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 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...