Zaky 11

I opened my eyes slowly. I had a splitting headache. It took me about a minute to figure out where I was. I was in in some kind of truck and it was moving. Those types they use for deliveries. I tried to sit up but unfortunately I was all tied up. We passed under a street light and I noticed I wasn’t alone in the back of the truck. Zaky was there dressed in a black pair of jeans and a hoody. He had a gun on a strap around his waist.  My heart started racing. I wanted to beg him to let me go but my mouth was taped. When he noticed I was awake he moved closer to me and whispered into my ears. “I’m so sorry, this wasn’t supposed to happen. It will all be over soon.” There were a million questions I wanted to ask him but I couldn’t.  Just then the car came to a stop and my heart started pounding. A man in a hoodie and black shades and a gun opened the door to the truck and Zaky grabbed me to get out.

“I know you probably hate me right now but please trust me.”Zaky said as he dragged me. It was when I saw where we were that I knew for sure what was going on. It was a robbery. Zaky and I were behind two other men. As they skillfully entered our work building so many scenarios played out in my head. If they were successful they would probably kill me so that their secret will be safe. If they got caught I would probably go to jail for aiding and abetting or for all you know I would be considered as one of them. I was wearing a black dress after all and I foolishly gave Zaky the blueprints. In all the scenarios I was definitely fired.

   

When we were safely inside the building Zaky dragged me to the emergency exit at the back of the building. It was a very smart move. That door had not been used in so long no one would even notice them slip out from there. I was impressed by their skill and intelligence. “How long will she take to open the door?” One of the men asked.  Zaky looked at me and said 2 minutes. The man nodded and rushed off. I was a bit confused by what he said. When he was out of sight Zaky rushed to me. “I know you have a lot of questions. I can’t answer them but I will get you out of this if you only comply. I’m so sorry.” He whispered.  For some reason I believed him. Maybe I had to because it was my only choice so I took it. I nodded and he told me his plan.

When the other man came back with sacks of money the emergency exit was already open. Zaky was standing over me with his gun pointed out. I was on the floor like I had been shot. I tried to be as still as possible and it was dark enough to fool anyone. “Good, I see you have covered up the second loose end.” The man in the shades said walking towards Zaky. “What’s the first and second?” Zaky asked.  The man pointed his gun at Zaky. “I’ve sorted out Sena so the third is you. Your face is a little too out there. No hard feelings chale.” He said. I don’t know what came over me but I grabbed his leg and pulled it. He shouted as he tried to catch his balance and pointed the gun at me. It was then that I realized how bad my impulsive action was. I closed my eyes and heard a silent gun shot. The man fell and I turned to Zaky. He had shot the man in time. Zaky rushed to grab the sacks of money so eagerly that he didn’t notice me pick up the other man’s gun. “Drop the money, Zaky or whatever your name is.” I said pointing the gun at him. He looked at me in shock. “This is really messed up. How could you use me like that?” I said with tears in my eyes. I could hear the security men from the main entrance. I shot his leg once and missed. I shot again and got him in the foot. Then I dropped the gun and run out. I run as fast as I could and grabbed the very first cab I saw and went straight home!

The next day I knew I had to show up at work to avoid every form of suspicion. Everyone would think I had something to do with it when Zaky got arrested. The police would probably have a lot of questions for me. Just as I expected the building was chaotic. “There’s no work today oh. Guess what happened?” Dede asked walking up to me. “I have no idea.” I lied looking around. “Some armed robbers raided the building!” Dede replied. I looked at her in my best surprised look. “You know the coolest thing? The security men shot and killed all of them. ” Dede added pointing to our boss was shaking the hand of a smiling security man. What?! I wanted to scream and tell her that was so not what happened then I remembered Zaky and my heart fell. I killed him. Maybe not directly but I made the security men kill him. I started tearing up a little and my heart started pounding.

“Everybody look at these men. They bravely saved our establishment from thieves! They won a gun battle and killed the two armed robber who came here yesterday…”Our boss started his speech but I was stuck on one of his words. TWO? Was it possible? Just then my phone vibrated. I picked it up to check the message. I couldn’t believe it, it was from Zaky. My hands trembled. “I was a jerk. I’m sorry. I deserved what you did to me. Just so you know I dropped everything and left. Maybe someday I will explain everything to you.” The message said. I looked around to see if he was anywhere around but I knew he was too smart to show up so I just smiled. He had a bleeding foot to take care of J

The End

The bed next to mine

The sound of talking woke me up. It came from the bed next to mine. The girl there was called Aku. She got more visitors than anyone else in our ward. Maybe it was because her case was the worst. I heard some nurses discuss her condition while she was asleep before. They said it couldn't be helped. Her cancer was detected pretty late. Someway somehow I preferred her situation, not the dying part obviously but the fact that they knew exactly what was wrong with her. Me on the other hand it seemed the doctors were not sure what I had. Several tests had proved negative. I didn't want to die but my hope of surviving seemed slimmer every single day.

"Let's pray. Fafa would you join us? "Aku's mother said looking at me." No thank you." I said. I noticed the disappointment in her face but I didn't care. She just nodded and turned to her daughter. Aku's older brother held her hand and they begun to pray. They did this everytime they visited her. I wondered why they even bothered. after that they showed her messages and presents from family and friends. Aku seemed to enjoy all of this. Even though she was in a lot of pain and other times a bit too high on morphine she managed to smile and giggle at most of them. That day for some reason she laughed more and even spoke more than she usually did. It was almost like she was getting better. Maybe the nurses gave her the perfect dose of morphine.
 
When visiting hours were over her family gave her their usual hugs and kisses and left. Then the room became normal again. I must say I preferred it like that. No one to blurb about unrealistic hope from God. Just the silence to allow a bunch of dying people count the remaining seconds they had left. That's what Aku had that night, a number of seconds left but she didn't spend it doing a countdown.

"Fafa, are you asleep?" Aku asked. I turned to look at her and told her I was awake. She smiled at me. She was one of the few people in our ward that actually smiled. For some reason I couldn't help but smile back. "What is it?" I asked her. She had a question for me. She wanted to know why I refused to pray with her family anytime they asked me to join them. I shrugged. It had happened 2 times. The first time I pretended to be asleep but today I didn't think there was a point pretending. "God doesn't listen to us." I said. I wasn't really in the mood to talk but then again I was curious as to where she was going with her questions. "Oh but he does." Abu said sharply. She went on further to talk about how God loved everyone. I stopped her by asking her why God would leave us here to die. She was silent for a moment and then said something I will never forget. "You know micro organisms right?" She asked. I nodded with the most confused look on my face. "Do you think bacteria understands algebra? That's how we are with God. There is no way we can understand him but if we trust him we will see his love for us." she said with the warmest smile. She was right. I never thought about it that way before but she was right.

Aku passed away that night in her sleep. Tears rolled down my cheeks when the nurses came for her body. She was such a lovely person and just when my hard heart was softening she left me. Her mother came to collect her things and walked over to my bed when she had packed everything. I had no idea why she would come to me. She stretched her hand and gave me an envelope. "Aku asked me to give this to you." She said. Her eyes were red from either lack of sleep or constant crying. It was probably both. She formed a weak smile and turned to leave. I called her back and said "Don't worry, we will see her again." She nodded and smiled again but this time with less pain in her eyes. I saw where Aku got her warm smile from.

When I opened the envelope with my wobbly hands I saw a little note in it that said, "God does everything for a good reason." It's like she read my mind. After her parting words the night before I had been asking God why he put us in such a situation. My eyes watered again. I closed my eyes and for the first time in a long while I prayed to God. If I was going to die I wanted to go peaceful like Aku did. Her mother said goodbye to me and immediately she left a bunch of doctors walked into the ward. They walked to Aku's bed and called a nurse when they say it was empty. There was one foreign doctor among them. A skinny white man. The Ghanaian doctor expressed some amount of anger towards one of the nurses. I heard him whisper "you should have told us that she had passed away. We've brought him all the way from the conference room for nothing" in Twi. Just before they turned to leave the Ghanaian doctor turned to me and to his fellows. "Doctor Bainbridge I'm sorry, the patient with Leukemia passed away last night, unfortunately. Perhaps you can take a look at this case we have been battling with?  I know this type of cancer is not your speilciality but how about we look at it?" He said. The white doctor nodded and they all turned to look at me.

After a brief inspection, a few tests just like magic Doctor Bainbridge knew how to save me. It wasn't cheap but he gave my family contacts to a few NGOs in his country that he thought could help us. He was right and after 2 surgeries and some physiotherapy I was back to normal. The whole thing seemed completely surreal. Aku was right. God did listen to my prayer. I decided to set up and NGO in Ghana that would help the sick build their faith in God. Just like how God turned my life around, I wanted to share this with others too.There was just one name I had in my head and that's why I named it, The Aku Foundation.

Just like Adel 12 (finale)

I could tell he had been keeping what he was about to say for a long time. His hesitation was intense. "If you aren't comfortable talking about it you can always tell me another time." I said to break the silence. He turned his back to me. "I think we should stop seeing each other." He finally said. I couldn't say I was expecting this. "What, why?!" I screamed. I talking over to face him. He avoided eye contact. " When Obeng showed me the test results it seemed my condition isn't as good as it was when I just got back from Denmark. I have been a selfish person. I should not have asked you out. I'm not going to waste your time anymore." He said. I wasn't sure how to wrap my head around what he was saying. I asked him to explain himself and he finally looked into my eyes and said, "Doris I'm going to die. You deserve to be with someone who actually has a future." I don't know why but I slapped him. "I don't know if the medication they gave you at the hospital is making you talk like this. The Henry I know doesn't give up!" I said and walked out of his apartment.

I didn't hear from Henry the next day. He wouldn't answer my calls either. I was a bit angry with him in the morning but when I calmed down I decided to call him and got nothing. Dean told me he was avoiding everyone. I decided to allow him to have some space. After two days he sent me a text that read, "you are right. Giving up is a dull move. I just don't want to see you get hurt. You are too nice for someone like me. I'm going to Denmark again. " My heart went warm and my eyes watered. This was a bit too much for me. I grabbed my bag and took a taxi to Henry's apartment. When I got there I saw Adel's car parked outside. I walked to the door and noticed it was open. My heart missed a beat when I saw Adel in the living room looking around. "Have you seen Henry?" She asked me. I shook my head and she went into his bedroom. "Goodness his travel bag is gone." She said. I breathed a sigh of relief. I showed Adel his text. She relaxed a bit herself.

That night I tried calling Henry several times but couldn't get through to him. It seemed he wasn't using the Danish number he used the other time. A text at 3am from him finally put me to sleep. When Henry's father called me the next morning I was really prepared for his plan. I told him I got the note and would love to do it. He informed me about the arrangements he had made and asked when I would be ready to leave. Honestly I couldn't wait to go. I wasn't looking forward to the weather in Denmark but Henry was worth it. When I told Dean everything he said he was jealous. I rolled my eyes. If only he knew how it felt like to fall for Henry Brock. "Really? You wish you were dating an Orgosis patient in Denmark?" I asked sarcastically. His goofy smile faded. My highest concern was how Henry would take it. I hadn't told him I was coming and I didn't intend to. Since he left the texts and calls had reduced. He was really trying to distance himself but I wouldn't let him. Not in a time like this!

In our chats I found out the hotel Henry was in so finding him when I arrived wasn't hard at all. I booked a nights stay in that same hotel. After the valet got me settled I waited till he had left then I rushed to Henry's room. It was just one floor below mine. I knocked on his door and waited patiently. "Hold on." He said and opened the door.

The look on his face was priceless. He was completely surprised. "Doris?! My goodness". When he took a stop forward and hugged me I could feel his appreciation. "If this is a hallucination from my medication I don't want it to wear out." He said still holding me. "When I said I will help you through this, I meant it Henry." I said. He stared straight at me and smiled. "I would love that. I've never felt more alive in my life Doris." He said and kissed me. The truth was very clear, Henry had a 50/50 chance of surviving or even less but my feelings for him never reduced. I guess I loved him. He dragged me into his room and we spent the whole evening talking like old times. He didn't even ask how I got there. It was like, he couldn't be bothered.

The next morning when I woke up I saw Henry at his desk reading through some files. I walked over to him and hugged him from behind. He smiled and showed me what he was doing. "I'm trying to see if there is some kind of pattern in the Dr. Olsen's test patients." He said. I realised this was something I could help with. I was pretty good at finding patterns and problem, it was something we did at work all the time. "Do you have information about all his test patients?" I asked. Henry gave me a file. I looked through and saw nothing. The exact dose was given to each of them. I couldn't establish a difference in the ones the drug failed on but I didn't give up. The whole week we went through everything until I noticed something missing late in the evening one night. "We are looking at everything from a medical, chemical point of view. What if that's not it?" I said. I stood up and looked at all the files spread out on the floor. Henry stared at me. I rearranged the papers of each patient and found the link. "Henry, I think I found something. This has to be it!" I exclaimed.

The next morning we run my theory by Dr. Olsen and he said it was something he hadn't considered but worth testing anyway. That afternoon we waited at his office for the test results. If I was right this would be golden. We held hands as we sat in the cold office. "Have you told your dad about my theory?" I asked but before I could get an answer the door flung open and Doctor Olsen walked through. He was a slim old man with very pale white skin. It didn't look like he went out much. His smile said it all. He gave us a sheet of paper. "You are right. The key was in the climate. The patients who died were all living in an countries with higher temperatures. I have no idea why I never thought of this. Good job!" He said. I couldn't believe it. "This calls for celebration!" Henry said and we all cheered.

Henry and I decided to go dancing to celebrate. There was a very nice salsa pub not far from our hotel. The old Henry was back!  He was funny, witty, a bit arrogant and completely attractive. As we danced I knew I had made a good decision. This was the man for me and now he wasn't leaving me anytime soon. "You saved my life Doris." Henry whispered into my ears. "No, your fighting spirit saved your life." I replied also whispering. "Can you do me one favour?" He asked with a serious tone. I nodded and asked what is was. "When we get married can you please not have a girl?" He asked. "Huh? Why?" I asked, excited at the word married but confused anyway. "Well I don't want to see another person who looks just like Adel." He joked and we both laughed.



The End. 

Just like Adel 10

Henry flew to Denmark for his treatment the next week. We skyped every night and he told me all about his experience. Everything was going as he planned it. We communicated so much I felt like I was Dean. I was glad he was getting another chance. I seemed to be the only one he really kept in the loop because Adel called me regularly to ask about him. I encouraged Henry to talk to his family more but I sort of understood them.

One Sunday afternoon, I heard a knock at my door and walked to it. When I opened it I saw Henry standing there with the most attractive smile in the world. "Henry! I thought you were arriving on Tuesday!" I screamed and hugged him. I couldn't control my excitement. He told me he just wanted to surprise me. We went inside and he showed all the cute Danish souvenirs he bought me. They were really pretty and I was really glad he was back. "There's one more thing." Henry said. I looked at all the presents on the table and looked back at him. "Really, after all these?" I asked. He nodded and leaned in closer. Before my heart started racing he kissed me. I always wondered how it would be to kiss him and I was right. His soft lips were amazing. "I've always wanted to do that." He said and we both giggled. I wanted to scream 'me too' but I played it cool. "I know my treatment isn't permanent and I'm in a weird condition and all but will you go out with me? If you don't want to I completely understand. So what do you say Miss Doris who looks just like Adel?" He asked smiling. How on this big beautiful earth could I say no?

Henry felt like a totally different person when we started dating. He wasn't cold and rude like he used to be. He was more positive and cheerful. His treatment had brought him new hope. One afternoon at work my boss asked me to go for a meeting at Brock Pharmaceuticals. I smiled when my boss told me and did some quick makeup before I left. Dean teased me when he noticed. The meeting was with Lestor Brock himself. I smiled when I saw him. He smiled back and signalled for me to sit down. I took out my note book and pen but he signalled for me to put them away. "No, you won't need those. This isn't that kind of meeting." He said. I sat up more attentively. He asked how I was doing and I instantly knew the meeting was about his son.

Lester Brock stared at me for a while and said "has anybody told you that you look very much like my daughter Adelaide?" I smiled and nodded. He leaned back into his chair and smiled. "She has told me a lot about you actually. You two have similar strengths too if you ask me and the only ones that can get through to my son." He added and giggled. I smiled at him even though I was getting a little tired of being compared to Adel. He leaned back in his chair. "How is Henry's Danish treatment going?" He asked. I could see the concern in his eyes. "Doctor Olsen is actually doing a good job according to Henry. He said heart burns are less intensive these days." I said. Mr. Brock nodded, staring straight at me.

Before he could open his mouth someone opened his office door. It was Henry. He looked straight at me and then to his father. "What's going on here?" He asked. "We are just talking." Lester Brock replied. "Henry." Adel called. She also walked into the office. She tried to escort him out but he wouldn't listen. He walked to me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Your boss has sent for you. Dad Doris has to leave." He said sharply. I turned to look at his father who was busy writing something. "Very well. It was nice meeting you Doris." He said. I nodded and got up to leave. "Doris you left your note book." Mr. Brock said. "My notebook is in my..." I started but then I saw him raise the book he was writing in to me and I immediately got it. "Ah yes, thanks." I said and quickly collected it. "Let's go." Henry whispered in my ear. I had no idea what was going on.

When we got to the parking lot I felt it was safe to talk about why Henry was acting funny. "Hey what's up? You are acting funny." I asked. Henry turned to me. "I don't want my father interfering in my personal life." He replied. I noticed from much earlier that Henry didn't like his father very much but I strongly felt it was because he unfairly made Adel, his much younger sister the next ceo of his company but now I knew it was his only choice. "Your father loves you. He's just concerned." I said. Henry laughing sarcastically. "He gave up on me. Do you give up on someone you love? I have been diagnosed with Orgosis for 4 years now and what did he do? Nothing. I don't need that kind of love Trust me you won't understand." Henry explained. I put my hand on his shoulder and it happened. He held his side and slowly fell to the ground. I could see him losing consciousness as he went down. I screamed as hard as I could to get help. "Help!"



To be continued... 

Just like Adel 8

The next week Henry and I planned to meet after work. He sounded like he had a plan of how to get the promotion he honestly deserved. I wanted to find enough information to help him so I questioned Dean about Adel. "Why are you asking so many questions?" He asked after the third question. "I see you and Henry are cozy now. Is that why you are asking about Adel?" He added. I really didn't get his point but I nodded. I leaned over and said, "You see its a bit weird for him that I look like Adel so I want to know about her and do things differently you know?" Strangely enough he bought it. He smiled and winked at me.

On Monday I met Henry at his office. If it was really true that he liked me this could in all technicalities have been our first date. I dressed up nicely that day, wore contact lenses and left my hair out. I could tell he noticed the difference when he saw me. "You look nice." He said shyly. His shyness was so adorable. "I was going for a less Adelish look." I said posing dramatically by a wall. Henry laughed. "I told you I really don't mind. Your sense of humour is something else." He said. I sat down across him.

He handed me a couple of print-outs. "So these are..." He started but before he could finish his sentence Gilly walked into the office. He said hi to me and whispered to Henry. They spoke in a low tone for a while and Gilly left. Henry took off his glasses and looked at me. "I'm so sorry. My dad wants to have a talk with me right now. It's probably another invitation to a family vacation. Could you give me a minute?" He asked. I nodded and he left. I looked down at the handouts he gave me. They were about a study on Orgosis. I had never heard about it before but from what I read there was no cure for it. The best was to have full organ changes at stage 1. Was he looking to for a cure to impress his father? Wasn't that a bit far fetched? I read more about it and realised how rare but deadly it was.

"Gradual organ failure." I read when Gilly walked into the office. He nodded and leaned on Henry's desk. "It's a rare and extremely messed up disease." He replied. I looked up at him. "Are you really trying to find a cure?" I asked. Gilly told me it would be super if they could find a cure and extremely lucky but they were looking at drugs that can prolong life. I nodded. That made more sense to me.

Then it happened. Gilly got up to leave, turned to me and said, "I'm glad you are helping Henry. He's already in stage 4 and he is cutting his family out. It's a bit..." He didn't finish his sentence when I cut in. I knew what he was saying, understood what he was saying but it was just a problem with believing it. "Stage 4?" I asked. Gilly looked down. "He didn't tell you the stage he was in eh? He has just 3 months to live." Gilly replied and left. His words left me with mixed feelings. I felt sad, angry, stupid and confused at the same time. The pieces started fitting together perfectly in my head. Everything made sense. I was on the wrong path from the get go. Adel, Dean, his father, the coldness everything made sense but I didn't want to believe it.

To be continued... 

Grace of Fear 3

Baaba froze. Her heart started pounding like the night before. Then a few pieces came together. The bikers must have been the robbers and they may have accidentally dropped the money.  She grabbed her phone and with her shaky hands and called Ralph but he didn't answer. He was the only one she could talk to. She rushed out of the room with the money in her bag and headed for his workshop.

   When she got to Ralph's workshop she was directed to go into the store room. "Ralph, something bad has happened. Some man got robbed and..." she blurt out as she entered but stopped when she realized he was not alone. There was a tall guy standing in front of Ralph. He turned to look at her. "A man got robbed? Where?" the tall guy asked. Baaba looked at Ralph and back to him. "Somewhere around Kaneshi School Junction, in my area." Baaba replied. "What's his name? I know some people who live there." The tall guy added. "I don't know his name but he has a daughter called Nasara. They say the robbers used a special key to open all his doors." Baaba added. The tall guy said wow and smiled. "Bikers are just strange." Baaba said grabbing Ralph's hand and sending him outside. "You heard they were bikers?" the tall guy asked. Baaba froze. She realized she had said too much. It happened a lot when she got nervous. "Ei, did I say bikers? I meant robbers." She said and faked a laugh. Ralph excused himself and went outside with Baaba.

   "Baaba what is this all about?" Ralph asked when they were alone. She hesitated for a while and finally said "it's about the armed robbery I was talking about." Ralph looked scared all of a sudden. She told him the whole story of how she picked the money. Ralph looked a little excited and scared at the same time. Just then the tall guy walked passed them. Baaba turned and watched him. He kept stealing glances at her too. It was when another guy on a bike came to him that things became clearer to her. 

 Then she saw it, the snake tattoo on the other biker's leg. Her heart missed a beat then she heard Relph's voice. "Baaba, stop looking at them. Look here." he said. She managed to do as he said. "Yo, ma guy. We dey go come." The tall biker yelled and hopped onto the back of his friend's bike. Ralph nodded and waved as they left. "Were you part of them? Ralph what is going on?" Baaba asked almost in tears. "I needed the money so we could leave this place. I had nothing to do with the shooting. The man brought his car here and his key holder had his house keys so I just made a copy. That was all. They said they'll give me 500 cedis if they got the money. The man is very rich so it's not so bad. I swear I didn't know they would shoot him." Ralph explained. He had to get her to trust him.

Baaba listened in shock with her mouth slightly open. "I think we should send the money back. I can give it to the Police." she said. "Are you mad?!" Ralph yelled. He looked around to see if anyone heard him. If the Police find out, I'll go to jail or the biker boys will kill me. Those guys are hard. Let's just take the money and go." He suggested. Baaba felt guilty. "What if the man dies? What will happen to the girl? If we tell the Police about the bikers we won't go to jail. Just say they forced you." She said. Ralph considered it for a moment and shook his head. "Look, these guys are untouchable. Even the Police are afraid. Where's the money?" He asked, looking around. When he saw that Baaba wasn't convinced he held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "If you go to the Police both of us will die." He said.



 To be continued  ...

Bitter sweet memories

  It's 8:43pm. I'm in bed wondering if I should eat something before I sleep or not. The indecision in my head gets boring so I pick up my tablet and start playing Welcome Home by Radical Face. Just when I'm putting my tablet down I see a bunch of call cards in a basket near my bed. I pick them up and flip though. Each card carrying it's own memory of how and where I got it. Some made me smile, I rolled my eyes at some, others were not significant enough to earn an expression but there was this one. Just one that made me pause and retrieve a lot of bitter sweet memories. No it wasn't the card of an ex boyfriend. It was the card of a friend. A friend I met in the oddest of circumstances. A friend I didn't know for very long but could chat like we grew up together. Did I mention this friend was just as talented as he was humble. Those rare kind of people that you expect to rosh but they don't. Then the bitter part started to sink in. These were all the things he was when he was still alive. The call card of Dennis Dartey still lies in a basket in my room next to my bed.

Eli's wife 7

Sena was reading the article the journalist wrote about Eli and his ex. She was so busy that she didn't notice Eli enter her office. She almost jumped when she saw him. "Easy, it's just me. Your secretary left her post." He said. Sena nodded. She looked down at the paper. She closed it quickly and looked up. He read her expression. "I'm sorry for invading your space but I need a favour. You don't have to hide the paper. My dad has told me about the articles. I really don't care about them." Eli said, sitting down. He sounded different. Sena was surprised. Almost speechless.

"The doctor who took care of Tina called me an hour ago..." Eli started. His eyes started to water but he fought the tears well. "He said…he said Tina was 3 months pregnant. She didn't tell me. I had no clue but he said the autopsy suggests that her death wasn't natural," he finally said. Sena's mouth opened. "You think someone killed…you think she was murdered?" she asked. Eli nodded. "I want to find who did this but I can't trust anyone. If I pursue it myself my father will be on my case. You are a lawyer. No one will suspect anything. Please Sena." he said. Sena agreed to help. He deserved to know the truth. Everyone did.

 The next few weeks Sena got a few detectives to delve into Tina's death. She and Eli even had a party at their house and attended more events together to throw their parents off. They acted very much like a real couple. Enyonam was very pleased and so were her parents. Sena was almost at peace. The only thing bothering her was Charles. He was even more persistent about them taking their relationship a step further. It used to be just a little reminder here and there but recently he had become a little more persistent. She sort of understood him but she couldn't bear the guilt now that Tina had died and Eli was a mess. Just a little longer. His love just had to endure a little longer.

   "Tina's parents didn't know about the pregnancy. It looks like she didn't want anyone to know about it, but her best friend found the tests she used in the trash. She told her not to tell anyone because she was going to abort it but I'm guessing she didn't. The doctor probably refused to do it." Detective Kwei said. Sena thought hard. He added that he didn't know who the doctor was. He added that the car was not tampered with. Sena nodded and handed him his cheque. Sena took out her little notebook with all the evidence her detectives had collected. She added what she just found out and tried to make sense of it. Then her phone rang. She smiled when she noticed it was Charles. He insisted in taking her to dinner saying she worked too late all the time. Sena couldn't resist him.

"Good morning." Eli said when Sena walked into the kitchen. They planned to discuss Tina's evidence when Sena got back from work but her little dinner with Charles turned out to be longer than she imagined. She apologized and handed him the book. "Do you know Tina's doctor? Or a doctor she used to trust? Maybe family or a friend?" she asked. She poured herself a glass of fruit juice. "I don't know about family or friend doctors...but my doctor used to help her out with some notes for work when she needed a day or two off. Doctor Richard. He's our family doctor. Whenever there's a crisis..." Eli started and looked straight at Sena. "No but if she went to him he would have told me." Eli said completely forgoing his bacon and eggs. Sena nodded. "Which hospital does he work in?" Sena asked picking up a piece of bacon from Eli's plate to quiet her noisy stomach. "He has his own little clinic at Labone." Eli answered. Sena looked up at
him instantly. "That's where she had the accident." Sena revealed.

 To be continued ...

Eli's wife 6

 

Tina passed away. There was nothing the doctors could do. "We don't know what caused the seizure but accident cases can sometimes cause the brain to set them off." The doctor explained to Tina's family when they arrived. Eli was in pieces. Sena tried to comfort him as she drove him home. When they got to the house he went straight to the kitchen and poured himself a drink. Sena wanted to talk him out of it but she changed her mind and went to her room. She called Charles. "Hey, do you want me to come over so we watch a movie after work?" Sena asked. Charles agreed immediately "Are you ok? You sound sad" he asked. She shrugged and said she was just tired. Sena realized how short life was. She decided to do what made her happy.

 Eli didn't go to work for the next few days. He just drunk a lot of alcohol. He wouldn't even answer any calls. He was miserable. Enyonam made one of her trips to Sena's office and told her to get him back to normal because he had very important meetings to attend. One night she walked into his room. He was sitting on a chair and staring at the glass of whisky he was drinking. "Everybody is worried about you. I know you are very sad but you have to talk to somebody." She said sitting down. She poured some more whiskey into his glass and took a sip. She hated the taste of it but she wanted him to open up and that would help.

  Eli looked up at her. "Why are you here? The mighty Sena. Lawyer of the year, hasn't lost a single case, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the country. You are smart, strong and I must say beautiful too. Why are you stuck here?" Eli asked. Sena sat down next to him. She wasn't sure what to say. "What about you? Only son of the president. Who aspires to be president one day. Country Director for the Organization of African Union. Little did we know you will grow up to be good looking but you did." she said and Eli gave a little smile. "Was I that bad looking as a child?" Eli said changing the subject. For the first time since their marriage they had a friendly conversation.

Enyonam walked into her father's office and put a few documents on his desk. "I spoke with your financial advisers. They think the deal with the Japanese is a good one. I personally think you should take it, learn their technology and ditch them. It will be more profitable. We asked for the contract to be made so we can terminate it..." she explained. Her father stopped nodding when his phone rang. By the way he was talking Enyonam noticed it was the president. After the call her father sighed. He told Enyonam that the journalist who wrote about Eli had another story out and a radio interview too. "I really thought Sena would make the perfect wife for Eli. She is smart, strong and very influential. Why she isn't straightening that boy? I don't understand and that annoying journalist, why is he so fixated on them?" he said. Enyonam rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him." She said in a cold tone.

To be continued ...

Your arrow killed me

We were not afraid to fight the enemy

Even though they had a much bigger army

My heart was determined to fight for victory

But some way some how your arrow killed me

We were a few steps to making history

I guess the excitement blinded me

Coz you raised your bow in my direction, I didn't see

It went deep from my back until your arrow finally killed me

The last night

I shot him three times and a fourth time just to make sure

I grabbed the gun from his belt strap and fired it

He never thought I would ever use or even go for it

I run to where he dropped his clothes

I dodged his grip and I knew this time I had won

I turned around and yelled. “I hate you!” Several times

If only mum would believe me. ‘He’s a police officer’ she always said

 It was my birthday, how could he be so wicked?

I closed my eyes and pretended to be fast asleep

My heart was pounding. The plan in my head scared me

He closed the door like he usually did and walked to my bed….

(Odd no? try reading it from bottom to top )

Dirty blood

“This is stupid.” I said to Andy. He took my hand and smiled. “Isn’t love stupid?” He said in a Shakespeare kind of voice. We both laughed. I turned around and took my position. He had drawn a star and a circle inside it on the floor with a chalk. I stood in the circle. He grabbed the book he claimed to be an ancient spell book and joined me in the circle in the middle of the star. “So don’t mess it up oh. You dierr I know you.” He teased. I hit him lightly in the arm and he giggled. “Alright so when I finish reading the spell you will use the pin to prick yourself…” he started. “Yes, yes lick the blood and kiss you.” I ended, rolling my eyes. “Have you read all the conditions” I asked. He shrugged. “Oh come on, it’s a spell. What’s the fun in that?” He asked. This was supposed to be a spell that will make us love no other partner but each other. I didn’t think it would work but then again if it did I didn’t mind because I loved Andy and so did so many ladies in school. He was hot!

Andy was about to read the spell when my phone rang. I looked at him with a silly expression. I took the phone out of my pocket. It was my mother. I signaled for him to hold on. “Hello mum.” I said in the most angelic voice. “Marie where are you?” my mum asked. I looked around. “I’m in school.” I lied. “Really? I went to your hostel and your roommate said you hadn’t been to the room since yesterday. Are you at that Andrew boy’s place again?” my mum said. She wasn’t at all pleased. I walked a bit further away from Andy. “Oh Mum, I just had some assignments to do so I stayed at my course mate Pat’s place.” I lied. “Ei Marie! Be careful. I know now you have all the freedom to do whatever you want. Just be careful what you do. Especially with boys…” She started nagging. I turned to look at Andy. He smiled and waved shyly. How could he harm me? “Mum, I know. I’m just doing schoolwork. The rest of the group is calling me. I have to go ok? Bye.” I said and hung up. I could hear my mum busy nagging in the background. It’s not that I don’t think she has a point oh, it’s just that she’s not always right.  

“You ready now?” Andy asked. I smiled and nodded. For some reason I was very nervous now but there was no turning back. He read the spell in Latin. We both pinned our thumbs and licked the blood. Then we moved in for the kiss. My heart was racing but it felt really magical. When we kissed I tasted his blood and all of a sudden I felt butterflies in my stomach. I felt a cool breeze like we were at the beach. It felt really good. “Wow.” I said when we were done. “Marie, you are amazing.” Andy said. I smiled like a sheep. “So did it work?” I asked sitting on his bed. He took out a towel, sprinkled some water on it and wiped the chalk marks. “After that killer kiss, of cause it did!” he said. I giggled.  

When Andy was done cleaning he turned to look at me. “I want you.” He said and walked straight to me. He kissed me aggressively. “Whoa, calm down.” I said after he bit my lip the first time. “Sorry, you are just too amazing.” He said as he kissed me some more. He held me so tight it begun to hurt. “Andy stop!” I said and moved back. That was when I saw his eyes. They were violet. I covered my mouth with my hand. “Andy look at your eyes!” I screamed. He moved closer to me. “Marie forget about my eyes. Come here. Come to me.” He ordered. My heart was racing now. He rushed towards me but I swerved. The spell book was at my feet now. I picked it up to read the spell and find out how it could be reversed. Andy rushed for me again. This time I couldn’t swerve fast enough. He grabbed my hand and started kissing it. I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t budge. “Marie, I love you Marie…” he kept mumbling. I hit him with the book and run into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me, sat on the floor and tried to read the spell. Andy was banging on the door. 

Everything the spell said we had done. Then I saw a little text at the bottom. The heading was dirty blood. “Spell will turn participants into violet eyed love demons if they lie with another a fortnight before the spell.” I read aloud. “ Cheating Bastard!” I shouted. All of a sudden I heard a ripping sound and a cry from the room. I shook and moved away from the door. The book fell and opened to the next page where I saw a full colour picture of a love demon. It was horrible with violet eyes. My whole body was shaking now. There was a pound on the door again. This time it was much louder. I moved back till I hit the wall. There was one final pound! And the door came off. “Marie, come lie with me. I love you.” The demon said. “Mum, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.” I whispered. I looked around and saw a shaving knife. I grabbed it with my shaking hands. I had two options, his throat or...mine.

He was dying

His grip kept loosening till it was me holding him.
His temperature dropped too. Colder than the wind I looked into his eyes and realized they were far away
He was dying and no matter what I did I couldn't make him stay  

A million things rushed through my mind but yet I was blank
My tears fell on his chest that was reducing the times it rose and sunk
He got heavier, much much heavier but still I held him tight
 He was dying and this was by far my most painful sight

Waiting to run 3

I fidgeted when I tried to unlock the door with my keys. The keys fell down twice. When the door finally opened I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. I stood with my back against the door for 10 minutes, trying to calm myself down. My phone rang and I jumped. It was my mother. I stared at it for a while and answered it. She was talking so much. "Yes I'm fine. I'm at home. Yes." I said, locking the door behind me. My hands were still unstable. I went to my room and sat on my bed. I paused for a while and turned on the tv. I changed my mind and turned it off. I didn't want to think about what had happened. I closed my eyes and lay down. Maybe all this was just a dream.

"Are you ok?! Wear something and let’s go to the hospital for a check-up." I heard my mum say. I opened my eyes and saw her standing in front of me. "Mum I'm fine. I wasn't in the building when the bomb went off." I said. She sat on the bed. She was calm now. "Thank God." she said and managed a smile. Being an only child makes her worry so much. "When I was leaving work, I saw on the TV that they were getting a lead as to who it was." my mum added. She grabbed my remote and turned on the TV. I don't know why but I didn't want to find out any more about the incident. I got up and walked to the kitchen. "What happened to Max, Stella and all the people who were working in the restaurant? Did the bomb go that far? I wondered. I noticed I was standing in front of an open fridge for a while now. I wasn't hungry. I closed the fridge and sat down.

"Mawue, it's Kafui, she wants to talk to you." My mum said holding her phone out to me. I collected the phone and she took out some noodles and frozen stew. She was clearly going to make me eat. "Yo Kaf, sup?" I asked, ever so calmly. "My goodness Mawue, I thought you were hurt. It's all over the news that..." she started but I cut in. "I know, I know. I just want to forget about this." I said. She paused all of a sudden. She was just silent. "Hello, Kaf, Kafui." I called. "Shit turn on your TV." she finally said. "Ah, were you listening to me? I said I don't want to get into ..." I complained but this time it was Kafui who cut me short. "Turn on the damn TV la!" She thundered. I was just going to complain when I heard the sound of a broken plate from the hall. I rushed to see if my mum was ok. I saw her standing stiff facing the TV. "Mum are you ok?" I asked worried. I turned to see what startled her. Then there it was, a picture of the man with the bomb and a picture of me. "It seems the bomber's accomplice managed to escape." The news reader said.

To be continued...

Waiting to run 2

I slipped the rest of the money into my pocket and smiled. In to time at all, I had mixed feelings about keeping the money. He seemed very absent-minded. Maybe he didn't even know he had given so much money. There was only one way to clear my conscience. I rushed out the door to ask him. He couldn't have made it past the hotel lobby. I jogged there and saw him. Obviously I couldn't shout Mr. Strange! I rushed over and tapped his shoulder. "Sir. I think you overpaid." I said, still not sure why I was doing it. He stopped and turned to look at me. He was sweating. He looked at me with so much surprise it startled me.

I stretched out my hand with his change in my palm. "Keep, just keep it." He stuttered. I tried to smile but just when I was about to turn I saw something terrifying. It looked like wires. He saw that I had noticed it and quickly grabbed my hand. "Be calm." he whispered to me. My heart was racing! "If you move or shout I will press the button and we will all be blown into pieces Smile." He said. I did as he said. Then I thought aloud. "But if I'm quiet won't you still blow up the place?" It wasn't after I asked that I noticed I shouldn't even have been talking. I didn't want to die. At least not then and not as a waitress. He put his hand around my shoulder and I followed his eye view. He was looking outside. Just when a man came out of a black Toyota Camry he started to shiver.

 I was so close to him I could feel his vibration. I squinted to see the man properly. It was George Wilson the lawyer who was all over tv some weeks ago. He was known to be the best lawyer in the country. Why did this man want him dead and why like this? I tried to give a hero speech but I didn't know what to say. "Please let me go. I swear I won't say anything." I pleaded, still trying to keep a straight face. "If you want to live, do as I say." he said and started moving.

He was holding my hand like he knew me. He turned and smiled at me and I smiled back. We were just a few feet from Mr. Wilson and I could feel his sweaty palms. I'm going to push you out of the building. Run as fast as you can. Good luck." he said and without any warning he pushed me out the door. I didn't even turn around. I run down the road and in exactly 5 seconds I heard and felt the explosion behind me. The force pushed me down and my ears felt blocked. I was shaking with fear as I managed to get myself up and look around. There were car alarms blowing all over the place and people screaming. I managed to run to the bus stop and take a cab straight home.

I fidgeted when I tried to unlock the door with my keys. The keys fell down twice. When the door finally opened I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. I stood with my back against the door for 10 minutes, trying to calm myself down. My phone rang and I jumped.

To be continued...

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...

The fight to live

It was raining very hard. The rain drops felt heavy. They fell on Marie hard. She struggled to see ahead of her as she dragged herself in pain. The main road shouldn't be far from where she was. Her left hand was pressing on the wound on her right arm. She had bled all over her white lace blouse. The pain was just unbearable but she knew if she stopped moving she would die. She turned around. She couldn't see much so she kept going. She slipped on a twig and fell straight into the mud. She cried as she forced herself up. Then she heard the sound of a car. She gained some energy all of a sudden and moved faster.

She got to the side of the road just in time to catch the car. She was just about to wave with her uninjured arm when she recognized the car. It was her father's Range Rover Evogue. She gasped and hid behind the bushes. The car stopped by the side of the road. She knew she was in trouble. What were her chances of survival now? She crawled around and headed back to her house. Maybe she wasn't thinking straight but she remembered the men were three. One got shot while wrestling with the guards in her house, the other followed her and the one driving the must have been the third one. There could be more she missed but she would take her chances. She heard the car door slam shut and increased her speed. The mud had blackened her blouse and with her black jeans it was hard to see her. The rain helped too.

As she moved towards her father's house she thought about a week ago. Her father suggested they go to Ghana for a holiday. She didn't like the idea because she had really gotten used to Abuja. They traveled so often that making and keeping friends was a problem. "Holiday? Dad, we travel enough. Last year we were in Singapore for 6 months oh and Germany before?" She complained. They still came anyway. She now realized why her father was in such a rush to leave Nigeria. He probably messed with the wrong people but they obviously caught up with him.

Marie was almost at the house when she heard the sound of a car behind her. She was doomed. With the headlights they would spot her! She gathered all the energy she could find and run. If she could make it to the trees on the side of the house she could hide. The speed of the car kept increasing. There were tears pouring harder than the rain as she run for her life. She pictured the last time she saw her father lying on the floor in a pool of blood with three bullets in his chest. She didn't see her mother die though. She just heard her pleading and after a gun shot her mothers voice was gone.

She fell flat when she got to the trees and watched the car lights pass by seconds later. The fact that the house was alone on a hill was the only thing that thrilled Marie when they first got here but now she wished they had neighbours. She was stuck at the top of the hill at night with 3 killers with guns! Then it hit her. Her father had 2 guns in almost every house they lived in. He would hide one in his room and the other in the garage. That was her only chance to protect herself. Marie waited till the men went into the house before she made her move. They were arguing and looking around.

Once they were gone she rushed to the garage. The men had left the door empty when they took out her father's car. She slipped in and looked around. She couldn't find it. "I'm going to die." She said to herself. Then she heard a sound. She cried and turned around. She saw a little boy. It was the cook's son. "What are you doing here?!" Marie asked shivering. The boy was shaking even more than her. "My, father send me. Say I bring bread. It start rain so I wait for rain stop at back of house. I hear gun I come hide here." He said. "Poor child." Marie thought. He was too young to be exposed to this but then again so was she. The boy went on crying. Marie felt the need to be strong. "Look we will be fine ok?" She whispered to him. Then she saw a long wooden box behind him. She moved him aside and opened it. It was a riffle.

 "Dad, what where you into?" She whispered to herself as she held the gun. The boy moved back. "Don't worry we will get out of here." She said to him again. He nodded. She loaded the riffle with bullets. She had never shot a real gun before but she would do anything to save her life and that of the cook's boy. After she fixed the last bullet she accidentally pulled the trigger. The boy screamed as the gun fired. This was bad. The men came rushing in. She held the gun up with her shaking hands and fired when she saw them. Her arm still hurt. She missed and they laughed. "Foolish girl!" One yelled. Marie fired again. She missed again but the bullet hit the hinge that held one side of the metallic garage gate back. The hinge broke and the door flung open hitting one of the men and knocking him unconscious. The other man looked at his partner in disbelief. Marie shot again. This time she didn't miss. She got him in the hip and he fell down in pain. She stood in silence for a few seconds and run out. The gun strapped around her and holding the hand of the boy. She saw her father's car keys and grabbed it. The second man was trying to get his gun but she pushed it away and kicked him in the side. She took his gun and shot holes in their tryes and the petrol tank. She opened the car and they both got in. She sparked the car and drove off leaving the terror behind them on a lonely hill.

The brave 10

Once there was a king. He ruled his people so well his kingdom was the happiest. Everyone loved him and would be nowhere else than in his Kingdom. One day an enemy attacked and fought them. They fought hard. The enemy wasn't strong enough to defeat them so they took as many people as they could captive and run away into the forest. The king was not happy. He loved every one of his people and wanted them back. He sent a message to the village. He told them that he wanted his people back. He was sending his army to go get them but since some had died in the battle he needed more hands. Some of the people yelled "We are not soldiers! Let the army go and do what they can!" Others said. "The forest is scary with all sorts of wild animals. They will tear us apart. We won't go!" Some also said, "We are busy fixing our homes from the war. We don't have time."

The king was sad. These were their fellow wives, sisters, sons and friends who were taken away. He didn't give up. He kept asking till he got a few people interested. They were just ten. The day came for them to leave. The king thanked them. They marched into the forest with the army knowing not what they would face. They walked for hours, following the trail of footprints left behind. "This isn't as frightening as I imagined. There are no monsters and goons at all." one of the ten said. At last, they caught up with them. They had made a camp in the forest. The army looked left and right but the enemy was nowhere to be found. They approached their people and told them they were here to save them. The captives laughed. "We like it here. Our leaders give us free food and we eat as much as we want." some said. The ten that came with the army were amazed. "You are in chains. How can you be happy?" one asked. They got her point but shrugged. "Don't you miss your daughter?" the army commander asked also to a woman he knew. After more questions they realized they were prisoners, real prisoners. The army released them from their shackles.

Just as they started to leave the enemy came back with their swords and spears. The army faught them and the ten protected the people. In no time at all the battle was over. The enemy was defeated and the people returned home. when they got back to the kingdom the ten told the stories to everyone. The captives jumped in joy and reunited with their families. The king was so happy. He was proud of his people and glad they were home but most of all he was proud of the brave ten.

Doesn't this story sound familiar? Can you relate? Imagine the King is God and we are his people. When he sends us out to bring his children back to Him, who are the very people we love don't we give excuses? Don't we depend on Pastors, Priests, Bishops and Popes to do God's work? Well it's not late. In our own little way we can be one of the ten :)