Nmachi loved to

The New Thing

She learnt to cook from her mother who was a chef, but when she grew, she made dress out of nothing. She would turn forty in two days, and she wanted her friends around her –loneliness kills. She was fed up with having things done in a restaurant, beach or club : she wanted something quiet that could bring them together as friends.

It was not difficult to point out that they all had the same problem: they were a group of women who were in their late thirties, and sat on their own businesses –they were made women, but they needed more . Her family tried to blind-date her so many times, but it didn’t really work out as planned,one came for the money, another, for the ride, and the other, for her pants. She decided that it was time for something different which could make a difference: a cooking party.

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Just a Taste

One look at the burger through the glass door made her retrace her steps. It made her stomach grumble, not out of hunger, but a feeling to satisfy that which her eyes had seen.  She loved burgers, especially when they were succulent to the eyes and mouth. The taste of burnt bread, lettuce, grilled-spiced meat, cheese, tomatoes, sauce and all those layering, made her go . She didn’t care that she was a fit-fam, that judgement must go down her throat. Without thinking, she threw the door of the restaurant open, and flew to the order desk. The waiter smiled at her, and asked what she wanted, and she replied :

“That!”

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She pointed at the only surviving burger. But a deep voice came from behind and said :

“Ouch! I came late, again.”

She could not believe her ears. Someone loved burgers like she does. She turned, and to her amazement, the face was close to tears. She couldn’t help it, and  busted out in laughter.

“ Do you know what?”

The man looked at her in surprise,

“Let’s share.”

She turned back to the waiter and said:

“You can slice my burger for two.”

The man smiled back, and said:

“ The drinks are on me. I am Ezeh.”

Nmachi could not help it. She stretched out her hand for a shake, and said:

“Nmachi.”

Both went and sat for their brunch, together. As they waited, they shared their likes and dislikes of living in the city, the food, and about burgers.

The List

Nmachi decided to have her friends over for a cookingparty. Apart from having no man, they all loved to cook. She decided that they would celebrate her birthday with a cookingparty. She made sure to shop for all they needed, sent out the invitations, via their Whatsapp group, and shopped for a birthday dress.

They planned to bake, cook fried rice and some plantain, grill some fish, and Tolu would make her favourite, King burger. She was so excited to have them over. She made sure prepare their sleeping camp, because it was not only going to be a girls’ night out, but she had a surprise for them.

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TheCookingParty

As soon as it was six, the girls started to ring her doorbell. Tolulicious, arrived first, followed by Mariam, Nekky, Fariah, and Bose. She had cleared her massive kitchen for some space: she made sure to move her sewing machine to the store room, and other equipment. Nmachi was a famous fashion designer; she made cloths for top society ladies. She started right after graduation, and ten years later, she managed her business, and busy life, all alone.

Before they knew it, the sweet aroma of fried curry, spiced meat, vanilla and red velvet cake, and fried plantain romanced their nostrils. The girls sipped some wine and talked about their weeks while the food got ready.  When they were about setting the table, the doorbell called.

TheSurprise

Nmachi was dressing up for her night when she heard the doorbell. They were complete and she didn’t remember ordering for anything. She came down, all dressed up in her  short pink birthday dress. She looked radiant wearing her dark shinny natural hair, tied together. When she got to the sitting room, she noticed that the girls clustered around someone who was busy digging into Tolu’s burger –her burger!

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She walked straight to them, and to her greatest surprise, a familiar face looked back at her with a half eaten burger in hand, and some parts of his face covered with sauce. She walked straight to him, and with a finger, she wiped away the sauce that was very close to his mouth. She put the finger into her mouth, and licked the sauce, nodded her head, Tolu was the burger goddess. One could hear a pin drop. The girls were dumbstruck. Nmachi looked back at them, and with a smile, she said:

“Everyone,  meet Ezeh, my date for tonight.”

Written byUdemezue, OluomaUdemezue, Oluoma loves to read and write; she also enjoys movies, oldies and meeting new people. Oluoma believes that life is nothing without a little touch of romance, thriller and reality. Catch her on: udemezueoluoma@yahoo.com, Udemezue, Oluoma Judith on Facebook, Instag- oluomaudemezue, and Twit- @Udemezueoluoma.