Post Note: I found the draft to this story today in one of my numerous hard drives. It has been sitting there for a number of years (I can’t remember now…and I don’t have any inclination to go into that drive again). Coming across it made me realize it has been many years I really got into the ‘zone’. I’ll simply put it down to too many distractions, even though I know very well that is not exactly true – but, it must suffice for now.
Happy Reading!
***
The room fell silent as his voice boomed across the conference room. Deep baritone voice that rolled out of his mouth, crashing against the walls and bouncing around the table before tuning out into silent echoes.
‘Mr. Salami, you are the one who need to know me,’ each word intermittently emphasized with a single tap of his immaculately manicured finger on the shiny mahogany conference room table., ‘I don’t need to know you. You come in here, unlike many vendors who have in the past, with an air of voyeurism and arrogance unbecoming of a young man like yourself,’ there was a short pause as he reached for the case of cigarettes on the table and fished for his gold plated lighter.
All eyes, ten pairs were glued on Atolani Salami, who was sat somewhere in the middle section of seats at the table. From his calm and unruffled countenance, only one pair could guess he was seething with rage and the only thing that kept him calm so far was her firm grip. Fati Johnson, held his hand under the table away from the glaring eyes, pumping his palms and beseeching him silently to exercise restraint against his usual firebrand nature.
Otunba Sim Shagari pulled on his fag, drawing on it until his lung was full before letting out the smoke slowly in billowy wisps through his nostrils. He waved someone at the table to open one of the room’s windows, ‘My company has invited you here to discuss terms for the project, I would have expected a better comportment and a more deferential demeanor from you during this exercise,’ his eyes was all the time pinned on Atolani. The room was deathly quiet and tension hung in the air, ‘but, instead you have come in in a cowboy-like cavalier manner and you expect us to move forward after this?’
The smoke was beginning to fill the room. No one spoke.
Otunba waved his hands to indicate he had finished his speech. He squinted his eyes and made a point to shoot Atolani another glare, like a last warning that he Otunba was not a man to be trifled with.
Fati squeezed Atolani’s hands, this time a double pump. It was a code they had developed over the years – please, don’t be bull-headed. He glanced at her, and her eyes betrayed the message even more. Her small, soft hands resting calmly in his under the table helped to refocus his mind and detract him from the rage boiling in the pit of his belly.
Atolani squeezed back and stood up, catching everyone by surprise. He calmly walked to the end of the room, subconsciously aware of all the eyes pinned on his six foot tall figure as he did so.
‘Good morning again. It is a shame we got off on this foot. If I offended you sir or anyone in this room. I sincerely apologize,’ he paused. His measured delivery helped to further calm his nerves. He could see Fati smiling at him, while the others gazed unblinking at him. But, when he looked at Otunba at the top of the long table smoking and the smirk of self-satisfaction beginning to cross his face, his blood ran hot again.
This time, without Fati’s grip to encourage him to sheath his scathing words he let loose. He was not the kind of person to take a lashing laying down, especially unwarranted and unjustifiable ones. It was a trait of habit Fati knew so well and for which not a few accounts have been lost forever.
“We had come out here today out of deep respect for you and your company. We also had hoped for a fruitful and mutually-beneficial negotiation and agreement,’ Atolani paused again to enable the entire room take in the full weight on his next words, ‘however, what we did not count on is the veiled insults and name calling we have been greeted with so early into the meeting,’ as he paused again for effect he noted with satisfaction that his words have taken the entirely room by surprise. There were glaring, scornful looks shooting his way.
Otunba was now sitting upright in his chair, scowling at him across the table.
He avoided looking at Fati as he continued pointedly looking at Otunba now ,’it is true that you have made your name. We all know you. What is not true however is that you don’t need to know me,’ he paused again taking a moment to let his words travel across the room to envelope Otunba’s bulky frame in a cold embrace and continued quickly before he could be interrupted, ‘ while your name is made I am still making mine and therein lies the danger of discountenancing me with a brush of the hand. And to the contrary, I know you well sir. I have met you three times. Today being the third time. On one occasion, you interviewed me to work in one of your former companies e-View Advertising. I was offered the job on the spot, but opted out because at the time I was working with the leading advertising agency in the country. I believed my prospects better served there than at a new start up. The other time, we were guest speakers at a forum together. Unlike today, those two previous meetings were far more pleasant. Of course, the reason for this isn’t far-fetched,’ he paused again allowing the room to suck in all he had said. He wanted the walls to be soaked in his words before he continued.
At this point, the Otunba had snuffed out his smoke and had his hands on the table with fingers interlocked, to his credit he made no attempt to interrupt him. Atolani moved across the room, making sure the eyes followed him as he went to stand beside Fati, whose beseeching glare he ignored. ‘On those occasions you were and up an coming like myself now. So, perhaps your views about people were a little bit more tempered. But today, myself and my colleague have been put through the wringer unjustifiably. All I stated was ‘we should get down to business’ like you yourself stated earlier. If that offended you, once again apologies. But, we take exception to being treated so callously and shabbily. Our company is at this table because you consider us your best option to execute this work at a cost reasonable for you. We have worked hard over the years to get here and if you think you don’t need to know us,’ Atolani shrugged for dramatic effect before he continued, ‘your history is the past and present, ours is the present and the future. We are ready to sit and continue this process or otherwise go if you so wish. ‘
The silence in the room was heavy, filled by heavy hearts beating, piles of paper idly shuffling, heads and eyes swiveling to and fro the two principal antagonists in the room. No one spoke as the silence swelled and enveloped them all, just on the brink of popping at any moment.
It was like an enthralling trance.
Atolani stood where he was, his eyes briefly glancing at Fati and noting with inward satisfaction the look in equal measure of trepidation, awe, pride and love, before locking with those of Otunba.
Otunba’s inscrutable eyes and face hid the several emotions that was flitting through his mind well. Everyone waited for him to break the gripping silence that threatened to suffocate everyone in the room.
After what seemed like an eternity, Otunba stood up and walked towards Atolani. Again, eyes pinned on him as he made the walk.
Every step he took towards Atolani seemed to be edging everyone in the room towards the inevitable precipice of immense conflagration. Some gentlemen even made attempts to stand and forestall any eventualities of fisticuffs.
‘Gentleman, I admire your courage and oratory prowess.’
Confused looks shot across the room, no one knew what to say or do. Atolani stood where he was, unsure if he just lost the contract or there was still hope to get back to business. Either ways, he was satisfied he had spoken up and made his point. His inner nature and demons, who demand justice and fair play at all times have been sated.
Foolishly or otherwise, he had no way to tell at the moment.
‘I am sorry we got on to the wrong foot. Now, I think I remember you. At that interview, I asked if you smoke. Do you smoke now?’
The smile slowly broke across Otunba Shagari’s face as he got close up to Atolani.
‘No sir. I don’t smoke still and neither does my colleague,’ Atolani replied.
Otunba sighed and turned round to face Fati, ‘my apologies ma’am. I should have asked for permission. I got used to the fact everyone else did. Please accept my deepest apologies.’
Otunba stretched out his hands, ‘you have not really changed much though young man. And forgive me for being riled up earlier. It was uncalled for and I put my hands up in apology.’
He was beaming now, his smiling face totally condemning to a time of distant memory the look of anger he had on only a few moments before.
Atolani took the outstretched hand, doing what he had learned many years ago, be firm with your grip and be the last person to let go. He glanced at Fati again, the twinkle in her eye and pointed tips of her hard nipples on account of her heightened state of excitement were hard to hide.
Those two gorgeous points on her chest were like beacons calling him home.
With that handshake Atolani knew he had just won the biggest contract in the advertising industry to date. And it had been won, not by arguing the finer points of the strategy or negotiating the fees and costs, but by simply diplomatically trading the bigger insults.
What more, he was also certain he has the promise of the most wonderful gifts later in the evening right beside him.
They were a team, the ride or die duo, the boardroom bandits!
