Anu

The traffic was driving her crazy, the cars ahead of her had not moved more than an inch in close to an hour. "Jesu Christi" she muttered to herself in frustration. She was driving her father's old car, the Peugeot 504 pick up he had wanted to get rid of years ago, she had begged to keep it. It held too many memories for her. As much as she loved it, she couldn't help but regret her decision to drive it that day. It was such an incredibly hot day and the pick up's a/c had died before had even started secondary school; that was a very long time ago. She cursed the sun for being so hot, and baking her alive in the tin can she called a car, she cursed the street hawkers that stuffed their goods in her face through the rolled down window of the truck. "Buy your handkerchief, buy your handkerchief!!" "Cold mineral, cold mineral!!" "Fan yogo!!!". She did not want any of it, she wanted to get where she was going.

She was not quite sure where she was going, but she had it written down some where, the designer , Toyosi, had yelled it to her over the loud music from the band. They had met at a wedding reception, the whole thing was quite random, she had noticed the lady's uniquely gorgeous dress from across the field where the outdoor reception was held. She made her way through the crowd and gingerly tap on the Lady's bare shoulder.
"Hello,' Anu said to her when she turned around, she had her hair plaited back in thin neat weaves and dangling silver earings that accentuated her long face .
"Hi..." she replied smiling the confusion in her voice adding a questioning tilt to the end of the word.
"I apologize for being so bold, but that is just a fantastic dress." Anu smiled openly as she spoke.
"Oh, wow, thank you so much." the lady said with a wide smile and an expression of genuine delight
"You're most welcome," Anu said "I saw you from over there," she pointed to the spot across the field where she had been sitting with her sisters "and I couldn't help but come over." They laughed together for a moment "I sound like such a guy." Anu said "But honestly, its really beautiful. I'm Anu, by the way, Anu Bakare." She held out her hand.
"I'm Toyosi Oshisanya, thank you so much, I really appreciate that you actually came up to tell me." Toyosi smiling; her lips were small, but they stretched out into a lovely smile in less than a moments notice.
"If you don't mind my asking,...did you buy it or have it made?" Anu asked, she though that she should be slightly embarrassed for asking, but she wasn't. The swirling colors of the fabric was mesmerizing, it was a bright turquoise with soft pink tribal motifs, embellished with sparkling sequins and beads. But it wasn't just the color or designs that caught Anu's attention, it was the perfect cut. The dress fit Toyosi's figure so perfectly, it was strapless and streamlined, hugging Toyosi's figure and ending just below her knees in a black satin trim. It was so flattering to Toyosi's slender physique and just sexy enough without being too revealing.
"Actually I made it, or designed it... I did both really." Toyosi said in a low voice trying not to sound too pleased with herself.
"No way! You designed that?" Anu's eyebrows shot upwards and she nodded her head impressed
"Yeah, its what I do," she looked through her sequined black purse before saying "I didn't bring a card but you seem pretty interested and I would love to show you more of my designs,"
"Listen if they look anything like this dress, I so definitely want to see them. Do you have a store around?"
"Yes, something like that Its a studio, just a big open space where I work and display."
"Where is it? I'd love to check it out."
Just as Toyosi began to tell her the address the band started playing, cutting her off with their talking drums and jubilant Yoruba lyrics.

Anu rummaged through her overstuffed purse in search of the post it that had the address scrawled on it, she found the crumpled piece of paper just as the car ahead of her moved forward.
"Hallelujah!" she exclaimed pushing her foot down on the accelerator.
---
The studio was just as Toyosi had described, a big open space with a row of four sewing machines against the back wall. It was on the third floor of a five story building on one of the busier streets in Ikeja. The space had a floor to ceiling glass sliding door that led to a black wrought iron balcony. The white walls were covered in pinned up brown paper dress patterns, and there were brown plastic mannequins clothed in Toyosi's exquisite designs.

Toyosi met Anu in front of the building with a sweet smile plastered on her long face.
"Thank you so much for coming, I'm very happy you could make it." she led her into the building and they climbed up the winding concrete steps that led up to her studio.
"I'm sorry I'm a bit late, the go-slow was not a joke." Anu shook her head, she was exhausted from the drive but she was also eager to see Toyosi's designs.
She was such a girl when it came to unique fashion, she did not follow trends and she was definitely not a label whore but she recognized quality when she saw it. She only collected one of a kind pieces when it came to high fashion, and yes she could go to any tailor or designer in Lagos and buy an Ankara dress but that wasn't what she was interested in. It was clear that Toyosi paid painstaking attention to detail; from the perfect cut, to the out-of-the-box ideas she used. Anu was very impressed.
"How long have you been doing this?" she asked after thoroughly admiring the clothes on the mannequins.
"Since I could hold a needle," Toyosi replied smiling "but I didn't make it a, um, a business until about three years ago. I had to quite my job at Vault bank so I could, you know, really focus on it."
"Risky, but clearly well worth it." Anu said nodding her head.
"Its been a bit tough but...I feel like I'm achieving my dreams, ambitions, whatever." she walked to back wall where the sewing machines stood and picked up a slouchy brown leather purse from the floor. She handed Anu a red business card with the words "ToSanya Designs" written in gold cursive letters across it.
"Here's my card. I'm planning to have a show sometime this year," she said handing the card to Anu "hopefully sooner rather than later."
"Really? How do you work, like is it on commission, or do you have ready made items...what I mean is could I buy something off the mannequin or..."
"Not really, my designs are very specific to the person I making them for, especially when it comes to size and structure. I would rather take measurements and work on one of a kind pieces for every customer as opposed to like mass producing a bunch of, you know, mediocre designs"
"Wow, that's true love." Anu said, and they laughed. "Well I definitely want one, what I want to know is how much that would cost?"
"Well that all depends on how intricate the design is and how much time it would take to finish up. It also depends on the kind of fabric you want...um...yeah, that's about it."
"Wow"
"I know, I know, but I do all the designing an cutting and most of the sewing myself. I can't always trust my seamstresses to do it right so I-" she was cut off by the ringing off her mobile phone "excuse me" she said taking a few steps away from Anu and answering the phone.

Anu busied herself feasting her eyes on the embellishment on the hem of the dress on the mannequin directly in front of her. The plastic person wore a short violet tie dye dress with red-orange streaks, it had tiny black, purple, orange and green beads embellishing the hem and edges of the short sleeves. She stretched out her hand to touch the beads and was startled by a mans voice
"Aunty, Oga say make I come pick you" the voice said, she recognized it, but she was confused as to why it was present there.
She turned around to see her sister's driver Mr. Shomolu standing at the open doorway, he had been talking to Toyosi who was still on her mobile phone. She signaled to him with her hands that she would be down soon. He had not seen Anu until she whipped around to look at him, when he saw her face his eyes went wide with surprise and he started to say something, but he stopped and quickly left the room.
She was not sure what to make of that, she knew that he was still her sister Roseline's husband's driver, so what was he doing here talking to Toyosi. He had said "Oga say make I come pick you..." Had Roseline sent him?

"Who was that?" She asked Toyosi, pointing towards the doorway where Shomolu had just being.
"Oh um...that was my, uh, the...he's my...friend, my friend's driver" She seemed hesitant and guarded all of a sudden.
"Oh, you know Roseline?" Anu asked smiling in surprise.
"Roseline? No, I don't, uh..." Toyosi said, forcing a smile and thinking of ways to change the subject.
"I guess I'll come back another time, or, call now that I have you're card," Anu said looking at Toyosi's confused expression "I mean, only because he's waiting for you, the driver." she was talking really fast as she often did when she was anxious.
"Alright," Toyosi said, she was a little confused at the sudden change in Anu's behavior but she tried not to show that she noticed. She added "I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully designing something for you."
"Definitely." Anu said, she smiled and stuck the red card in her purse before leaving the studio. As she trotted down the concrete steps, she tried to ignore the the rising heat of anger in her throat. She often let her emotions take her over and she had to remind herself to relax, not jump to conclusions before she knew anything for sure. Because really what did she know? Emeka was probably having Toyosi design something for Roseline, that was why he sent the driver to pick her up. Yeah, that was it. That had to be it, otherwise...

She walked out of the building into the busy sunlit street, there were cars parked on both sides of the road, making the road much narrower than it already was. She spotted a silver Mercedes, Emeka's silver Mercedes, among the seemingly unending line of cars,she saw Mr. Shomolu leaning against the car. She walked up to him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Shomolu," she said with a fake smile "wetin you dey do for hear?" She towered over him in her heels.
"Aunty," he began to say, his spotty face crumpled up in worry "Oga send me" he had always been intimidated by Anu, she was not soft spoken like Roseline and she had a sharp mouth.
"Oga Emeka?" she asked her eyes narrowed
"Yes Aunty." he said, looking away, hoping she wouldn't ask anymore queations.
"Shomolu, you know who that woman be?"
"Auny please o, I dey do wetin Ogo send me."Mr. Shomolu raised his hands up, as if to prove his innocence in the matter.
"Ehen? And wetin oga send you?" she asked, softening her tone, trying not scare the tiny man.
"Him go vex if him know say I tell you."
"Shomolu jo, I no get time, the woman go soon come down. I just wan know who she be and why Oga send you come carry am?"
The man sighed and looked around, he frowned deeply in worry and reluctantly said "Him dey send me come carry am go different different restaurants for V.I. Him say make I no dey follow am talk, but she dey very nice, she like to dey follow me talk."
"Where you dey carry am go now?"
"The name na Coco, na one restaurant wey dey near the round about."
She had heard about the place, it was a fusion restaurant that combined the best of popular West African cuisine and Asian cuisine. Roseline had told her about it, she had mentioned more than once that she really would like to go there.
"You dey talk true?" she asked
"Aunty I be "Deeper Life" I no fit lie"
She would have laughed if she wasn't so angry "Ehen, but you fit carry another woman go meet man wey get wife for house"
"Na wetin dem send me na in I dey do o."
"Since when?" She asked speaking in proper English "How long have you been coming to pick her up?"
"Ah, it don te o, since last year." he seemed more eager to continue, now that he had started talking.
"Thank you." She said before turning around and walking towards her car
"Please make you no tell aunty Rose, she go sack me!" Mr. Shomolu yelled after her.
----
Anu was consumed by a range of intense emotions as she drove. She felt a deep deep sadness and a raw hurt, but it was the burning anger that determined where she would drive that old pick up truck.