Rift 7

Over the next couple of weeks I went over design ideas with Steven. This assignment was the perfect distraction for me. I also got really close to Steven. I felt I was even getting a little too close when I stay at his studio till it was pretty late one evening. We were installing some curtain rods and some wall fixtures. We were having so much fun listening to some of the songs he had recorded and working that I totally lost track of time.

"Yikes it's 11:35pm!" I exclaimed when I picked up my phone. I quickly sent my sister a text to let her know that I would be home soon. "Don't beat yourself up. I have that effect on lots of women," Steven teased with a smile. Gosh his smile was so attractive! I shrugged and packed my things. When I was ready to leave Steven asked if I wanted him to take me home because it was late. I smiled at his thoughtfulness but said I was fine. We walked to the roadside and I grabbed a taxi. I didn't want to request a cab with my phone because it would take a while. I hoped into the cab and waved Steven goodbye as the car left. I felt guilty thinking about him the way I did.

When I got home I rushed into the house as quietly as possible. I knew Alex was asleep and didn't want to wake him up. My nephew was a very light sleeper. When I got in I saw Kuukua. She was just going to bed. "Are you from Steven's place?" she asked. I nodded and she smiled. I knew what that smile meant but I wasn't in the mood to explain to her that we were just friends. So I just went straight to my room to sleep.
At work the next day I got a call from Julian. He told something very worrying. Fii had been in an accident and was on admission in a hospital. "It's not too bad but he will have to be in the hospital for a while," he said. Just as I guessed it was a motorbike accident. Fii was a speed freak on his bike. I immediately had a flash back to a time when we were dating and he had a minor accident. "I'm going to see him after work. Should I come and get you?" Julian asked. I said yes and we made plans.

Julian picked me up from work that evening and we went to Fii's hospital. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him in the hospital bed. He had a huge bandage around him arm and some minor dressed wounds. When he saw us he smiled and that lifted up my mood a little. Julian's phone rang and he left the room to answer it. "Hey, I didn't think you would come," Fii said. I shook my head and sat down on the chair beside him. "Really, and why is that?" I asked. Fii shrugged and asked if I wanted to drink anything as he pointed to the little fridge next to his bed. I told him I was fine and wished him a speedy recovery.

From nowhere at all he said, "I honestly thought you knew about Nina and I. It was silly of me to assume and definitely not fair to you. I'm sorry," I was not expecting such bluntness from him. I paused for a while and told him it wasn't a big deal. I knew now and that was good enough for me. "Nina is actually a good fit for you," I said and smiled. It hurt me to see him with someone so close but everyone deserved to be happy and I had to deal with that. Fii put his palm on mine and leaned closer to me. His eyes sparkled in the light like they always did under his long eyelashes. It was when I could literally fell his breath on my face that Julian walked in. We both moved back and looked away. I could tell Julian felt awkward. He tried to make an excuse to leave the room but I insisted on him staying. Whatever he stopped from happening was definitely not a good idea.

Julian, Fii and I talked and made jokes like old times. The conversation quickly came to an end when Fii had another visitor, Nina. The first cold breeze that entered the room was the disapproving expression she had on her face when she saw Julian and I. She tried to pretend but I had known her for too long to be fooled. I greeted her casually and picked up my bag to leave. "Oh why are you leaving, you should stay," Nina said sitting down on Fii's bed. I lied about going to work early the next day and said my goodbyes. Julian did same and we walked out together.

As Julian drove me home I couldn't help thinking about what happened. "You know he still likes you right? He never stopped," Julian said to break the silence. I shrugged and looked out the window. At a point in my life those two meant the world to me. My boyfriend and my best friend. How things went sideways I just didn't understand. Now the two of them were happy and here I was nice and lonely. "Maybe I should learn from Nina and take someone else's man," I accidentally said aloud. Julian immediately turned to look at me. "Who me? In fact I agree. Should I give you my girlfriend's number?" he joked and I laughed. I was glad to have him around. He always had a way of making me laugh no matter what.


To be continued... 

Rift 6

The week was so busy for me that I didn't have time to think about my major floppings. The company had a project we had to deliver in record time so we had to work overtime. When it was done on Friday we were all so relieved. Instead of going out to have drinks with my department colleagues I chose to come home and sleep. After my dinner I was about to settle in when I got a call. He was a strange number so I answered it. To my surprise it was Julian. He apologized again for the other night and said he was around my area and wanted to come over and see me. I wondered how he knew my area but I guessed I had mentioned it to him at the party. I sent him my location and he was at the gate in 10 minutes.

I went outside to meet Julian in his car. He smiled at me and we spoke for a while about my new job before he brought up the party. "I heard you did some wild things at the party," he teased. I shrugged and tried to change the subject but Julian wouldn't play along. "The guy you were dancing with, is he your boy..." He started but I cut him short. "He's the guy I came to the party with. There's nothing going on between us. I just acted stupidly that's all. Anyway who is giving you all this information?" I asked suspiciously. When Julian said nothing I knew it was Fii. "Tell Fii not to worry about me. He has Nina to think about. Trust me she can be a handful," I let out. There was an awkward silence for a while.

I turned to Julian and saw the caring face of a friend. "I won't lie, when I saw them together I was upset. Nina used to tell me to breakup with Fii when we were dating. I didn't like how he was interfering with the relationship between me and my best friend. Now I find out they are together and none of them have the balls to tell me? That's just cold," I poured out. I could tell Julian wasn't expecting this. Maybe I said too much. It was a yawn I let out that reminded me of how tired I was. I hugged Julian and told him I had to go. I didn't want Kuukua to know I wasn't in the house. My promise to be of good behavior had to be heeded to. Julian understood and promised to visit me again. I nodded and waved as he drove off.

The next morning I woke up to a knock at my door. It was my little nephew, Alex. He rushed into my room when I yelled come in. He was beaming with smiles. For a minute I wondered what was making him so happy. Then my sister followed. "Steven is here to see you. He said he was in the area and decided to come by. He's in the hall," Kuukua said. I nodded and asked Alex why he was so happy. "Oh yes, Steven brought that killer waakye from Miss Ayisha joint for you. Alex loves it so I'm guessing he's hear to convince you to share," Kuukua said and Alex nodded. I giggled and stood up to get dressed. When I got to the hall I saw Steven sitting on the sofa chatting with Ben. They were both watching a football game and I guessed that was the topic. He smiled when he saw me.

"Sorry for waking you up. If it makes you feel any better I bought you waakye," he said. I shrugged and thanked him. It wasn't until Steven asked me if I was ready to move that I realized I had promised to help him do some work for him. He had recently turned  his brother's boys quarters into a recording studio and wanted me to help him make it nice. I was the one with a design degree after all. I had totally forgotten about the plans we made. I quickly nodded and told him I just had to grab my bag.

When we got to his brother's house he lead me straight to the boys quarters. I could smell it was freshly painted. I took a look around and was pleasantly surprised. "You bought all this equipment?" I asked. He nodded and explained how he bought everything in bits over time. "This right here was my biggest spend. I had to sell my car for it," He said pointing. I smiled and continued looking around. I admired his passion. He always mentioned his small studio but this was something else.

"Selina says this place is boring and that I should make it look nicer. That's where you come in," Steven said, handing me a drink from a little fridge in the studio. I nodded. "She's right! There's so much you can do with this place," I said. Selina was really a lucky girl. I watched Steven as he showed me his logo and we talked colours. He had so much trust in me it almost made me nervous. I wondered what he had told his girlfriend about me. All of a sudden I remembered our dance at the party and felt bad instantly!


To be continued....

Rift 5

When I got back to the bar the dance floor was packed. I felt my mood get better. It felt like the music had gotten way cooler all of a sudden. I asked for another drink and then I saw them. Fii and Nina were dancing. I cringed as I watched them. Instantly I had an idea. I turned around and saw Steven walking towards me. Without any warning I grabbed his hand. "Let's dance!" I ordered and the confused Steven nodded. I took him very close to Fii and Nina and we started dancing.

I got closer and closer to Steven until we were touching. Dirty dancing was something I knew how to do well and I wasn't at all shy at that moment. I could tell we were getting some attention. Steven was an amazing dancer and I used that to my advantage as I danced with him winding and grinding all over the place. We got so close I could feel his breath on my neck and at that very moment I heard him ask, "Afua what's going on?" I took his hand and put it on my waist. "We are dancing," I replied. When I turned to look at Fii and Nina I noticed Fii's eyes were locked on us. I had made my point.

I took Steven's hand again and we walked back to the bar. A couple of people even cheered for us as we left. "I have to go Afua," He said when we got off the dance floor. "What? Why?" I asked, beaming with smiles. "I see what you are doing here and I'm not going to be part of this," He said walking away. "Come on it was just a little joke. Why are you being so uptight?" I asked trying to play with his ear. He shook his head and stared at me. "Your pupils, they are dilated. Afua did you take something?" He asked looking straight into my eyes. "Maybe?" I said giggling. Everything seemed so funny all of a sudden. I remember walking with Steven to the exit and hoping into a car with him and I drifted off.

When I finally opened my eyes I was in my room and it was morning. I heard a knock on my door. When the door opened before my reply I knew it was my sister. "Wow you are awake! Nice of you to open your eyes," she said sarcastically. My head was aching and the bright sun rays entering the room didn't help either. "What happened last night?" Kuukua asked. I didn't feel like talking but I knew she wouldn't leave until I did. "Sorry I got back late. I lost track of time," I lied. She turned to look at me. "You don't even remember do you? You could barely walk. Your friend from work literally helped you get in. Afua I'm concerned about you. It's like you are going back to the time you were dating that Fiifi guy. What kind of friends are you moving around with? The guy who brought you home could have easily taken advantage of you. Thank God he's a decent guy," she nagged. I felt so embarrassed I wasn't sure what to say. She was right.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," I confessed. Kuukua nodded and left. What she said was true. She wasn't blind to it. Fii always had a negative influence on me. I closed my eyes and told myself to forget him and Nina as well. I now knew why she drifted away from me. If she wanted him instead of our friendship it was her loss not mine. Pieces of the night came back to me and I realized how much of a fool I had been. I wasn't sure what to say to Steven when I saw him.

On Monday when I got to work Steven came to my office for some files. I felt embarrassed when I saw him. "I'm sorry about what happened. I was really irresponsible," I finally said to him. Explained how I felt bad about what I did. The dancing, the drugs, all of it. Steven showed more compassion that I deserved. He told me never to do drugs again and said everything was fine. I nodded and confessed everything to him. He agreed with my plan to stay away from Fii and just forget Nina. I smiled and realized Steven was such an awesome person. It was sad that he was already taken.

To be continued.... 

Rift 4

The fresh air was also very refreshing. In a distance I saw a guy smoking on one of the lazy chairs. He looked very much like my ex boyfriend's cousin, Julian. I walked closer to investigate and found out it was him! I realized the last time I saw him was a very long time ago. "Afua, what are you doing here?" He asked when he saw me. I smiled and said, "I'm hunting animals. What kind of question is that?" Julian laughed and put out his cigarette.

I wasn't surprised to see Julian at the party. We were so close at a point he also got to know Nina. He was one of those guys everyone loved to have around. His jokes especially were gold but behind all the comedy he gave very sound advice. When his cousin, Fiifi broke my heart things got a little weird. Then he left to do his Masters abroad and that was the last time I saw him. That was about 2 years ago so I guessed he was done. I sat down next to him and we chat like 2 years was just 2 days ago.

"Have you seen Fii?" Julian asked. I almost choked on my drink. "He's here? What's he doing here?" I asked. Julian looked at me with a blank expression on his face. Before he could say anything else we heard some noise coming from the main party room. People were moving there too. Julian said we should stop being antisocial and join the party. When I told him I was there with a friend from work he teased me. "Aww office romance, how cute," he said with a silly voice. I giggled as we walked into the party room and shook my head.

When we got inside what I saw hit me really hard. I wasn't in anyway ready for it. Nina was cutting her birthday cake and standing next to her was Fii my ex boyfriend. He had his arm around her waist as she cut the cake. I turned to look at Julian. "Afua you didn't know?" He asked. I couldn't even answer him. Just then Fii and I made eye contact. His smile faded when he saw me. I turned around immediately and walked out. Julian came after me calling my name.

I stood outside the venue and took out my phone. Julian walked up to me. "I should have told you before you saw them together. I'm sorry, I thought you knew," He said. I shook my head. "There's nothing to be sorry about. He's not my boyfriend anymore. It's no big deal really. I just came out to make a call," I lied. Just then I noticed my phone ring. It was Fii. I turned to look at Julian. "Ah, the person is calling me. Can you give me a second?" I added and Julian took a few steps back. I cut the line but pretended to talk on the phone for a few seconds. After a brief moment of self calmness I turned back to Julian. "We better go back in before the birthday cake finishes," I said faking a smile. He nodded and we went back. I walked straight to the bar and ordered something strong. I really needed something to take the urge off.

I realized I may have had too many drinks when I felt like going to the bathroom. "Hey, I'm going to the bathroom. Will be back in a minute," I said and Julian nodded. I looked around for the washroom and finally spotted on across the venue. I was halfway through when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and it was Fii. He looked at me like he was expecting me to react in a strange way. "Hey, Fii, what's up?" I said trying to smile. I shook his head and his light brown eyes twinkled in the light like they always did. "Can we talk outside?" He said over the loud music. "Look if this is about Nina there's no need to talk, it's cool. I have to go," I replied bluntly. I was never really good at pretending when he was around. "Well ok then. I guess we will talk later, " He said. I managed to smile more convincingly and nodded. The honest truth was that I really needed to pee. I turned around and dashed as fast as I could to the washroom!

It was when I was washing my hands in the washroom that many thoughts came rushing into my head. I looked at my reflection in the huge mirror. Fii and I seemed perfect together when we dated. Surely he was a wild card and I was much more subtle but didn't opposites attract? Why Nina of all the women in the world? I wasn't sure which hurt me more, the fact that Nina never liked him when we were dating or the fact that none of them had the guts to tell me what was going on.

"Is everything ok?" I heard someone ask. I snapped back into reality and turned to a lady standing next to me. "Yea, why?" I asked. She pointed to my hands which were covered in soap. "You've been rubbing your hands with soap for a while now," She explained. I noticed and quickly run water over my hands. "Sorry, I drifted away," I said with a smile. The lady nodded and took something out of her bag. "You don't look like you are having a good time at all. I'm Gina," she said and smiled back. Was it that obvious. "I just got bad news. The funny thing is that I'm mad at myself that I'm allowing it to get to me," I replied. She walked to me and handed me a little plastic bag. "You know what you need? Something to clear your head," she whispered. I took the bag and saw a little tablet inside. She smiled one more time and gave me her card. I don't know why but the drug actually looked like something I needed. I reached for my purse but she stopped me."This one is on me. I'm just helping a sister out," she added with a wink as she left the washroom. I looked at the tablet one more time and swallowed it.

To be continued...

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Rift 3

The next couple of days at work was a bit busier but still mostly introducing me to projects that have been completed and or were pending. I made a few more friends from my department. Steven was still my main buddy though. He brought up Nina's party again to make plans one day and I confessed everything to him. "Huh? You and Nina aren't talking?" he asked. I shrugged and he stared at me. "What happened, did she do something?" he finally said. I tried to remember why Nina and I grew apart but nothing was coming to me. "I don't even know, I think we both seemed to like different things at some point," I said. I remembered a few times when Nina invited me to hang out with some new friends of hers. I wasn't comfortable around them at all. They smoked weed like it was water and had some kind of free spirited recklessness I couldn't relate to. Nina had always been wilder than me but this was a bit extreme even for her.
"Look, that was in the past. I have a plus one invitation and Selina is out of town so we should definitely go together," Steven said. It was really thoughtful of him but I must confess I was a little disappointed to hear that he had a girlfriend. A party really sounded fun but I was just not sure if it was a good idea. "Text her if you don't want it to look like you are gate crashing. Just rekindle your friendship and let's chill. She's having the party at The Havana. Have you heard of that place? It's awesome!" Steven said with a big smile. At this point it was impossible to say no so I agreed.

When I got home that night Alex was fast asleep. I joined Kuukua and Ben in the hall to watch some TV after my dinner. I took out my phone during a commercial break and texted Nina. "Hey, hope you are good," I typed and sent it. There was no reply for some minutes so I decided to go on. "I'm in Accra now, got a job here. I heard from a little bird that you are having a party tomorrow," I sent that too. Then I noticed my messages had been read but still no reply. I sighed and put my phone away. A few minutes later my phone beeped. I picked it up and she had replied. "Hey Afua, you are in Accra now? That's so cool. Yes I am. I'm so busy with the party planning. Since you are in town are you coming?" She said. I gave a half smile. "Who's making you smile like that? It better not be Fii." Kuukua asked, looking straight at me. She never liked my ex. I just shrugged and replied the text. "Sure, I met Steven for uni and he said he's coming so I will probably be there with him," I texted. The next reply came quickly. "Awesome! See you tomorrow. I'm really tired now so goodnight." I said goodnight and then I realized I had to pick an outfit to wear, yikes!

Steven and I got to The Havana around 9:30pm the next night. He made me feel so underdressed in his black and gold kaftan. He had a neat haircut which was also amazing. I remembered why I had a crush on him back in school. "Next time give me tips on what to wear ok?" I said when we entered the party. He giggled as we walked to the cocktail bar and said I looked beautiful. The place was really something else with huge chandeliers, expensive lounge furniture in various corners and a beautifully lit dance floor. The music was great too and people seemed to be having a good time. We spotted a few mutual friends and had some chit chats.

The food and drinks at the party were amazing! I expected nothing less from Nina. She had always loved the extravagant life. "Steven!" Someone called from behind us. We turned around recognizing that familiar voice immediately. It was Nina. She looked even more sophisticated than Steven. She had long expensive hair flowing all the way to her butt and her makeup made her look like a runway model. She smiled at us and hugged both of us together. "Oh my goodness Afua, it's been forever!" She exclaimed. I smiled and nodded. "I'm so glad you could make it. How's the party, you guys having fun?" Nina asked. Before we could reply a lady walked up to Nina and whispered on her ear. She nodded at her and turned to us. "My personal assistant just informed me of something I need to take care of. I'll be right back." She said and walked away. I stared at her as she left and realized how different she had become. Her smile didn't seem genuine at all. For some reason I didn't feel like she wanted me around. Even though I wanted to leave, I could tell Steven was having a good time.

I noticed there was a pool at the back of the party venue. It looked like a quiet place with just a few people sitting there chatting. I grabbed a cocktail from one of the waiters and went to the pool. It was quieter there. The fresh air was also very refreshing. In a distance I saw a guy smoking on one of the lazy chairs.


To be continued... 

Rift 2

My new room was smaller than the room at my parents place but I had less stuff so it was just fine. Alex insisted on helping me unpack. When we got to my cosmetics he had so many questions. "Why do you have so many pomades?" He asked. "This is hand cream, this is body cream and this is to drive away mosquitoes, " I explained as I put them on my table. "Isn't your hand part of your body? Why do you need cream for just your hands?" He asked again. I giggled. This boy was getting smarter by the day! I had to think for a while before answering. Before I could tell him what I had come up with my phone rang. I stretched for it and smiled when I saw who it was. It was my mother doing her usual, "have you arrived safely" courtesy call. I told her we were home and I was even unpacking with Alex. Immediately Alex heard his name he asked who it was. Immediately I told him that ended my conversation. He took over my phone and chat with his grandmother. I'm sure she had forgotten about me too.

The next day I got ready for my new job as early as I could. Kuukua decided to drive me to work so I didn't get lost or anything. Luckily for me the location had easy public transportation routes back home. "Should I come and get you after work or you will find your way back?" She asked when she dropped me off. I told her I'd come back on my own so she nodded and waved as  she drove off. I looked at the huge building, took a deep breath and walked inside.

The company was much bigger than where I used to work. Just by looking at the staff I knew this new experience was going to be something else. I was directed to the office of my boss, Mr. Obeng and he greeted with a smile and asked me to take a seat. He was a fashionable middle aged man who seemed to like smiling. This really calmed me down as he spoke to me giving me a brief description of what he expected from me. He told me the product development team used to have a brilliant graphic designer but she left the country to further her studies so I had a lot of pressure on my hands. "I'll do my very best to be as good as her and hopefully with time even better, " I said in the most convincing voice I could master. He smiled and said he expected nothing less.

The rest of the day at work was basically full of introductions and some kind of orientation. I met the team I would be working with and recognized one of the guys immediately. Steven was a mate from university. I smiled at him and he smiled back. When it was lunch time I rushed over to him and we had a long fun chat as we ate at the cafeteria. "This is such an upgrade from where I used to work." I confessed looking around at the cafeteria. Steven just smiled and said I hadn't seen anything yet. It was nice to have a familiar face there. Especially one I used to have a crush on back in school. A lot of my anxiety at the new place went away after our chat.

Somewhere in the conversation Nina's name came up. Steven said she was having her birthday party the next weekend and wanted to know if I wanted us to go together. I thought it was sweet of him to want to go with me but I wasn't sure how to tell him I didn't know about the party and I hadn't spoken to Nina in over a year. Luckily for me someone approached our table and the subject instantly changed.

That day after work Steven nicely showed me how to take a car back home. We walked together to the bus stop, took one taxi to the main station and from there he showed me the trotro I needed to take me to where Kuukua's house was. He had visited me there on one of my trips to Accra so he knew exactly where it was. "See you tomorrow," He said when I was seated. He waved and he walked to his own trotro. I smiled as Steven left, glad to have him at my new office. This wasn't going to be bad at all. The expectations for me at the job were high but a good challenge was what I needed right now, besides the pay was good.

To be continued... 

Rift 1

I picked up a photo of Nina and I at a festival and instantly smiled. The memories of that day flooded my brain. It was 5 years ago when we were in university. I remembered how much fun it was. Nina had spent all her money at the festival and had to sit in my lap on a bus back to school. It was hilarious. Nina was so wreckless sometimes. I shook my head and contemplated taking the photo along or putting it back into my cupboard. Nina and I were best friends for almost a decade but we were barely acquaintances now. How we drifted off, I wasn't exactly sure.

"Afua, are you ready to go?" My sister said walking into my room. I nodded taking the photo along. I had got a new job in Accra and was moving in with my sister and her family. It was just temporary, until I could afford a place of my own. My parents understood and gave me their full support. I looked around my room to make sure I wasn't leaving anything and carried my last bag out. "Don't worry, if you leave anything behind that you need I will send it to you by bus," My mother reassured. I nodded and left with Kuukua, my sister. We hopped into a taxi with the rest of my things and we headed straight to the bus station.

In no time at all Kuukua and I were well on our way to Accra in a big VIP bus. Going to Accra wasn't new to me but this time it was different. I wasn't going to stay for a couple of weeks with Kuukua or to a friend's wedding. This time I was going for the long term. I remembered all my friends in Accra and how cool it would be to hang out with them on a regular basis. My heart skipped a beat when I thought about my ex boyfriend Fiifi. I wondered how odd it would be to bump into him. We checked up on each other every birthday, holiday, you know, that type of thing. I shook him out of my mind quickly. Maybe Nina and I could be cool again. I smiled and slowly slipped off into sleep.

When I woke up we were at a rest stop. The bus had just stopped and people were getting out. "Do you want to get a snack?" I asked Kuukua who was busy reading a book. She looked up at me and nodded. We both got out of the bus and walked to the snack stand. There was a lot to choose from. I could smell some freshly baked cakes and bread but it was the kebab that drew most of my attention. Kuukua got a cup of coffee and some crackers. I shook my head, disapprovingly and opted for fried yam and beef kebab. We rushed back to the bus and started eating as it took off.

Kuukua's husband, Ben and their four year old son Alex were at the bus station to pick us up when we arrived. Alex rushed to hug both of us when he saw us. "Auntie Afua I have missed you." He said to me. I lifted him up and told him the feeling was mutual. Alex was the happiest kid I had ever met. Ever since he was a baby he always had a way of putting a smile on my face. Kuukua hugged Ben and I could tell they had also missed each other. They were my definition of couple goals. When Kuukua met Ben many years ago I knew she would marry him. Kuukua was very picky and uptight about almost everything but with Ben everything was different. He had a magical way of making her relax. My mother even mentioned it at their wedding. I was glad to be staying with them as I embarked on my new journey.

To be continued... 

Young Entrepreneurs tax holiday in Ghana! (Updated!)

A few days ago I made a thread on Twitter about Government's new tax relief for young entrepreneurs. It got a whole lot of people interested. Some even said it was too good to be true but ladies and gentlemen I'm here to let you know that it's very true and is easier than you think to be part of this initiative. Now let's start with the basics; what this is and who needs it.

Last year, government decided to help small businesses run by young people in Ghana (18 to 35 years) make doing business easier and more cost effective. It's no hidden fact that small businesses contribute a lot to the country's economy. More local businesses means more employed people that government doesn't have to worry about, income generation and in some cases foreign currency in the system from international trade and lots more. With this initiative any young Ghanaian business owner will be able to enjoy a tax holiday for 3 to 5 years.

There's no doubt that this is an awesome deal especially now that government is very strict on taxes. Young business owners can now focus on reinvesting and scaling their startups. This also opens doors for small businesses that have been 'running' away from GRA to boldly be legitimate with all the documentation needed to bid for big state and international contracts. No need to be worried about contracts that require a tax record. This will also generally give many business owners peace of mind.

You don't need much to enjoy this tax holiday. The requirements are very simple. You need to be a Ghanaian not younger than 18 and not older than 35. Once you fall within the age group grab your business registration documents. It could be sole proprietorship, partnership or limited liability, it doesn't matter. If you haven't registered your business yet now is the time to get that done! Send a photo copy of the documents including your TIN to the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) office close to Wild Gecko around Shiashi and fill a form. In total you will also need the following documents

1. An application letter on your company's letter head 
2. Company profile with directors and management 
3. Two photocopies of bio data page of your passport 
4. Two copies of your Certificate of incorporation from Registrer General 
5. Two copies of your Certificate to Commence Business from Registrer General 
6. Two copies of your business operating permit licence from AMA, TMA etc (You don't need this if you don't own a shop/office) 
7. Two copies of Regulatory Certificate from your industry regulator like Bank of Ghana, Petroleum Commission, NIC etc (This is for the big boy businesses. If your industry doesn't have a regulatory body you don't need this) 

* Side note: The procedure is not free. You will need to pay 500 Cedis for this initiative. I found this out when I applied for it myself. So carry some cash along! 

So that's about it. A bunch of photocopies, 500 Cedis and letters for tax exemption! It may seem a bit long but the benefits are pretty good. I don't know about you but GRA has been pretty scary these couple of years. If Metro TV and other big businesses were closed down by them for unpaid taxes is it my small business that will survive? 🤣

Now the processing time is about a week but based in the schedule of the NEIP it may be longer. Mine took 2 weeks because they had an event outside Accra but I wasn't in a hurry so it was fine. After your letter from the NEIP stating that you are tax exempt for 1 year is ready you will pick it up and send a copy to GRA. If you have a folder at GRA already that's splendid, all you need to do is present this letter to them and they will make you tax exempt. This isn't 0% tax though. GRA will take 1% of your profits for administrative purposes (making your folder, contacting you if they need to etc). So that's it. I didn't have a folder at GRA so I had to make one.

I also heard there are possible extensions for women and people with disabilities so you may want to ask about that if you fall under these categories. I did a quick search online and found the number for the NEIP office. You can call them on 029 900 3839 (the number looks weird but it works) for more information. Let me know how it goes :)

A night to remember (finale)

After a few minutes the female police officer walked into the station. She whispered something to the officer in charge and they both turned to look at me. Just then I saw Kwesi walk in. I stood up immediately! Whatever miracle this was I was happy it was happening. "Kwesi!" I called out. He turned to me and waved. "I'm getting you out wai. Give me a minute." He said. I nodded with excitement as he spoke to the police officers.

In no time at all I was released. "Abi I told you Frank is powerful." KK said as I left the cell. I was so excited to leave I didn't bother to reply him. I collected all my belongings from the police, including my laptop and left with Kwesi. When I took out my phone I saw I had over 50 missed calls and tons of messages."What the hell? So many missed calls..." I said and Kwesi smiled. He obviously knew something I didn't. Apparently he put up the video of me being robbed on social media. The female police officer saw it and recognized me so she contacted him. That was how he found me. "Wow that's cool. I would have died in there chale. Even though I don't really approve of this your social media life it really came through for me this time, thanks," I said. "Maybe you should stop being so boring and hop onto it too. Who knows, next time it may be you saving me," He replied with a grin. We both laughed and got into his car.

As Kwesi drove me home I went through my messages. There were so many concerned friends reaching out. Some even offered to lend me their laptops for a while and stuff but one in particular stood out to me. It was from a girl who lived a few blocks away from my house, my crush for years! "Hey, saw you were robbed. It's terrible! I hope you are not trying to go after them oh. Sounds like something you would do. Anyways I tried calling. Just want to make sure you are safe. Hit me up when you get home so I pass by ok?" Her message said. A big smile formed on my face. Maybe this wasn't such a horrible day after all. I smiled as I looked at my laptop.

The End. 

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A night to remember 4

A small smile formed on my face as the officers rushed in with guns. They had come just at the nick of time. What I didn't expect was them arresting me as well! An officer grabbed my arms and hand cuffed me, yelling at me to comply. KK and the kid had the same treatment. The officer then grabbed me by the shoulder and lead me to the police car outside. "I'm not one of them! It's a mistake." I kept saying but it was like they didn't hear me. They put all three of us at the back of a caged car. "Mr Police please I was the one who called you to come oh. My laptop was stolen. I'm not a thief. I got robbed after I closed from the office." I kept saying. "It will never work. It's better to tell the truth," The boy said to me. "Ei but do you know me?!" I shot at him furiously. The Police officers just laughed and said they had meant this group for a while now. "Who wears a t-shirt and cap to the office? Shut up over there!" One of the officers yelled at me. At this point I didn't know what else to say.

When we got to the Police Station, they dragged us all into a small cell and took our wallets, phones and other possessions. I could not believe this was happening! "Look officer, I'm not one of them. My laptop was stolen and I went to take it back. I was the one who called you. Please check my call records." I said. One of the police officers starred at me. I hoped she was going to listen to my story but she just took out her phone and walked away. The rest didn't even bother.

I sat there in a bench wondering how to get myself out of this situation but what I didn’t notice was that there was more trouble waiting for me in the cell. "Hey, guy. Why are you making so much noise?" I heard someone say from the back of the cell. I remained mute. A shiver run down my spine. We all know about the scary cell mate stories. "You, the one in the black t shirt," He said again. I knew very well I was the only one in black but I pretended not to notice. When I heard the sound of footsteps next. I knew it was over for me. My heart started racing as the footsteps got closer. "Chale he is one of Frank's guys oh. Do you want trouble?" KK said. I turned around to look at the cell bully. His boy scared the daylights out of me. He looked at me walked back. His expression said it all. Whoever Frank was he wasn't to be messed with. For this particular case dierr I didn't deny Frank.

To be continued...

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A night to remember 3

The house had no gate. I walked slowly into the compound looking out for dogs or something but it was all clear. I noticed a motorbike parked by the porch. This was definitely them!  I took out my phone and called the Police. I gave them directions to where I was. According to them they would be there very soon. I sent my GPS location to Keli too. Just in case I got caught and killed at least he could find my body.

Just then I heard voices coming from behind the house. I moved closer to hear what they were saying. " KK what are you doing? My girls are waiting for me at the mall." The lady said. I recognised her voice immediately. "Then go eh? I just dey copying some of ein movies." A male voice replied. "Ah, you are lucky I don't know how to ride a bike. Frank will come for the laptop tomorrow. Let's go, ah!" She snapped at him and he giggled. When I heard doors opening I knew I had to hide! I crawled into a bush in a dark corner.

When they came out of the house I watched them get onto the motorbike. The guy was much bigger than he sounded. The lady had changed her clothes and had put on makeup. It annoyed me how pretty she was. It was definitely her because I recognized her tattoo. I knelt down quietly in the bushes till they were gone.

When I was sure the coast was clear I rushed out and headed for the room I heard them talking from. I honestly didn't know what I was doing and before I could come up with a plan someone opened the door to the house. I just stood there staring. It was a teenage boy. "Who are you?" He asked. He had just opened the door to the room I wanted to enter. I took my chance and cooked a story. "I'm Kojo, Frank's friend. He's busy so he said I should come for a laptop." I lied. The boy stared at me with a blank expression. "I called KK and he said he's stepped out but I should pick it up." I added. At this moment he believed me because he let me in. "Ok you can pick it up." He said.

I walked into the room and was surprised to see tons of phones, laptops and tablets. I tried to remain composed. I looked around and immediately I spotted my laptop I heard the sound of a motorbike. "Looks like KK is back." The boy said. My heart skipped a beat. There was a fair chance KK would fall for this trick too but what if he called the Frank guy. I had to leave but it was just too late. KK got to the door before me.

"KK this is Kojo, Frank's friend." The little boy introduced. I nodded and looked away. That was probably a bad idea. KK stared at me. When he reached for his phone I knew it was all over. I looked at my laptop one more time and wondered if it was worth my life I was going to lose. Maybe I could offer him money to spare me but my account was dry as hell. As my life flashed before my eyes I heard a loud bang and next I knew there were police officers inside the room.


To be continued... 

A night to remember 2

I got out of the car to look for the lady but she was nowhere to be found. I asked the hawkers around and they confirmed that someone on a motorbike picked her up. "Ai, ai ai this can't be happening. How did she do that?!" I exclaimed. Just then I remembered I had a tracking software on the laptop. Immediately she turned it on I would be able to trace it. I hopped back into the taxi and asked the driver to drive in the direction the biker went.

The only thing that threw my suspicion off the driver was the fact that he told me his car had an inbuilt camera that recorded footage for the day. In my presence he requested for the footage to be sent to me so I could take it to the police station. I checked the app on my phone to see if the laptop had been turned on but there was no luck. I decided to drop off at my brother's house not far away.

"Edem what do you want here?" Keli, my older brother said when he saw me at his door. "You are so welcoming." I said and walked into the house. I sat down and told him everything. "Ah so why are you coming to me? Do I sell laptops? Ma guy forget about it and buy a new one," Keli said cheekily. He had a point but with what money? Just then my phone beeped. It was a notification from the tracking app. I rushed for the phone and confirmed my suspension. The laptop had been turned on and it was just about 200 meters away. "Bingo, I've found it!" I exclaimed and stood up immediately. "If they see you they'll recognize you. Take this and remove your shirt." Keli said. He was right. I collected the baseball cap he handed over to me and took off my long sleeve shirt leaving my black inner tshirt. "I need to go." I said and dashed out.

I followed the directions on the app and realised I was getting very close. Just as I got closer my phone beeped. I saw that it was an email from the taxi service with the video the driver had requested. I opened it immediately and watched it. The lady put her bag on my laptop bag when she entered the car. When she was leaving she grabbed both but I didn't notice because her bag was covering it. I saw that she had a flower tattoo on her arm. Just then a call came in. It was Kwesi. I kept cutting the call to continue following the gps but he just wouldn't stop calling. "What is it?!" I answered out of frustration. "Chale some fine girl wants your number oh. She saw you on my IG. I think she..." He started but I cut him short. "Chale I make hot, I've been robbed," I said. Kwesi started asking for details but I just didn't have the time for that. "Ah, for where? What did they take?..." He asked. I remembered the video. "I'm sending you a video. It's all there." I said and hung up.

The app took a while to load after the call but finally came back and this time it was closer than I imagined. It indicated that the laptop was in a house across the street from where I was. My heart was pounding at this point. What if they were armed robbers? I second guessed myself for a minute and decided to take the risk.


To be continued... 

A night to remember 1

"Ei best man, how are you doing?" Terry teased. I knew he had seen the post our friend who was getting married had put up on social media. "I beg oh I'm not the best man. I'm a mere groomsman. Do you know how much the best man suit costs? I no get that kind money." I confessed. The whole idea of buying a new suit just for a wedding pissed me of but Kwesi, the groom was a close friend so I had to suck it up. Kwesi was a social media fanatic. It was a picture he put up of us having a fitting of our suits that had sparked Terry to make fun of me. "So how much is your suit?" Terry asked. The price rolled up in my mind but I was too angry to mention it. "Chale I don't remember. Where's my laptop? Did your guy fix it well?" I changed the subject. Terry nodded and brought the laptop out for me. I inspected it and gave him the money I owed him. That laptop was my life! I had work on it that my boss would sack me if I didn't present it to him the following week.

"I need to get going. I'll see you later." I said picking up my things. Terry teased me one more time as I left his house. He was right to make fun of me. I was being a fool. Spending over 2000 Cedis on a suit and shoes? Why was it my wedding? I was just glad the wedding was in a few days. Finally it will be over with so I can wallow in poverty before the month ended. I stood at the junction deciding on how to go home. I could take a trotro which would cost me next to nothing but it was late. What if someone robbed me and took my laptop. I took out my phone a requested a cab. If I was going to spend all my money I might as well do it in comfort and style anaa?

The cab came in minutes and a '5-star rating'  hungry driver picked me up. I could tell because he was smiling unnecessarily and kept asking if I was ok with this or that. There was a bit of traffic so I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my friend Kwesi's feed. I hoped he hadn't put more pictures of me on there. It was worse! He had put up a video of me and his best man taking a look at the suits for the wedding. He captioned it as "the finest bridal party in Ghana. Yo ladies come for your MCM." A smile formed in my face when I read some of the comments from some ladies. The next thing I knew the car door opened and a lady hopped into the back seat next to me. "Hello, I know this is strange but can I get a ride? I'm just going to the next junction. I've been standing here for an hour and I'm not getting a car," She said. I wasn't sure what to say because the driver turned to look at me.

She did look tired but the first thing I thought about was con artist! Who just enters someones car without permission? She looked good in a low cut office dress and long wavy hair but that was usually the bait right? "I'm sorry but this is a private ride. You can try the next car." I managed to say. She turned to look at the driver who slowly looked away. Dude needed his 5 stars. He was loyal. She looked surprised at what I said, like she never expected it. Good looking girls think they can have it all eh? "I'm surprised but it's cool," She said. She opened the door and paused for a second. She then threw an empty water bottle at the driver. "You too you won't even talk for me!" She said angrily and left the car. I leaned over and asked the driver if he was ok. See how the tables just turned?  He said he was fine so I sat back and that was when I noticed my laptop was gone!

To be continued...

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Broken 12 (finale)

When I was on my way home Kevin called me and asked me to come over. I smiled and went to his place. He said he had a really good movie he wanted us to watch when I got there. It sounded like a good movie. He put it on in his room and we watched it on his bed. "It's really nice having you around." Kevin said and kissed me. I smiled. It was like old times. We would either go out with friends, basically Kevin's friends or hang out at his place. "I am sure we will make it work this time." I said pulling my phone out to take a selfie of us. Kevin didn't exactly say anything. It was his shrug and reluctance that made me uncomfortable. "Kevin, am I getting this wrong?" I asked. He tried to kiss me again but I held him back.

I slid off the bed and picked up my bag. "Mag don't be like that. I really like you. I just don't want to rush things." He said. I shook my head. "What? So what are you taking me to a resort for? I'm confused." I replied. He rubbed his eyes and shrugged again. "Daisy told you? There goes the surprise. I wanted us to spend time together." Kevin said. I couldn't believe it. I felt like a fool. I turned around and walked out. "Where are you going? Come back." He said. It was clear he didn't want a relationship with me. At least not a serious one. I left his place and went straight home.

"You were right. He really is trash." I said, on the phone with Daisy when I got home. She was always my shoulder to cry on when I was upset. I should have taken her advice. Now here I was heart broken again by the same man. "Don't beat yourself up. Kevin is a cool guy. It's normal for any girl to like him. What's important now is that you've realized he's not good enough for you. I'm proud of you for questioning him." She said. I nodded. "You know what? I think I like Pablo. I'm just scared. I can't take another break up. What if he leaves the country?" I said. Daisy adviced me to talk to him. "Every break up makes you better. You now now what you should avoid. Remember how many guys I dated before Lawrence?" She went on. She was right. I decided to talk to Pablo after work the next day. "Go girl, go for what you want. If it doesn't work out learn from it and keep going!" Daisy cheered and I giggled. She was my best friend for a reason!

When I went to work the next day Pablo wasn't at his office. I went to check on him during lunch time but he was still not there so I called him."Hey Maggie, what's going on?" He said over the phone. I asked why he wasn't at work and he said he was going to explain everything later because he was busy. My heart skipped a beat when he hung up. He had left? But why? I sad down, completely feeling defeated. I had my chance and I blew it. One moment these guys were all over me and now I was alone again.

After work Daisy came to my department. She walked right to my desk. "Where is Pablo? I didn't see you guys go out for lunch today." She asked. I looked up at her and told her what was going on. "What? That's bad news. Did you tell him how you felt?" She asked. I just shrugged and Daisy shook her head. She said something that was so true. "You need to tell him. Even if he's leaving he needs to know. What do you have to lose?" Daisy said. I took a deep breath and picked up my phone. Daisy nodded and left to the airport to pick up Lawrence.

I looked around and saw some of my coworkers. I picked up my bag and walked out. This conversation was not something I wanted anyone to hear. I noticed I was alone in the corridor so I called Pablo. "Hey Maggie sorry I was just about to call you." He said. I hesitated a bit then gathered courage. "It's fine. Pablo I wanted to tell you something..." I started. He tried cut in but I stopped him. "Let me do this please. I think I have feelings for you. I know I haven't really showed it and all I do is talk about my ex but I realise the only reason why I want to be with him is because I'm afraid of starting over again. But sometimes starting all over again is a good idea. I already know you are leaving the country but I just thought I'd tell you." I said.

My heart was pounding when I finish talking and he was quiet. "Do you have anything to say?" I asked. "What I was trying to say is that I'm at the parking lot. I can actually see you. Turn around." He said. I turned around and there he was. He was in a t-shirt and jeans. I almost dropped my phone when he walked up to me. Without saying another word he kissed me. I felt all types of butterflies."I'm not leaving. I just had an issue with the taps at my apartment. The place got flooded that's why I couldn't come to work. It's fixed now." He said. We both giggled but I felt really silly. "I'm glad you told me this." Pablo said. I couldn't help but smile. It was a good feeling. He took my hand and suggested we go and have dinner. As we walked to his car I couldn't help staring at him. I wondered why I was so afraid to start a relationship with him. He was perfect!

The End

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Broken 11

Kevin dropped me off at home and went back to his. He said he was really tired. When I got inside I couldn't help smiling. Finally we were going to come back together. I took out my phone and was about to call Pablo when I heard a knock at the door. I smiled and walked to the door. I thought it was Kevin but to my surprise it wasn't him, it was Pablo. "Hey sorry for popping by unannounced. I just dropped off one of the guys a couple of blocks away and decided to see if you were home." He said. I smiled and asked him to come in.

"Where's Maxine?" I asked. Pablo told me he dropped her off at home before he dropped the guy off. I smiled and didn't ask any more. It didn't look like he was interested her. When he sat down I told him all about the party and how things went. "Did you see the date of the first message?" Pablo asked. I thought for while. "Wait, why are you asking?" I asked. He said he wanted to know if the messages were made up or real. I felt a little offended. "It's like you don't want me to be happy." I said. Pablo shook his head and apologized. I thought hard and remembered the conversation started weeks ago so I told him. He nodded and there was an awkward silence for a while. "I think I should go." Pablo said. I felt bad instantly. "No don't. I don't mind the company. I'm sorry about what I said." I confessed. I stood up and went to my kitchen and returned with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. When Pablo smiled I knew we were back to normal again.

We had wine and played a card game I had. We both didn't know the rules very well but we made it up as went and it was so hilarious. It didn't make sense to me how much fun I was having. We finished the second bottle of wine and when we were on our third I knew we should stop. We are awfully close to each other. "Does Kevin make you happy?" Pablo asked. I paused for a while and nodded. "I think we are cool together." I said. I looked away because honestly I wasn't exactly sure of what I was saying. That whole week had been weird. "Does Maxine make you happy?" I asked. Pablo laughed. "She's just my friend. You don't seem to believe that, huh?" He answered. "You, make me happy." He added. I wasn't expecting him to say that at all so I sat there, inches away from him, speechless. Pablo noticed my nervousness and looked away. It's like he could read me.

It was pretty late so Pablo got up to leave. I wasn't sure how to react to what he said but he seemed ok ignoring it. "That wine is brilliant. Anyways I'll see you at work on Monday." He said. I nodded and he left. That night before I slept all I thought about was Pablo. I was a total mess. It didn't make sense at all. Kevin was finally taking me seriously but I felt weird. I wanted to discuss it with Daisy but I knew she would be bias.

The next day I saw Daisy after church. She invited me over for lunch. She said Lawrence had travelled so she needed the company. I nodded and we went over to her place. As we had a really good meal I told her I knew about the surprise Kevin was planning for me. She looked very surprised. I told her I read their conversation on his phone and she nodded.

"Lawrence said I should leave you to choose the person you want to be with. He's right, I've been too hard on Kevin." She said, looking away. I was going to tell her I thought I had feelings for him but she went on."I wanted you to move on so bad. When I found out Pablo liked you I thought it was perfect timing. You know his contract expired two weeks ago and he renewed it? I won't be surprised if it was because of you." She said. I froze. "But anyways you said he likes Maxine so at least now everyone is happy right?" She asked. I wasn't sure what to say. "Kevin was asking me which weekend you are free. What should I tell him?" She asked. I wanted to tell her the truth that I realized I had more fun with Pablo but I wasn't sure what I felt for him was real. Just then she had a call and the subject never came up again.

To be continued.... 
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Broken 10

Kevin drove to the party and immediately I got inside the house I calmed down. The environment was very bubbly and fun. It was perfect for the plan. In less than an hour I was going to know the truth.

"Yo Kevin, who's this lovely lady?" One of his friends asked. He smiled, held me close and said, "this is Maggie. Maggie this is Kwesi." I smiled and said hello. I excused myself shortly after and walked outside. Kevin used to introduce me to his friends as his girlfriend. I guess we weren't officially together again. I knew this but it still hurt. "Maggie, what are you doing?" I whispered to myself. I took out my phone and called Pablo. There was music in the background so I guessed he was out. "Hey, how's it going?" He asked. I gave a sigh of disappointment in myself. "I don't know what I'm doing Pablo." I said. "What do you mean? Should I go over the plan with you again?" He said. Just then I heard Maxine's voice. All of a sudden I felt weird. "Oh you are at your party with Maxine. I'm sorry for interrupting." I said. Pablo quickly cut in and told me I wasn't interrupting anything. "Pablo I need to go. Kevin is in the right position now. I'll call you back." I lied and hung up. I looked for a place to sit but I heard Kevin call me. I turned around and faked a smile. He asked me to join him inside. I walked back into the house and met more of his friends.

I was ready to execute the plan after a while but Kevin had his phone in his pocket the whole time. It was almost like he knew. At a point in the night I got uncomfortable. I didn't really like his friends. They were just too loud. Then I thought about Pablo and how he was probably having a really good time. I took out my phone to text him and noticed he had called me 3 times. I walked to the washroom to call him back. Unfortunately he didn't answer so I went back to Kevin who looked like he was leaving. I was so excited when he said he was tired and so we should go. I nodded and we walked to the car.

When we got into the car Kevin put his phone into his glove compartment. "Ah I forgot to give Kwesi his money. Hang on I'll be right back." he said and walked off. This was too easy. I grabbed Kevin's phone. I called him with my phone and with the call still on I had access to his WhatsApp messages. I went through them and found Daisy.

My heart was pounding when I went through the messages. I was totally surprised. It was nothing I had ever imagined. Kevin had contacted her first telling her he was sorry about the mix up and that he needed her help to make things right again. She seemed hesitant at the beginning but later sent "fine what do you want me to do. I'm only doing this because it seems Maggie wants to give you another chance and my husband said I should be nice." Kevin then told her he wanted to ask me out again like he did when we met. The memory of that day floated into my mind. He took me to a resort out of town for the weekend and asked me to be his girlfriend.

The messages with Daisy suggested that he wanted to take me outside the country this time as a surprise. He needed my passport information and wanted Daisy to get it without me knowing. The last message from Daisy was my passport information. She sent him a photo of it and from the background I could tell it was the day I gave her the keys to my place. A smile formed on my face but I felt bad. I didn't trust my best friend and Kevin. I should have known it was nothing serious. Pablo's idea was definitely a good one. I thought of calling him and remembered he was out with Maxine. I put the phone back just in time before Kevin returned.


To be continued.... 

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Broken 9

When I got to Pablo's office I set up my laptop next to his and sat down. He sat next to me and got right to it. We were less than 5 minutes in when Daisy walked in. She said hi to Pablo and smiled at me. I shook my head and walked out to talk to her. "You guys look so cool together." She said when we left his office. "He's interested in Maxine, there's nothing going on. What's up?" I snapped. Daisy seemed shocked. She asked why I thought he liked Maxine but I ignored her question and just kept asking what she wanted. "Ei someone is in a bad rabbit mood today. I sent you messages but you didn't reply. I see you are not going home anyime soon. Wanted to borrow your hair curler." She finally said. I remember seeing her messages and ignored them. "I'm not going to be home for a while. I'll give you my keys so you pick it up. Leave them at the usual place when you are done ok? I need to go." I said. I gave her my keys and went back. Daisy was surprised but she left without saying another word.

"Did you ask her about the call?" Pablo asked when I came back. I shook my head. The tutorial took about an hour. Pablo was really good at coding and coupled with his sense of humour it was so much fun. I couldn't believe the amount I learnt in just an hour. I ordered food and made sure to buy some our security man so he wouldn't disturb us. We were the only ones left at this time. "Have you decided what you are going to do about the conversation you heard?" Pablo asked as we devoured the jollof we bought. I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I trust Daisy. I don't think she's seeing him. She's happily married. Maybe it was another Daisy." I said. Kevin and I were planning to meet over the weekend. I was planning to ask him then but I didn't tell Pablo.

"So are you dating Maxine?" I asked. Pablo almost choked on his food. "What?" He asked after drinking some water. I starred at him waiting to hear a reply. "Maxine from the marketing department? No I'm not dating her. That's a weird question." he continued. I shook my head. "No, it's not. She told me you asked her to have drinks with you." I said. Pablo nodded. "Ooh that. Yes I did. It's Kofi's birthday. The guys were planning to little hangout and I asked some girls to come. Maxine, Florence and another lady. So no we are not dating." He explained. I smiled. I looked on my phone and saw Kevin was calling me. I excused myself to take the call.

Kevin called to make plans for the weekend. He said he missed me and really wanted to see me. That sounded so unlike Kevin. He said there was a party he wanted to go to and would pick me up at about 7. I wasn't very excited about it but I agreed anyway. I was temped to ask him about his conversation with Daisy but I decided not to. When I ended the call I noticed it was getting late. I picked up my bag and packed up to leave.

When we got to the car park I stopped and turned to Pablo. "Do you think Daisy is sleeping with Kevin? I find it hard to think about that because she doesn't like him at all." I asked. Pablo looked surprised. He thought for a while and came up with a plan. He said it wasn't a good thing to do but it was my best bet to get an honest answer. His plan was brilliant! I hugged him and said I would do it. We laughed over how excited I was and parted ways.

At 7pm on Saturday I was all dressed up and ready for the party. I sat down in my couch waiting for Kevin. My heart raced a bit when I heard his car pull up in front of my place. I grabbed my bag, took a deep breath and walked to his car after locking up. "Wow you look smashing!" Kevin said when I got into the car. I smiled and he leaned in to kiss me. It didn't feel as good as it used to but I tried to play along. I didn't want him to notice anything odd. The plan would be ruined if he did.


To be continued... 

Broken 8

After a few more hours of drinking and chatting Kevin decided it was time to leave. He took me to my place. He told me there was a really good movie he wanted us to watch. I smiled and politely turned the idea down. "I have work in about 3 hours so I need to sleep for just an hour and go. A system maintenance procedure. Maybe over the weekend." I lied. He wanted to come in for a while but I told him it wasn't a good idea. I kissed him and said goodnight.

When I got inside my head was racing. A part of me wanted to call Daisy or Kevin and ask what was going on but I wasn't sure they would tell me the truth. I called Pablo instead. I told him what I heard and he calmed me down. "Don't over think it. It's probably something irrelevant. We can talk about it tomorrow, just go to bed it's late." He said. He was right. It was very late and I was probably worried about nothing. I took a shower and went straight to bed.

The next day when I got to work I walked straight to Pablo's office. I followed his advice and tried not to ask Daisy or Kevin what was going on. Pablo was having a cup of coffee when I got in. "So I'm here, let's talk." I said when he saw me. He shook his head and asked me to come and look at something on his computer. I walked to him reluctantly and looked at it. It was code. He had found the glitch in a programme the whole team had been working on. He had fixed it too. It was very impressive. "Wow how did you do this?" I asked, inspecting it even closer. He smiled and promised to show me how he did it. I gave him a high five.

Our boss then walked in and asked what was going on. "Maggie and I have fixed the glitch." Pablo said. I looked at Pablo and he smiled. Our boss was very glad. She gave me a smile, congratulated us and walked out. This was the first smile I had got from her in the past 3 months! Just like magic I had completely forgotten about Daisy and Kevin. "Hey sit down and let me teach you how I did it before you blow our cover." Pablo said and we both laughed. "Not so loud, jeez." I teased.

After work Pablo suggested we stay late so he can teach me some more coding and I gladly agreed. When I was packing my stuff to go to his office a coworker Maxine smiled at me. "Is it official yet?" She asked. I. Wasn't sure what she meant until I saw her glance at Pablo on the other side of the hall. "No no we are not going out. Just friends." I said. "Oh ok, he asked me to have a drink with him on Saturday night but I thought you guys were dating so I told him I'll think about it." She said. "Oh. Really? Well errm so well you can go then if you like, I guess." I stuttered. "That's good news." She said with a big smile on her face. I nodded and grabbed my bag.

For some reason I wasn't interested in taking Pablo's' tutorial class' anymore. Just then Pablo walked to my desk. "Are you ready?". He said. I had almost no choice now. I nodded and grabbed my bag. Pablo spoke to Maxine for a few seconds and followed me to his office.

When I got to Pablo's office I set up my laptop next to his and sat down. He sat next to me and got right to it. We were less than 5 minutes in when Daisy walked in. She said hi to Pablo and smiled at me. I knew exactly what the smile meant. I shook my head and walked out to talk to her.


To be continued... 

Broken 7

"What about this?" Daisy said holding up a dress. We were in a shop trying to pick a dress for her to wear to a friend's party. Daisy was a serial shopper when it came to clothes. The best part of shopping with her was that sometimes she felt very generous and bought stuff for me too. I nodded at her but she didn't really like the dress so she put it back on the rack. Just then my phone rang. It was Kevin. I answered it. He wanted to pick me up so we go to a pub. I couldn't help myself from smiling. After the call Daisy winked at me. "Was that our Spanish boyfriend? The way the girls in HR are jealous of you eh?" She said giggling. I shook my head and told her it was Kevin. Her smile vanished immediately. "Maggie, are you still entertaining him?" She said. This was the very reason why I didn't want to tell Daisy anything. Luckily the shop attendant brought her a dress she had requested for in a bigger size and that ended that conversation.

When Daisy was done shopping I looked at the time. Kevin would arrive at the mall any minute. I hoped Daisy would be gone by that time. I walked Daisy to her car and waved at her as she drove off. I noticed Kevin's messages saying he had arrived. I went to him and we were off to the place. It was nice spending time with Kevin even though we would most likely be with some of his friends. It was still cool. We were finally trying to get back. 

The pub was very busy and a little crowded. His friends, PY and another guy were already sitting at a table so we joined them. They ordered drinks and some finger foods. I sent a text to Pablo and told him I was sort of on a date with Kevin. "Mag, a night with the boys is not a date but whatever rocks your love boat." He said. I giggled and kept texting him. Pablo was such a goofball!

 Kevin got up and went to the bathroom leaving me and his friends behind. It was a bit awkward so I continued chatting on my phone. I felt a vibration on the table and realised Kevin had left his phone. Someone was calling him and my heart skipped a beat when I recognized the number. It was Daisy! Why was she calling Kevin? Did she know we were together? Why didn't she call me instead?

I saw Kevin return and calmed myself down. He picked up the phone, saw the number and walked out to take the call. I was just too curious. I followed him and hid behind him to eavesdrop. "What is it princess Daisy." Kevin said sarcastically. "You need to calm down. I'm not forcing her to do anything. Are you jealous? How will she find out? You worry too much. Look, I need to go. Later." he said and hung up. I turned around and rushed back to my seat.


To be continued...