NOT MY USUAL WORLD Novel Chapter 9

NOT MY USUAL WORLD
EPISODE 9
Life did not stop for Ronke after the China exhibition was approved by Chief Adebayo.
Work continued in the United States branch of her father’s company. Meetings, reports, travel schedules and corporate responsibilities filled her days. From the outside her life looked perfect.
Inside, it often felt incomplete.
It was during one of her quiet evenings that she met Ekene.
She had entered a modest restaurant close to her office. Not one of the expensive places she visited with business partners. Just somewhere calm where no one knew her name.
Ekene worked there.
He noticed her the first day she came in.
Not because she was wealthy.
Not because she was beautiful.
But because she sat for nearly an hour staring at a cup of tea she barely touched.
The second day she came again.
The third day too.
On the fourth day he finally spoke.
Madam, forgive me if I am overstepping. But you look like someone carrying something very heavy.
Ronke looked up, surprised.
People rarely spoke to her like that.
Most people around her were careful. Respectful. Measured.
Ekene spoke like someone talking to another human being.
She smiled faintly.
Do I look that obvious?
He shrugged.
Sometimes people who look strongest are the ones struggling the most.
That simple sentence opened a door.
Over the next few weeks she began talking more.
Little by little, the story came out.
Tobe.
The love she never expected.
How he was humiliated.
How he disappeared.
How she never saw him again.
Ekene listened quietly every time.
No judgement.
No pressure.
One evening after she finished telling the story, he said gently,
Life has a strange way of completing unfinished stories. If what you and Tobe had was meant to be, nothing can erase it. And if it was not meant to be, then something better will come.
Ronke looked at him for a long time.
For the first time in years, the story did not feel like a wound when she spoke about it.
Ronke travelled to China weeks later.
The exhibition was successful.
Meetings with suppliers and investors filled most of her schedule. When it ended, she decided to stay a few extra days to explore the country.
One afternoon she entered a massive shopping mall.
People moved in every direction. Tourists, workers, families.
She stopped briefly in front of a handbag display.
At that exact moment, a tall man walked past behind her carrying a shopping bag.
For a brief second he slowed down, feeling the strange sensation that someone familiar was close.
He turned slightly.
But Ronke had already stepped into another store.
Tobe continued walking.
Neither of them saw the other.
That was the first coincidence.
The following evening.
Ronke visited a lively street market filled with music and food vendors.
She stopped to buy tea.
A few steps away, Tobe was paying for food from another stall.
The crowd shifted between them.
Voices, laughter, movement everywhere.
For a moment Ronke turned her head as if someone had called her name.
But when she looked again, the man who had been standing nearby had already walked into the crowd.
That was the second coincidence.
The next morning.
Ronke took a walk in a quiet park near her hotel.
As she walked along the path she noticed a man standing ahead of her with his back turned.
Something about his build felt painfully familiar.
Her heart beat faster.
It looked like Tobe.
She took another step forward.
But before she could say anything, the man’s phone rang and he began walking away while answering it.
Within seconds he disappeared around the corner.
Ronke stood still for a long time.
Later that evening she called Ekene.
Ekene, I think I saw someone today.
Who?
Someone that looked like Tobe.
Ekene paused.
Then why didn’t you run after him?
Ronke sighed softly.
Because Tobe is in Anambra.
This is China.
A few days later she returned to the United States.
Work continued.
Life moved forward.
Meanwhile in China, Tobe’s life had already changed dramatically.
Years of hard work in the factory had paid off. He was no longer just a floor worker. He had risen through the system and now supervised part of the production line.
His salary had improved significantly.
The exchange rate between China and Nigeria worked strongly in his favor.
He sent large portions of his earnings home.
His uncle used the money to build a beautiful duplex in their compound in Anambra. It stood proudly where their old house once struggled to survive.
Each transfer Tobe sent carried the same message.
Build well.
Take care of yourself.
Back in the United States, time continued to move.
Two years passed.
One evening Chief Adebayo called Ronke into his study during one of her visits home.
His voice carried a weight she had not heard before.
Ronke, you cannot continue like this.
Continue how?
You know what I mean.
She remained quiet.
Anthony got married two years ago.
He now has two children.
You cannot remain alone forever.
Ronke looked at him slowly.
You chased away the only man I ever loved.
Chief sighed deeply.
It has been four years, Ronke.
Four years.
You need to let it go.
Choose someone from the men asking for your hand.
Life must move forward.
She did not answer.
Far away in China, life continued moving as well.
Two more years passed.
Tobe had grown into a confident professional in the manufacturing industry. His experience and education had opened more doors within the company.
But slowly, another feeling began to grow inside him.
Restlessness.
He had achieved stability.
But he wanted something more.
So he began researching graduate programs abroad.
Eventually he applied for a Master’s degree in the United States.
Months later the email arrived.
Admission granted.
Tobe sat quietly staring at the screen for a long time.
A new chapter was opening.
He began preparing to move to America.
And somewhere across the ocean, Ronke continued living her life.
Both of them had walked far away from the past.
Both believed that chapter had ended.
But life…
Sometimes had other plans.
To be continued.