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... 

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...