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 5

As I packed my things into my wardrobe I saw a call from Pablo. I smiled as answered his call. My smile faded immediately I realized the voice wasn't his. "Hello madam please do you know a Pablo Ortiz? He is currently on admission at St. Patrick hospital." A lady said. My heart skipped a beat. I grabbed something to wear and sped to the hospital as fast as I could.

When I got to the hospital I spoke to the receptionist who was the one called. She directed me to his doctor's office. I was asked to fill some forms by the doctor. I told him our workplace had insurance but unfortunately Pablo didn't have his card on him so I paid the bill. "We have discharged him so you can help him get home. He's fine but it's just a precaution we are taking." The doctor said showing me to his ward.
When I entered Pablo's room he gave me a half smile.

"Somehow I knew you would be the one to come." He said putting on his shoes. I sat down on the chair in front of him. "How are you doing? I had a serious scare when they called. What happened?" I said. He looked quite fine but just a bit not himself. "It's nothing, I passed out because I haven't had a meal since yesterday." He said. I stared at him. "What? Are you serious? Why haven't you eaten in that long?" I asked. He giggled and said I sounded just like his mother. Then he changed the subject. I realized he wasn't comfortable talking about the topic and really wanted to leave the hospital so we left.

I took him to his house. He kept saying it wasn't necessary but I joked about the doctor telling me tuck him in bed before I left. His apartment was really nice. It was small but very cozy. I went straight to the fridge and saw opened it. To my surprise it was fully stocked. "Goodness, you have all this good food and you are not eating?" I said out loud. Pablo shrugged. "Don't worry it won't happen again. I was working on some crazy project and got carried away." He said. I shook my head and sat down next to him on the couch. "I don't want to sound like your mother so I won't say anything about this anymore." I said. Pablo nodded and smiled. He picked up his remote and turned on the TV. He flipped through a number channels and landed on a movie channel. "You have make up on. Did you have to leave some fancy place to come get me?" He asked. I shook my head.

I told Pablo I had a date but he rescheduled. "A date? Ouch." He said. I asked him what he meant by that. "The other night you said you weren't ready to date anyone. I guess what you meant was I wasn't good enough for you huh?" He said. My jaw dropped. "No, it's not like that at all. Oh the guy..." I started but Pablo giggled and told me he was just messing with me. I calmed down a little and told him Kevin was my ex and how I thought we were going to get back together. There was something about Pablo that made chatting with him so easy. He was a perfect listener and unlike most people I knew he didn't judge me.

I told Pablo about Kevin, how we broke up and how I thought he wanted us to work things out when I met him at his place. When I was done I felt I had said too much. I didn't know how Pablo would react, after all he did try to kiss me once. But then again that day we both had a lot of drink. "He definitely likes you. He wouldn't reach out to you if he didn't. He's probably scared he'll get you caught up in more drama that's why he's moving away from you." Pablo said, sipping on a glass of water. I smiled, he was probably right. It made the most sense. We kept talking for about 2 hours.

Just when I  Kevin sent me a text."He wanted to know if I was upset about rescheduling. When I smiled Pablo guessed it was him. He leaned over and read the text. He snatched my phone and started typing a reply."Hey Pablo what are you doing?" I asked trying to get my phone back. He giggled and gave me back the phone when he was done. "I sent the coolest reply." He said. I shook my head and read what he typed. It read, "No it's fine. I'm just leaving one of my coworkers place to go home." I looked up Pablo. He was still giggling. "It's not like it's a lie. He'll ask you who it is soon." Pablo said as we walked to my car. He was right. Kevin asked if it was 'the white boy'. I asked Pablo what to say and he said to say yes so I did. I shook my head again and put my phone in my bag. We said our goodbyes and I drove off.

When I got home I noticed I had missed some calls. They were all from Kevin. I was just about to call him back when I heard a knock at my door. I looked at the time. It was 9:18pm. I wondered who it was. I opened the door and to my total surprise it was Kevin!


To be continued....
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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 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... 

Zaky 8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be continued... 

Eli's wife 10

Eli opened his eyes. When he turned around and saw Sena sleeping he knew it wasn't a dream. He stared at her for a while. Just then his phone rang he quickly muted it but it was too late. Sena's eyes opened slowly. She smiled when she saw him. "Good morning." Eli said, smiling back at her. They went downstairs and had breakfast together and left for work.

Eli walked into his father's office with Sena behind him. Sena looked around and saw her father passing with his hands folded at his back. She knew something was wrong. "Eli, I hope you are proud of yourself now." Her father said. Eli looked at his father-in-law and at Enyonam, Sena's sister, confused. She picked up a newspaper and gave it to him to read. "What is this? What's the matter?" He asked reading the article. Enyonam shook her head. "Since you haven't heard I'll tell you. He has been invited to be interviewed on Political Truths tomorrow night." She explained staring straight at Sena.

"You two caused this. Your fishing for the truth has created a perfect way to launch someone's career. People are interested in this guy and he says he has evidence." Enyonam shot at him. Sena took the paper and read it as well. Her sister was not overreacting as she thought. The person had information on Tina, Doctor Richard and was going on air to shed more light on the matter. This journalist shared her exact suspicions. Finally, she wasn't the only one who thought the President had something to do with Tina's death. Sena looked at her father, not sure of what to say. "How could he have found this information? Could the doctor who examined Tina be behind this?" She asked. "I was going to speak to the stupid journalist but Dad said no." Enyonam said. Sena explained to her father that it was best they spoke to the journalist. At least if they knew why he was doing this they could figure out a way to solve this. Her father told her he wanted to discuss the matter with President Tamakloe first but listening to Sena he finally agreed.

  Enyonam parked her car and looked around. Eli stepped out of the car first. "A parking lot? This is the most cliché meeting place I've ever heard of." Eli said. Enyonam was going to comment when Sena gave her the 'calm down he's not serious' look. They waited for a while and heard footsteps. Then Sena's heart missed a beat when she saw Charles walk to them.

"Hello, sorry I'm late. I just had to wear a bulletproof vest and let my work mates call the Police if I don't return in 5 minutes. Yes that's all you have got, 5 minutes." he said with a wide smile. Sena was frozen. Eli just stared at him. "We just have a few things to ask you." She said and turned to Sena. She didn't budge. She just stood there. Enyonam rolled her eyes but before she could ask anything Charles spoke again. "Sena, my baby are you alright?" He asked mockingly. Eli took a step forward and said, "What is wrong with you? Leave my wife out of this." Sena's head was down now. She could feel the tears forming. "Oh so your wife didn't tell you about... us? Such a shame." Charles said smiling. Enyonam looked at Sena and saw a tear drop. "Sena, what's he talking about?" Enyonam and Eli said at the same time. "All those nights she came home late, she was spending good quality time with me."  Charles said and walked away.


To be continued ...

His Muse 10.2 (finale)

The next morning Edem skipped his class and went over to Sandra's hostel. He got there as early as he could. He knocked on the door and her roommate let him in. He noticed Sandra's bed was empty. "Adjoa, where is Sandra?" He asked concerned. Adjoa just shook her head. "I don't know. I slept early last night." She replied rubbing her eyes. Edem took out his phone. He was going to call Dean but he realized that was a bad idea. For a minute he felt out of place. Then the door opened and Sandra entered the room. She looked sleep deprived. Her hair was a bit messy. "Edem!" She said startled. Her roommate saw the situation and left them alone. "I have been calling you since last night." He said looking at her closely. Her hair was messy. Her clothes looked crumpled.

 "Where were you?" He asked. She fumbled. Edem shook his head. What he was thinking was probably right. "So you were sleeping with someone eh?!" He thundered. Before she could say another word he added, "I'm ashamed of you Sandra." She threw her bag down and rolled her eyes. "Look Edem, I really don't know what you want from me. You have the coolest clothes, dine at the best restaurants and I am even planning on getting you into a cool hostel like mine and you are here yelling at me. Who cares about that guy I was with? Aren't you the one everyone calls my boyfriend?" She finally said. Edem froze. "What?! All those things are done with my own money..." he started. "Oh boy please. You wouldn't have gotten that money if it wasn't for me!" She yelled. Edem stared at her. He realized what was happening. He always saw it, he was just blinded by the long hair, smiles and curves but now he could see clearly. He headed for the door but Sandra rushed for his hand. "Ed, look I'm sorry. I didn't even sleep with anyone. I just met with a producer of a TV show about you and we went to a party..." she explained. He didn't say a thing. He just broke free from her grip and walked out.  

Unfortunately, Sandra did not allow him to perform at the show. She gave the spot to someone else. Edem had run out of money. He didn't have enough money to get him through the next year. He went to see a few people who were organizing shows if they needed a comedian for as little as 50 cedis a show. He was desperate. One night on his way back he saw Sandra. He was about to approach her and put his anger on her when someone called him from behind. He turned around and saw Dean and Sally. "Yo, what's up?" Dean asked. Edem felt terrible and happy at the same time. He rushed to them. "I'm so sorry, Dean. I don't know what..." he started to appologize but Dean stopped him. "Don't worry its alright. I knew you would come back to your senses." he said. Sally smiled. "So we are cool?" Edem asked, looking at both of them. "Yup." they both said. Edem smiled. "Look here we have money to make. And you are not going to be begging for gigs again ok?" Dean said. Edem nodded eagerly as they walked away. "Dean you were right. My talent comes from within me and not from anyone else. Especially not gold digging girlfriends." Edem said and Dean smiled. "Amen!" Sally yelled and they all laughed, just like always.

True friends understand you, even when you have nothing to offer them.

The End  

His muse 10.1

"I have been calling him since Friday. He won't get back to me." Dean said. Sally struggled to keep up with his pace. They were walking to their hostel from lectures. "Oh Dean relax. Edem is probably busy with studies. You know exams are coming up." She said. Dean turned to look at her. "So you are also on the other side eh?" He asked, slowing down. Sally stopped. "What? What are you talking about?" She asked innocently. Dean sighed. "Sandra his new sweetheart was acting all diva on me at the show." He said throwing his hand in the air. Sally couldn't help it. She burst out into laughter. "I'm glad one of us at least finds it funny." He said looking at her. "I'm sorry. It's just that, you looked gay when you did the whole diva thing." She managed to say. Dean giggled and tickled her. She laughed even louder. "Are you jealous of your friend because he has a new girlfriend?" She teased. "No, not at all. It’s just that since they started dating its like she controls him. Can you imagine he blew almost 150 cedis on a date with her? He hasn't made enough money for that." Dean explained. Sally put her arm around his shoulder. "Deanie, he is in love. He has more shows ahead. You said it yourself. His future is bright. Just let him have a little fun ok?" She said. They were on Sally's floor now. She rushed off to her room and Dean went to his. Just before he got to his room he got a text from Edem. "Well its about time!" He yelled. Dean read it and his jaw dropped.

"How could you?" Sally said. Edem recognised her voice and turned around. "Sally. What's up?" He said, rather shy. "Oh don't what's up me. Dean was the one who got you into showbiz in the first place and now you tell him to back off?!" She said walking closer to him. Edem stummered for a while. "Look you don't understand. I'm not telling him to back off." He tried to explain. He felt bad. "So you feel you can handle this on your own don't you?" Sally shot at him and folded her arms. Just then Edem's phone rang. "Sally I'm sorry but I have to go." He said and walked away.

Moses pulled a chair next to Edem's bed. "Yo I heard you have a gig at the national theatre next month. Is it true?" He asked. Edem nodded. "Ah, how did you know? My name isn't on the posters." Edem asked. Modes smiled. "Your manager/girl friend said it on air today." He replied. Edem smiled. "My girl has links." He said and gave Moses a high five.

Edem walked away from the ATM machine. He had withdrawn money from his education savings. He felt bad and remembered what Dean said when they first set it up. "Make sure you don't touch this money or else you can kiss school goodbye." He hadn't heard from Dean in some months. He felt bad. Sandra got him shows that paid more but unfortunately she seemed to spend all the money on fancy restaurants, clothes and fuel for her car. He looked at his phone. It was almost midnight. He called Sandra again after a few failed attempts. This time the call went through but she didn't answer. He walked briskly to his hall. When he got to his room he couldn't sleep. He checked the time again. He picked up some handout notes he was reading and opened it. He closed it after five minutes and sent Sandra a text. He was worried.

To be continued... :) 

His muse 7

‎"Chale if I were you I would go to her hostel and act as if I met her by chance." Moses said. Edem and Moses had become good friends. He felt more comfortable talking to Moses about Sandra than Dean. Dean had a girlfriend, he didn't understand. "Chale she get boy oh." Edem said, throwing his backpack on the bed. "Well if she loves him she won't be so nice to you." Moses added. He was playing with a football. Edem thought for a while. The more Moses spoke, the more confident he got. He was almost sure he could win her over. He thought about ways he could approach her. She was so cute. He was going to make his move the next day.

"You should have been there. The designer took my measurements and asked me to try on some clothes." Edem said walking next to Dean. "Oh that's nice. Abi you are a star now." Dean replied. Edem smiled. "Don't get too excited oh. We still need to make enough money for your school fees and...goodness! Hostel fees too." Dean added, scratching his head. Edem nodded. They got to the shop and Dean looked around. "At least now that you have a new muse we are good to go." Dean said. Edem froze. "What new muse?" He asked confused. "Dela. I'm talking about Dela. I watched how you lit up the last time she came to watch you. It looks like she likes you too oh. You should look sharp." Dean explained and made his payment. Edem felt a bit offended. "I beg Dela is not my muse." He finally said. Dean looked at him funny. 

"Oh but before she came you were a mess. Then all of a sudden your jokes were super funny." He said trying to understand Edem's anger. "That day I had lunch with Sandra." He spilled out. Dean giggled. "The girl you are afraid of or which Sandra?" He teased. "Look Dean, I know you don't like the idea of me thinking about her but chale I dey like am waa. I may not get her because I don't have much to offer and she has a boyfriend who buys her stuff and all but it doesn't change..." Edem started but Dean cut him short. "Yo, can you hear yourself? She has a boyfriend. Let her go! If you date a girl like that she will just make you feel bad about yourself and boss you around." Dean was getting angry now. "You have a show tomorrow. Focus on that and leave that girl alone! You need to put yourself together and realize that you make all these jokes yourself and this muse business is just a distraction. I have to go prepare for my class so later." Dean added sternly and walked off. Edem just stood there soaking it all in.

On his way back to his hall Edem decided to walk. He felt like thinking. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the dark clouds forming. He kept walking on the wide walk, thinking about what Dean said. It was when it started drizzling that he realized he should have taken a taxi. He stood by the road and signaled for a taxi to stop. They were all full. Edem was getting soaked now. He shook his head and decided to walk to the bus stop ahead. He turned around and started walking, insulting himself as he went. He was interrupted by some screeching noice. He turned around and saw a blue van heading right at him. Edem tried to dive into the bush but the van was just too fast. It hit him and he fell down unconscious.






To be continued...

If you meet my boyfriend

If you meet my boyfriend tell him I tried

I put up with so much and yet he still lied

Every time he hurt me, a bit of me died

So please, if you meet my boyfriend tell him I’m tired

If you meet my boyfriend tell him I’m in pain

It was always about him, always what he would gain

Never considering my heart and it drove me insane

If you meet my boyfriend tell him my tears are pouring like rain

If you meet my boyfriend tell him we just don’t belong

He is an amazing person but works much better alone

Even though I want to stay, my heart knows I have to move on

If you meet my boyfriend please tell him I’m gone



Painting by Thomas Saliot

One 'two' love

I'm a girl. No two ways about it. I missed Kwame so much. I couldn't deny it. It had been seven months since we broke up and I knew thinking about him wouldn't help but was it my fault? Eh, was it my fault that they were playing his favourite song on the radio? "Forget him, if he really loved you he would have come after you." I said to myself. Well then again he did, once. I should have taken him back eh? No but what if he lied to me again? Ah but people lie all the time. Maybe I was harsh but maybe too we were just not meant to be together. Ahhhh, too much talk. I was almost at my junction now. The taxi driver stopped and I got out of the car. I pulled out my earphone. I wasn't going to keep listening to that song. 

I opened the gate and it felt like my house gave me a big hug. My niece yelled out my name and rushed to me. I felt a bit more cheerful. "Hello, you have missed me eh? When did you get here Kabuki?" I asked, lifting her up. "Just now. Auntie some boy bi is looking for you." She replied playing with my earring. "Eh, which boy is that?" I asked smiling. I put her down and she dragged me. This energetic little girl. "He is nice papa, and he gave me this." She said and brought out a piece of a key holder. My heart missed a beat. It was Kwame's.

I looked up and froze. It was him. It was really him. Wow and my niece was right. He was a nice boy papa. "Uncle Kwame I showed her the thing you gave me." Kabuki said and broke the silence. He smiled, I missed that smile. "I'm going to show it to Grandma and Grandpa." She said again and run off. There were a thousand things I wanted to ask him. "You have a very interesting niece. She actually taught me some things." He said. His voice hadn't changed; neither had his funny accent. I smiled and nodded. "So we did a lot of talking..." He started. "Who is we?" I asked. He paused. "Me and Kabuki." he replied. I giggled and signaled that he go on. "I wanted to talk to you but I want to hear you talk first. This time I don't want us to fight so we will do it in a nursery rhyme." He continued. "Huh? I said giggling. Was he serious? To be honest it sounded like fun. "We are using 'one two buckle my shoe'. Let the words represent what you feel about us. Ok? Please just give it a try." He said. I could see genuineness in his eyes. I can't explain it, I could just see it.

 "Ok, here we go." I said and recited....

One two, who are you?
Three four, what are you looking for?
Five six, what can you fix?
Seven eight, don’t you think you are late?
Nine ten, why are you here again?

Kwame took a deep breath and moved closer to me. He looked at me right in the eyes and recited his verse.

One two, a man in love with you
Three four, to keep your heart secure
Five six, us, this time with no tricks
Seven eight, yes I believe u are my soul mate
Nine ten, to love you now more than I did then

Call it cheesy, call it silly, call it whatever you like but that was the day I fell in love with Kwame. Maybe I was in love with him the whole time but I just needed that little spark of magic to put it all together. Love is in the air....

No stress no drama

• ·         Problems are like tunnels. They are dark, long and scary but they will eventually end. If u stop fighting it will just take a longer time. Just keep going.

• ·         Can you love everybody you know equally? No, so understand that some people will love you less. No hard feelings.

• ·         God loves you. Honestly if he didn’t you wouldn’t be reading this. It’s kind of hard to absorb sometimes because he is the maker of everything? Yea well if you made something as complex and cool as you, you would love it too wouldn’t you?

• ·         Anger is like a parasite. You know, like the annoying malaria parasite that goes into your system and makes your white blood cells weak? In this case white blood cells= happiness. Don’t let anger steal your joy.

• ·         Things will not always go your way so make back up plans all the time if you can’t take disappointments. One time all 3 back up plans failed but the 4^th didn’t. It was to buy myself a drink if all 3 failed and I did J

• ·         Hard times are sometimes good for you. They make you strong. I mean think about it, if you have been chased by a hungry lion before, that local dog is nothing! Bingo clearly didn’t know you could run that fast.

• ·         The more you give the more you get. You may be rolling your eyes but chale it’s true. Just don’t expect it to come the way you gave it. I’m sorry it doesn’t work like that. When you put a seed in the ground what do you get? It starts as a plant, a tree and in no time you have a 100 fruits.

• ·         No matter what you do (I hope it’s nothing bad) believe in yourself. A lot of people do not think they are worth much but if they could see the big picture they would be blown away. You don’t have to be on TV or in magazines to be the best. It’s all about you.