Sarai's Joy

                                                      PART 1

The place to see and be seen was the Royal Country Club. Those who had been opportune to visit knew it was a play ground for the rich. Their way of life was made known by the activities they indulged in, their simple yet expensive outfits, the kind of ladies they moved with, the cigars that was firmly held in between the middle finger and the fore finger while they played snookers and sipped on some fine expensive scotch.

The furnishing of the bar area close to the snooker table was exquisite, from the chandeliers hanging on the ceiling to the brown Italian leather single couch. The lightening was so dim it reflected the traces of the cigarette fumes floating in the air.

The snooker room was the busiest of all the rooms in the complex which made her really uneasy walking into the room. 

Her hair was pulled up loosely in a bun and she wore a fitted brown shirt and  black pants. Color combination was really not her thing but she kept away from bright colors. She hated to draw attention to her self which was not exactly the case as she walked into the room. The light in the room was bright enough to indicate someone had entered but too dim indicate a female walked in.

She took out her phone and dialed Mr. Paul while looking up to see if he was in sight. The vigorous wave at the right corner of the room was that of Mr. Paul and she walked towards the direction.

He was seated at the bar with another slightly elderly looking man who she suspected should be in his late 40's. Tall, slender and looking crispy clean in his deep blue shirt and black trouser. The shirts sleeves were folded arm’s length revealing a part of his biceps that was ridiculously toned. His trousers were well tailored it hugged his butt perfectly. He had a amazing butt for a man. Sarai walked closer noticing every inch of his physique. 

‘’George, meet Sarai, Sarai George.

He barely looked at Sarai. His gaze was fixed on the board, fingers clenching and squeezing the stick while making a funny thinking face.

She handed Mr. Paul the blue plastic file and turned her face back to him.

Flipping open, Paul smiled and looked up after few seconds ‘’Tell your Boss I got his message loud and clear’’

She returned his smile and greeted the other man in the navy-blue shirt and left.

‘’Leaving so soon, wouldn’t you want to sit for a drink?’’

‘’Yes, but—‘’

But what’’ Paul asked grabbing the stick from George.

I’m going to the mainland and I fear I may get home late if I wasted anymore time’’

‘’wasted? Paul asked raising an eyebrow in-between smiles.

‘’Pardon my choice of word sir, she said calmly.

Mr. Paul smiled and gave her clean 5 pieces of 1000 naira note and added ''taxi fare, so you can get home early''. Paul was usually very sweet and nice. When Sarai’s Boss had asked that she drop off the file, she was glad to help. However, when she heard he would be at the RCC, she felt very uncomfortable. She had only read of the club on social media and never imagined she would be there. She only wished she was preview to her visit there, then she would have up’d her dress game to blend in properly.

She respectfully declined the money ‘’My Boss already paid for the taxi waiting outside.

‘’OK, good night’’

She walked out in shy strides trying hard not to miss a step. The guy on navy shirt noticed her uneasiness.

The ride home was pretty tough and traffic was strangely at its peak for a Tuesday night. Sarai got home exhausted and went straight to bed. Two hours later, she was woken up by a text message beep.

‘’You seemed very uneasy while leaving today. Is that the usual you or were you particularly shy of the men in the room. You reminded me of my wife, the cologne you wore today was her favorite and you had her gentle smile. Let’s talk later in the day.

                                                                                GEORGE…

She rolled to the other end of the bed and switched on the bedside lamp. Its was 3am in the morning and she had barely an hour 30 minutes before her alarm woke her up. She struggles up and heads to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The hallway to the kitchen was dark except for the light reflection from the fridge. Sarai knew her sister was up eating in the middle of the night as usual. 

She yawned as she walked into the kitchen. Magdalene was lying on the floor just in front of the fridge in a pool of her own blood.......