By Paul Olorih
“Everything
will be just fine, you have nothing to fear or worry about. I’ll be here for
you and together, we would both find genuine happiness.” She nodded like a
baby, smiled and excused herself to go to the bathroom. By the time she got
back, she noticed that he was also teary eyed and asked “are you okay Walter?”
Yeah, I’m fine. I am just preparing my head to take in everything you just
said. I know that I have a big task ahead of me and I am determined to succeed.
Can I call you Maria when we are alone and madam when we are at work?” he
asked. She smiled and said “That is fine by me. Now prince charming, can we
eat. I made a special Kenyan delicacy all for your delight” “Okay then” he
replied. “Can I come help you out in the kitchen.” “Don’t you worry. Just set
the table while I get the food” she said as she strutted off to the kitchen.
About ten minutes later, the dinning table was quite full as they settled to
have lunch. “Thiis here is Irio. It’s a combination of mashed peas and potato
mix and it is one of Kenya’s most famous delicacy. In this other bowl is Kenyan
pilau. It is spiced rice with vegetable and native spices and this here is
matoke which you can call plantain banana stew. There is also Nyama
choma-roasted meat which can be chopped into bits to look like what you call
suya here. I have made and packed some extra Kenyan pilau, matoke, nyama choma
and some balls of mandazi Kenyan, a special Kenyan donut for you to take home
and store in your fridge. I want you to eat only those Kenyan delicacies
throughout the weekend. Promise me you will?”
She said
with her bulby eyes coming alive. He smiled calmly and replied “If you want me
to eat only Kenyan delicacies this weekend, who am I to object. I promise I
will. Infact, I will start from this evening to devour all this Kenyan
chop-chop. They look quite enticing though. So which one are we starting with?
I think I like this one”. He pointed at the Kenyan pilau and the matoke. She
watched him as he emptied one full plate of the pilau garnished with plenty on
nyama choma. After the meal, they settled down to watch a movie over some cups
of chai, a local tea she specially made.
They talked
and chatted and laughed till late in the evening. As he rose to lee, he held
her by the hand, pulled her close to himself and kissed her very passionately.
She responded in like manner as she closed her eyes like a shy teenager. She
felt a rush of comforting blood to her head. Her entire body came alive and she
held him tightly to herself. By the time they were done, he notice that her
eyes were teary again. This time, he stroke them off with his fingers as she
asked him in a whispering tone “can you place spend the night here?” he replied
“I really would not have minded but my younger sister was not feeling too well when
I left home this morning. So it will be insensitive for me to leave her all by
herself in the house tonight. We live alone together and I promised to get her
some medication on my way back. But don’t worry, I will come spend one whole
weekend with you pretty soon. Maybe in the next week or two, I promise.” She
escorted him to the door. They hugged themselves in a warm embrace with some
loving backslaps and kissed each other goodnight. She waved as he drove off and
locked the door.
It was the
first time in a long while that Maria Kibande was feeling the way she felt that
evening. She felt loved, she felt cared for, she felt appreciated and she felt
special. As a matter of fact, she had thought to herself that her emotional bud
was long dead but she was shocked to realized that evening that she could still
be emotionally active and that her entire body could respond to a kiss with
such electrifying passion and shocks. It was like she just received a long
anticipated message. Her entire being came alive. She glowed with excitement
and rushed to her room where she stood in front of the mirror and look a good
look at her full image and asked herself in a quiet tone with her Kenyan accent
“Maria Kibande, is this really you? Can this really be true? Am I in love? Yes,
I think I am in love. No, I don’t think, I know I am in love and I can feel it
all over me. I can feel it from my head to my toe. I am in love. I know it.
God, please help me to sleep well tonight” she sat on her bend, picked her
phone and sent a text to Walter “please drive carefully my love and let me know
when you get home.” She then changed into something more causal and went over
to the sitting room to watch one of the movies he had brought for her. He
called her later that evening to say that his sister could not resist the food.
He thanked her for everything and promised her that he was never going to break
his promise of giving her eternal happiness. She thanked him for making her
feel loved again and promised to love him equally in return.
Their
relationship grew stronger each passing day and they were so discreet and
matured about it, not allowing it to get in the way of work whatsoever. As a
matter of fact, they resolved to focus only on work while in the office and
rune their love affair outside of the office. She visited him at home a few
weekends. She met his sister and they became friends. He cooked for her a few
times in his house and she acknowledged quite honestly that he was indeed a
great cook. He told her about how he caught his friend in bed with his ex with
whom he had been in a committed relationship for close to six years. He told
her of how that singular incident made him loose faith in women, thinking all
women are untrustworthy and deciding never to love any woman again. This explained
why he was not involved in any relationship with any woman by the time their
affair started. He also told her of how he was scared of not wanting to be
heart broken again and made her promise not to break his heart. She equally
told him of her failed marriage and why it collapsed and about her daughter
Victoria who was studying in her alma-mata (Oxford University) in the United
Kingdom. She told him about her mansion in England and how she was not sacred
or bothered when she heard that her ex-husband, Daniel Ochello had HIV.
This love
and bond between them grew stronger and stronger and she even discussed it with
her friend Wuraola Benson who also doubled as the Executive Chair of Marie-Gold
International. Wura was obviously happy that her friend had found love and
happiness again but asked if she was sure that he was for real. She assured
Wuraola that she indeed took her time before taking the leap and she was sure
that what they feel and have for each other is genuine and having been heart
broken before, they have both resolved not to make any mistake that would take
them through that path again. The next time he went over to her place for the
weekend, he went with all kinds of gifts. He bought her favourite perfume, her
favourite body care kit, shoes and jewelries. He even bought some stuff for her
security guards and volunteered to do the entice cooking for the whole weekend.
That Friday night, they watched movies till late into the night and he
introduced her to some new games which he downloaded into her phone. After
several cups of chai (Kenyan tea) and peanut, they retired into the room for
the night but not before stepping into the bathroom together to take a cold
soothing shower. That night, they beheld and appreciated the sight of their naked
bodies for the first time and they slept under the influence of a calm soothing
jazz music which he had come to realize was her favourite choice. That night
could best be described as the rumpiest and raunchiest experience they had both
ever had. They went at it till the early hours of the morning. The sleep was
both blissful and peaceful.
He work her
up at about 8am the following morning with a hot cup of coffee in bed and with
just the sheet rapped around her body. She lazily sat up and started sipping
the coffee. While at it, he coiled up beside her and asked if she had a great
night. She rolled those alluring eyes and retorted “Did you say great night?
The night was more than great. It was heavenly bliss. I must confess, I’ve
never had it so good and I wish the rest of my life will remain blissful. Thank
you Walter.” She said in a shaky, calm and romantic tone. “Thank you so much
for giving my life a new meaning and for making me feel like a woman again. You
mean the whole world to me. I love you.” She concluded. He pressed his body
closer to herself and gently collected the cup of coffee, drank up the rest of
the content and dropped it on the side stool, kissed her on the forehead and
said to her “I love you too my angle. You also mean everything to me. Don’t
worry, we will both have many more more greater nights.” She smiled, held him
tighter to her bossom and said thank you to him one more time “Are you not
supposed to have a light workout on the threadmill this morning? He asked “Oh,
you are right. I almost forgot you know. Let me quickly go and freshen up and
get started” she said as she dropped the sheet and stepped out of the bend to
go to the bathroom. He just sat on the bed staring at her naked body and
admiring her flat tummy, curvy structure and massive backside.
The rest of
that weekend was quite eventful. He cooked, cleaned the house, they both
analysed some official briefs and presentations. They both went to the cinema
to see a movie. That night, he gave her another surprise gift. Seven sets of
exotic, colourful lingeries. That weekend was indeed blissful and cemented
their relationship so much so that if any of them had any iota of doubt about
where the relationship was heading before then, the experience of that weekend
eliminated any form of apprehensions and uncertainties they nursed and without
voicing it. They both resolved within them to make it work and make it last.
When there was a little crisis in the London office, Wuraola Benson decided
that the best person to go resolve it was Walter and within days, all
arrangement was concluded for his trip. He left for the United Kingdom and
spend six weeks there. As expected, he was able to resolve the crisis and
reorganized the place, setting for them new targets, new projections and new guidelines.
While in the U.K, he took out time to go locate Maria’s daughter, Victoria at
the Oxford University. Again, he succeeded on that mission. He located her,
introduced himself and gave her some things he bought for her which included
African fabrics, exotic beads and some books. She was quite elated to see him,
having heard so much about him from her mum. Before he returned to Nigeria,
almost everyone in the London office had called Maria and Wuraola in Lagos
begging them to let Walter stay a little bit more behind. They spoke very
highly about him, his expertise and professionalism but he was also being
missed at the head office in Lagos so, he had to return home to the warm
embrace of his love and to the exciting company of his colleagues. He made sure
he got something for everybody in the office. This was not his first official
trip overseas but this was very special to him in many ways especially because
of the opportunity to meet with Victoria Ochello, Maria’s daughter who by every
inch looked just like her mother.
That
weekend at her place, he told her all about his experience while in the UK;
just as Maria told him all that went down in his absence about work and about
the new project they were working on. She also thanked him for going to see her
daughter and the gifts he bought for her, having earlier been told by Victoria
that he bought her some gifts. As they sat in front of the tv that evening, she
said she had something very important to tell him over some cups of Kenyan tea.
“Walter my love, I don’t know how you’re going to take this but I still think
you should know anyway. While you were away, I felt unwell again and had to go
see the doctor. He ran a test on me and called me up after three days to tell
me that the result of the test was ready and that I should come pick it up. I
stopped over at the clinic that evening to get the result and the report was
not what I expected to hear. The report said that I was pregnant. I asked the
doctor if he was sure about it and he asked me to seek a second opinion
elsewhere if I doubted it. Anyway the end of the story is that I’m pregnant.” A
thick silence enveloped the room. He didn’t say anything for close to five
minutes, he just gazed at her with his eye directed at her tummy. She was
stunned, as it were, not knowing exactly why he suddenly went dumb “Hello” she
asked. He didn’t say anything but instead moved his head towards her body and
placed his left ear on her tummy still not saying anything “What exactly are
you doing?” she asked “didn’t you hear me? I said the doctor said I am
pregnant”. He laughed and said to her “I heard you very clearly my love. I
heard every line of the words you just said and if you must know, this is the
best news of my life ever.” She stepped back and asked him again “Did you
really hear what I said?” “Yes, yes, yes, I heard you. I heard you said you are
pregnant. Meaning that you are carrying my child. Meaning that I’m gonna be a
father and that you are gonna be the mother of our baby. Wow, how wonderful.
This sure calls for celebration. Please get the best wine from the fridge,
let’s toast to our expected bundle of joy” he said obviously happy and excited
“Do you know what you are saying, Mr. Walter Edjeta? We are not married. I am
your boss and you are five years younger than I am. Aren’t you bothered about
what people will say?” “People!!” he exclaimed “Which people and who cares what
people will say? Let anybody say what he or she likes, I don’t care. Listen my
dear, if you do something, people will talk. If you don’t do anything, people
will still talk. That is the nature of people. So let them say whatever makes
them said or happy, I don’t care. The people that matter to me are myself, you
and our unborn baby. Every other person is a non-issue. So why bother myself about
what anyone will say? Did I rob a bank? Did I commit murder? Or did I rape a
minor? You are pregnant for me and I am extremely happy and proud about it. End
of story/ yes, you are my boss, so what. You are five years older than I am, so
what. Is it just happening for the first time. Even if it is, shouldn’t we be
proud of setting a record? Come on, celebrate with me. As for the age
difference, it is a non issue because age is just a number. And what are we
talking about here? It’s just five years. Does that make you my mother? I am
the man here and I am in charge and I love you. You love me too and we love
each other and it is unconditional. That is all that matters. As for you being
my boss, that again is a non-issue because first thing next week, I will turn
in my letter of resignation. I will resign from Marie-Gold International and
pick up another job elsewhere. Afterall , I have several job offers chasing me
all over the place so I won’t have to work under you anymore. So expect that
letter on your desk first thing Monday morning. Because not the job, not
anybody and nothing in the world will take my life, happiness and my love for
you away from me. Nothing will separate us. We will welcome this baby and live
as one big happy family. Also, do not bother about having the baby out of
wedlock. I want to start making arrangements immediately for our wedding. We
are going to have it at the registry with a few family members and friends.
Nothing lavish and nothing elaborate. I will start making the arrangement
immediately. Leave that to me. It will happen before your baby bump starts to
show” He concluded. She took a deep look at him, sighed slowly and said “Don’t
you think we are running too fast?” “Did you say too fast?” he responded.
“Everything is just falling into place. I have planned things out in my head
before now. I was only waiting for the right time to start setting things on
motion and with the baby on the way, I am now more challenged to fast-track the
processes. You just don’t worry. Relax, I will handle everything.” She moved
close to him, knelt down before him and held his two hands saying “I’m sorry my
love. I don’t mean to hurt you in anyway but I’m not pregnant. I just wanted to
see how you will react to the news and to measure how serious and committed you
are to this relationship. I wanted to be sure that this to you is not just a
fling. I’m absolutely very sorry for raising your expectation like this. Please
forgive me. But the pregnancy thing can still happen. The timing is just right.
Today is perfectly okay. I am a woman and I know what I’m talking about. We can
make that baby tonight. Nothing will stop it I assure you” he looked at her,
went down on his knees as well and as they faced each other, kneeling down,
eyeball to eyeball, he called her name with every dint of passion “Maria, my
angel, I know that people would say things about us but I don’t care. I love
you. God knows that I do. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want to
spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to be together as a happy family.
I want you to be my wife. Please marry me because my life will be incomplete
without you. Like I said, I will resign from the company next week to avoid my
clash of interest and our wedding will happen within the next two months. I
love you and I mean every inch of it from the bottom of my heart. I have taken
your challenge of starting the baby making process tonight and I trust your
judgment. Please marry me. I will get you a ring first thing tomorrow morning,
but be sure that my word is my bond to you.”
Again as
they stared at each other eyeball to eyeball in that kneeling position, the
tear drops could not help but stream down from her eyes as she pulled him close
to her bossom; held on to him tightly and whispered into his ears “I will marry
you my love. I will be your wife. I will be the mother of as many children as
you wish to have. I will be here for you. I will spend the rest of my life with
you and I won’t give a damn about whatever people may say about it. You will be
my king, my boss and my husband. I am sorry that I tried to pull your legs but
I will make it up to you tonight” she concluded.
He pulled
away from her gently, this time he also had tears streaming down his cheeks
from his eyes and he muttered unbelievably “Did you just agree to be my wife?
Did you just agree to spend the rest of your life with me? Do you know that
this means everything to me? Thank you so very much for saying yes to my
marriage proposal and I assure you with all my life that you will never regret
it. I will do whatever it takes to make you a happy woman both spiritually and
physically. Take this words as a bond and a covenant. Thank you my angel. Now
let’s go and get that wine from the fridge to celebrate and afterwards we take
a cold shower together and then settle down to soughten out the baby making
assignment.
They both
emptied a bottle of red wine that night and retired to the bedroom to continue
the celebration. Again, it was a night to remember for both of them as he
proved once again that he was indeed a stud, putting up all manner of conjugal
stunts. He worked magic all over her body making the night both electric and
exhilarating. Her joy and excitement new no bound as she responded to all the
moves with equal sagacity. They both turned up to make the night a blissful
experience. Describing it as a night of bliss therefore will be an
understatement. To Maria, apart from soaking up the pleasures the night
offered, she was also deliberate and very determined to ensure that the copulation
yielded a productive result as she was in her ovulating element. For Walter, he
was at his very best to give his woman reason to feel happy and loved as he
pounded away like nothing else mattered.
He sneaks
out of bed very early the next morning as she slept away like a tired baby. He
had earlier arranged with a jeweler to make a customized engagement ring for
her and had planned to surprise her with it. So as he drove out to meet the
jeweler as an already agreed spot two streets away from the house, he also
stopped over at the mall to get some groceries. On his return, some thirty
minutes later, he quietly sneaked back into the bedroom and gently slid the
diamond studded silver ring into her finger ensuring that she didn’t wakeup to
catch him doing it. Having accomplished his mission to surprise her, he sneaked
out of the room again and strolled into the kitchen. By the time he returned,
he had with him two hot cups of chai (Kenyan tea) “Wakey wakey” he whispered
“Time to get up darling. Here, I made your favourite Kenyan tea for us. Sit up
and take it. It will brighten you up. By the way he continued “Aren’t you going
to get your nails done today?” My nails, I already treated them yesterday” she
flung out her two hands and spread her ten fingers outwide to show him the
nails and alas, she saw the ring sitting confidently on her ring finger. Her
mouth opened just as her bulby eyes popped out wide in awe and shock. She was
speechless. “Do you like it?” he asked. She turned around, hugged him and muttered
in a calm tone “Thank you so much. I love it, but I love you more.” They both
laughed heartily as they drank up their hot tea. “You know what” he continued
“I am serving you breakfast in bed this morning. I am making coconut rice
garnished with vegetable and plenty of nyama choma (roaster meat or suya) and
if my timing is right, it will be served in the next ten minutes. So go freshen
up while I go check what I’m cooking in the kitchen.”
He served
her breakfast in bed that morning. They both did the dishes and laundry in the
afternoon and watched a movies before he left for his place in the evening. Later that same
evening, Maria drove to her friend Wuraola's house to show her the engagement
ring and tell her of their plans for the future.
An emergency
management meeting was held at the office with the Executive Chair, Wuraola
Benson presiding "Ladies and gentlemen" she started "I have
personally come to chair this meeting because there are some vital updates that
I need to intimate us about. The national orientation project which we are
handling for the federal government will be launched by Mr President next week
Monday at the presidential villa in Abuja. Like you all know, we have worked
tirelessly, round the clock to deliver on this project on schedule but there
are still some last minute finishing touches that we have to tidy up before the
launch. Some of our outdoor people are still spread around the country,
mounting the bill boards in strategic locations to avolatest last minute
hitch. Mr. Salami, I hope you and your team in the post production unit will
wrap up the final cut for the radio and TV jingles latest by tomorrow morning
and mass produce the materials ready for pick up by the various radio and
television stations that have been shortlisted to air them. Every radio and TV
station that will air the jingles must come here to get the materials. I have
therefore sat down with Mr. Walter Edjeta and the CEO Maria to draw up a
schedule indicating how many slots each radio and TV station gets per day and
the time belts the jingles should air. Now I want you Mrs. Janet Ibe to work
with this schedule as head of the monitoring team and closely monitor each
radio and TV station to ensure that at the end of the day, no station is
overpayed or even underpayed and only stations approved by this company are
eligible to file for payment for running the jingles. It therefore means that
any radio or TV station outside this list that airs any of those jingles is not
entitled to any claims. payments shall be made to the sation every Friday
afternoon on submission of the broadcast chat which must be confirmed and
signed off by Mrs. Ibe. The Accountant must liaise with the monitoring
department before drawing up the final voucher for the CEO to endorse before
the payment cheques are written. I shall be at the presidential villa for the
inauguration and the unveiling shall be simultaneous worldwide. Our global
partners have been put on standby to activate the unveiling same day, same
time, real time. Let me seize this opportunity to say to you all that the
company recognises and appreciates the contributions, efforts, hard word and
commitment put by everybody towards making the execution of this project a
success. It is a call to national duty aimed at a national rebirth for our
great country. You are all patriots and I thank you all for everything. To
further show my appreciation, I am using this forum to instruct the accountant
to give every member of staff a 100% salary raise at the end of the month as bonus
for successfully delivering on this project. Though the bonus is a one-off, it
is across board from the CEO right down to the least employee in the company.
If you guys think I deserve a bonus as well, then please don't hesitate to
include my name on the list of beneficiaries. I will prefer cash. Thank you and
congratulations " They all laughed as she closed the meeting asking Walter
to see her in the CEO's office.
Later that afternoon,
inside Maria's cozy office, Wuraola hugged her friend and congratulated her
very heartily with a warm embrace. "Congratulations to you my dear friend.
I can see your very beautiful ring and from the way you are rastation, I can
sense that you have found peace and genuine happiness again. I am indeed very
happy for you." She turned to face Walter who was sitting calmly on the
office sofa. "Congratulations Mr. Walter Edjeta and thank you for making
my friend laugh again and looking like a fresh flower. But I hear that you plan
to resign from the company on account of your relationship with Maria. Well
there is absolutely no need for that. We applied for a TV license about a year
ago and got approval for it just last month. The license is to own and operate
a private terrestrial/digital TV station. We were very sure that we'ld get the
license so we started very early to prepare for the takeoff. We have already
acquired a location on a sprawling and expensive premises in the heart of the
mainland. Construction of the office blocks, studios, editing suites and
amphi-theatre have reached 95% completion stage. We have also procured the
transmitters, obvans, masts and other equipment needed for a fully digitalized
TV station of international standing. The shipment is due to arrive sometime
next week. I have also contracted the services of four highly recommended
engineers from UK who will work with our local team here to install the
equipment and test run them till will take off full blast. Their mandate of
course include to stay back and train our team of engineers and technicians for
a least six months. Since you Walter have a background in broadcasting, we are
seconding you to go and supervise, operate and run the TV station as CEO. We
expected that you will use your wide network of contact to shop for the very
best from everywhere possible. You have 100% independent to hire everybody you
want from producers, editors, newscasters, technicians, O.A.P.S, admin, account
and secretary personnel. Agree on recommendation and let me have the feedback
in three weeks. The company shall be call GTN Go Television Network. The board
has approved for you and official duplex in any area of your choice, two SUV
with two drivers, a cook, a utility staff and two security guard. We shall
discuss renumeration later. By the way, the board is made up of dad, my
husband, myself and Maria Kibande. You will joint and become a member of the
board. Six months after we hit the air waves. Pprojectnote that our mission and
vision is to be the market leader in the industry. GTN must be a global brand.
The ball is now in your court sir. You can clear your desk here after the
unveiling of the national orientation projeto next week and joint the
expatriates to resume at the station immediately afterward." She stretched
out her hand toward him for an handshake. Congratulations young man. I know
this is a huge task but I know ycapabilities it. We all have confidence in our
abilities and capabilities. The unique selling point of GTN should be it
content, programming and production quality. I know you would be extremely busy
this period, so I suggest that you leave a good part of the wedding plans for
Maria and I to handle. I hope you guys are not planning to have it so lavish
and elaborate. If you ask me, I will suggest a very quite and private affair.
Very few family member and friends around. What matter most is the marriage not
the wedding. She turned around and gave Maria another warm embrace.
Congratulations my dear friend. Now you can see that your destiny is tied to
Nigeria. I shall be going on a business trip to the Middle East with my
husband. As a retired pilot, he is bent on setting up a domestic airline
business with my dad and some partners from the Middle East. We will be
away for a month and we plan to also use the trip to catch plenty of fun and as
another honeymoon. So Walter, let me have all documentation that require my
attention. Congratulations to you too one more time. See you around. " She
stepped out of the office.
Walter worked his
socks up. Shuttling between Marie-Gold and the GTN premises. He worked with a
consultant to recruit the best hands in the industry poaching from other
stations to form a most formidable and reliable team. The station became an
instant hit and every viewe's and advertiser's delight from when it started
test transmission. Maria on her part got busy with the house-hunting assignment
until she found a suitable apartment in a choice estate on the island. They
both inspected the property, took possession of it and got an interior
decorator to design and furnish the apartment to their taste. They both
informed every important family member of their wedding plans to get the
necessary approvals needed as Africans. In the thick of all these, Victoria
called her mum from England to break the sad news that her father Daniel
Ochello was dead. He died of complications from HIV and excessive illicit drug
use. This news actually broke Maria as she wept not because she had any
feelings for the late Dr. Ochello anymore but because of the psychological
effect it had on her daughter Victoria who cried uncontrollably because her
father did not live to see her graduate as a lawyer and called to the bar as a
Queen's counsel.
Wuraola Benson
returned to the country early enough to join in planning her friend's wedding.
She also took a facility tour to the premises of G.T.N (Gold Television
Network) and was overly amazed and impressed with what she saw on ground. The
entire operations of the TV station were top notch and highly professional much
beyond her expectations. Suffice it to say that Maria's family were present at
the private but classy wedding ceremony in Lagos. Wuraola's dad stood in as
father of the day while Maria's daughter, Victoria and Walter's sister were the
chief bridesmaids. Walter's mother looked clearly an extremely happy and fulfilled
woman on her son's glorious day while Maria's family looked every inch a joyful
and proud bunch. It was obvious to all the guests present that the marriage was
a perfect one as it was easy to notice the understanding and compatibility
between Walter and his adorable wife Maria whose cute baby bump was slightly
noticeable. The wedding went we and the marriage was even a bigger success.
This goes to tell that
the tender seeds of love
can be planted anywhere and nurtured to whatever height the parties involved
are willing to take it. Who says office romance don't always end well.
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