Temi left Yaba before sunrise.
By 6:20 a.m., Third Mainland Bridge was already full.
Of course.
First day of work and Lagos had decided to remind everybody who was in charge.
She stood inside a danfo with her laptop bag between her feet and one hand gripping the rail above her head.
The woman beside her was sleeping while standing.
Temi looked at her.
Then looked again.
The woman’s eyes were properly closed.
How?
The bus entered another patch of traffic.
Nobody moved.
Temi checked the time.
6:28.
She was fine.
She had deliberately left ridiculously early because there was no way she was going to explain Lagos traffic on her first day.
She shifted her bag with her foot and caught the scent on her wrist.
Lattafa Yara.
She smiled.
She had bought it on Saturday.
₦22,000.
The moment the debit alert entered, Temi had looked at her phone.
Omo.
But it was her first proper perfume purchase in months, and she wanted something new for work.
Her mother had seen the bag when she got home.
“How much?”
“22k.”
Her mother turned.
“For perfume?”
“Mummy, please.”
“Ehn ehn? I’m only asking.”
“You’ve asked.”
Her mother collected the bottle and inspected it.
“At least smell expensive while suffering in traffic.”
Temi had laughed.
Now, standing inside an overcrowded danfo at 6:30 in the morning, she had to admit the woman had a point.
Yara was soft on her skin. Sweet, creamy, a little fruity, with vanilla underneath.
Temi liked it.
It made her feel put together even though she was currently standing between a sleeping woman and a man arguing with the conductor over change.
“Where my 500?”
“I don give you change.”
“Which change you give me?”
Temi smiled to herself.
Lagos.
By the time she arrived at Pinnacle Creative Solutions, she was early.
Good.
The receptionist gave her a visitor tag.
“Please sit. Mr. Biodun will come out.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes later, the glass door opened.
“Temi!”
Mr. Biodun smiled as he approached.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“Ready for agency life?”
Temi smiled.
“Ready.”
He showed her around.
Eleven desks.
One air conditioner that appeared to be doing the work of three.
A second one hung on the opposite wall, completely silent.
There was also a printer in the corner.
Someone tried to print something while Mr. Biodun was speaking.
The machine made a terrible grinding noise.
Temi turned towards it.
Nobody else did.
Okay.
Apparently the printer was fine.
Then came the introductions.
“Sade, Senior Account Manager.”
Sade looked up from her laptop.
“Hi. Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“Kunle, Graphic Designer.”
Kunle raised one hand.
“How far?”
Temi smiled.
“I’m good.”
“Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
Mr. Biodun introduced the rest of the team before gathering everyone for a short welcome.
“At Pinnacle, we are a family.”
Temi smiled along with everybody else.
“We believe in giving young people opportunities. Nobody here is boxed into one thing. You’ll stretch. You’ll learn. You’ll get exposure to different areas of the business.”
Temi opened her new notebook.
She had bought it specifically for work.
On the first page, she wrote:
Opportunity.
Stretch.
Learn.
She underlined opportunity.
At 11:45, Kunle stopped beside her desk.
“You don chop?”
“Not yet.”
“There’s a buka two streets away.”
“I brought food.”
“Better.”
He started walking away, then turned.
“Eat before afternoon.”
Temi looked up.
“Why?”
Kunle stared at her for a second.
“The afternoon is long.”
He walked away.
Temi watched him return to his desk.
Okay…
At one, she brought out the rice her mother had packed.
She had barely started eating when her email pinged.
One new message.
Then another.
Then another.
Three client briefs.
Temi opened the first.
Okay.
She could handle it.
She took another spoon of rice.
At 1:20, another email came in.
Hi Temi, welcome again. Please see attached additional research required for Friday’s pitch.
Temi opened the attachment.
She scrolled.
And scrolled.
Ah.
She glanced at her food.
Then back at the document.
At 1:27, Sade appeared beside her desk carrying a file.
“Biodun said you can help me clean up this proposal.”
Temi looked at the file.
“Today?”
Sade looked at her.
Not rudely.
If anything, she just looked tired.
“Yes, please.”
She placed it on the desk.
“Thank you.”
Temi looked at the proposal.
Then at the four emails waiting on her laptop.
Then at her rice.
She took one more spoon.
Priorities.
Across the room, Kunle saw her.
Their eyes met.
He looked at the food.
Then at the laptop.
Temi narrowed her eyes.
Kunle smiled and went back to work.
At two, Temi finally closed the container.
Half the rice was still inside.
She opened the proposal and reached for her notebook.
At the top of the page were the words she had written that morning.
Opportunity.
Stretch.
Learn.
Temi smiled.
First day.
She could handle busy.
Across the room, Kunle glanced at the closed food container.
He said nothing.
He didn’t need to.
The afternoon was long.