CHAPTER FOUR

Patricia nervously walked through the walkway to block four of Mystro House Entertainment. She was unsure as to the outcome of things. She had knocked on the black wooden door to the office for some time but to no response. Suddenly she heard a rather harsh sound from the inside of the room. She turned the handle to open the door to Sammy Davies (aka Sammydee)”s office. As predicted, the calm handsome man she met few days ago was wearing a fierce look like a lion ready to feast on his prey. The room was not well arranged. There were broken bottles, papers and some other things scattered on the floor. She could not bring herself to understand what could be disturbing the young man so early that morning.

“Goo…Good morning sir.” She forced herself to announce her presence.

Sammy was shocked to see her. He tried hiding his untidiness. She shouldn’t have seen him in this state; he thought. He thought of yelling at her or sending her out of the room angrily. But something in his inner self cautioned him. After all, he invited her. She wasn’t even the cause of his problem. So why vent his anger on her?

“You should have knocked before coming in.” He said grumbling.

He crouched down afterwards to pick up the awards plates that are lying on the floor. Patricia felt the need to offer some help. So she joined him scooching down to his level.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Sammy. But I knocked several times with no response. I heard your voice from inside so I thought you were engaged in a riot with someone. I came so I could intervene.” She said calmly still helping him clear up the space.

He laughed hard like he did the other day.

“Intervene? What would you have done if that was real? How would you have intervened in a two-strongmen slug fest?”

“Erm…Erm…” She stutters.

“Don’t ever try that again.” He cautioned.

“Okay sir.”

Pat was still clearing the room when Sammy suddenly grabbed her wrist. Cold chills enveloped her. Her heart beat faster immediately.

“You don’t know how rough the situation was in the room. Yet, you risked coming in. What if you were hurt in the process? Well, I was aggressively throwing objects when you came in.”

She was terrified to hear that. Why would a grown man be playing dangerous games indoors? Is he sane at all? Sammy realized how concerned she was. He lifted her already shivering body and gently pushed her into a chair. She tried controlling the hammering in her heart.

“I’m sorry you have to see me in this state. I’m so angry at the moment. I just couldn’t control myself.” Sammy added as he brushed his hair which glittered in the reflection of the white fluorescent that illuminates the room. “That resulted into this mess.” He concluded.

She noticed blood dripping from one of his fingers. She rushed towards him to make sure he was OK.

“You’re bleeding.” She exclaimed. She held his palm and used her handkerchief to wipe off the blood stain. “Do you have a first aid box?” She asked impatiently.

“No, I don’t. You shouldn’t worry. It’s just a scratch.” He tried taking possession of his hand.

She resisted but he yanked. He sat on the arm chair and open the desk drawers in front of him one after the other as if he was searching for a lost item. He lost hope on the search and was already sweating profusely. He looked at Pat disappointedly.

“I kept it here.” He said with a dull tone.

Pat walks towards him.

“What are you looking for? Maybe I might be of help.”

“Am looking for a white envelope with a blue seal.” He explained.

With a room this disorganized, searching for just one envelope was definitely going to be a big task. Pat first checked the table. She flipped through the huge files on his desk. There lay the envelope stocked in one of the lumped files and papers there.

“Here it is.” She said calmly.

He collected and opened the envelope; removed the content sand offered it to her. Patricia could not stop looking at his bleeding hand as he stretched it forward. He was hurting himself yet still calm. She collected the letter and read through. The content in the envelope brought smile to her face. Sammy had helped her secure a job in the biggest entertainment radio in the state, Star radio. The more amazing thing is was that she wasn’t going there as a mere intern but as a staff with a good salary which she never imagined. She almost screamed in excitement.

“Thank you very much sir! I’m very happy and grateful.” She said joyously. “In fact, I don’t know how to repay you for this. I don’t think I have anything to offer you but I will never forget this not even decades from now.” She added smiling.

He smiled back feeling fulfilled. He offered to drop her at her place. She’d have all day to prepare. The letter mentioned that she should report for work the following day. Patricia still cared about the blood dripping from his hand. She held his offer to take her home until he agreed for his hand be treated. Sammy was hesitant but had to give in because Pat wouldn’t let him off the hook. Sammy thinks the injury on his hand doesn’t hurt nearly as much as his heart does.

“Let’s take care of that please. I don’t know what makes you angry but losing a lot of blood will make you sick or passed out.”

She said those words with the utmost care considering how Sammy will react. Knowing him already, she was careful not to get him back to his bad mood through her words. Sammy smiled instead. He even referred to himself as stupid at some point. He walked to the big shelf and brought out the first aid kit. They joked, chatted and laughed along the way. Sammy tried to keep his cool during all this, but he couldn’t. He nearly broke down. Pat caught him on one occasion. Sammy hurriedly wiped his face.

“I teared up because some dust fell in my eyes.” He tried to make an excuse.

“Yes, yes… I can see.” Patricia laughed “Do you think I cried because of that? I told you it’s the dust.” He exclaimed.

“But I said nothing now. Ah ahn. Abi your conscience is pricking you. Hard guy”

Sammy was embarrassed. He cried in front of a lady. He must confess to himself. He had to let the tears flow. He really wanted to cry so badly so he stole the moment. He used the excuse of the pain from cleaning the cut to let it out. Patricia finished with the cleaning and covered the cut with plaster. When the treatment was done, he drove her home. They both were silent during the journey. They had nothing else to talk about until they got to the front of her house. Pat rushed down from the car immediately.

There were four bodied men forcing the door open. She met the landlady there as well reeling out commands to the men. She went down pleading with the landlady who was set in stone. Sammy exited the car after seeing this. He walked towards them and asked about what was going on. No one responded. The scene, however, was clear enough to understand someone was about to be thrown out of the house. Lagos Landlords/landladies are embodiments of drama whenever they expect their clients are defaulting rents. They would also frustrate the tenants to park out thinking they would get a better offer. The men were already throwing her things out when he got there. She only had four bags and a sleeping mat.

Those were the things she brought with her from Ghana. She lacks the money to buy more. Everything else in the house belongs to Marie, her childhood friend who had accommodated her since she came to Lagos. The bed, furniture and the utensils, they all belong to her. She left for Abuja with most her things though. She refused to take Pat along saying she could no longer feed her. Things grew more difficult after she left. She had no job yet so she couldn’t settle the bills.

Sammy stood angrily watching them mistreat Pat. There is absolutely nothing he would say or do to stop the rage at the moment. He turned to Patricia who was already weeping face down to the ground.

“Pack your things and come with me.” He said authoritatively.

“I have nowhere to go. I will just explain to her that have got a new job and would be able to pay the rent when the month ends.

“Trust me, she is not ready to listen to you. Just come with me.”

He helped her with her bags back to the car. He drove her, brought her to a big building which looks like a hotel. The outer view of the house was magnificent. She could imagine what the interior would look like. Immediately she got out of the car and something caught her attention: the beautiful flower at the rooftop. She wondered why it was there. The flowers are magnificent, so it might be used to decorate the building. She concluded. Patricia rushed to the boot to bring down her things but Sammy told her to leave them. He commanded the “gateman” to bring them in. Yes, as she had thought the interior was a palace. She nearly slipped from looking.

“This is my house.” Sammy suddenly broke the silence.

“You want me to stay here?” She asked surprisingly. Sammy nodded positively. “No, I can’t.” She protested. “You’ve done enough for me. I will just find a place to manage.”

“You said you have nowhere to go. So why are you refusing? Oh… I know what’s going on in your mind. Don’t worry am not living alone. My house help, Amanda lives here too.” He said calmly.

Patricia goes on her knees to thank him again. He did indeed a lot for her in a day. But Sammy felt embarrassed.

“Come on, don’t do that. Let me show you to your room.” He said dragging her along. He showed her into a room that Patricia could call a paradise. The bedroom decoration looks like royalties. “Welcome to your new home, friend.” He said as he left the room.

Patricia was surprised he called her “friend.” When they haven’t even had a proper chat. He knows absolutely nothing about her. He did not even ask why she was thrown out of the house. Sammy was nicer than she thought he was.