Broken 8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


To be continued... 

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... 

Zaky 6

Zaky and I got pretty close the next couple of days. I picked him up for work and dropped him off everyday. I never mentioned anything about what kafui said to me. I guess having him around me slowly made me forget about that night. First it was just going to and from work together, then it moved to having lunch as well. After a week I was almost certain he liked me. 

One day on our usual trip home from work he had a call that changed his mood. He stammered when he replied and I could tell he was carefully selecting his words so I wouldn't get when he was saying. The call was very short and after he kept texting like crazy. "Hey so Friday you move back to the head office right?" I asked trying to get his mind off the call. "Uh huh." He said still typing. When we got to his apartment I parked and looked at his absent-minded face. "Ei, we are here eh?" He asked. I giggled and nodded. "Come upstairs I want to show you something." He said opening the door.

Zaky seemed to come back to his normal self when we were in his apartment. This was my second time there. He brought two glasses of wine and gave me one. I tried to say no but he would have none of that so I just took a sip and put it on the table. "Oh seriously? At least drink half. The alcohol content is very low." Zaky said smiling. I nodded and downed a little more than half. He turned some music on and started dancing. I laughed. I asked what we were celebrating but he just grabbed my hand and started dancing with me. Just as I imagined he was a good dancer. 

"I don't know how to dance!" I shouted over the loud music. "I'll teach you." He replied. He put both my hands around his neck and put his hands on my waist. His palms fit gently on my waist and it felt like as we swayed from left to right our bodies got closer inch by inch. When a very slow song started playing we were so close I could feel his breath on my forehead. 

Zaky moved me a bit further away, held me chin and kissed me. He stared at me to see my reaction. I guess I was very inviting because without saying anything he kissed me again. It felt nicer than I imagined it to be. I didn't think we would be at this stage at least until a couple of weeks but I guess that wasn't his style and I didn't mind at all. Then gradually I got completely light headed and blacked out. 

To be continued... 

Zaky 5

Zaky had the most charming eyes. He smiled and walked in my direction. I slowed my pace. "Spidy." He called and smiled. I laughed and all my nerves calmed down instantly. We spoke for a while. After a few minutes we saw the company bus take off. "Shit! I missed it again. I made you miss the bus too. I guess we will have to share a cab again. Did you know my new apartment is close to your place?" He said. My heart started racing again. "Wow, so we are neighbours." I said smiling like a sheep. Naturally I gave Zaky the good news, I had a car! His face lit up and he hopped into the front seat. I could not believe my second string of luck. Zaky and I were neighbours? Wow!

Immediately we got to Zaky's apartment Dede called. I answered the call. "Hey sorry about the lunch thing oh. Aha you remember the girl you told me who snubbed Zaky right? What's her name? I sent you a text but didn't get an answer." She asked. I turned to look at Zaky who was still in the car. "Oh you mean the host of Who Wants To Be Rich? I think it's Kafui.. Kafui Dei." I said, trying to sound convincing. Dede clearly didn't get it. "Huh? What are you talking about?" She said. I hung up on her and quickly sent her a text. I explained to her that I was with Zaky and if I mentioned her name he would find it weird. Just when I thought my lucky was too good Zaky invited me in!

"Make yourself at home. There's only water in my fridge though." Zaky said when we got into his apartment. The place was nice and spacious. The decor was very modern and expensive. "Nice place." I said taking a seat. The walls were painted grey except one that was black and white striped. There were paintings on the walls too. "Don't be deceived, I didn't do this myself. This place belongs to my cousin. He's out of town for a year so I'm sort of a caretaker. I don't have this kind of stylish flare at all." Zaky said grabbing the TV remote and sitting next to me. I smiled. What was he talking about? He had style! Then I realised how sadly dressed I was and I kept quiet.

We spent about an hour watching TV and then I left. It was nice hanging out with him but I didn't want to outstay my visit. On my way home I stopped by a clothing shop and got myself something nice for work the next day. When I got home I checked my phone and saw a message from Dede. It said, "I spoke to the Kafui girl. She said some pretty strange things about Zaky but I'm guessing she's just jealous." I replied and asked what strange things. "She said she wanted to talk to you so I gave her your number. If she threatens you we will know for sure that she is jealous." Dede replied. I waited for Kafui to call but she didn't.

To be continued... 

Zaky 4

We left the party in about an hour. Everybody was still there when we left. "I hope you had fun." He said. I nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you did." He replied as we walked down the street to catch a cab. He hadn't asked for my number this whole time. I wanted to take his but I felt it was a bit pushy. When he said "I think this taxi is empty, we can take it." I calmed my nerves. He said WE! He opened the door for me and joined me at the back seat. He looked at his watch and asked me to tell the taxi driver where I was going. He probably had more plans for his night. There was no traffic at all sadly, so we got to my house in no time.

When the taxi stopped I put my hand in my bag to bring out my purse but Zaky stopped me. He insisted on paying. "We could split it." I offered but he would have none of that. "Ah is there a bank down this road?" He asked pointing. I nodded and he asked if there was a restaurant right opposite it. I nodded again and he smiled. "I think I know this area." He added. I giggled and told him our office wasn't far from my house. "Thanks for coming with me Spider Woman." He teased. I laughed and nodded. "Alright see you around." He said and the taxi left.

"His number." I said to myself when I realised I had forgotten to ask him but it was too late. I turned around and walked to my house. I noticed my car was back. I smiled as I went past it. If I had driven it to work I wouldn't have met him. I still had what Kafui said on my mind. It was a bit confusing but I thought about how interesting Zaky was and smiled. Maybe a visit to our Head Office would do the trick.

Dede couldn't wait to see me the next day. She came over to my desk immediately I settled down. "I did some snooping around and guess what?" she asked. I smiled and asked her to continue but I noticed she was staring at me in a funny way. "Really? This is the best you could wear today?" She asked with her hands on her hips. I shrugged and explained to her that I really wanted to wear something interesting but I didn't own any such clothes. "How about that white top with the ruffles?" Dede asked. "It was dirty." I said hiding my face in my palms. She gave me a sympathetic look and continued what she was saying before she was rudely interrupted by my fashion flaws!

Dede told me the person Zaky was covering for had extended their leave so he was going to be around at least for 2 more weeks. That was amazing news! That was why Dede wanted me to look good. Now I had to just plan how to bump into him. The bus would have been a good plan but I brought my car to work this time. "Tomorrow I'll leave my car at home and use the bus. He'll take it too." I said. Dede giggled. She thought it was a good plan but didn't understand why I needed to go that far. "You guys are friends now. You can just walk up to him and talk." She said. I stared at her. She had a point but I wasn't sure what I would say. The only thing I really wanted to ask him was what the girl at the party meant by what she said. But I honestly didn't know how to ask without it sounding weird. Just then Dede's boss walked into his office. "We will talk about this at lunch time." She said quickly and rushed off.

Unfortunately for me Dede wasn't able to meet up with me during lunch time. She had to attend a meeting at the head office that took longer than she imagined. After work I walked to my car and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Zaky coming out of the building too. He was with a bunch of his colleagues. Before I could turn away our eyes met.


To be continued... 

Zaky 3

"I hope you have fun. I'm not really a party person but I had to be here. If I'm boring pinch me ok?" He said and smiled. I smiled and nodded. If had asked me to do anything at all at that very moment my answer would have been yes. No matter what it was. As we entered he held my hand again. I probably needed pinching too because I felt like I was dreaming. Maybe I dozed off on the bus?

There were people all over. Everyone was in work clothes but some of the ladies had thrown on some extra jewellery and unbuttoned their shirts a bit lower. Dede was right, the women who worked here looked much more daring. Their heels were higher, clothes were tighter and their make up was something else. I felt so odd in my flats. "Zak how's the new branch?" A tall guy said, smiling and shaking his hand. They had a brief conversation and we walked to the table that was serving drinks.

Zaky kept very close to me. He would chat a bit, introduce me to people and walk around. Then we met the operations manager. She was tall and commended a lot of presence. What in modern terms people call a boss chick. Even in a colourful party hat I could sense it. "Zaky! Have you missed Head Office already?" She said and we all giggled. She shook my hand and I wished her a happy birthday. Zaky was right about being bad company. He would chat for a while and when he noticed it quickly rush back to me. It was perfectly fine for me, I mean I was just excited to be his date. I spent a good deal of the time texting Dede and telling her all about him.

When I felt someone close to me I took my eyes off my phone and turned to them. It was a lady. She had a perm cut and the most modest clothes in the room, well besides mine. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She looked at Zaky was was busy laughing with some guys and turned back to me. "You are from his new branch right?" She asked. I nodded. Then her smile faded. "Are you two going out?" She asked bluntly. I wasn't expecting such a question at all. "No, me and him? No we are not." I said, fumbling all over the place. "Well then, lucky you." She added. At this point Zaky had seen us and was walking briskly towards us. Before I could ask her what she meant he had reached us. "Kafui, how are you doing?" He asked her. She gave a very dull reply and just walked off. "Have you tried the spring rolls? They are amazing." Zaky said immediately she left. He grabbed my hand and we walked to the food table like that awkward conversation never happened.


To be continued.... 

Zaky

I spotted Zaky when he entered the bus. He was the last to enter and I started at him as he made his way to the empty seat in front of me. He was dressed in his usual fitted trousers and long sleeve shirt with the sleeves folded just to the elbows. He was by far the best dresser at work. Maybe it had more to do with his body rather than the clothes. I noticed I was staring and looked away. I had never spoken to him before. I just didn't know how. I heard a notification on my phone and checked it. It was Dede. She was sitting two rows behind me. "Talk to him already. I know you want to."Her message said. I turned around to look at her and she winked at me. I giggled and replied with "My sister, it's easier said than done." Then the bus took off.

My crush on Zaky started the very first day I saw him. He came to drop off something for my boss with Dede. There was something about him. He was obviously extremely good looking but he had that humble demeanour that just got me hooked. He was the type of guy who would offer his seat to an older person if the work bus got full. He did that once for one of our janitors. She said she didn't mind standing but he insisted saying he had been sitting all day. It didn't make any sense why I was too shy to talk to him. He was a nice guy. His stop was two stops before mine. "Look sharp before those head office girls get their hands on this guy oh." Dede teased in another message. Goodness she was right! She found out Zaky was going  back to work at our head office on Monday. He was here for 2 months to replace a staff member who was on leave. The ladies at headquarters were known for their 'manizing' nature.

I took a deep breath and stretched my hand to tap his shoulder. Just before my palm landed someone called him and I pulled back. It was a lady. She got up from her seat and sat next to him. My heart started pounding. Why, I wasn't sure. I turned to look at Dede with an 'I tried' expression. She wasn't amused either. I sat there as Zaky chat with this lady. In no time at all the bus stopped and the lady stood up with Zaky. I watched him walk out with her. I felt all my shyness disappear but it was too late. I put my head down and started banging my head lightly on the back of the empty seat in front of mine. "You blew it, you totally blew it." I whispered over and over again.

"Are you OK? " I heard someone ask. I looked up, parting my braids to see who it was. It was him, Zaky!


To be continued... 

Just like Adel 6

That weekend I stayed indoors. I wanted to have some me time. I would admit that I missed having a boyfriend to share things with but because Dean was always available I never felt it until Adel came. My phone rung and I couldn't believe who it was. It was Henry. I stared at the phone and contemplated answering it. I shook my heard and decided that if he called the second time I would answer. I watched the phone quietly to see if it would ring again but it didn't. Instead there was a knock at my door that startled me. I walked to it and saw Gilly standing there with a rubber bag.

"I hope this isn't a bad time." He said with a smile. I shook my head and stared waiting to hear his agenda. He handed me the rubber bag which contained a bunch of goodies. Gilly said they were from Henry. He was a bit busy at the office so he asked him to bring it over as a thank you gesture for the other day. I was surprised. To be honest I had a deep feeling Adel was behind this.

I asked Gilly why they were working on a Sunday and he said he had to work on something with Henry urgently. He said a workaholic joke and we both laughed. Before Gilly rushed off he turned to me and said "This is the first time I've seen Henry buy something for someone." I smiled and laughed to my head. I dumped my sympathy gifts in a corner and walked to my room.

After lots of convincing during the week Dean managed to get me to go to Adel's birthday party. I really didn't want to go but I realised I had to get over Henry and maybe this was my chance to have some fun and meet some new guys. I went shopping the day before so my outfit was spanking new. Just so I wouldn't look lonely I went with my coworker, Sedem. She felt so under dressed when she saw me. We got to the party just in time for the fun parts.

"Isn't that the Henry guy Dean is setting you up with?" Sedem asked. I turned around and saw him. He was in a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Black really suited him. I turned around immediately he turned our way and Sedem laughed. I think her laughter attracted him because he walked to us. "Hi." Henry said. Sedem conveniently excused herself to get another drink. He was looking a bit pale. Probably from over working. He looked straight at me. "Hi." He said and I nodded. He went ahead and complimented me. I smiled briefly and excused myself.

I saw Sedem eating a slice of cake. It looked so good. I asked her where she got it and she pointed to the kitchen. "I got lost and saw a huge tray of cake so I picked one." She said. I scolded her for not getting a piece for me as well and made my way to the place she was pointing to. Adel's house was so big. I saw an opened door and walked into it. Unfortunately it wasn't the kitchen. It was a little office.

Just before I turned around to leave something caught my eye. On the desk there were a bunch of old pictures of what looked like Henry and Adel. Some had their parents in them. I smiled when I went through them. Henry looked very happy and normal. Time had really changed him. I heard a sound and instinctively turned to look at who it was. I saw Adel and her father. He handed a big brown envelope over to her. "That's the expenditure list for the new branch." He said. What kind of father brings work to his daughter's birthday party? That's right, Henry's Father.

I hid behind some bookshelves where I could hear more. "Dad this could have waited till Monday." Adel said shaking her head. "You need to learn to give the company importance. When you take over the company next year you will have to make sacrifices. " Her father said. My jaw dropped. It was true Lestor Brock was old but Adel? "Is Henry here?" Lestor asked and his daughter nodded. "He still won't talk to you?" She asked. He turned away. "Dad, I'm sure he will come around. You need to understand how he feels." She added. Her father nodded and walked away. Adel walked into the office and my heart missed a beat. I sat very still behind the bookshelves. She dropped the envelope on the table and walked out.



To be continued... 

Just like Adel 5

"I don't know if I'm reading wrongly into this but I'm not sure I'm ..." He started and from nowhere at all two men on a motor bike appeared with cutlases. They where near us before I could get into the car. "Shit." Henry said. "Bring your phones, wallets and the car keys now!" one yelled. "My phone, you don't know I'm a police women eh?" I said and pulled out a gun from my bag. I pointed it at them and they fled without saying another word.

Henry turned to look at the gun and back to me. Don't worry it's not real. It's a prop. My cousin is a director, I got it from him. " I said smiling. I showed him the sticker behind the gun." What? Goodness even I fell for it!" Henry said and we both laughed. "That's really cool. You should get me one but it will probably be useless soon." He said taking the gun from me and examining it. "What do you mean?" I asked. He just shrugged but his expression had really changed.

"What were you saying earlier?" I asked. Henry turned to look at me. "I don't know how to say this." He started. "You don't like me. There, I said it for you. It's kind of obvious." I cut in. He froze. "It's not that. Its just that you look..." He explained then I realised Gilly was right. He couldn't date me because I looked like his little sister. "Hey I get it. Anyways you need to go. I may not be able to pull this trick off twice." I said collecting the gun from him and putting it into my bag. He wanted to explain but what could he say? "Yea sure. Err, goodnight then." He said and left. Maybe it was for the best.

I warned Dean not to talk about Henry anymore. I didn't want to hear about Adel either but that was just impossible. One evening when we closed from work I was just about to leave the office when I saw Adel. I smiled and said a friendly hello. She nodded and signalled to have a word with me. "Dean is in the bosses office." I said. "Yes I know. I'm just waiting for him here. So I hear things didn't work out with you and my brother." She said.

I stared at her for a while. For some reason she looked unhappy but it made sense. Since I'm not with her brother she still has to worry about Dean. So petty, this girl. "Nope." I said, taking a step closer to the exit. I really wasn't interested in discussing my rejection with her. "So what now? Are you guys going to remain friends though? " She asked. I wondered what she thought her words would achieve. "Who knows. You know what, I'd like to chat but I really have to leave. " I said. Adel didn't seem happy at all. She nodded and I stormed out of the office.


To be continued... 

Just like Adel 4

When I got to work on Monday I went straight to Dean's desk. He hadn't arrived yet so I sat in his chair and waited. I turned on his computer to play a game. Just before I started playing I saw an instant message from Adel. "Hey hun, are you at work already?" it read. I was just about to type a reply when another message came that made me freeze. "Is Dores around? I'm not playing about what I told you about her. Don't even think about it. " It read. Just then I heard Dean's voice. I turned the computer off instantly and left his desk.

Maybe it was me but it really felt like Dean was acting strange the whole day. After lunch I couldn't take it anymore and I guess he felt the same way too so when I walked up to him after lunch he said sorry. "For what?" I asked. "For not telling you that you looked like Adel. I guess you are passed off too." He added. I raised an eye brow. "What did she say?" I asked curiously. When Dean dragged his words I knew he didn't want to talk about it. I told him I had gotten over it. Somehow he thought we would both be amused. "She thinks you may like me too because we look alike right? Tell her not to worry, you are not my type." I said frankly and walked away. I heard him call out to me but I wasn't in the mood to listen to him. Dean and his girlfriend had never appeared more childish to me.

That evening as I went home I noticed Henry's car parked in front of his office. I really considered paying him a visit but I honestly didn't know what I would say then I remembered a trick I read online. I dropped off at his office and after explaining a good deal to the security man he finally allowed me to see Henry. "I didn't know I had to go through so much to see you." I said trying to sound casual but not quite getting it right. "I'm a big deal." He said and smiled. He was so charming. Even with his reading glasses on. He got up and walked towards me. Was he going to kiss me? I asked myself with my heart slightly racing.

He walked past me to his cabinet and picked a file. I shook my head at my wishful thoughts and sat down. It was time to act. "I think I dropped something in your car the other time." I said. Before Henry could say anything a tall guy walked in. He looked at me and nodded when I said hello. "Gilly as you can see today I'm a bit busy." Henry said, looking at me. Gilly looked at me again and just stared until Henry laughed and introduced me to him. "My goodness I almost swore you were Adel." He finally confessed and I giggled. "Do you have any plans for the evening?" Gilly asked. I shook my head and Henry frowned. "That's good. So you can join us. We are getting Henry drunk tonight." Gilly said. Henry didn't look very amused. "Doris needs me to do some stuff for her at her place. Gilly we can do this another time." He protested. I decided to play along. Gilly just shook his head and took a reincheck. Before he left the office he turned to me and said "Henry has a second sister now. Whoosh!" Henry threw a paper ball at him and he laughed.

We walked to the car park to look for the thing I 'dropped' in Henry's car. I learnt this trick about a year ago. You leave something at your crush's place and either have him bring it to you or go for it. In no time at all I found my little note book. Unfortunately I didn't remember what to do after I retrieved the item. "Found it. Thanks." I said awkwardly. Henry nodded and locked his car. "I'll see you later then." He said. "That was cold." There was a nice side to him but his cold side wasn't fun at all. I looked at my watch. "It's almost 9pm. How about you walk me home? " I asked. He shook his head and got into his car. "I'll drop you off. I need to come back and finish some work." He said. It wasn't what I expected but it was better than nothing. I hopped into the front seat and we were off. I saw some papers on the seat and turned them over to look at what was written on them but before I could read anything Henry snatched them from me. "It's just work stuff. So which way do we go?" He asked looking straight ahead. This was getting worse by the minute thanks to Mr workaholic.

In less than 5 minutes we were in front of my little apartment. "Thanks." I said when Henry turned to look at me. I opened the door and walked out. My plan didn't go well at all. "Doris." Henry called. I turned around swiftly. He got out of his car and walked to me. "I don't know if I'm reading wrongly into this but I'm not sure I'm..." He started and from nowhere at all two men on a motor bike appeared with cutlases. They where near us before I could get into the car or my apartment. "Shit." Henry said.



To be continued... 

Just like Adel 3

"Finally I get to meet Doris." I heard a familiar female voice say. I knew it was Adel. I turned to look at her and froze. I thought I was looking in a mirror. She looked just like me. She was startled too but masked it well. Dean laughed and said he had been waiting for this day for so long. I shook her hand and managed to smile. Besides our skin colour and bust size Adel and I looked too alike. She even wore glasses like me. Dean was about to pull a chair for me when I signalled to him not to. I lied about something I needed to do for my boss at the office. "You work this late?" A slim guy sitting next to Dean asked. I shrugged. I said a quick goodbye to everyone and left.

As I walked out a number of things run through my mind. All the times when Dean's friends thought I was his girlfriend now made sense. I stood in front of the restaurant waiting for an empty cab and saw a familiar face walking towards the entrance. Henry said a quick hello when he saw me. I nodded without even smiling and turned away. I wasn't interested in his unfriendly things at this time. My mind drifted back to my 'twin' immediately. Who knows maybe that was why Dean liked having me around. I shook my head. He was an idiot for not telling me. After 10 minutes of waiting in vain I realised every car that came to the restaurant was a private car. I probably had to walk to the main road to get a taxi. I reluctantly started walking. It was a pretty long walk.

I tried not to think too much about the issue. After less than 5 minutes of walking on the rough road I insulted myself for wearing heels to work. Just as I contemplated walking barefoot a car pulled up next to me. It was Henry. "I could drop you off at the junction if you like." He offered. I hopped into the car without wasting time. "My feet are killing me." I said unconsciously. Henry shook his head and drove off silently. His car was so comfortable, I got a little upset we were nearing the junction. Just then Henry's phone rang and he answered it. "What? How did that happen? I told Maria to wait. Just wait for me. I will be in the office soon. Call Ofori to see if he has another number for them." He said. He didn't look amused at all. "Are you going back to your office?" I asked with my fingers crossed. "Yea I need to get some issue sorted out." He replied. I tried to hide my smile. "Can I get a ride there? I don't live far from your office." I requested shyly. Henry just looked at me and when we passed the junction I guessed that was just his rude way of saying yes.

"You are not much of a talker are you?" I asked, adjusting my seat to feel more comfortable and noticed Henry staring at me. "Ei so the free loader isn't allowed to feel comfortable? " I said and he gave a faint smile. I giggled. "I should have dropped you off at the junction." He teased. I laughed and hit him playfully. "I'm a damsel in distress." I added. He seemed to be warming up to me. "No, you are a damsel who decided to wear uncomfortable shoes." He added. We both giggled and before we knew it had arrived.

Henry dropped me off just in front of his office and I took a taxi home. Honestly I could have walked but my shoes wouldn't have let me. When I got home I saw a text from Dean. "How did it feel meeting your twin?" it read. I rolled my eyes. "Dean, I'll get you on Monday." I said to myself. The best thing about the day was Henry. I was glad he was finally warming up to me. I could smell hope in the air.

To be continued... 

Just like Adel 2

"Henry?" I asked. He looked up at me, clearly surprised. "Hi, what are you doing here?" He asked, taking off his glasses. He signalled for me to have a seat and I told him my mission. I realised now why Dean conveniently wanted me to come instead of him. He must have known. Henry answered all my questions sharply. It almost felt like he was in a hurry for me to leave. I told myself he was doing that because I told him my time was limited. I left immediately I got what I needed ignoring the temptation to take his number, for work purposes of cause.

After we presented our documented ideas to the boss Dean and I came back to our desks. We were so late we hadn't talked about Henry yet. Dean brought him up the minute I sat down. I told him in all honesty that if there was any proof that he wasn't interested in me it was our meeting. Dean shrugged and ended his probing by saying I was exaggerating. When he grabbed his phone I knew he was going to give his girlfriend the report. I couldn't wait till the next day when she finally arrived so I could tell her how annoying her boyfriend was.

I noticed as my taxi pulled over in front of a really big restaurant that I was probably under dressed. Looking at the type of cars around my black trousers and blue sleeveless top may not have been very appropriate. I remembered I had a necklace in my bag and put it on to add some style to my plain look. I got out carefully in order not to damage the cake I was holding. Dean tasked me with delivering the cake he had ordered for Adel at her welcome dinner. She had finally come back!

I rushed into the restaurant after paying the taxi driver. Dean had called me a thousand times because I was late. He said Adel was a bit jet lagged so he didn't want her staying up so late. I smiled when I saw Dean waving at me. He and about 5 other people where sitting at one table. I walked to them and put the cake on the table with a smile. "Everybody this is Doris, my coworker who loves being late." Dean teased and I heard some giggles. "Finally I get to meet Doris." I heard a familiar female voice say. I knew it was Adel. I turned to look at her and froze. I thought I was looking in a mirror. She looked just like me!


To be continued... 

Just like Adel

Dean walked to my desk and when I saw the look on his face I knew he wanted me to do something. "What do you want this time?" I asked turning away from my table. He led me to his desk and asked me to fix an issue on his computer. Dean was so bad with computers it wasn't funny. "So did Henry call you?" He asked. I shook my head. "Chale I don't think he's interested oh." I replied getting up from his desk. Dean frowned. He was just about to talk when our boss walked into the office. I turned around immediately and went back to my desk.

Henry was the older brother of Dean's girlfriend. I thought he was cute the day I met him and Dean gave him my number. That was a month ago. I hoped he would call judging by his wide smile when we met but after a week I just gave up. "Doris I have a new job for you."  my boss said and signalled for me to come to his office. I walked briskly behind him. He handed me a file and said it was a pharmacy advert I was to work on it with Dean. He made it clear that they were a big shot client and so I had to bring my sharpest ideas. I smiled and rushed to Dean's desk. I'm a copywriter who loves her job and challenges excite me. My thoughts of Henry disappeared just like that.

Even though we were nowhere on our project Dean suggested we go to a coworkers wedding. I tried to play the workaholic card but he would have none of it. I finally agreed and we went. It was a beautiful wedding I must say and it really refreshed me. We sat on the same table with Sedem another lady from work. Half the time Dean was on his phone most likely chatting with his long distance girlfriend Adel. He always kept in touch with her and talked about her all the time. My buddy was smitten. It made hanging out with him so much easier because I knew there were definitely no strings attached. "Guess what?" Dean asked as I stuffed my face with a huge slice of wedding cake. "Henry said he lost your number. Adel just told me." He added. I wiped my lips with a tissue. "That again? I thought I told you I was over him. Crushes don't last remember?" I said. Dean just ignored me and kept on typing. Sedem was interested in the topic all of a sudden. Dean told her a very badly fabricated story of the day Henry and I met. I rolled my eyes and looked out for another person serving cake.

Just then a guy came out of no where and shook Dean's hand. They laughed and joked for a while and he turned to me and shook mine too smiling so widely. "I didn't know you were around." He said to me. I stared at him not sure what to say. Then he continued. "You two are not matching colours this time?"  then it hit me. He thought I was Adel. This wasn't the first time. Before I could correct him Dean jumped in and did me the honours. The guy stared at me again and apologised. "Wow, this is.." He started but the phone in my pocket vibrated and I jumped to answer the call.

After talking to my boss over the phone I realised we had less time than we thought to finish the project. We had until Monday afternoon to come up with 10 scripts and Dean hadn't even taken a look at the file. Even though I insisted we leave to do our work Dean still managed to let me stay. "We haven't met with a representative from the company yet even." I nagged. "Don't worry. I'll do that on Monday morning. Have I ever failed you before?" He asked. I shook my head. He was right. I looked around and took in the beautiful environment with my glass of champagne.

Monday morning Dean and I got to work very early. I gave him the file to read while I finished up on a script I had written the night before. "Heh for real?!" He shouted. I turned and looked at him confused. I rushed to him and asked if there was a problem. He shook his head. "You know what? Let me stay and finish up the scripts while you go speak with them." He said and quickly turned over to his computer without even bothering to listen to what I had to say. I complained a little and just left when he didn't badge.

When I got to the client's office I was asked to wait. It was one of the biggest pharmacies in Ghana. "Hello, Mr. Brock will see you now." The Secretary said. I smiled and walked into his office. It was a very big office with very beautiful decor. I wondered if I was going to meet Lestor Brock himself, the CEO. I noticed the man sitting at the desk didn't have grey hair. As I got closer I noticed he looked familiar. "Henry?" I asked. He looked up at me, clearly surprised. "Hi, what are you doing here?" He asked, taking off his glasses.


To be continued... 

The good life

Pic from blakevond.com

I signalled the waiter to bring me another glass of whiskey. The football match I was watching wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. The teams that were playing were not exactly the strongest but it was either that or staying at home to listen to my wife nag about this or that. That was when I saw her. Samira, the girl I had the longest crush on. She was just as pretty as I last saw her in university. Her long hair was flowing on her back as usual. When I saw Samira's mother I knew where she got all her looks from. She was with two other ladies, coming from the VIP part of the pub. I waved at her and she smiled when she saw me. She whispered something to her friends and walked to me.

"Peter, I haven't seen you in forever." Samira said joining me at my table. I nodded and asked how she was doing. She was still witty. I really liked that about her. After some small talk she informed me that it was one of her friends’ birthday and they came to chill out a bit. She made me think about my own social life. Well,if watching football matches in pubs counted then at least I had one but unfortunately I had a curfew. 10pm and Afua would call me. Samira made me envy her more when she told me about their plans for later that evening. She was clearly living a fun life. She froze all of a sudden and looked at my wedding band. She congratulated me and I managed to smile. There was a time I would smile much broader when someone congratulated me but now with the baby, things were very different. Afua barely noticed me. All her attention was on our baby but who was I to complain? After all, she was the one taking care of the baby most of the time so I had no opinion even in my own house.

Samira invited me to join her on their chilling spree. I was extremely surprised she asked. To be honest it seemed like she was flirting with me. I was unsure because all the years I had known her she never showed much interest in me. Hey who knows maybe she preferred married men. Her interest made me very excited. There was no way I was going to refuse. She made all 4 of us leave in her car. She insisted on me leaving mine behind. "It'll be more fun if we are all together." She said and winked at me. I almost believed the whisky was making this all up. When I saw Samira's Land Cruiser I realized life was good for her. She drove just as crazy as her personality. My wife was a fast driver but Samira was on a different level. Her friends seemed just as wild because I was the only one clinging to my seat belt. We arrived at a huge mansion. Was this her house? I remember her parents’ house from back in the day. It wasn't half as big as this. She seemed to read my mind when she said, "This is a friend of mine's place. He's out of town for a while so he said we could use it." I nodded.

The interior of the house was like one of those fancy homes you see in decor magazines. Samira turned on some music and they did some dancing. The birthday girl called a couple of friends and asked them to come over. In less than 30 minutes there were about 9 more people in the house. There was music and drinks all around and a tennis Wii game going on. In the midst of all the fun I noticed my curfew was drawing near. Why couldn't Afua organize little parties like this once in a while? Just when I spotted Samira and was going to tell her my plans to leave she grabbed my hand and said she wanted to show me something. I walked with her to the back of the house. There was a beautiful pool there. "How about a swim?' She offered. "What, like now?" I asked. She laughed and nodded. Before I could say anything she took off her dress. The Lord knows all sorts of things rushed through my head. She got into the water and asked me to join her. I fought hard to refuse. Half of my mind was focused on Samira in her underwear floating in the water and the other half was on my wife and our daughter. "I have to leave." I managed to say. Samira's face dropped. "Is it because you are married? Why shouldn't married people have fun huh?" She asked. I wasn't sure what to say.

I sat down by the pool with my trousers folded up and my legs in the water. I just watched Samira swim, extremely considering joining her. I knew I couldn't resist her for too long. "You know that ring you are wearing is like a prison." Samira said. I shrugged. "That's why I'm free." She said giving a backstroke. "When you find the right guy you'll think differently." I said. She stopped and turned to look at me. "I don't think so. I don't see what marriage or love can give me that I can't have." She added. I thought about Afua immediately she said that. I tried to list the things she added to my life. The list was so long I smiled. Afua was the right person for me. I mean I was here in a place I would have died to be in some years ago, thinking about my wife. Samira asked why I was smiling. I told her and she got a bit upset.

Samira got out of the pool and grabbed a towel. She wore some clothes and without saying anything grabbed her car keys to drop me off. On my way back still in silence, Afua called. I expected to hear 'where are you' but instead she said our daughter said daddy. I laughed as we made fun of our little girl over the phone. When I remembered where I was quickly wrapped up the call. "It's worth it huh?" Samira asked. She was driving much slower. I nodded. I really didn't want to go talk much about how much I loved my family. "But you looked so miserable at the bar. Married people look all sad but they always go back to their wives." She said. Her tone had changed. "Loving someone doesn't mean you won't have problems with them. It just means you'll always be there for each other. I guess that's one beautiful thing about it." I said. She turned to me and smiled. When we got to my car she dropped me off and waved as she left without saying another word.

When I got home the first thing I did was look for Afua and gave her a deep kiss. She smiled and asked what we were celebrating. "My baby called me daddy. It's official, I'm her daddy." I said. She laughed and held her mouth to muffle the sound in order not to wake the baby up. 

Blind date

I looked around for a black t shirt. I was about to text Aziz to ask where he was when I spotted a fine guy in a black Tshirt. I smiled and put my phone back into my bag. I walked up to him. He looked really cute. Paulina told me he was cool. She was probably being her usual modest self. Then it hit me. Would he think I was cute too. I paused and turned to look at my reflection in one of the glass windows of the bar. I tossed up my hair a little and continued walking. My heart started racing when I got to his table. I smiled. He smiled back too but not as broad as mine. "Aziz right? It's good to finally meet in person." I said.

 "How are you doing?" He asked to break the awkward silence after I sat down. I said I was fine. A waiter came up to me and I ordered a drink. Immediately my drink came a guy walked up to us and spoke to my date. "Hey we are going to play pool do you want to join us? I didn't catch your name. I'm Kofi." he offered. I shook my head. "Not really, I don't know how to play. I'll just make him lose. I'm Selina." I said smiling. They didn't seem to take no for an answer so I gave in.

Aziz gave me a cue and a quick tutorial. "It's really not that hard. Besides no one on earth is as bad as Kofi's girlfriend in pool." he teased. I giggled. "Easy like you driving your Range Rover eh?" I asked. "Err more like me brushing my teeth, super easy." he said and gave a goofy smile. I laughed again. We were beginning to get along well. He was much more interesting in person. Kofi played first, then Aziz. When Dora, Kofi's girlfriend played I realized what Aziz was trying to say all along. He winked at me and I giggled. It was finally my turn and my coach walked up behind me and showed me how to position my cue. He was rather close but I wasn't complaining. Surprisingly, I didn't do badly at all. As the game went on, Kofi kept asking me if I had really never played before. When I potted my first ball I couldn't help jumping up and down. Aziz run to me, raised me up, spinning me in the air and said I was the best student ever. I laughed my head off when we turned back to look at Kofi and Dora's faces. Their expressions were priceless.

Right after the game, which of course Aziz and I won, we went to sit at the lounge area. The chemistry between Aziz and I was just perfect. The kind where we felt perfectly comfortable around each other. We spoke about the new movies we had all seen and Aziz and I were glad we had the same taste in movies. We even planned to see a new movie sometime. I took out my phone to send a thank you message to my match maker when I noticed 15 missed calls from Paulina and Aziz. I ignored his guessing they were from earlier and rushed to the bathroom to call Paulina back.

"Hey where are you?!" She asked immediately she picked up the phone. I giggled. "Oh say a blind date maybe?" I teased. Paulina wasn't moved. "Ah have you met Aziz yet? He said he couldn't find you. Where have you been?" She asked. I rolled my eyes. "Calm down I'm in the washroom. I was just a little bit late but I've seen him now." I replied. "This your lateness dierr." Paulina said finally calm. She said she had to go and hung up. I looked in the washroom mirror, straightened my dress and walked out. Just before I got to my seat a tall dark guy in a black t-shirt walked up to me. "Hi, Selina right?" He asked. I nodded wondering how he knew my name. He noticed I was a bit puzzled and said. "I'm Aziz, I've been waiting for you for so long. I would have left if it wasn't for Paulina. We said we'd be meeting outside." He explained and I froze. I didn't know what to say. I turned to look at the table I was sitting and saw Kofi and Dora laughing hard. The fake Aziz was staring straight at me. It was like he knew. I turned to Aziz and smiled. "I'm sorry about that." I managed to say. My date said he didn't like the food at the pub so he suggested we go to a Chinese restaurant. I nodded. I turned back to look at the table. "Are you coming?" Aziz asked. I smiled and walked out with him.

Aziz opened the door to his Range Rover when we got to the parking lot. I sat down quietly. "You like Chinese food don't you? Even if you don't, you'll like this particular one. They are the best." He said as he sparked the car. I was barely paying attention. Too many things were running through my head. Then I saw him. He was walking alone.   I turned to Aziz. "I'm really sorry I wasted your time but I'll be wasting more of your time if I go with you. I have to go." I said, opening the door and getting out. "What? What are you talking about?!" He asked furiously. "I don't think this date is working so I'm ending it before it gets worse." I added and ran off. I heard him swear and drive off fast.

I broke into a run in the direction I saw my fake Aziz go. When I saw him standing beside his old car I yelled, "hey!". He stopped and turned around. "Why, why did you lie about being Aziz?" I asked when I caught up with him. "I didn't lie. I just didn't say I wasn't him." He said. "Yeah? Well on this planet it's still lying." I replied. "Oh, is it that obvious I'm not an earthling?" he joked but my expression didn't change. "I'm sorry, what I did wasn't right. I just really wanted to get to know you. I couldn't get myself to tell you the truth. I'm sorry I ruined your date. I won't be causing any more trouble, I'm leaving." He said. He sounded so genuine. If he wasn't, he was the best actor in the world. There was something about him, something very nice. "You didn't ruin my date. Well, technically you did but I still had fun." I said. A smile slowly formed on his face. "We can play another game of pool if you like. I won't mind a few tips." I said stretching out my hand. He took it. "Yes, yes let's play." He said and we walked back. "So what's your real name Fake Aziz?" I teased. "I'm Paul Mensah. Yup, sorry to disappoint you. I have a nice and boring name." Paul said. I laughed again. Paulina wasn't gonna like this at all.

 The end

My crush on Jude

 

"Relax you'll be fine." Sayram said. I nodded and managed to smile. "How do I look?" I asked with a goofy pose. Sayram laughed and told me never to do that again. I giggled. I was getting relaxed now. In no time at all we heard the guys walking to us. My heart started racing. Sayram stood up and glanced. "They are coming!" she said excitedly. I saw Jude, first or maybe my eyes chose to see him first. He was in a yellow t-shirt and black shorts. His football boots were in his left hand. His head was down as he walked. Then I saw Selassie and Henry too. It looked like Selassie was telling his jokes as usually because they were all laughing. Then Jude looked up. When he saw us he smiled. I felt every bit of his smile. Then I turned to Sayram. "Eish, I can't do this oh." I said. She shook her head.

     "My goodness Mavis are you wearing makeup?" Selassie asked immediately they got to us. "Sela, don't be a fool." Seyram said and we all laughed. Sela walked closer to me and stared at me. "Oh but it's not bad oh. Come for a hug." He added. "Eww, take your sweaty self away." I teased and moved away from him. Jude came to sit next to me. "Sela is right. It suits you." he said. I smiled. I noticed Sayram was giving me a weird signal. She handed Henry a drink and they started talking. "Where's my drink?" Sela said walking to her. I turned to Jude. He was stretching. "I'll get you a drink." I offered and picked a coke from Sayram for him. "Ask the boy la." she whispered to me. I nodded and walked back. Jude was smiling when I came back. "What was all the whispering about?" He asked and took his drink. He looked at Sayram and turned to me. Sayram turned away quickly and he giggled, yawa. This was pretty awkward.

   You see, Jude isn't one of those hot guys you just see and have a crush on. I mean he's the best player on the football team but that's not it. I've known him for 2 years. We were so close so many people thought we were dating but we weren't. I must say he is one of the reasons I broke up with my last boyfriend. My ex didn't like the fact that Jude and I were so close. He claimed I had feelings for him. Maybe he was right. A lot of feelings can stir up when you and someone spend a lot of time together. I can't blame Jude though. I mean we are both on our Uni football team, cancer awareness club and hostel. It wasn't normal of me to ask a guy out but Sayram told me she heard from Henry that there was another girl trying to make wild. So yeah, here I was about to tell him I liked him and face either acceptance or rejection. According to Sayram, anytime she spoke to Jude he mentioned me. That was comforting but really I was one of their few common friends. Mavis you can do this!

   "Oh don't mind Sayram. Sela's silliness has caught her too." I joked. We turned to look at her. She was holding Henry's drink away from him and he was stretching for it. I laughed. "See what I mean?" Jude laughed and nodded. She saw us and winked. Henry got hold of the drink now. As usual we split up and walked back to our hostels. As Jude and I walked back I played the words in my head. We were talking about a new movie that was released. Then from nowhere at all we both said "There's something I want to tell you." at the same time. Was this fate. We giggled and played the 'you go first game'. "Ok how about we write it on a piece of paper and read it at the same time. Jude squinted. "Isn't that a bit too dramatic?" He asked. I shook my head. "Well, but it's fun. Come on." He agreed so I brought out a piece of paper from my bag. I split it into two and gave him one and a pen. "Go ahead, write it." I said. He did and gave the pen back. I smiled and wrote, "I think I like you. Is the feeling mutual?" Not romantic at all eh? I know!

   We stood in front of my room with each other's note nicely folded. Just then, Jude's phone rang. He answered it. It was his roommate. The annoying guy had lost his keys so he needed Jude's set. He told me he had to go and he'd read it when he got to his room. "You know what, don't open it. I'll call you when I get to my room so we can do the reading thing. Cool?" He suggested as he walked off. I nodded. When I got into my room, I feel on my bed and watched the note in my hand. I turned and looked at my 'not ringing phone'. I shook my head and unfolded the note. So it read...

  My heart sunk. My eyes teared up. Why? I dropped the paper on the floor and closed my eyes. Just then there was a knock at the door. I wiped my eyes dry and opened the door. It was Jude. "Yes, May the feeling is mutual." He said and walked in. I couldn't help it. My tears betrayed me. Jude saw his note and hugged me. He wiped my tears with his thumb and kissed me. Someway somehow I wished his note had said he liked someone else. At least that way I'd still have him around as my friend.


 Can you guess what Jude's note said?

Just my luck 4

This girl was so strangely scary and sexy at the same time. She seemed a lot more scary now though. "Me, kitchen…not like…no never." I stuttered. She giggled and said. "I did it with my boss once. He is old or should I say was old." She added and giggled. "Was?" I asked moving back. My back hit the kitchen cabinet. That wasn't good. "Well I didn't check whether he was still breathing before I left." She explained! Now my heart was racing. Sexy murderer alert! "Oh stop asking me questions and kiss me. I know you want to." She said. I faked a smile. She kissed me and I pulled her away. "Did you hear that?" I think my phone is ringing." I lied. She paused for a while. "No, it’s not." She said. Yiee, what is all this? I thought to myself. "Oh I heard it. Let's go back to the room." I said. I had a plan. I would take her to my room, lock her up inside and call the Police or something because this crazy girl dierr I can't keep here around.

I took the lead to my room. She walked slowly behind me. I took a deep breath and remained calm. I held the door knob and signaled for her to enter. "After you." I said with a smile. She walked in and then I quickly locked the door. "Hey, what are you doing?!" She yelled. My heart was beating like crazy now. "I'm trying to help you by getting you to do the right thing. You need to confess to the Police." I replied. I searched my pockets and realized my phone was in the room. She kept banging the door and raining insults on me. "The land line " I said and run to the hall. "Are you mad?! Open this door before I break it down!" She yelled as I left. I called my uncle who was a Policeman and told him Agnes wanted to report an attempted rape case but was afraid. He said he would be here in no time because he was close by. When I hung up, I felt proud of myself. I walked back to my room. "Agnes I'm sorry I had to do this but it's for your own good." I said leaning next to the door. "I think you might have a condition that needs attention." I added. "I called my uncle. He will be here soon and everything would be fine ok?" I said. She didn't respond. Just then I heard the doorbell. I smiled and rushed to the door. "She is upstair..." I started but froze when I saw who it was.

Agnes was standing outside. She had bruises all over her left hand and some leaves in her hair. She was fuming and I saw a small knife that was lying on my table in her hands. My heart raced. I rushed to close the door but she was just too fast. She jumped inside and tried to stab me with the knife. I screamed and grabbed her hands. She was much stronger than I thought. I moved back and tripped on a coffee table. We both fell and the knife fell away from us. We both looked at it. She tried to crawl for it but I grabbed her leg. She kicked me with her other leg but I still wouldn't let her go. She froze and turned to face me. She sat on top of me and grabbed my neck with both hands. It happened all so fast. Breathing was beginning to be a problem. "My God, what is happening?" I heard. It sounded so far away. The pressure around my neck reduced and I thought I saw another person but it was blurry.  The next thing I remember was my uncle slapping my face. I heard some laughter in the background too. I turned around and saw my friends. Why were the boys here? This was more than embarrassing. All I could say was "Chale, it’s a long story."

The End...

Just my luck 3

“My boss came around and saw that I was the only one left. So when I was done he gave me a ride home.” I wanted to ask her why he would do that since she had a car but I really wanted this story to be over so we could get busy. “He said he had some files to show me so he took me to his house. Then from nowhere he started touching me. I didn't like it.” She went on. I almost choked on the popcorn I was eating. “I told him I had to leave but he grabbed me and started kissing me. That kind of felt nice. Then he took off his clothes.” She had all my attention now! She went on. “He is so violent eh? Well I mean he was.” She giggled. I didn’t catch the joke but she went on anyway. “Ok, so he almost rips my dress off and turns me around. Can you imagine?!” Her tone was rising now. I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. To make matters worse she was smiling. Why was she smiling? 

“So I said to him, Sir this is not right. I have a boyfriend.” She narrated. What?! “You have a boyfriend?” I asked, confused. She giggled and shook her head. “No, silly.” She replied. “Oh you just said that so he would stop right?” I added and sat a bit further up. “That’s right, but he said he didn’t mind so I pushed him away.” She said.  “You did the right thing.” I said, calming down now. She smiled. "I know. I should have gone to the police but I was scared." She said, looking away. "Oh don't be worried. It's ok. You can do that later." I added with a smile. I looked at the wound again. "Did you get hurt when he got all over you?" I asked. I turned to get a tissue from my bedside table. She took the tissue and wiped some blood off the wound without saying a word. "Don't you think I am sexy?" She finally said out of the blue. "Of course, you are. You are one of the hottest girls I have ever seen." I confessed. I wasn't sure I should have said all that but I was just being honest. She smiled mischievously  My heart was beating so fast. I took the tissue from her and put it in the dustbin. "You didn't tell me how you got hurt though." I said. She giggled again. "I'm thirsty." She said, touching her throat. I nodded and we walked to the kitchen. As we left I heard my phone ring. I knew it was the boys. I intentionally allowed it to ring so they would think 'wide', if you know what I mean.

I poured Agnes a glass of water and watched her drink it. I looked away when I started getting ideas. She put the empty glass down. "Ahah, so I pushed him away ok?" She said dramatically. I leaned on the wall and listened as she went on." He almost fell. Then he got angry and called me a childish brat. Can you imagine?! So I walked over to him and told him he was an old fool. The insults went on for a while and then he did it." She said with her eyes fearfully wide open. "Did what?" I asked immediately. "He slapped me." She replied. I covered my mouth with my palm. "Oh no." I added. "Exactly! I was so furious I picked up a flower vase and knocked his head with it. No one slaps me and gets away with it!" She thundered slamming her hand on the table. Which made me jump. "Eish!" I yelled in my head.

 "So what happened?" I asked unconsciously filling her glass with water again. "I grabbed a flower vase and smashed it on his head. Some of the glass cut me. She said, pointing to her wound. At this moment the water was pouring out of the glass. I noticed it and grabbed a napkin to clean it up. "So he fell down. Stupid man. So I kicked him a few times and left. Since he had wasted my time I took his car." She went on. I just stood there staring at her. To make matters worse she was smiling. "God please let her be joking." I prayed silently. She walked over to me and leaned over. "Have you ever done it in the kitchen before?" she whispered. I felt a shiver. 

To be continued...

Just my luck 2

I opened the gate for her to park inside and we got into the house. She smiled as she looked around. “Nice place, show me around.” She said, holding out her hand to me. I took her arm immediately and showed her around the house. “Wow, so you are the boss now huh?” She asked. I nodded, feeling really good. And just like magic, the tour ended in my room. I was so glad I had cleaned it the day before. “Wow, cool laptop.”She said opening my lap top. I had the widest smile on my face and said “thank you”. “Oh can we watch a movie?”She asked. I nodded. All of a sudden I had some strange confidence. “I have some microwave pop corn. Let me just go and fix some.”I said and walked out.

I went to the kitchen to fix the snack. When I put the corn into the microwave, I noticed Max was calling. I smiled and took the call. “Chale we are sorry oh. Kwasi wey e delay we. What dey go on?”He asked. “Oh e choose. I dey house. I get guest.”I replied, eager to tell him more. “Why, some your relative come around anaa?”Max asked again. Now I was really smiling. “Naa, I just dey chill plus some chick for here. Chale I for go. She dey wedge me.”I said. I heard him ask for more info just before I hung up. I took the popcorn and walked back to my room. Agnes had taken off her shoes and was lying on my bed with the laptop in front of her. This was a lot to take in. I lay down next to her and we watched the movie. Every time her arm or leg touched me, I felt a little tingle.

Out of nowhere Agnes put her head on my shoulder as we both sat up with our backs to the wall on my bed. It felt so good. She was so comfortable. For a few minutes I was completely distracted. Then she went a step further and put her arm around my waist. I almost jumped. She was just so sexy eh? I tried to remain calm. Maybe she was just trying to make herself comfortable.  “Are you comfortable?”I asked without thinking.  She smiled and said yes. After a few minutes she fidgeted  Without any warning she stopped the movie and said, “This movie is boring.” Then she held my chin and kissed me.

The kiss went on for very long. Then she instantly pulled away. “You are OK with this right?”She asked. Was she kidding me? “Yes, yes.”I replied and kissed her back. It felt amazing. To my surprise she unbuttoned my shirt and her dress as well. Clearly she was looking for some action! My eyes opened as she unbuttoned her dress. It was time to ‘realify’ my fantasy. My jaw almost dropped when I saw a huge wound on her shoulder. The plaster that was covering it was coming off. It looked fresh. “Agnes, what happened to your shoulder?”I asked, concerned. She looked down at the wound, fixed the plaster and started smiling. “It’s a long story papa. Do you want to hear it?”She asked. Honestly, I didn't but I wasn't in the position to sound rude. “Yea, why not?”I replied. She sat up straight. “I had a lot of work to do today, ok? So i stayed a little late to finish it.”She started. “Uh huh.” I said reluctantly. 

To be continued...

His muse 5

The presenter introduced Edem to the stage and he smiled as he got to the stage. “Hi, everybody. Hope you are enjoying the fashion show.” He said. A lot of people shouted “No.” Edem went on. “I hope you know that, that reply won’t be heard in the video recording. The organizers are definitely going to edit that into a yes, absolutely, woohoo.” The crowd laughed. “I told my sister last week that I was coming here. She looked at me like I was mad then she asked. Why? You are always behind time in terms of fashion. Well don’t they have a term for that? I’m vintage! Why is it ok for Beyonce to wear 1960 dress and I get ignored for wearing bell bottom trousers?” The crowd went on laughing. Then she walked in. Sandra got a quick seat and enjoyed the show. Edem went on and on and the crowd’s laughter went higher and higher. This was his night!

“Edem so did you make all the jokes up?” Sally’s friend asked. “Dela, this guy is just good at what he does.” Dean said. Edem shrugged. “But my favourite were the Ewe jokes.” Dela added, looking directly at Edem. “From one number 9 to another, I know you liked them because you can relate.” Edem teased and they all laughed. “Oh Edem do the accent again.” Sally asked as they made it for the exit. “Cho, you have to urr pay me for this oh.” Edem said in a thick Ewe accent. Dela and Sally were in total laughter. “You guys take the lead eh, I will meet you outside.” Edem said when he saw Sandra talking to one of the organizers. “Sandra!” He called. She turned and smiled. “Wow, your act today was just awesome. I missed the first part though.” She said. Edem nodded.

"I did my best. This is my first gig since the competition. I just made sure I talked about fashion and stuff the crowd could relate to." Edem said. Sandra was smiling as usual. "You came alone? I thought you were coming with.." Edem started but someone cut in. A guy walked over to Sandra and hugged her. "Hi, I didn't know you would come here." He said. Edem noticed him. He was one of the designers for the fashion show. "Yea, I came to watch a friend." Sandra said pointing to Edem and he nodded. "Oh really. You did the comedy eh? It was really funny. We have so much talent in Ghana." The designer said and Edem gave a weak smile. "Sandra darling, I have this dress I need you to see." He said dragging her away. "Edem I'll be right back." She said as he led her away. Edem nodded and sat down on a chair. He was sitting there when his phone rung. It was Dean. "Chale where you dey? We are getting a cab oh." He asked. Edem looked around for Sandra. "Take the lead eh. I will come later." He said. Dean was silent for a while. "Ah, what are you doing there?" He finally asked. "Oh I'm just chatting with one of the organizers." He lied. "Oh cool. Do you want me to come? Is it about another gig?" Dean asked concerned. "Naa, just talking about the show. I'm good. See you later." Edem said still looking out for Sandra.

He sat there for 30 more minutes and she still didn't show up. He got up and walked towards the changing room, where she was dragged to.  He peeped through but she wasn't there."Ermm excuse me, do you know where Sandra and the tall designer went?" Edem asked a model who was packing up to leave. "I don't know. They just left in her car." She said in a Nigerian accent. "Heyaa it's going to rain." She said and rushed off. Edem was upset. He turned around and walked out slowly. It had already started raining. He insulted himself as he run through the rain to get to the bus stop. "Dean was right, I'm probably not good enough for her." He thought to himself as he tried to stop a taxi. When he finally got into one he was soaked. He called Dean and told him he was going to his hall instead because he was wet. But the real reason was because he was down. "Yo, you remember Sally's friend? Be like she dey feel you oh. She was asking so many questions about you when we were coming. You better look sharp." Dean said excitedly. Edem smiled. She was a nice girl. "Eh, then we go talk moro. She is at your hostel right? I will come over after my Saturday morning class." Edem said. He was happy he had attracted a girl but why couldn't she be Sandra? 

The next day was so much fun. A lot of people recognized Edem from the show and said hi to him all day. It felt nice. When he went to Dean's place they went to see his new crush and she even made them lunch. "Dela you are a good cook oh." Dean complimented. She smiled and looked at Edem. "He doesn't know you added some cat meat to the food." Edem teased. "And you would know." Dela said giggling. "Oh but me and you know how it tastes oh." He said and she laughed some more. He liked the way she responded to his jokes. She was really nice. Edem stayed at Dela's place chatting till it was very late. When he got back to his place he was smiling a lot. He had had a good day. "It would have been a lot better if I had seen Sandra" he thought, as he went to sleep.

To be continued...