Banjo was having a bad case of the 'fidgets' as he sat waiting for the presentation at the Skyline offices to commence.
His sister had told him about the process that had led to the presentation he was about to receive. He had a few ideas about what they would be presenting to him since Patricia had gone on and on about it. That was not what had him nervous though. It was the thought of seeing Alero again.
He hadn't seen her since the night of Maggie's welcome back party. They had both been pretty frequent at the Okwara residence in the following weeks before their departure but somehow, they had never managed to be there at the same time again. It was as if fate had contrived to ensure that they did not meet each other there again, fate or Oliver and Maggie.
He suspected that the siblings had been alarmed by his interest in Alero following the night of the party. Olly's alarm he could understand, the man liked Alero a lot more than he was letting on but Maggie? That was baffling to him.
Presently the senior partner of the architectural firm, Mr. Wanigo walked briskly to him and held out his hand for a handshake. Banjo stood up to receive the rather vigorous handshake.
"It's such an honour that has been done us by your company. We are all so delighted here at Skyline." he enthused as he led him to the meeting room where the presentation would be taking place. Banjo wondered absently if Patricia would be joining them.
"And here is one of our brilliant stars here at the firm." he introduced as Alero walked into the room closely followed by Patricia and another lady. "Miss Bekere, this is Mr. Adeniran. He is the COO of Adeniran Holdings. Mr. Adeniran, our very own Miss Bekere. Her work has been featured in architectural journals on several occasions. We are quite proud of her growth here at Skylines." Mr. Wanigo said with all the airs of a proud parent.
Banjo noticed the eye roll that Alero tried to hide from everyone and smiled. Somehow, that eye roll immediately put him at ease and he was able to mumble a few appropriate words with panache as he took his seat.
"Good evening Mr. Adeniran and you're welcome. We have a few ideas that we think will suit your purposes." Alero said as she efficiently set up her presentation tools and began to show him their ideas.
Banjo had to admit that he found what they had put together on such a short notice interesting. As the presentation wound up, he was able to look more closely at Alero. She had on dark colored lady's trousers and a cream colored blouse that was so fluffy it seemed like it should be transparent. It was not though and Banjo found that his mind had wondered to areas of thoughts he had no business thinking so he brought his focus back to what she was saying as she closed.
"If you have anything you'd like to adjust, you can always contact us." She motioned to someone behind him and a small brochure was slid on to the table in front of him. "We will make ourselves available to you any time of the day." she concluded.
"Thank you for that presentation Miss Bekere. I think our client is suitably impressed." Mr. Wanigo said as Alero took a seat at the conference table with the others.
Banjo nodded at her, his eyes twinkling with humor at the situation. "I am Miss Bekere. I had no idea that...let me just say that I am impressed."
"Thank you Mr. Adeniran." Alero accepted the compliment graciously.
"Please, most people just call me Banjo. Mr. Adeniran makes me feel rather old."
"Banjo." Alero said with a polite smile, testing the weight of the name on her lips.
Banjo smiled again, this time an intimate smile, like he was sharing a joke that only both of them should be in on. Alero looked away sharply from the discomfiting smile, fiddling with the papers in her hand. Patricia watched the interchange with a curious smile as she gathered up the papers that she had brought along with her from their office.
"Well done Alero. Banjo, we look forward to hearing from you." Mr. Wanigo stood, effectively dismissing Alero and her team even as he shook Banjo's hand and led him out of the conference area.
The ladies gathered up the paraphernalia of their presentation and went back to their office.
As the day ground on, Alero reviewed the details of the presentation over and over in her head trying to review what she could have done better. She felt antsy every time she remembered the smile he had given her as the meeting closed. She wondered if the others in the room had noticed. She wondered if Mr. Wanigo had noticed and if it would reflect poorly on her suitability for the job. He had been known to reassign architects for even the smallest breach in what he considered proper professional decorum.
She was almost chewing her fingernails down to their roots when a knock sounded on the door and it opened almost immediately to reveal Mr. Wanigo. He shut the door behind him as he walked in and took a seat.
"Why did you not tell me that you know Mr. Banjo personally?" he asked abruptly.
"Because I do not really know him." Alero answered simply. Then she explained, "I have met him before, we have mutual friends but that's as far as our acquaintance goes."
"Really?' Mr. Wanigo asked skeptically. "It seemed like you guys are more acquainted than that."
Alero shook her head softly. "No, we aren't."
"Hmm!" Mr. Wanigo stood up and adjusted his jacket as he turned to leave her office. "If any problems should arise, let me know. Keep me informed with each stage of the developments." he instructed as Alero hurriedly rounded her desk to escort him out of the office.
"Yes Sir." Alero agreed as he shut the door behind him.
'Phew!' she thought. He had noticed and that was him putting her on check.
A small knock sounded on her door. She knew even before the door opened that it would be Patricia at the other end. She walked in and smiled diffidently at her.
Alero consulted her watch. "Its closing time already!" she exclaimed. "I lost track of time. Are you ready to leave?" she asked Patricia as she walked briskly back around her desk.
"Yes I am." Patricia answered as she moved closer to the desk. "It was a brilliant presentation." she complimented as she came to a stop on the other side of the desk from Alero.
"Thank you!" Alero smiled her appreciation of the compliment. "Your brilliant ideas contributed to that. You must let your brother know that you contributed substantially to the design." she encouraged.
"Oh, he does. I have talked of nothing else it seems." she smiled.
Alero decided that she really liked this girl in spite of who her brother was.
"So I'll just say good night then." she continued and turned to leave the office. At the door, she turned around back to Alero.
"It's my birthday this weekend and I'll be having...that is my mother will be inviting a few people over to celebrate. It's my twenty fifth birthday." she gabbed.
Alero raised her eyebrows in surprise and wished her a happy birthday. "We could have got you a cake or something if you had mentioned."
"It's alright." Patricia shrugged shyly. "I was wondering if you'd come to the party. I think I have gone on so much about you that my mum would be pleased to meet you."
Alero felt her heart thud at that notion. She had asked around about Chief Mrs. Adeniran and was a bit frightened at the persona that had emerged from the answers she had gotten. She searched for a polite way to turn down the request but found that she could not win against the hopeful expression on Patricia's face.
"Alright, what time is the party?" she asked.
Patricia perked up immediately. "I'll send the details to your phone. Mrs. Ajala has already agreed to attend too." she said excitedly as she dashed off. "Good night!" she called out, banging the office door on her way out in her rush of excitement.
Alero shook her head in consternation as she collapsed back on her seat. She supposed she would be seeing Banjo a lot sooner than she had anticipated.