This is a one-shot I wrote a while ago. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!
THE WALLET
Travelling to Dubai for my best friend’s wedding was turning out to be the best
experience of my life. It was an all-expenses paid trip and I was enjoying every
bit of it.
“No more juice for me please,” I said to the air hostess. She had served me twice
already.
“What else would you like ma’am?”
“Chilled water, would do, thank you.”
I felt like a star.
I soon realised that flying First-class had its perks- like hobnobbing with the elite
in society. In the seat in front of me, sat a famous female celebrity ‘Instagramming’
away. Or was she Snap chatting? I couldn’t be sure.
To my left lounged an elderly man, with a hyperactive young boy. Every fibre
of him screamed ‘old money’. Perhaps the boy was his grandson.
Everyone was pleasant, except for ‘Mr. Popular Business Man’. He had bumped
into me on the way to his seat and refused to apologise. Probably, the task of
running a multi-million Naira empire was getting to him. Either way, I promised
myself that nothing would spoil my good mood, so I let it pass.
I yawned and prepped myself for a nap by reclining further in my seat. As soon
as I placed my phone in my handbag I noticed at once that my wallet was
missing. Stunned, I sat up and searched for it frantically. It was not in my bag.
The nooks and crevices of my seat, as well as the floor around me, produced
nothing either.
I was shocked, panicked and confused. What little money I had, my bank cards
and I.D. were all in that wallet. I looked around the cabin and the first person I
suspected was ‘Mr. Popular Business Man’. He must have pilfered it when he
bumped into me. I sighed and shrugged off the thought, for it couldn’t have been
him. He carried a cup of coffee and his briefcase when he bumped into me.
📷📷📷
The grandson of ‘Old money’ was next. He had lingered beside me for a few
minutes while running around the cabin. I cast a suspicious glance at ‘Grandpa
Old Money’ and asked him politely if his boy had taken my wallet. He seemed
offended, which was not surprising. I would be too if a stranger accused me or
my charge of stealing. He replied gruffly: “B.J. here’s no thief. Look for your wallet
elsewhere”. I nodded and apologised.
I was close to tears and at my wits’ end. The wallet was a gift from my mum. She
had made it herself and I was very attached to it. Suddenly, ‘Miss Famous
Celebrity’ turned to me and stretched out her hand. I looked and to my chagrin,
there was my wallet.
“Oh, thank you.” I beamed. Perhaps she had heard me asking ‘Grandpa Old
Money’. “Where did you find it?”
Miss ‘Famous Celebrity’ sighed and flicked her hair back. “I asked to have a look
at it while we were boarding; you see I haven’t seen anything quite like it. You
did not remember to take it back,” She finished with a huff and went back to her
phone.
I dismissed pointing out the obvious fact that SHE was supposed to return the
wallet to me and not the other way around. I was just glad that my wallet was
back in my possession. I checked, and everything was intact. I held up the wallet,
so Grandpa could see and announced.
“Found it!” He didn’t acknowledge me but turned the other way.
I was crushed. I vowed to make it up to him and his grandson before we touched
the ground. With that thought in mind, I settled back into my seat and drifted off to
sleep.
That was my first encounter with the ‘Old Money’ family. I was not to know that it was the first of many… …….
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