C3 OKAY, I'LL GIVE LOVE ANOTHER TRIAL

Rita's POV

There’s never ever a free day. There were many clients to attend to, and as usual it was tiring especially because Evelyn is not here to assit me.

“Oh My God!!!” I stretched my hands wearily after attending to the last client.

Now they have stopped trooping in and I really needed a short break before another person comes in.

I sighed heavily and rested my head on the desk.

Earlier, I just did a full glam make over for a young girl who must be barely twenty and she was about to have a court wedding photoshoot.

Why is everyone getting married every day? Ugh!

I cringed as I thought of my age which further made me to think of menopause. Gosh! I'm not getting there anytime soon. I shook my head like I could shake off the ugly thoughts too.

I checked the digital clock on my phone home screen, it was high time to have lunch yet Evelyn and her boyfriend aren’t back. I shook my head, looking lightly miffed because we three are meant to go to the cafeteria together.

I clicked on the Kikachat social app.

“Whenever they are together, they would never be online. Then why did we create a friendship group?” I smirked jealously.

I notice I had few new messages from Janet Johnson, the so called matchmaker.

“Ain’t gonna check that!” I ignored it and turned off the power button.

“Hey there!” I heard a familiar voice.

It was the guy I directed to the male section earlier.

“Hi, nice haircut” I complimented nicely.

“Thank you. I mean, this studio is just the best” He appreciated.

“Yeah, sure. You look different, I almost didn’t recognize you” I told him.

“Oh really? The hairstylist must have done a great job then” He replied.

“Our pleasure. Please do visit this studio again and invite your friends” I said. I didn’t really mean any of these words, I’m only trying to be a good worker, ugh! It’s not like Mrs Blakeston will pay me extra for that.

He smiled widely and stared at me, instead of heading out. I faked a smile back though.

“So I’ll get going” He said.

Please do already.

Yet he continued staring and smiling while he walked away.

“Ugh! Weird! Very weird a guy” I uttered when he was beyond my sight.

My stomach rumbled, “Arrgh! I better get something to eat”Just when I got on my feet.

"Hey Rita!" Adam and Evelyn.

"Speak of the devil" I faked a frown. I pretended to be very upset with them.

"You missed our presence obviously" Evelyn said smiling.

"You missed our presence obviously" I mimicked with an ugly expression and they laughed.

"We had fun" Adam said.

"Adams is so lovely" Evelyn boasted as she threw her arm over his neck and gave him a peck on his cheek.

"You guys are so cute together" I commented and blushed foolishly but sincerely, I'm happy for them.

"I know right" Evelyn said.

" I knew right from the first day I met you that we’re compatible" Adams made her blush and I wished I had someone to say words like that to me.

"Anyways guys, it's time for lunch" I cut in sharply, disrupting their supposed sweet moment. “And I am so hungry, I cannot wait any longer” I thought they felt the same way.

"Err….” Evelyn stuttered.

“Errr what? Are you guys not hungry?”

“Actually, we've been to the restaurant and we’ve eaten to our satisfaction" Adam said.

“Sly! Now I really do feel dejected by my so called friends” I rolled my eyes and hissed.

“We brought you lunch too” Adam said when I was just about to walk away. “Sorry, we should have said this earlier” He added.

“Yeah, you should have” I almost snatched the meal from him.

“Okay so, you were angry just now. I saw a look on your face that you wished you weren’t single” Evelyn said.

“There you go again Evelyn. I wore a blank look, I was just hungry and angry that my friends are now leaving me out of their businesses just because they have turned lovers” I told her and began to devour.

“I’m sure you would do worst once you have a lover too” Evelyn shipped in “You seemed like someone who would love hard”

“Evelyn, must we always discuss the topic love, men, relationship?” I barked at her “Love, men, relationship!!!” I repeated.

“We must!”

“No. Or maybe yes you are right but it doesn’t have to be all the time okay?”I warned with a dead serious tone.

“It has to be all the time Rita”She insisted.

I smirked and ignored her troubles.

“Confide in me Rita, do you like girls?”

“Hell no Evelyn” I flinched.

She was about to say something again but I had to interrupt her, I’m sincerely fed up of her.

“Let me eat in peace Evelyn, I don’t wanna choke” I almost screamed at her.

We have forgotten Adam’s presence or maybe he just left us the chance for we ladies to communicate all we wanted.

"Who is he? Why is he staring at you?" Adams suddenly uttered.

"Who?" Evelyn and I asked simultaneously.

"You. He was peeping at Rita"

"I mean who's the person?" I asked with my mouthful.

"He was standing over there but he already left" Adam said.

We looked around.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Evelyn asked me.

"Not at all, maybe you got the wrong idea, he probably wasn't staring at me" I said inattentively as I continued eating till I was done.

"You know what Rita, you gotta flirt with some guys, give every guy a chance and stop looking for true love! stop tryna to fall in love before giving a guy a chance" Evelyn urged.

I rolled my eyes. I’m trying really hard not to say a word to her if it concerns this love topic.

"When last did your momma call you?" She probed further.

"Well, days ago" I replied as I poured out a glass of water to drink.

“Then i should be the one to frustrate you to get into a relationship” Evelyn remarked.

"Stop it already Evelyn, Fine I would date just one random guy and settle down with him, happy now?" I snapped at her. I didn't mean what I just said though.

However, she and her boyfriend, Adam laughed hysterically but I ignored them and picked up my phone because it beeped.

"What???" I screamed mere looking at the phone screen.

"What??" My friends are funny and dramatic, they screamed too without even knowing why I screamed.

"Okay just what is it?" Adam asked.

"Lottery?? Free Tickets?? What? Why did you scream?" Evelyn questioned

"51 messages"

"52" I said when another one came in.

I wiped my eyes to confirm if I could see well.

What the hell does this woman want from me?

"Just messages? Is that why you screamed??"

"52 messages from an unknown, someone is after me I swear" I said and showed them the phone.

"Who is this?"

"I don't know, I don't know her... First, she sent me a message yesterday and she acted too clingy like she physically knows me well" I tried to explain to them.

"Oh wait, she's an old woman..." Evelyn collected my phone from me and skimmed through the chat.

"She said she's married with four kids" I told them but they scrolled through and read the conversation.

"Oh wait, you finally joined the group FAP&GM, Find A Partner And Get Married " She found out.

Oh shit! Jeez, she saw that.

"It's not like I badly wanna get a partner” I fired.

"Give me back my phone" I struggled to collect it from her and she chuckled.

"It's okay, I won't judge you. But why is the so called Mrs Janet Johnson doing this?"

"How would I know?"

"I think she's indeed a heaven-sent matchmaker" Adam added.

"No, no, you are supposed to look at it from the wrong aspect. She’s suspicious. Can’t you see that she’s pestering me and literally forcing me to do what I don’t wanna do. Mrs Janet Johnson is after my life!”

"No Rita. I think she's just trying to help" Adam said.

"Forcefully" I added. “And I never seek for her help”

"You’re right. That's where everything goes wrong"

"I clearly told her I'm not interested yesterday. I don't want her help. Why is it so hard for her to understand that."

"Well, don’t ignore her yet, let's see what she's up to. She might eventually help you ge …” I knew exactly what Evelyn was about to spew so I interrupted her.

"The love of my life" we said simultaneously.

Like I knew that ~ that what she wanna say.

"Hmmn what else?" She laughed. “Sometimes Rita, you act like you are ready to have a lover and sometimes, you just avoid men”

I smirked; “I pretend I’m ready to be someone because you and mom won’t stop discussing about it” “Shii, we’re done!” I cut her off when she wanted to keep the conversation going.

"Excuse me guys, it's work’ o clock" Adam took his leave.

"Do you perhaps know the why Mrs Blakeston is absent today? It's unusual you know” I asked Evelyn.

"Yeah, she'll probably tell us the reason tomorrow" She said and picked up my own phone from the table.

"If I may ask, what do you wanna do?" I inquired.

"Hmmn hold on, I wanna skim through your chat with the unknown Janet Johnson and see what she really wants"

"Oh please, why are you bringing her up again?" I queried but she ignored me and checked my phone with so much keen.

"Hmmn" She hummed after a while.

"Hmmmn? Hmmn what?"

"Nothing. I think I'm done" She dropped the phone and took a deep sigh.

"Did you observe anything? What is it?" I asked her.

"Hmmmn, nothing. I just think she's legit"

"Legit how? How do you mean?"

"I mean there's nothing to be afraid of, Janet Johnson is only being real and helpful to you. There's nothing to be suspicious about. I just checked now, she's an admin on FAP&GM and other related group, through her comments, replies and posts.. I think she's a true matchmaker" Evelyn said and I nodded sarcastically.

"So within only few minutes you checked my phone, you already observed all this?"

"Yeah?"

"Anyways, Thank you" I said sheepishly.

"Is that the only thing you're gonna say?"

"What else? Am I supposed to start dancing too?"

"No honey, tell me you're gonna change, give Love a trial and whenever she eventually match makes you with someone, open up your heart" Evelyn gesticulates.

I scoffed: "Look Evelyn, you and I know it's difficult for me to fall in love with someone I've known for years, even with someone I've physically met and been seeing always. Do you expect me to just fall in love with someone I've not even met or seen or someone I'm gonna meet for the very first time if this so called Janet Johnson the matchmaker finds me someone?" I said. “She dare not do such” I scorned.

"Hmmn, you've got a point but with what you've just spew out, I think you're not ready to give your heart to someone. I think you are the problem" she pronounced You-Are-The-Problem one by one.

"Oh please Evelyn"

"Of course, see you've already concluded that it's impossible for you to fall in love with whoever you get match made with" Evelyn spoke like she were my mother.

I rolled my eyes.

"Come to think of it, you've never fallen in love before even when you've met s many guys, seen handsome and adorable men that wants to date you. Perhaps you're destined to fall hard in love with someone who would suddenly show up, out of the blues or what if the one whom you are meant to fall in love with should be anonymous for the meantime ..."

“Duh” I cut in whereas the line ‘Maybe I’m destined to fall in love with someone anonymous’ hit me so hard. She and Adam aren’t even aware that I dated someone on Love Station.

"Adams might be right, like he said earlier Mrs Janet Johnson is probably a heavenly-sent matchmaker to help you" I feel a hint of seriousness in the way she spoke.

"Okay, enough" I murmured.

"Are you ready to give love a trial this time now?" She said and I was mute.

"Come on, give every guy a chance. Even...even if you don't know who he is. We're old enough to tell who's dangerous and who's not.." She paused and smiled; "And maybe if you find Mr Left, drag him to the right. It's as easy as that"

"Don't be silly" I giggled.

"I'm serious" She added.

"Okay, Okay" I said as I was indeed already getting uncomfortable because Evelyn was right anyways. She is such a sensible but very silly friend.

Alright, I think it's high time to leave this single life.

*****

To Be Continued