off the ground and I get this sensation of floating on air. I’ve travelled by airplanes a couple of times, but this feels totally different. This is my first time getting on a helicopter and I cannot help but be blown away by the experience.
“This is amazing,” I tell Dominic who has been watching me with an indulgent smile since we got on the helicopter. “I’ve never travelled in a helicopter before.”
“There’s always a first time for everything,” he says with a grin.
“Where are we going?” I ask curiously.
“There’s this very lovely restaurant in Abuja that serves the best Italian dishes that I have ever tasted in this country, so that’s where we’re going.”
“Wait, we are travelling all the way to Abuja just to eat?” I stare at him incredulously. Is this guy for real?
“Sure,” He replies, his grin growing wider. He appears to be enjoying my awestruck reaction. “When it comes to eating something that I’m craving, distance is never a barrier.”
“So, you mean that we’re travelling to another state, just eat food? That’s extremely bougie!” I laugh.
Dominic laughs too. “It’s ok to be bougie now and then I guess.”
“Yep. Your shoes should have given me a hint of what I’m in for today.”
He laughs again.
“So, after our brunch in Abuja, are we going to fly out of the country for dinner?”
“If that’s what you want,” he says confidently.
“You’re trolling me, right?” I joke.
“Nope. You pick the place, and we’ll go there, I promise.”
His words strike me speechless. Would he really do that for me? Take me around the world without batting an eyelid? He has been so incredibly generous with me and he’s still willing to do more even though he barely knows me. Why?
“I’m ready to show you the world if you’ll let me,” he tells me seriously.
“And what do I have to give you in return?” I ask.
He shrugs. “What do you give someone who has everything?”
I shrug too. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that before.”
“Well, you can think about it later. For now, just enjoy the beautiful view.”
I look out the window and gasp in amazement. Looking at the city of Lagos from this height is so exciting – the lagoon flanked by buildings of different colors and sizes on every side, the colorful markets, the packed roads with an assortment of vehicles and tiny people walking around. It’s simply beautiful!
My daughters would be thrilled to see pictures of this bird’s eye view of Lagos. I whip out my phone from my purse and begin taking pictures, some through the clouds. Dominic doesn’t try to stop me, but instead, encourages me by pointing out interesting angles that I may have missed. As we fly past the adjoining states towards Abuja, I grow weary of taking pictures and simply settle back to admire the view and imprint everything in my memory. This is one experience I will not forget in a hurry.
Fifty minutes later, we land on the private wing of the Abuja airport. The attendant helps us to unhook all the necessary shackles binding us to our seats, then Dominic helps me to descend from the helicopter. We walk the short distance to where a champagne-colored Mercedes is waiting. Dominic opens the back door for me to get in, then joins me from the other side. This whole experience is making me feel giddy with childish excitement because it feels so good to be treated like a princess. It’s the sort of thing that I used to fantasize about as a little girl, now here I am living the dream with my real-life knight in shining armor. I don’t want to think about how long this fantasy will last, because right now, I am more interested in living in the moment than anything else.
We drive through the city with a kind of ease that can only be found on a few roads in Lagos. This place is less congested and not as noisy as my ever-bubbling city, and I sort of like it here already.
“This place is actually more beautiful in real life than it looks on TV,” I remark as we drive through the neat roads that are perfectly lined with trees on both sides.
“Is this your first time in Abuja?” Asks Dominic.
“No, this is my second time. The first time I came here was like twelve years ago when one of my friends got married and I was on her bridal train. We were only here for a few days for the wedding, so I never got the chance to go out for sightseeing.”
“We could do that today if you want,” he offers kindly.
“Nah, maybe next time. I’m starving right now,” I say and rub my belly playfully.
Dominic chuckles. “We’re nearly there,” he informs me.
We drive into the heart of Asokoro, which is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the state, approaching a grand building called Dimora. The grounds and its entire surroundings are styled like an Italian manor, and most of the signs are written in Italian too. It’s like we have just stepped into the beautiful south-central European country. I wish Kome and Zino can come here right now and see the sheer beauty of this place.
“Let’s go in,” says Dominic, breaking into my thoughts.
He takes my hand and leads me out of the car, and into the restaurant. The head waiter welcomes us in and shows us to our table.
“Did you already make a reservation for us?” I whisper to Dominic as we follow the head waiter further into the restaurant.
“Yes. It was the first thing this morning. I didn’t have to think hard about where I would like to have a great meal with you while we get to know each other better.”
I smile at him. “You are a smart man.”
“Thank you,” he says with a smile.
We are seated at a choice table beside the window, giving us a view of the perfectly manicured courtyard with its porcelain water fountains.
“This place is exquisite,” I breathe in admiration. “I think it’s the most beautiful place I’ve been to in this country.”
“You should see my hometown in Uyo. It beats this place hands down,” laughs Dominic.
“I suspect that’s the next place you will be taking me to.”
“You just might be correct.”
A waiter comes to our table bearing a bottle of Chardonnay, which he shows to us first, earning a nod of approval from Dominic before he pours it into our wine glasses.
“Shall we make a toast?” Asks Dominic.
“To what?”
“New beginnings,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes.
I grin in response. “To new beginnings,” I repeat and then we clink our glasses.