THE CIRCLE

Chapter One

Louisa

There is a day I love most and that is Friday; it's always my best day of the week, don't get me wrong, I like other days of the week but not as much as I love Fridays. I know some motivational individuals out there will tell you to love everyday of the week, some will even tell you to see Mondays as though they were Fridays, well good luck to them, I'm a realist I see things as they are and Monday will never look like Friday to me.

I'm a very big fan of TGIF, if I am not parting at a club, you will find me at one social gathering or the other, I can never be caught in my house on a Friday night nah that's totally wrong especially in this city of Lagos where we always find a reason to celebrate.

It's Friday night; and my crazy friends and I are at this club that just opened on Victoria Island.

I know you are probably wondering who this is, I will introduce myself shortly but first let me introduce my friends.

Meet Blessing Johnson 28 years; from the western part of Nigeria. This is the mother Mary of our circle. She is a banker in one of the high profile banks in Lagos, and she is really doing well for herself. She is your definition of a church girl, always does things the right way, can never be seen saying or doing things wrong. It's a mystery how we are able to convince her to come to the club with us and whenever she does; she always insists on having only cola drinks, who comes to a club to have soft drinks? Blessing I guess.

Laurel Ademola 29 years; From the western part of Nigeria. She is the rich kid in our circle, she comes from old money and manages one of her father's real estate companies. She is a down to earth girl not like those girls who have bitchy attitudes because they come from money. Don't get me wrong, Laurel isn't bitchy but That doesn't mean she would sit still and be trampled on, trust me the last person who tried that is still languishing in jail.

Miram Abiola 30 years; from the western part of Nigeria. Our able event planner, always calm and collected, a go-getter. She is the mother of this circle, always knows how to call us to order. Soon to be Mrs Biodun. She is the only one who has a stable relationship in our circle. What the rest of us has is just relation, the ship is long gone.

Then there is me; Louisa Omafokpe 30 years, from the southern part of Nigeria, a web developer and graphic designer. The live of the party, I don't mean to exaggerate but there is never a dull moment with me, you have a party? Then you can always on count me to turn up. Very outspoken never hesitates to say it as it is.

The party seemed to be going well, but I wasn't enjoying like I thought I would; I couldn't get myself to stop thinking about him and by him I mean my ex boyfriend who ditched me and got married to his baby mama. Here I was thinking I had finally met the one and was busy planning our future, considering the fact that he made me believe we had a future as romantic partners, so you can imagine how shocked I was to find wedding invitation cards in his wardrobe when I spent a weekend at his place. He claimed she was pregnant and couldn't get himself to walk away from the mother of his unborn child. First of all this guy was cheating on me with someone else, then he gets her pregnant and proceeded to marry her without even telling me any of these. Am I supposed to be happy or am I blowing things out of proportion? The idiot had the nerve to tell me nothing has changed, I'm still the one he wants, oh the effrontery.

"Louisa why the long face?"

I turned to see Laurel by my side, she had a glass of champagne on her hand.

"Nothing I just remembered something not so good"

"Adams right? Come on girl it's been three months already you need to stop thinking about that loser"

"I know but.."

"No buts, you need a drink, come on let's head to the bar"

We went to the bar together, she ordered two shots of tequila for us.

"Aren't you going to finish your champagne first, before taking the tequila?"

"You know I'm not a fan of champagne, I just had that glass because I wanted to converse with one of the investors I have been trying to bring on board in my company, I saw him at the VIP lounge"

"You are not a fan of any alcohol but I still don't get how the champagne comes in"

"I read in one of his interviews in the paper that he likes champagne, so I had to buy the most expensive champagne in the club and took it to him"

"Laurel!"

"What? It's called marketing strategy"

"Hmmm I like that, I think I will adopt that,  well give me that" I took the champagne from her and drank it, everyone in our circle knows how much I love champagne

"You should girl because it sure does work, now enough talking let's drink up"

We had several shots of tequila and just when I thought we were done; and Miriam came to join us at the bar and we ordered new shots of tequila.

''Miriam where is Blessing I thought she was with you?''

''You should know her by now, she has gone home with the claim that she has headache''

We went ahead and had more drinks, I knew I was getting tipsy and needed to stop drinking but I just couldn't; I wanted to numb my pains and alcohol was my only tool so I used it.

I woke up to the alarm on my phone ringing, I reached out to snooze it like I usually do, but I couldn't seem to reach my night stand where I usually kept my phone. Where is my night stand and why does this bed feel strange?

"I think you would have to get up to find it, probably you are lying on it or something"

Whose voice was that? Last I checked I lived alone. Do I have an intruder in my apartment? I tried opening my eyes slowly to see who it was, I saw a guy standing by the wardrobe with his back to me, I usually stash some cash in my wardrobe, that must be what the intruder was getting.

I quickly pick up a pillow and threw it him.

"Get out of my house, thief thief. I'm calling the police"

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I advise you leave now; the police will be here soon"

"What police?"

Good question what police? There is no police but I thought I could scare him away with that.

"What are you doing in my apartment, are you trying to steal from me, how did you even get in?"

"Steal from you? You must be kidding me; look around does this look like your apartment?"

It was then it dawned on me, I wasn't in my apartment. Then where is this, how did I get here? Oh my God I have been kidnapped!