Crush by Audrey Harriet Kumordjie

It was bedtime again and Jonas dreaded his usual last thoughts just before sleep overtook him. It had become a ritual now; that no matter where he was or where his bed happened to be, the same images lulled him to sleep. The images weren’t pretty, they were one of his embarrassing moments yet and even he couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t stop thinking about them.

Bella! It always came back to Bella. When he joined the Scripture Union (S.U) during his first year in High School, it was because of his “school father” the chaplain but it was his crush on Bella that made him stay in the group even years after Edward, his school father had left. He stayed to his graduation day.

His very definition of beauty was Bella, the standard to which he held every lady.  During their school days, one of the moments he found her most irresistible was after she’d gotten a haircut. Her sideburns were often pronounced then as her barber always shaped them up. Her slightly protruded forehead was the only thing he wished he could change about her features but six years later after High School when it was okay for the female species of his generation to “have their hair done”, he would see her again and admit to himself that her forehead had become her most alluring feature yet; more so when she had her hair in a ponytail. She had the darkest skin on campus and even her gums had melanin which made her already white teeth seem whiter.

Her small, well shaped and soft lips which he never had the opportunity to touch to confirm his perception always seemed to beckon to him. She had a perfect bust to butt ratio. The fact that she was petite was often overlooked by many because she seemed to be EVERYWHERE all the time, almost like she never wanted anyone to forget that she’s around. She needn’t worry though, because he doubted anyone who’s met Bella ever forgot her.

She was a popular girl, he wasn’t a popular guy; with a name like Jonas, who would be surprised? His parents definitely didn’t do him any favors with that name.  He was easily overlooked. He was a very shy guy and he never played himself into thinking a girl like her would ever notice a guy like him. His bedtime companion was a replay of an incident that happened in their second year in High school. He had just walked into the Assembly Hall where they normally have their S.U meetings, ten minutes before time. He loved doing that because it provided him an opportunity to stare at her as she walks in or to spend the first few minutes with her in the same room before the other members arrived. He got in and sat down at the back of the hall. Bella was chatting with one of her friends a few rows ahead.

There was just one other guy; a junior in the hall and he was making a show of rearranging the chairs in the hall in preparation for the meeting. He felt a bit guilty that the poor guy was doing it all alone so he got up and started helping. Of course he started at a place nearer to the girls, the most natural place that would make it quite alright for him to walk up to them and say; “excuse me”. He worked his way up to them as planned and said it. The girls got up without even giving him a glance, much like one would treat an invisible person and left but not before he saw Bella raise her left palm to her nose in a gesture that looked like she was trying to cover it from some odor. He felt like he could die on the spot after that, but it was the burst of laughter that came from the other girl seconds later that hammered the nails to his coffin. He never went near Bella again till they left school.

Six years later, he was leading opening prayer at his local church when Bella walked in…………..




Audrey is a vary interesting writer. Her pieces are always relatable downright realistic. She has a blog where she writes stories and poems too. Check her blog out and enjoy binge reading :) Here's the link http://hakspass.blogspot.com

Jacky by Feranmi Olunloyo

My story takes place back in the day when you got close to a year off school after SSCE. A bunch of the guys had started studying for NOVDEC and others had gone to prayer camps. I didn't intend to do either. I wasn't particularly optimistic about my results but I knew I’d get through. So with SSCE finally out of the way and no teacher to try and tell me what to do, I could finally chase my true love.

The day after SSCE I started chasing my NBA dream. I picked up a new dress shirt for my big brother from a boutique and went to Aviation to play ball. There were a few high school grads like myself, some kids from international schools and a bunch of grown men. There was also a girl… a very pretty girl! She didn't seem that interested in the game and she wasn’t hiding it either. In a way, she seemed a little out place like she’d been bribed by a sibling or boyfriend to be there. My interest was piqued but for all my ravishing good looks (seriously I am) something about her stumped me.

The game started and boy was I having a good day. I couldn't miss and it was easier to catch a cat than guard me. I was putting on quite a show and trash talking anyone who stood in my way. After an hour of dominating on the court, I absentmindedly sat down close to the girl. I raised my head to coyly stare in her direction and I noticed she glanced in my direction more than once. Still full of confidence from the game I caught her eye and with a small smirk said; “You enjoy the show?"... Silence.... I do Yawa 😰.

Some of the other guys saw it…there was no going back now. I got up, walked over and said; "You know most people pay to see that" she smiled looked up and said; I’d like to see you do that with your guys in the states. I must have been that convincing, she thought I was an American baller! Of course, I was screaming in "American baller lingo" on the court a little earlier. So I said to her in pidgin; "You figure say I be Yankee boy... Chale I be Ghana boy" she laughed…hard. I was in! 💃💃💃.

So we began with the courtesies

Hi My name is Nii, what's your name ?
My name is Jacky

We spoke for about an hour, she was in form 6 at GIS. She was at Aviation because her younger brother was playing tennis. We hit it off quite nicely and spoke about everything hip then, from Destiny’s child's new album, to Cartoon Network shows. As the evening grew colder I pulled out the shirt I had picked up for my brother and gave it to her.

Do you do this often? She asked.
What? I replied
Pick up girls on basketball courts?

Smiling I said; No...not often...just about once a month 😎

She smiled back.

I wanted to ask for her number but I didn't  have a phone. We didn't even have a land line at home. What to do...

"I left my phone at home. Here's my number, flash me in like an hour "

"Alright, it's been nice talking to you Nii, here's your shirt"

"Naa girl ,common keep that. "

I lied , I gave her my big brothers number. He didn't  live with us , but he passed by after work before he went home every evening and I was supposed to have his shirt. Now I had to time this perfectly. I had to get home , avoid my brother because of his shirt  and yet somehow steal his  phone, get her number , tell her not to call on his number again and find some other number to give her.

I pretty much pulled it off. I told my brother I'd get his shirt the next day and asked to borrow his phone. She called and I told her that I was giving the phone away to a relative in the village and would be getting a new one in a few days time. I told her till then I would call her with different numbers.

Lots of lies told but hey what choice did I have, she was and IS( international school) girl , I practically went to cyto after dashing her a Perry Elis shirt and posing Yankee baller, how could I not have a phone.

I didn't have much money, I  used most of my money to buy my brother his shirt back (Why he couldn't by a cheaper brand I don't know) . I had a little money left over so I bought  a SIM card. I put it in my brothers phone a few days later and texted  to tell say that was my number. She called back immediately  and we spoke forever. I knew I wouldn't be able to reciprocate, so I told her I had a new job at a construction site that  kept me busy all day  , so I would be texting more than calling.

We  met at least once a week at Aviation. Sometimes I didn't play.  Sometimes her brother  didn't come. She brought me ham sandwiches and Sunny D, I brought her Sobolo and bofloat. I talked to her about most things and so did she.

One day while we were talking she asked why I lied to her so much. I was shocked. What?? me ? Lie??? . Apparently, after we spoke the first day she mistakenly called my big brothers number and he called back . She had known for weeks about my  my deception. She hoped I would come clean but I never did.

I left her that day and never put the sim back in another phone. I was too embarrassed. I knew she'd be going to college in the States in a couple of weeks. So I stayed away from Aviation for a little over a month. She didn't know where I lived so she couldn’t show up at my doorstep . I think she got the message. Thinking back it wasn't a big deal, I should just have come clean then and there but my 17 year old pride and insecurities  wouldn't let me. Ah well , such is life. That's how that one got away.




Feranmi my 3rd guest blogger is an awesome basketball coach who loves writing. Even though he doesn't write stories very often when he does its always an interesting piece. If you are into basketball like me you will definitely love his blog. Here's the link https://ferodynamisms.wordpress.com

The Duality by Atsu Antonio Awayevoo

You make me happy, you make me sad
You make me feel high, you make me feel low
Talking with you sends my worries into hiding
As sleep also goes into hiding

I would love to chat forever but Mr Time reminds me I can never
Rules they say are meant to be broken, though if broken, we would be broken
Broken because of an unchecked growth
Growth that could nothing but affections affect
Making affability lead to indispensabilty

Secrets are shared that act like cement, cementing the relationship
Thoughts are shared that build but break also because the naughty may sometimes cause a pondering

A pondering the naughty mind comes into conflict with the Godly mind
Who does but always wins
Though the naughty might have his time of day, the Godly will win the day making the weak strong and the heart peak with songs

As is said, all have two-sides, the bad and the good
The good must however prosper and the bad must forever loss suffer
Like the provebial "YIN & YANG",  in an endless dance they are


Atsu is a friend from university. He is a hard-working quality aspiring guy who loves his faith and having some bit of fun & ambiguity. You can check out his blog for more uplifting posts 😊 www.minemusings.simplesite.com

Forgive Us Father, for We Sin. Part 1 By Etoile Oye

Part 1 - Adowa
Adowa didn’t generally swear, but had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling an expletive at ‘Brother Kevin’. She was at a Youth Relationship Workshop at Yehowa Ne Mehwefo Ministries, and Kevin had gone forth to give a testimony with his fiancée. It was her first time visiting the church, and coincidentally, her first time hearing about this fiancée. Kevin, she knew very well - too well even, especially in the light of the recent fiancée discovery.
As she sat, watching the couple gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes and thank God for the willpower to have an extremely chaste courtship and reserve even their first proper kiss for their wedding day; it took all of her willpower to not burst out in laughter at the absurdity of it all.

She thought back to the day she met Kevin. They were at a conference for Marketing, Advertisement and Public Relations Professionals and he had passed by her seat at a most unfortunate time and seen her doodles of peen all over her conference scratch book. He’d bent and whispered in her ears “There was I thinking you were taking notes that would enable your company overthrow mine as number one.”

You could probably have steamed chicken off the heat that rose to Adowa’s face then. Kevin Acquah of the Acquah and sons, twelve-time winners of the advertising agency of the year award had caught her in the act of naughty doodling. She wondered how she was going to face him with the proposal from her company after such an introduction. She had planned to corner him at a breakout session later in the day. How would he take her proposal seriously now?

She was so lost in thought pondering this that she did not notice when the session ended. As Kevin passed her seat to leave the room, he dropped a note and Adowa opened it to find doodles of… flowers? The ‘art’ was signed – Your gender has it easier with the drawing, but we could both use some practice. I’ll model for you if you’d return the favor? – K. She gasped audibly and jumped off her feet to go give him her mind.

She gave him a good telling off, but failed to get any satisfaction out of it since Kevin just stood there smirking the whole time. And so began a game, where he would push her buttons at every industry meeting they both attended. And she would resist and mock his overtures with all she had. It was good clean fun, she reasoned with herself. They had not so much as hugged during these encounters. And it was. Until the last day of last year’s annual conference of the Association of Marketing, Advertisement and Public Relations Professionals, that is.
Adowa was chair of the planning committee that year, and so had little time for fraternizing. It was not until the last day that she forced herself to make time and seek Kevin out. They had a few things to hash out about a previously discussed side venture.
The breakout session was busy, and it had been impossible to get Kevin alone, as he was a facilitator. Fortunately, there was a two-hour break before they reconvened for the evening sessions and so she schemed to ambush him after the session, picking a strategic location to waylay him once he made to exit the room.

As luck would have it, a representative from one of her company’s biggest clients stopped to talk shop with her as she waited and after talking shop, she found to her dismay that while the horde of colleagues seeking to consult with Kevin had miraculously disappeared within that short time, so had he.
Adowa headed to her room to regroup and re-strategize, but had scarce taken five steps when a hand grabbed hers and pulled her into one of the nearby conference rooms. She saw Kevin’s face before the directive from her brain to scream reached her vocal cords, rendering his ensuing “Shhh” unnecessary.

When he had closed the door, Kevin slowly backed Adowa into the wall. While Adowa had been an avid volunteer in the Consent is Sexy campaign in her college days, the words took on new meaning for her as Kevin moved towards her a millimeter at a time. There was something incredibly sexy about how soft his hands were on her arms, how little pressure was in his touch, and the knowledge that the only thing keeping her in his arms was her own desire to be there… well, and the magnets in his heated gaze.

Any remaining reservation she may have had disappeared when his lips finally reached hers. Adowa had a soft spot for soft lips, and Kevin’s were incredibly so. They stood there for the longest time, having lazy Saturday morning sex with just their lips. He pulled away and looked at her with a question in his eyes, but they were both jarred out of the sensual haze, by the simultaneous rings of their phones.



To be continued...

Etoile Oye is a very illustrative writer. She doesn't slack with the descriptions when she writes and it makes her pieces extremely visual. Gosh I love that! She has blog with really interesting pieces like this and more. Check them out here http://etoileoye.blogspot.com

November Surprise!

 This month I've decided to do something new. I'm having a few blog posts from some really cool bloggers I know! I will be putting up their awesome work and a little information about them as well. It's going to be really exciting as you dive into their creative minds through their articles, poems and stories.

I may drop a story or two myself within the month, who knows but I'm also taking this opportunity to work on a few things on the blog to make it super cool! Watch this space 😊. If you know any bloggers who will like to be featured this month drop me a comment and let's set the ball rolling.

Have a splendid November!!!

Closure 10 (Finale)

When I got back to my room I picked up my phone and called Frank. "Hey, what's up?" I said casually. "Hi, I've been calling you last night and all morning." He said. I lied to him about having a splitting headache last night and that was why I went mute. "How was your date?" I asked. He giggled and said it went terrible. My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't ready to believe he was seeing someone. "Sorry I had to cancel on you because of her. Are you at home? I'm not far from your house." Frank said. I wanted to lie but I thought about what Mawuli said. It was time to find out where I stood in his life. I told Frank I was home and he planned to come over in the next hour.

I called Mawuli immediately I hung up with Frank. I told him everything."First ask him about the other woman to see if he's involved with her then take my advice." Mawuli said. His advice was to wear something nice, put on some light makeup and tell Frank I have feelings for him when he came here. According to him Frank would say it was mutual and we will be the happiest couple on earth. Someway some how I didn't think it would be as easy as he said. I accepted the challenge and dived into my wardrobe.

Frank got to my house in about 2 hours but it felt shorter than an hour. My heart was racing as I walked to the door. When I opened the door I saw Frank smiling with a cup of ice cream. "I had a feeling you aren't very happy about me because of last night so I brought ice cream to cool you down and forgive me." He said. I smiled like a sheep. Honestly I wanted to say yes I will be your girlfriend but that knew how stupid it would sound. "I'm not upset but I'll have that ice cream." I said and let him in.

"Sorry about last night. I had the job at the last minute. None of the guys was available and she's a high paying client so I had to step in." He explained. My eyes lit up immediately. "Oh Client, so you were with her for work." I said subconsciously. "Yes, wait you thought I went out with her? Oh no she's not even my type." He said staring right at me. I felt like it was a sufficient enough answer to the question I had been meaning to ask but I took advantage and asked him one. "What's your type?" I asked feeling his stare even more.

He smiled and said I already knew his type. I tried to keep a straight face but I couldn't. I guessed this was it. My window to tell him how I felt. "Are we exclusive?" I asked. When I saw the confused look on his face I knew immediately that I used the wrong words. "Do you like me?" I tried again. He moved closer to me. "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" He said. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "So how come you haven't asked me out?" I finally asked with much more confidence. Frank looked at me in a funny way and I left him move back a bit. "Vanessa I'm not ready for a relationship. I'm sorry if I led you on." He said. My heart started racing.

After a brief awkward silence Frank stood up to leave. I sat on the couch with tears forming in my eyes. He took a few steps and turned around. "Vanessa, I know how Eddie hurt you. You deserve someone with less baggage." He said. I didn't understand what he meant so I asked him. He took a deep breath. "I have a child, with my ex girlfriend. Eight years ago she got pregnant. When I told her I was not ready to rush into marriage she left me and married someone else. I was young, stupid and afraid. She raised my daughter with her husband with their 2 daughters and never told her I was her father. To her I'm uncle Frank. It hurts me so much. I can't let you carry this burden." He said. My eyes dried up immediately. I walked up to him and hugged him. "I'm so sorry." I said.

Then a few words rang in my head; 8 years, 2 other daughters. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I wanted to tell you but I felt it would scare you away. Sorry you met them as my sister and her kids." Frank confessed. It all made sense now. Looking back I noticed how caring he was to Kafui and even the other kids. There was this connection I couldn't understand and it now made sense. "You are not scaring me away Frank. All this while I thought I was the only one who needed closure but you need some too." I said. "I know how it feels like to keep people out when you are hurting. I will be here by your side no matter what, to help you through this." I reassured. Frank looked at me surprised. Before he could say another word I leaned in and kissed him. It was just like the first time we kissed but this time I was the one telling him if will be ok.

Frank took a couple of months to get closure with his daughter. He decided with his ex to tell her the truth when she turned 13. That gave him the freedom and hope he needed and since then we've been the happiest couple alive.


The End

Closure 10 (Finale)

When I got back to my room I picked up my phone and called Frank. "Hey, what's up?" I said casually. "Hi, I've been calling you last night and all morning." He said. I lied to him about having a splitting headache last night and that was why I went mute. "How was your date?" I asked. He giggled and said it went terrible. My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't ready to believe he was seeing someone. "Sorry I had to cancel on you because of her. Are you at home? I'm not far from your house." Frank said. I wanted to lie but I thought about what Mawuli said. It was time to find out where I stood in his life. I told Frank I was home and he planned to come over in the next hour.

I called Mawuli immediately I hung up with Frank. I told him everything."First ask him about the other woman to see if he's involved with her then take my advice." Mawuli said. His advice was to wear something nice, put on some light makeup and tell Frank I have feelings for him when he came here. According to him Frank would say it was mutual and we will be the happiest couple on earth. Someway some how I didn't think it would be as easy as he said. I accepted the challenge and dived into my wardrobe.

Frank got to my house in about 2 hours but it felt shorter than an hour. My heart was racing as I walked to the door. When I opened the door I saw Frank smiling with a cup of ice cream. "I had a feeling you aren't very happy about me because of last night so I brought ice cream to cool you down and forgive me." He said. I smiled like a sheep. Honestly I wanted to say yes I will be your girlfriend but that knew how stupid it would sound. "I'm not upset but I'll have that ice cream." I said and let him in.

"Sorry about last night. I had the job at the last minute. None of the guys was available and she's a high paying client so I had to step in." He explained. My eyes lit up immediately. "Oh Client, so you were with her for work." I said subconsciously. "Yes, wait you thought I went out with her? Oh no she's not even my type." He said staring right at me. I felt like it was a sufficient enough answer to the question I had been meaning to ask but I took advantage and asked him one. "What's your type?" I asked feeling his stare even more.

He smiled and said I already knew his type. I tried to keep a straight face but I couldn't. I guessed this was it. My window to tell him how I felt. "Are we exclusive?" I asked. When I saw the confused look on his face I knew immediately that I used the wrong words. "Do you like me?" I tried again. He moved closer to me. "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" He said. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "So how come you haven't asked me out?" I finally asked with much more confidence. Frank looked at me in a funny way and I left him move back a bit. "Vanessa I'm not ready for a relationship. I'm sorry if I led you on." He said. My heart started racing.

After a brief awkward silence Frank stood up to leave. I sat on the couch with tears forming in my eyes. He took a few steps and turned around. "Vanessa, I know how Eddie hurt you. You deserve someone with less baggage." He said. I didn't understand what he meant so I asked him. He took a deep breath. "I have a child, with my ex girlfriend. Eight years ago she got pregnant. When I told her I was not ready to rush into marriage she left me and married someone else. I was young, stupid and afraid. She raised my daughter with her husband with their 2 daughters and never told her I was her father. To her I'm uncle Frank. It hurts me so much. I can't let you carry this burden." He said. My eyes dried up immediately. I walked up to him and hugged him. "I'm so sorry." I said.

Then a few words rang in my head; 8 years, 2 other daughters. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I wanted to tell you but I felt it would scare you away. Sorry you met them as my sister and her kids." Frank confessed. It all made sense now. Looking back I noticed how caring he was to Kafui and even the other kids. There was this connection I couldn't understand and it now made sense. "You are not scaring me away Frank. All this while I thought I was the only one who needed closure but you need some too." I said. "I know how it feels like to keep people out when you are hurting. I will be here by your side no matter what, to help you through this." I reassured. Frank looked at me surprised. Before he could say another word I leaned in and kissed him. It was just like the first time we kissed but this time I was the one telling him if will be ok.

Frank took a couple of months to get closure with his daughter. He decided with his ex to tell her the truth when she turned 13. That gave him the freedom and hope he needed and since then we've been the happiest couple alive.


The End

Closure 9

"Vanessa hi, what are you doing here?" He asked but before I could reply the lady walked to him with a bottle of wine in her hand. She turned to look at me. I was honestly not sure what to do. "I just came to get some nuts but they don't have my favourite so I'm just buying a bottle of wine." I said in the most convincing tone I could master. I picked the closest bottle of wine to me then I turned around and left.

When I got back into the car I told him to drive me to the beach. Maybe if I was lucky a mad man would show up and stone my problems away. When I got to the beach and sat down on the sand, I opened the bottle of wine and drunk straight from the bottle. After a few gulps I felt my phone vibrating. I looked at it and saw it was the same number Eddie used to text me. I answered it even though I had tears in my eyes. "Nessy are you OK? You don't sound good. Where are you?" Eddie asked. He sounded just like old times. I told him I was fine but he insisted to come to me.

Eddie wasn't far away because in less than 10 minutes he was at the beach. He walked to me and  hugged me. "Leave me. Leave me alone." I said, pushing Eddie away. "You chose money, you chose fame over me. I sold my car to pay for your album. After everything I did for you!" I said. The tears were rolling down my cheeks. "I know. I did all of these things but I'm sorry. I'm choosing you now. I don't care about anything else anymore." Eddie said. He took a step closer to me. "I realised my mistake and that was breaking up with you. I do all these shows and video, make so much money but honestly I'm not happy. I miss you." He said.

Eddie leaned in and kissed me. The wind blew through my hair and we stood on the beach, lip locked. His kiss put me into a state of realisation. For so long I wanted Eddie to miss me. I wanted him to come back begging. I guess I was angry with him because he didn't come back for me. That was probably why I never dated anyone after him. Finally my wish had been answered but somehow I didn't feel anything for him. All I did was compare his kiss to Frank's. I pulled away from Eddie. "I'm sorry, I don't feel the same about you anymore. I guess this is the closure I always wanted to finally close the curtains." I said. Eddie looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I think it's time for both of us to move on. Goodnight Eddie." I said. I kissed him on the cheek and walked away.

The next morning my phone woke me up. I picked it up and saw it was Frank calling. I muted the phone and dropped it immediately. I turned over and tried to go back to sleep. I opened my eyes again and this time I could hear the doorbell. I got up growling in anger. I didn't want to wake up before noon. Unfortunately the whole world wouldn't allow me to sleep my problems away. I picked up my phone to check my notifications as I walked to the door and froze. Frank had sent me tons of messages asking if he could come over. "Shit!" I said. I turned around and went to Wendy's room. "Hey, Frank is looking for me tell him I'm not around." I said. Wendy tried to ask why but I just pushed her out.

When Wendy came back the expression on her face said it all. "It wasn't Frank was it?" I asked. She crawled into her bed. "No it's Mawuli. He's in the hall." She muttered. I giggled and went into her bathroom to freshen up. When I went to the hall I saw Mawuli sitting in the hall with the remote watching TV. "Wow did I wake you up?" He asked. I shook my head and sat on the sofa. I told him about the party and how I saw Frank with another woman.

"I always fall for the wrong guys. Frank boldly told me he didn't trust anyone enough to be in a relationship with them. Why did I do this to myself?" I said. "That's nonsense. You don't fall for the wrong guys. It's just life. Sometimes things are good other times they are not. From all the things you've told me I'm sure Frank likes you but you need to forget about Eddie and open up to him." Mawuli said. That paved the way for my next story. I told Mawuli what happened with Eddie and I. "That's excellent news!" He said with a big smile.

Mawuli wasn't exactly at my place for a visit he just came to pick up his external hard drive from me. His cousins were visiting him and he wanted to have a movie night. I gave it to him and just before he left he smiled and said, "Right now that you've let Eddie go, tell Frank how you feel about him and let's see how it goes." I nodded. It sounded like a good plan!



To be continued... 

Closure 8

The next couple of weeks were very interesting. I saw Frank after work. We sometimes met at his office, other times at a restaurant for dinner and other times at my place. I continued planning my company's event and spoke to Eddie a couple of times but Frank gave me tips on how to deal with him. Frank was very smart and funny making being with him extremely enjoyable. One Friday night he couldn't come over as planned. I waited for him all dressed up and he sent me a message to let me know he couldn't make it. I was a bit disappointed because I looked forward to our Friday nights together.

On her way out my sister saw me taking off my earrings and walked into my room. "Why, aren't you going out anymore?" She asked. "Naa, Frank called to cancel." I replied. "Ah that's annoying. The way you are slaying the dress eh you can't waste it like that?" Wendy said and I giggled. The dress was actually one of my favourites that I hadn't worn in a long time. Luckily for me it still fit like a glove. "Look, Kokui is having a party at her place. Her big sister has invited some of her friends too so don't tell me you don't want to go because my crowd is young." Wendy offered. I smiled. It's like she ready me mind. I finally agreed and we went together.

When we got to the party I went straight to sit on the couch while Wendy rushed to look for her friends. I pulled out my phone to see if Frank had replied my text but there was nothing. I sent him a text to suggest we meet up later since I was already out. "Hello" , I heard a guy say. I raised my head and saw a guy about or younger than Wendy smiling at me. "Hi." I replied and looked back down at my phone. "Is the party boring?" He asked. I nodded and faked a smile. Unfortunately my neutral responses didn't deter him.

I felt my phone vibrate and I quickly picked it up. It was a text but I didn't recognise the number. I read the first two words, hi Nessy and knew who it was immediately. Only one person called me Nessy, it was Eddie. He said he wanted to meet me and talk so I should let him know when I was free. "You've been on your phone since you came." The guy next to me said. I almost forgot about him. "Yea, I think I'm at the wrong place. That is the exit right?" I said getting up to leave. He just nodded and watched me walk off. He probably thought I was the biggest snob in the world. I stopped and turned around.

Halfway to the door I stopped and walked back to the guy. "Hi I'm Vanessa. I'm really sorry about how our conversation turned out I'm just a bit distracted." I confessed. He seemed surprised, pleasantly surprised. "No, it's fine. I'm Opoku." He said. "Nice to meet you. I'll be off now." I said shaking his hand. He smiled at me and I turned around to leave, this time with a clear conscience.

As I stood outside the house of the party trying to catch a taxi I got another text from Eddie. He said he was sorry again and wanted to meet me the next day. A taxi came by and I quickly hopped into it. The driver stopped at a fuel station not too far from the place I was. I took out my phone to see if Frank had replied and what I saw next surprised me. I saw a guy like Frank in a suit with a lady in a black dress coming out of a car, laughing and walking into the fuel station supermarket. I got out of the car immediately. I told the driver I'd be back and went to inside too. It was when he turned around and saw me that I realised it was Frank.

To be continued... 

Closure 7

Mawuli was right. Eddie was sitting next to his manager and the branch manager had some documents in front of them which I realised was a contract. "Oh Vanessa you are here. I guess I will leave you to handle the contract signing now." He said. He excused himself and walked out. My heart was pounding with anger but I couldn't let it show. When Eddie and my eyes met I instantly looked away.

"Vanessa long time no see. How are you doing?" Stanley, Eddie's manager said. I faked a smile and told him I was fine. I picked up a copy of the contract and marked the important areas with my pen. The contract wasn't very long so I was done in no time. My heart was pounding so hard my vision was a bit impaired. "So how are you, how is everything?" Eddie finally said. I stopped what I doing and was going to answer him when my phone rung. It was Frank. "One minute." I said picking up my phone and walked out.

"Hello, you called me at the right time." I said when I answered Frank's call. He giggled and asked why I said that. I explained the 'situation' in the office to him. "I really don't want to talk to him. I don't even want to see him." I complained. "This is what I tell my employees. If you don't like a situation at work tell yourself, this is purely business and the day will eventually end." Frank said. I must admit it was very good advice. I told him I was only in the meeting because my boss dropped it on me. Before I could fully explain everything I saw my boss staring at me. I rushed off the phone with Frank and walked back into the room.

"Sorry about that. Do you have any questions?" I said and sat down. Eddie smiled and nodded. He turned to Stanley and asked if he could excuse us. He claimed he wanted to discuss a few things with me in private. I wanted to object but remembered what Frank said and nodded. When Stanley was gone Eddie took off his shades. He hadn't changed much. He took a deep breath. "These past few months have made me believe in karma. I was a fool. You didn't deserve anything I did to you. You may never forgive me and I understand that but I just want you to know that no day goes by without me thinking about you." He said. I wasn't ready for what he was saying because I could feel tears about to form in my eyes.

"Eddie that's all in the past. I really don't want to talk about it." I managed to say. He nodded. "I know. I just want to let you know. I knew you wouldn't agree to see me that's why I set up this job. I told Stanley to propose to perform at this banks event just to talk to you. Nessy I'm sorry." He said. My heart started to race. If he had told me these words some months ago maybe just maybe I could have forgiven him. I put the files together and stood up. "I have heard you. Please sign the documents then. I think we are done here." I said. My eyes were teary as I walked out.

That evening Frank came to pick me up from work. He heard how gloomy I sounded over the phone and refused to let me go home alone. He took me to the beach. The same beach we went to the other time. When we sat down on the sand I told him very bluntly that I wasn't interested in playing his pebble game. He smiled and agreed we wouldn't play it. He put his arm around me and whispered. "We'll just sit here and watch the waves. If there's anything you want to say you can tell me or else we'll both just sit here and relax."

The sound of the waves was very calming. The breeze was chilly but Frank was nice and warm. After a brief moment a tear drop fell out of my eye and another followed. I could feel Frank hold me closer. I felt safe with him.

Just then I felt a sea shell hit my foot. I looked in the direction it came from and saw a man dressed in tattered clothes throwing shells at us. "Eii maame water! Papa water!" He screamed when he saw us looking at him. He looked mad. Without any warning he started throwing more than shells at us. He threw empty plastic bottles and and whole of of junk at us. "This guy is mad, let's get out of here." Frank said and  grabbed my hand to leave. As we were walking away the man noticed and started running towards us still yelling and screaming. Frank and I instantly broke into a run towards the car.

We entered Frank's car and locked the doors. Then the mad man turned around and walked away. When he was gone we looked at each other and instantly started laughing. We laughed for so long my sides hurt. When we were done laughing Frank leaned in and kissed me. His lips were a bit salty from the sea but the kiss was still amazing. "I'm sorry I just wanted to kiss you again before a mad man comes to stone me to death at the beach." Frank said and triggered our laughter again. Just like that I had forgotten all about Eddie.


To be continued... 

Closure 6

Frank's sister's house wasn't very far from mine so in less than 10 minutes my taxi arrived at the house. I puffed my hair up a little and rang the door bell. A little girl of able 8 years opened the door. Before I could say anything she let me in. "You are auntie Vanessa right?" She asked. I smiled and nodded. She grabbed my hand and led me into the kitchen. "Oh Vanessa thank God you are here." Frank said. He had flour all over his shirt. He rushed to give me a hug and transfered some of his flour to me.

"The girls want something to eat and my sister's fridge is so dry it's not even funny." He said. I giggled and turned to the three girls including the one who opened the door for me. "My name is Kafui, and these are my sisters Ajo and Keli." The 8 year old said. Ajo looked about 5 and Keli was definitely 3 years old. I smiled at them and they confessed that they were very hungry.

I made some pancakes for the girls. Luckily there was honey in the fridge so we enjoyed it with the pancakes and milk. The kids loved it and told me it was the best they had ever had. I smiled like a sheep. Frank who did the frying under my careful guidance wanted some of the credit but the girls teased him. After everyone was stuffed we went to the kids bedroom and all took turns telling stories. The girls were all dressed up and ready for bed. After the third story Keli was fast asleep. Surprisingly Kafui followed next and Ajo was the last to sleep.

Frank was really good with the kids. I couldn't help staring at when he told his story and tickled all of us for effects. The children showed me all the toys he had bought for them. Somehow I wondered how much competition he was giving their father with all the gifts he gave them. When the girls were all sound asleep we went back to the kitchen to tidy up the place. Frank just told me to put the leftovers in the fridge while he did all the cleaning. "Thanks for coming. These girls are so hard to take care of alone." He said. I smiled and told him I had a great time.

Frank's sister arrived just after we finished the cleaning. It was about 11:20pm at the time. She was a very nice person like Frank. "You have amazing daughters." I said as Frank and I left we could tell she was very tired and wanted to sleep. She thanked me and asked me to drop by and visit anytime I was in the area. I hopped into Frank's car and he took me home. He looked just as tired as his sister.

When we got to my place just before I got out of the car I leaned over and kissed him. The kiss lasted longer than the last one and when it was done Frank was instantly wide awake. "That was to make sure you get home safely." I said. Frank giggled. "I think I'll start coming to see you everytime I'm tired." He teased. We both laughed and I left. That night all I thought about was Frank.

When I got to work the next day I had the shock of my life. Just as I was entering the conference room the branch manager asked me to meet him at Mawuli rushed to me. I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong. "Bad news is in your office?" He whispered when he got to me. I was almost at the door now. "Which bad news?" I asked, also whispering. "Eddie and his manager." Mawuli said.


To be continued... 

My Birthday break

So yesterday, 14th September was my birthday! I had such an awesome time I couldn't write today's episode of Closure. My husband, Tim planned a very awesome celebration for me. It was so much fun that I practically spent the whole day today sleeping.

Good news is that I'm going to make Sunday's edition a bit longer. 😊 Abi that's fair? So next episode of Closure drops this Sunday knorr. Follow my blog for notifications whenever there's a new post if you haven't done that already and thanks for reading 😊

Warm Regards,
Julz

Closure 5

"So how long till you start dating? From the sound of that kiss we are looking at minutes right?" Mawuli said. He was leaning over my desk at work. I told him about Frank and he had been smiling ever since. "I'm not sure that will happen. He said he doesn't trust women remember? Plus I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship again." I confessed. His smile faded. "Vanessa you are too young and good looking to be saying such foolish things. You are very ready." He said. He tried to convince me to forget about Eddie and move on. I knew he was right but it didn't sound as easy as he was saying it. Just then the phone on my desk rang and our little chat was over.

Frank and I chat and talked for a couple of days after the kiss. None of us brought it up though. We just acted like nothing happened. I honestly didn't have a problem with it at all. The calls got more frequent and so was the texting. They say when you start climbing the hill of happiness a rock or two fall your way and try to destroy it. That's what happened to me one day at a meeting at work.

The bank was going to have its annual awards ceremony and as usual the planning committee meet to discuss the details. When I was called to this meeting I wondered why. I was never part of that group. "Vanessa we have a task for you. Can you speak to the singer Eddie to perform at the awards night?" The manager of the bank asked. I wasn't in anyway prepared for that question.

"Sir, I'm sorry I don't understand." I managed to say. He put his pen down, sat back in his chair and looked at me. "You know him personally right? Find out what his quote is and his availability but more importantly ask him for a discount. I think we are done" He said. Then he smiled and walked out. I wondered whether I was day dreaming or it was real. "He wants it by tomorrow oh." One of my workmates said as she left the meeting room and my heart skipped a beat.

"Did you call him? What did he say?" Mawuli whispered leading me to the kitchen, the next day. I just submitted Eddie's quotes the boss requested. I shook my head and Mawuli almost went crazy. "Nessa I hope you didn't send some fake exorbitant quotes you conjured." He said. "No!" I scolded. I explained to Mawuli that the quotes were real. I called his manager instead. "Smart move." Mawuli said smiling. I smiled back.

Mawuli knew I decided not to talk to Eddie and since he knew our history he understood. "What are you going to do at the awards night when he's there? You really need to get over him." Mawuli said. I knew he was right but I had decided to avoid him and so far it had sort of helped.

That night I wanted company. Wendy was out with her friends doing her usual Friday ritual. Mawuli was also out of town. I thought hard about Frank. I could almost be certain we would kiss again if we were alone together. Not that it was a bad thing but I wasn't sure it was healthy either. I shrugged and grabbed my phone to call him but just then my phone rung and it was none other than Frank calling. I giggled and answered the call.

To be continued... 

Closure 4

One weekday during lunch time I went to Frank's office as planned. The office space was modern and very cozy. It was really as awesome as he described it. There were 4 rooms; a salon, boutique, gym and his personal office. There was a very smart secretary there as well as an accountant and a manager who generally made sure everything was handled smoothly. Frank's own office was very interesting. It was very clean and professional even though there was a playstation and TV in it. He already had food in his office by the time I got there. We ate and chat. I must admit he was very good company.

"So word on the street is that you used to date Eddie T. I didn't know you were a celebrity type of girl." Frank said. I lost my appetite immediately. "Ah yes. Oh look at the time.  I should get going." I said putting my paper plate aside. "I thought you had an hour and half?" Frank asked. I nodded and got up to leave. "My boss is a pain. I should go. Thanks for lunch." I said and rushed out. Frank wanted to drop me off but I lied about bringing a car and left. It was like Eddie just kept coming back to haunt me.

I knew Frank didn't mean any harm but I wasn't ready to explain why I walked out on lunch so I ignored his messages. One evening I was reading a magazine in my room when my sister walked in. "Guess who is outside looking for you?" Wendy, my sister asked. I stared at her with a blank face. "Frank Ayarik. He's in the hall." She said. I dropped my magazine, looked at myself in the mirror and walked to the hall.

Wendy was telling the truth, he was sitting on the couch and quickly turned to look at me when he heard me walk in. "Hey, sorry about coming over unannounced. I had a strong feeling you wouldn't answer my call." He said with a smile. He had a very warm smile. It was just too contagious so I smiled back. I sat down on the chair next to him. We talked for a while and Frank asked if I wanted to go out for fresh air. I nodded and we went to the beach.

When we got to the beach there was practically no one there. "Who comes to the beach at 9pm?" I asked. Frank looked at me and giggled. "You weren't very frisky when you were a teenager eh?" He teased. We took a walk like we did the other day. "I'm sorry I mentioned Eddie to you. I found out you two broke up." He said out of the blue and I shrugged.

Frank picked up a pebble from the sea sand. "My last girlfriend left me because she wanted to get married and I wasn't ready. A month later she got married." He said. Then he threw the pebble into the sea as far as he could. He picked up another pebble and gave to to me. "Your turn." He said. I looked at him, not sure what to say both about his breakup and the pebble. "Tell me something about your past and throw it into the sea." He said. I giggled but the idea did sound like fun. I looked at the small brown pebble and the pain from the thoughts of Eddie flooded my mind. "One of the work experiences on my CV is fake. My cousin owns that company so I just added it." I said and threw my pebble. Frank rolled his eyes. I knew this was not the type of secret he was looking for.

After playing the pebble game a few times I really loosened up. Frank and I always tried to throw the pebble further each time. One time I threw it so far he said "this burden dierr it's gone forever and 100meters more". I laughed so hard I almost fell. I knew he was doing this to get me to talk about Eddie. I sat down on the sand and he sat next to me.

"Eddie and I dated for 5 years. I really thought he was the one." I started, doodling in the sand. "You knew him before he started singing?" Frank asked and I nodded. "Sometimes I wonder if we would have been married with kids if he hadn't gone into music but you never know." I continued. I was fighting the tears when Frank asked why we broke up. "His career was more important." I said. That was the furtherest I could go without crying so I changed the subject. Frank understood and told me about his work instead.

When Frank brought me back home he walked me to the door for the first time. "Thanks for today, I feel a lot lighter. We should do this again." I said. Frank smiled and nodded. "Calm down, you will fill the sea with all your numerous pebbles if we continue, Vanessa." He teased. I laughed and was just about to leave. "Hey Nessa." Frank said. I turned around and without a second to spare he kissed me. I hadn't kissed anyone in 9 months and his kiss reminded me of what I was missing. He finally pulled back slowly and said goodnight. "I wasn't expecting that." I said. "Neither was I but I'm glad it happened." He said. We both giggled and he walked back to his car without saying another word. I just stood there till he was gone with a smile locked on my face.


To be continued... 

Closure 3

When I got to the bar I saw Frank and his cute friend sitting in corner. I realised Mawuli was so right. If Frank wanted it to be a date he wouldn't have brought his buddy along. They waved at me and I walked to them. I sat down and ordered a drink. Frank introduced his friend, Kofi to me.

We all chat about a lot of random things. Kofi seemed younger than Frank and I but he was very funny. He was also very charming. I enjoyed their company so much I didn't notice how fast the time flew. "Eish it's late! I need to be heading home now." I exclaimed when I saw the time. Frank gave me a ride home but Kofi stayed.

"Thanks for coming out tonight. At least we got some time to catch up." Frank said when we got to my house. I nodded." It was fun. I rarely do this anymore." I confessed. Frank laughed. He didn't believe me. The Vanessa he knew back in the day was a party girl. Things had obviously changed. We agreed to hang out again in the near future. I smiled as I entered my house.

The next time I met Frank was at a party at the beach organised by the bank I worked at. It was extremely random. He was with a lady when we met. I recognised her from another branch. I waved when I saw him and he smiled as he walked to me. "What are you doing here?" We both said at the same time. I rolled my eyes and told him I worked at the bank. He told me he was invited by one of my coworkers. Apparently he banked with us as well. This world is just too small. When the event was nearing it's completion Frank suggested we take a walk. He thought the music was too loud for me when I frowned a lot but it was rather the fact that the dj was playing a lot of Eddie's songs that I didn't like. I agreed to the walk. I took off my shoes and walked barefooted with the water passing over my feet everytime the waves got to us.

"Now you know what I do. Tell me what you do." I said as we walked. "Do you want to know what I really do or what I tell people?" He said. "Do you sell drugs?" I asked and Frank laughed. He shook his head. "Tell me what you really do." I demanded. He stopped walking and sat on a rock. I stood in front of him. "I run an agency." He finally said. "Your own business. Nice, what kind of agency is it?" I asked. He stared at me. As if he was wondering whether to tell me the truth or lie. "It's an image boosting agency." He finally said. "Right, so you run a salon with a gym in it." I teased and we both laughed. "We do have a gym and a salon but it's a little more complex that that." He added. I stared at him and wondered if he was hiding something.

I asked Frank to break down his agency to me. "People come to us for various reasons and we sort them out especially with how they look from physical, online information to escort services. Most of the times it's to impress people, personal fulfilment and so many other weird reasons." Frank explained. I realised he was serious. "Wow really? As in you can glam me up and get me an escort for an event?" I asked. He laughed and gave me a rough idea of the amount he charges. My jaw dropped.

He told me Kofi was one of his employees and everything made sense. "Where do you find these good looking guys from kwraa?" I asked. Frank took me through his selection process and I was extremely impressed. The night ended with me planning a visit to his office. A bit of me still believed he was messing with me.



To be continued... 

Closure 2

Wendy, my sister was watching TV on the couch when I got home. I handed her the food and she gobbled it down like she hadn't eaten in a month. "Why did it take you so long?" She asked. I sat down by her. "I met Frank Ayarik. He even brought me home." I replied. My sister thought for a while and recognized who I was talking about. I told her about how the evening went and she asked why I didn't take the cute guy's number. I threw a pillow at her and she laughed. I noticed the more satisfied she got the sillier she became so I went to my room. My younger sister is a proper goofball. Somehow I guess that's why I asked her to live with me.

I didn't hear from Frank till about 4 days later. He texted me asking the time I would get home from work and if I wanted to have drinks. It sounded like a date and even though Frank was pretty nice I wasn't ready for that. I needed to heal from my last relationship. I texted Frank back telling him I would be too tired to have drinks after work. He seemed to understand because he said ok.

Throughout the day I felt a bit bad. Maybe I was thinking too much into it. He could have just wanted to talk like the other night. I decided to ask a coworker and close friend what he thought. "Ah Vanessa paa. Going out for drinks is normal. I ask my guy friends sef to go out for drinks." Mawuli, my coworker said. Just then his boss came out of his office. Mawuli grabbed the file he dropped on my desk. "Go and have drinks la." He whispered and walked away briskly. I giggled and went back to work.

When we closed from work that night I decided to take the office bus home. I took a seat by the window and just as I was going to plug some music into my ears Mawuli appeared from nowhere and sat beside me. "Herr Efo, don't be scaring me like that." I teased. Mawuli giggled. He asked if I had agreed to have drinks with Frank and I shook my head. He wouldn't stop bugging me about it so I sent Frank a text. I told him I closed a bit early so he should tell me where he wanted to meet and I'd meet his there. Mawuli clapped for me when he saw me send the message.

I got off the bus at my junction and walked home. I pulled out my phone from my bag to see if Frank had replied my message but he hadn't. When I got home my sister was not on the couch watching TV as usual and I remembered it was Friday night. She always had a ritual of going out with her friends on Fridays. I remembered doing the same myself some years back. Things had changed.

I dropped my bag on the center table and turned on the TV. A music video came on and I changed the channel immediately. I remembered why I hadn't sat down to watch TV in a while. My ex boyfriend, Eddie was always on and I didn't want to see his face again. Just like magic he appeared on the new channel too? I picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Just as I was getting up to leave the hall Frank called. "Vanessa what's up? I just saw your message oh. Is it too late to do the drinks?" He asked. I thought for a while and told him it was fine. We planned to meet at a bar not far away.


To be continued... 

Closure 1

"Two burgers with regular size chips." I said. I took out money from my purse and paid for my fast food order. It had been a very long day at work and I couldn't wait to get home and jump into my bed. I sent a text to my sister to let her know I had bought her food. It was when I raised my head up that I saw him, Frank Ayarik. I hesitated a bit and just called him. He recognized me immediately and came to sit next to me. "Hi, how are you doing?" He asked. I smiled and we did the usual small talk. Frank was my mate back in secondary school. We used to be pretty close but went to different Universities so we drifted apart.

Frank was a bit different from how I remembered him. Obviously he looked more matured and good looking but he wasn't as bubbly and full of stories as he used to be but talking to him was still pretty interesting. I remembered back in school there was a time I heard he liked me. Funny enough I liked him then too. He was meeting someone at the restaurant but just before my order was ready they called to change the venue. "I should meet you at Creamland? Ok I will be there in 10 minutes." Frank said. I told him Creamland was just a few minutes from my house so he offered to give me a ride home and I gladly accepted. When I saw his car I was wowed. I never imagined a class clown like Frank would turn out like this.

We got to Creamland in less than 10 minutes. He told me he was just giving something to his friend and would take me home after. When I nodded he picked up his phone and called his friend. He told him where we were so he come to the car. As we waited I asked Frank if he was married or seeing someone. He laughed and said he wasn't. His laughter took so long I wondered what it really meant. "Why what's so funny?" I asked with a little giggle. Before he could say anything his friend appeared.

A tall slender guy with neatly cut hair walked to the car. He was very good looking and showed his neatly arranged white teeth when he said hi and smiled at me. Frank rolled down the window glass when he noticed him. He pulled out a brown envelope with what looked like a bundle of 1000 cedis from the glove compartment and handed it over to him. I could guess the amount because I work at the bank. When you work with money long enough you could get such skills. "Make I count am?" The cute guy said. "Sia, commot for there. I dey go." Frank replied and they both laughed. Frank put his seat belt on and I waved at the cute guy as we left.

I asked who the cute guy was but Frank smoothly changed the subject so I asked him why he laughed when I asked if he was married or seeing someone. He shrugged but I didn't back down. "No offense but I don't trust women." He said. His words hurt a little but I smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. I don't trust men either so I guess we have a lot in common." I teased. As much as it was meant to be a joke it triggered a sad memory from my past. Surprisingly Frank smiles. "Exactly! I'm glad someone agrees with me. You are so cool Vanessa." He said. I giggled. "Ah I just said I don't trust you." I said. He nodded. "You shouldn't. Same way I shouldn't trust you so everyone stays happy." He explained. We had gotten to my house at this point.

"Give me your number. I'll call you the next time I come to see my stupid friend again. Then we can talk more." Frank said. I giggled and gave him my number. We said goodnight and I got out of his car. I waved as he left and walked inside my house.


To be continued... 
Photo credit : howafrica.com

Time no dey

Time wasting is like kente in Ghana, it's part of our culture. Ghanaians find all sorts of creative ways to waste each other's time. Sometimes it almost feels like a sport. One that has no ending time. Then again it could be a game to the death. We waste each other's time ahhh till we die. You go to the bank they waste your time, you go to the restaurant they waste your time, you die and are ready to be buried sef they will waste your time. No one is safe at any stage!
I'm sure you are reading this and going like "I know right? Ghana dier so so time wasting" but you naa you are part of the problem. That doesn't mean you should stop reading oh. I beg. But let's be honest we are either equally a time waster or you are helping this very bad habit. I'm not excuded oh. In fact far from it. I'm also one of the Dj Time Wasters but let's look at this on a whole shall we?

To be honest I'm tired of waiting. I'm not saying making someone wait is a crime but at least people need to know it's not good. One day I was asked to come for a meeting at 2pm. The person told me not to be late so I got there just before 2 and had to wait for an hour because the person was out on his lunch break. What the hell?! I was not amused at all so when he finally came back I asked him why he asked me to meet him at his lunch time and guess what he said "Oh I didn't want you to come late so I'll have to wait." If it wasn't for the fear of God and good training my parents have given me I would have done something jail warranting to him. How is it ok for ME to wait?! People need to stop this thing.

Most people don't see anything wrong with asking people to wait. In their heads it's like "oh but will sitting down for 2 hours kill you?". Well it probably won't but will attending to me on time kill you too? We all know the answer to that. These days, you are actually tricked into waiting by your own loved ones. Who has ever been to a wedding where the starting time was a lie? That thing can pain eh? Some ladies have a limited time span their make up can last and you trick them into coming early, how wicked! I don't know about you but I don't want to start my marriage on lies. At least use words or phrases like 'prompt' or 'kindly be there early' or 'refreshment will be served just before the bride enters' or something just don't make me come and wait.

It's simple, let's just try to consider our fellow men and women. Let's put ourselves in each others shoes and act accordingly. There's the general perception in Ghana that if you require something from someone you should be prepared to wait no matter how long they ask you to and it's bad. Ei especially at Ministries. That place dierr it's just a place you go to wait. Let's change our habit because it's not fresh. It's time we showed some respect for each other because the honest truth is that you never know the amount of harm you are doing to someone when you make them wait for hours. So my dear Ghanaians unless you are ready to pay people, don't make them waiters *drops mic*.

Gifts

I woke up immediately I heard the door bell ring. I slowly closed my eyes again when I remembered I wasn't the only one at home. Surely my little brother, Elorm would be awake. That video game playing boy was always awake. Unlike him I preferred to sleep till mid morning because I was on vacation.

When I heard him open his door I pulled my covers closer and tried to go back to sleep. I was almost successful when my brother barged into my room. "Eyram there's a package for you!" He said, excitedly. I looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was up to any of his usual pranks. "Elorm, if I go downstairs and it's not true I'm putting your X box, Y box or whatever it is called in a bucket of water." I threatened. He just giggled and asked me to hurry up. I got out of bed and made my way to the living room. Our parents had left for work.

Elorm was not joking. There was a delivery man on a bike with a box. I walked over to him. He asked me to sign in a notebook and handed over the box to me. Then he left. I wasn't sure what to say because I was not expecting anything from anyone. I looked around the box to see if there was a sender's address but I saw nothing. "Open the thing la." Elorm said. I giggled and opened it. My eyes gleamed when I saw what it was. It was a tablet pc. It wasn't brand new but it was an awesome tablet I had been wanting about for some time. I was very eager to find out who gave me this amazing gift.

There was a little note that read "hi Eyram, a friend of mine was selling this at a really good price. Immediately I saw it I thought of you. I hope you like it. Anna." I held the note staring at it for a few more minutes. I knew the handwriting, there was no mistake it was from my cousin. "What did the note say?" Elorm asked when he noticed my change in mood. The truth is that I felt very bad. Just a year ago she left the country because she got a scholarship to study abroad. I promised to keep in contact with her but I didn't. I remember her calling me often but I rarely returned her calls. Even after such a long silence she still thought about me. I smiled and realised I had a lot of calling to do.

Doesn't this feel like something we all go through? Well not all of us get tablets from our cousins, for sure! But just like Anna God showers us with gifts in many forms even though we  sometimes ignore him. Like Eyram we give ourselves so many excuses; calling abroad is too expensive, I will text her tomorrow, she's probably busy with her new friends but the truth is that Anna still loved her and that love brought her to the right place. It's time for all of us to be at the right place with God. If nothing at all we should pray to say thank you :)

Zaky 11

I opened my eyes slowly. I had a splitting headache. It took me about a minute to figure out where I was. I was in in some kind of truck and it was moving. Those types they use for deliveries. I tried to sit up but unfortunately I was all tied up. We passed under a street light and I noticed I wasn’t alone in the back of the truck. Zaky was there dressed in a black pair of jeans and a hoody. He had a gun on a strap around his waist.  My heart started racing. I wanted to beg him to let me go but my mouth was taped. When he noticed I was awake he moved closer to me and whispered into my ears. “I’m so sorry, this wasn’t supposed to happen. It will all be over soon.” There were a million questions I wanted to ask him but I couldn’t.  Just then the car came to a stop and my heart started pounding. A man in a hoodie and black shades and a gun opened the door to the truck and Zaky grabbed me to get out.

“I know you probably hate me right now but please trust me.”Zaky said as he dragged me. It was when I saw where we were that I knew for sure what was going on. It was a robbery. Zaky and I were behind two other men. As they skillfully entered our work building so many scenarios played out in my head. If they were successful they would probably kill me so that their secret will be safe. If they got caught I would probably go to jail for aiding and abetting or for all you know I would be considered as one of them. I was wearing a black dress after all and I foolishly gave Zaky the blueprints. In all the scenarios I was definitely fired.

   

When we were safely inside the building Zaky dragged me to the emergency exit at the back of the building. It was a very smart move. That door had not been used in so long no one would even notice them slip out from there. I was impressed by their skill and intelligence. “How long will she take to open the door?” One of the men asked.  Zaky looked at me and said 2 minutes. The man nodded and rushed off. I was a bit confused by what he said. When he was out of sight Zaky rushed to me. “I know you have a lot of questions. I can’t answer them but I will get you out of this if you only comply. I’m so sorry.” He whispered.  For some reason I believed him. Maybe I had to because it was my only choice so I took it. I nodded and he told me his plan.

When the other man came back with sacks of money the emergency exit was already open. Zaky was standing over me with his gun pointed out. I was on the floor like I had been shot. I tried to be as still as possible and it was dark enough to fool anyone. “Good, I see you have covered up the second loose end.” The man in the shades said walking towards Zaky. “What’s the first and second?” Zaky asked.  The man pointed his gun at Zaky. “I’ve sorted out Sena so the third is you. Your face is a little too out there. No hard feelings chale.” He said. I don’t know what came over me but I grabbed his leg and pulled it. He shouted as he tried to catch his balance and pointed the gun at me. It was then that I realized how bad my impulsive action was. I closed my eyes and heard a silent gun shot. The man fell and I turned to Zaky. He had shot the man in time. Zaky rushed to grab the sacks of money so eagerly that he didn’t notice me pick up the other man’s gun. “Drop the money, Zaky or whatever your name is.” I said pointing the gun at him. He looked at me in shock. “This is really messed up. How could you use me like that?” I said with tears in my eyes. I could hear the security men from the main entrance. I shot his leg once and missed. I shot again and got him in the foot. Then I dropped the gun and run out. I run as fast as I could and grabbed the very first cab I saw and went straight home!

The next day I knew I had to show up at work to avoid every form of suspicion. Everyone would think I had something to do with it when Zaky got arrested. The police would probably have a lot of questions for me. Just as I expected the building was chaotic. “There’s no work today oh. Guess what happened?” Dede asked walking up to me. “I have no idea.” I lied looking around. “Some armed robbers raided the building!” Dede replied. I looked at her in my best surprised look. “You know the coolest thing? The security men shot and killed all of them. ” Dede added pointing to our boss was shaking the hand of a smiling security man. What?! I wanted to scream and tell her that was so not what happened then I remembered Zaky and my heart fell. I killed him. Maybe not directly but I made the security men kill him. I started tearing up a little and my heart started pounding.

“Everybody look at these men. They bravely saved our establishment from thieves! They won a gun battle and killed the two armed robber who came here yesterday…”Our boss started his speech but I was stuck on one of his words. TWO? Was it possible? Just then my phone vibrated. I picked it up to check the message. I couldn’t believe it, it was from Zaky. My hands trembled. “I was a jerk. I’m sorry. I deserved what you did to me. Just so you know I dropped everything and left. Maybe someday I will explain everything to you.” The message said. I looked around to see if he was anywhere around but I knew he was too smart to show up so I just smiled. He had a bleeding foot to take care of J

The End

Zaky 10

Zaky turned and picked the ID card. "Wait, I gave you classified information. When they read the report I'll be fired won't I?" I asked, getting worried again. "I'm going to figure out a way to keep you out of the report. The information will be there but I will find another source." He said. "You never told her. You never told Kafui the truth." I said. Zaky turned to look at me sharply. "How do you know her? Did she tell you anything?" He asked. I narrated to him all she said to me. He told me that they never dated and that he just worked with her for the report. He added that she threw herself on him and that created a lot of friction.

Immediately Zaky or Derrick or whatever heard his phone ring be looked at me and muted it. Usually he would take the call and excuse himself to talk. He just waited it out. There was an awkward silence for a moment and the phone rung again. "Can I have your phone?" He asked. I hesitated a little because of the look on his face. It's like he was deep in thought. "It's someone from work. I need to give him some quotes and need a calculator." He said. I gave him the phone but somehow I felt what he said was a lie. He went out of the room to answer the call. When he came back I asked if he was able to calculate the quotes. He nodded. That was when I knew something was really up. My phone was locked and he didn't know my password. There was no way he used it!

"So what do I call you now? Derrick?" I asked getting up. He shook his head. "If anyone hears you call me that it could blow my cover. Let's stick with Zaky." He said. He still looked far in thought. "Yea true. Anyways I think I will be going home now. Can I have my phone?" I asked. Zaky stood up. He said nothing. He just looked at me. That was when my heart started racing. I turned around and walked briskly to the bedroom door but when I tried to open it I noticed it was locked. "What are you doing?" I turned around to ask him. He walked to me and before I could do anything he forcefully covered my mouth and nose with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry." I heard him say and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes slowly. I had a splitting headache. It took me about a minute to figure out where I was. I was in Zaky's bedroom, on his bed. This time around the door was wide open. Unfortunately I was tied to the bed so it was useless. I closed my eyes and prayed that it was all a dream. I could hear voices from the living room. I looked out the window and saw that it was dark outside. Very slowly the voices got clearer. The voices were three Zaky's and two others. "Everything is under control. We need her alive. Tell Rex to get ready to go with the same plan tonight." Zaky said and the second person left. This was not good.

To be continued...

Zaky 9

One evening after work Zaky said he was hunger so I offered to cook for him. I made a quick egg stew with rice and served it to him while I took out the trash. When I was putting the trash bag into the big bin outside I saw a piece of paper that looked like a blueprint of a building. I was just about to ignore it when I saw "Out of service camera" written with an arrow next to it. It looked like our office building. Very few people knew that the stairway camera wasn't working and I remember telling Zaky. I pulled out the paper and watched it closely. It was really a blueprint of our workplace!  My heart started racing when I heard Zaky call my name from inside. I quickly folded the blueprint, put it in the back pocket of my jeans and rushed back.

"Wow that was one awesome meal. You never told me you could cook this good. I’ll miss this." Zaky said and I smiled. “Why are you going somewhere?” I asked a little confused. He shrugged and said he meant when he finally went back to the head office.  I almost forgot about the blueprint. He put his empty plate into the kitchen sink and walked to me. It was when he put his hands around my waist that I remembered it was still in my pocket.

 He kissed me on the forehead and rested his hands right on my butt. My heart missed a beat when he stopped and said, "What's that in your pocket?" It was too late to stop him. He pulled it out. He looked at the blueprint and turned to look at me. My heart was pounding and to my surprise he was very calm. "I guess you are wondering why I have this." He said. I wasn't sure what to say. He let out a heavy sigh. "Let me show you something." He said holding my hand and leading me to his bedroom. All sorts of scenarios played around in my head.

Zaky sat me down on his bed and pulled out something from his bedside drawer. My heart calmed down a little when I realized it was an ID card. He gave it to me. It had his picture on it but the name was Derrick Sowah. It was a company ID card, FX Security to be precise and it said Derrick Sowah, Security Analyst. "My name is not Zaky. I'm Derrick. I work as a security analyst. Your company hired me to test all their security systems. What I do is I go to the company, see how good their security systems are and submit a report. I know it's a lot to process and I'm really not supposed to be sharing this information. Employees are not to know until I leave. I could easily get fired." He said. I looked at the ID card and turned back to him. I slowly absorbed what he said.

This really was a lot to process. I tried to run this information by what Kafui told me. It sort of made sense; the fake CV and the secrets. Then it hit me. He may have been with us just to see if we will allow him to have access to the cctv cameras and I don't know about her but I gave him everything. He had the password and full access to surveillance system at work because I was sprung. I trusted him with it. Then my heart skipped a beat. Did he even really like me? "So this thing with us was just your job?" I asked with a little quiver in my voice. He seemed surprised. "You think I used you? No I didn't." He said. I stood up dropping the ID card on the floor. "I should have known. A guy like you will never be interested in a girl like me." I said, walking out.

He stood up and came after me. Immediately I turned to say more about how I felt he took me in his arms and kissed me. He didn't caress me, didn't touch me, he just kissed me deeply. I wanted to move away but I couldn't. A greater part of me wanted him so much. He pulled back slowly, looked into my eyes and said, "This is real. I haven't felt like this about anyone in a long time." It felt nice hearing him say that. He never really officially asked me out but words like those made it ok.


To be continued...

Zaky 8

I stared at Kafui trying to guess what she was about to say. My best guess was that she had a history with Zaky. One that obviously didn't end well. Dede mentioned that she sounded jealous the day they spoke and I sort of got what she meant. "You can believe what I'm about to say or not. I honestly don't care anymore." She started and I sat up.

She started her story by telling me she used to date Zaky. My guess was right after all but what she said after that was completely off my guess . "He joined the company last year and we got close and started dating. He became a bit distracted after a while and always went to meet friends from his old job. I got slightly paranoid. Any woman would right? So I hacked into the company folders for his personal records. I just wanted to know who this so called friend was" She said. I raised an eye brow.

Hacking? Kafui was not as innocent as she looked. "He used to work for Ziltec with a managerial position too. That sort of calmed me down because most of the staff there are men but hey they have female secretaries and stuff right?" She asked and I nodded. Ziltec made most of the banking software in the country. "I called a friend who worked there and guess what?" She asked and paused. It took me a few seconds to realise she was waiting for me. "What?" I said and she continued, "He said there was never an employee there called Zaky. I wasn't sure what to do so I told him what my friend said and he claimed to work with them on a contract basis. He played the trust card and told me that if I wanted our relationship to go on I should trust him."

Kafui was beginning to sound emotional. "A week later he broke up with me. It didn't make sense because I decided to trust him then. I threatened to tell everyone he was a fraud but he reminded me about my hacking and that if I wanted to keep my job I should be quiet. He had a point." She explained. I stopped and thought for a moment. "So why are you telling me? Aren't you afraid I will report you?" I asked. She laughed and told me she had gotten a new job ready for her the next month. "That's why I didn't call you. Wanted to secure my new place first. Report him. He is a fraud. If you need any more information you can call me." She handed me her card, opened the door and got out of my car. "All the best." She said and walked off.

I attempted to call her back but didn't. Honestly, I didn't believe her. She was just jealous. I looked down at the card and noticed something strange. She worked at the surveillance department too.

The next week Zaky came to my office during lunch time as usual. After work when I was driving him home he asked me to drop him off somewhere else. When he said he needed to see someone from his former office I remembered Kafui. I thought about it and realised he never spoke about his personal life at all. The only part of his family I had heard of was his cousin who owned the apartment he was living in. "

How come you never talk about your family?" I asked randomly. Zaky paused and turned to me. "My parents and brother are dead and I don't have any uncles or aunties." He said sharply. "I thought the apartment you are in is for your cousin. You must have an auntie or uncle." I shot back. "He's, he's not like, he's not blood. I just call him that." He stuttered. He asked me to pull over and he got out of the car. "I need to go, is there a problem?" He asked staring at me. I shook my head so he nodded and left. I knew it sounded silly but Kafui' s story kept playing in my head.

To be continued...