Just like Adel 9

When the office door opened and Henry walked in I just stared at him. "What is it?" He asked immediately. I looked away, realising that my expression may have given me away. I wasn't sure what to say to him. He thought I knew about his condition when we spoke the other night and the thought of me helping him find a drug lit him up. I decided to play along. "Nothing. You took a little longer than I expected that's all." I lied. He nodded and apologised. I honestly wasn't sure I could keep my composure. It prayed it was just a bad dream. "You look tired. Let me drop you off at home. We can do this tomorrow." He said picking up his keys. I nodded and we left.

When we got to my apartment my mind was a lot more settled. Maybe it was the silly jokes he was telling on the way or the fact that he was able to smile in such a condition. "Does it hurt?" I asked. He looked at me and replied, "I'm not in that stage yet so I guess we are safe." I nodded. Just before I stepped into my apartment he called me back. "I know this is a bit strange. If you ever feel like helping out is too much for you I totally understand." He said. I smiled at him. The guy I had fallen for had only 3 months to live. How on earth will helping him live longer be too much for me? I wanted to tell him this but all I could say was, "Oh naa. You can count on me." The smile that formed on his face was priceless.

That night I found it hard to sleep. Too many things run through my mind. Henry was going to die in 3 months. Why was the first serious looking guy I ever liked being taken away from me. I realised how selfish that sounded. His family had to just watch it happen. When I got to work in the morning Dean saw me and instantly knew I didn't sleep well. "Why didn't you tell me that Henry is dying?" I asked. He looked at me in shock and asked me how I found out. "Henry made me swear not to tell anyone, especially you. He said he didn't want the whole sympathy thing." Dean explained. He told me everything he knew. When Henry was diagnosed, how they tried to fight the disease but it was too late. "We just wanted him to have a happy life no matter the length that's why we tried to get you two together. You seemed to like each other too so Adel and I just thought it would help." He confessed. I asked Dean about Henry's research into a sustenance drug and Dean said Mr. Broke said it was impossible for orgosis. I spent most of my free time at work reading about the disease. The things I found weren't good at all. I understood his family now. They just wanted him to spend his last days happy.

After work Henry called me and arranged to meet at a restaurant not too far from his house. I took a cab straight there and smiled when I saw him wave at me sitting by himself in a corner. He was smiling from ear to ear. He hugged me when I got there. It was so unexpected I almost fell over. "I've found it." He said almost giggling. I smiled too. I couldn't help it. His smile was just too infectious. "I reached out to a doctor in Denmark who has been studying orgosis for 19 years. He has finally got a medicine for it." He started. I pulled my chair closer. "wow is it a cure?" I asked. Henry shook his head. "He's not there yet but he has a drug that, well in layman terms it sort of jump starts ur organs when they enter the failing stage. The drug testing worked on 8 out of 10 patients. The 2 it didn't work on both had diabetes. The drug sort of feeds a lot on insulin. Thank God I don't have diabetes right?" He continued. I smiled.

I asked if the drug was on the market yet and he explained how the diabetics issue according to Danish medical rules is not prevents it from being used so he had to find a way to work around it. He told me how he had reached out to the doctor in charge of the experimental drug and he said he could come and be tested in exchange to helping him launch the drug. We had dinner at the restaurant and Henry went on and on about doctor Graham and his research. It was like life had been poured into him, new life. This drug was his life.


To be continued... 

A piece of Julz

It's funny how little we care about things till they happen to us. For a decent number of years before I was diagnosed I used to make jokes about scoliosis. I called and I still call chairs with curved back rests Scoliosis chairs. Back then I had no idea what was going on in my own back. All through high school and Senior high school I had some pains in my back but it was for short periods of time and not severe so I never paid attention to it. You see I was a very sporty person. I played basketball and swam a lot so the muscles in my back were pretty strong.

Having a swimming pool in my hostel during university and joining the basketball team there kept me on a relatively good path. The problem started when I graduated from University and joined the working class. No one ever prepares you enough for that. When I think about how 'stressed' I felt in school as compared to working a 9 to 5, I just laugh. Goodness I sometimes even wish I was back in school.

Moving on, I wasn't exactly carrying bags of cement or bending over to pick cotton, I was doing the usual office administration work but a lot had changed.

l  I was sitting for long hours.

l  I was standing a lot waiting for the bus to and from work

l  I wasn't getting enough time to play basketball

l  I rarely went for a swim because of proximity to the pool

l  I spent hours sitting at my desk on my computer even when I was working from home

Things had clearly changed. The pain in my back got worse until I went to the hospital. I had an x-ray done. Isn't it funny how the person doing the x-ray always hides when he's about to take your x-ray? Lol. A week later the results came and it said there was nothing wrong. I thought “hey, maybe it's my chair at work so I spoke with my boss and we had it changed. The pain also changed, it got worse. My neck also joined in. My mother who is a retired nurse told me to go and see a specialist, an orthopedic doctor so I did with recommendation from my brother-in-law.

I took my X-rays with me. The doctor studied them for a while, examined me and asked if I had certain pains. He was 100% spot on. You know how excited you get when someone describes an exact feeling? I was almost smiling. He diagnosed me with a mild case of thoracolumbular scoliosis. This simply means that between the thoracic and lumber portions of my spine it is curved slightly, in my case, to the left. He further went on to tell me that I didn't need surgery (woohoo!) but I would have to wear a brace :-( , a lumber support to be specific. He also advised regular swimming to strengthen my back muscles. “Why swimming?” I asked and he told me that because of the water it would put less strain on my spine itself while still strengthening my back muscles. Plus it was a cool (low temperature) way of getting a serious workout.

After that day I have had a completely new lifestyle. I wear a lumber support (which makes me a size bigger), I sleep on an orthopedic mattress, I take a decent amount of pain killers, I don't wear heels and try to swim as often as I can. So many things have changed. Scoliosis does that. There are times when the pain gets so overbearing it disturbs my mood and all my plans go out the window.

Rather than feel sorry for myself, I looked for ways to make my life cool and fun again. So I

l  Got a swimming partner :-)

l  Got a tablet to do all my computing needs while I lie down in bed

l  Altered my clothes so my lumber support doesn't look odd

l  Stopped my 9-5 and ran my own business. Check out zedighana.com 

l  Found a number of swimming pools close to me

Living with scoliosis is hard but the honest truth is that when you plan your lifestyle well, the pain will reduce drastically. I haven't gotten to the point where I go weeks/months without aches and pains but I'm constantly working hard to get there. God doesn't give us anything we can't handle :) 

Scoliosis :  a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. 

Eli's wife 3

Breaking the news to their parents that they intended to postpone their honey moon was hard for both Eli and Sena. Eli lied about work he had to do and Sena blamed it on bad health. At least they had their way in this one. The couple left the hotel to their own house. The presents from the wedding filled a whole guest room. The house was big, modern and very beautiful. It had a big backyard and a nice little swimming pool. When the movers came with some of Sena's stuff she put them in another room. She wasn't planning on sharing a room with Eli. He understood. The house was easy to live in. There was a maid who did the laundry and cleaning, a cook and 24-hour security man. Eli introduced Sena to the staff. He wasn't sure how things would go with Sena in the house but he could only find out.

The very next day she went to work. She had plans to meet Charles for lunch and she did. Just before she got out of her car she noticed her wedding ring on her finger. Her heart missed a beat. She took it off immediately and put it in her pocket. Charles looked more charming to her for some reason. They ordered food from her favorite restaurant and talked. She never got tired of talking to him. He loved talking to her too. She was the most straight forward and honest person he had ever known, or was she? Sena was glad Charles didn't pay much attention to local media or else her little secret would have been out. As she listened to Charles talk and laugh she realized her life wasn't that bad after all at least that moment wasn't.

In Eli and Sena's matrimonial home, both of them lived their separate lives. They could go for days without a conversation. Each one had their own room and Sena eat in her room when Eli was sitting at the dining hall. One evening, about 10 minutes after Sena came back from work she heard a knock at her room door. It was Eli. She asked him to come in for the first time since she moved in. "There's a fundraiser we are to attend. The Charity ball. It's on Friday at 7." he said noticing the changes in the room. He dropped the invitation card on her bed and turned to leave. Sena didn't want to go. It was just an event for wealthy people to show off. Her father made it a point to always attend and his donations were always among the biggest. She knew she couldn't get out of this one.

On the day of the Charity ball, Sena wore a beautiful gown and her husband, a lovely suit. Just before they entered the hall Eli grabbed Sena's arm. "Everyone is going to ask plenty questions. Act like we are the happiest couple in the world so they don't need to ok?" Sena was caught off guard but she nodded in agreement. Eli was right. She put on a fake smile and they walked in. It was just as always, expensive suits, rich kente and evening gowns that cost a lot of money. There was a jazz band playing and a performance by a renowned highlife artist. In no time at all Sena and Eli were surrounded by people congratulating them. "We were surprised you two got married. Your fathers are so close you would think they cooked this up." The Minister of Finance said to Eli. He smiled and nodded almost unsure what to say. "Technically they did. Eli and I grew up together and just fell in love." Sena said quickly and held his hand. He nodded relieved. The man seemed convinced. Sena and Eli pretended to love each other the whole night and their parents were so pleased. When they got back home, Sena went to her room and Eli his without saying goodnight.

Eli waited for Sena to leave the next morning and drove to Tina's house. She had started talking to him again but the conversations were never the same. She was not the same. He managed to convince her to take a ride with him so he shows her something. Tina agreed and they drove to his house. "You want to show me your wife? Really, Eli?" Tina said when they got there. Eli shook his head and told her that Sena was not at home. He just wanted to show her something. She got out of the car and they walked upstairs. He showed her Sena's room. He explained to her once again the nature of their marriage. "We are just together on paper." Eli said. He took Tina to his own room and pulled open the wardrobe. Tina saw some of her clothes neatly arranged. She even saw her toothbrush in his bathroom. Tina smiled. Eli held her close and kissed her. She kissed him back. Then she felt his cold wedding ring on her face. "Eli I can't do this. You are married." She said and rushed out of the room.

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.

He loved her

"What time is the flight?" Trix asked. "10pm. Would you need anything?" Ruth said putting a file on the table. He wasn't paying attention to her. He was busy on his PlayStation. She noticed this and walked out of the office. She was used to his occational rudeness. Trix's phone vibrated and he almost jumped. "The hell?" He said pausing the game and looking at his phone. It was his girl friend. He was about to answer when his manager walked into the office. "Trix ma man. How was the photoshoot?" He asked. He just shrugged and put his controller down. "I thought you said this month was free. I just got back from the last tour. Ruth told me about the peace concert just last night." Trix complained. "Yo, I know but didn't you see the contract? That's lots of money plus its a good look for you. Peace concerts are just what we need to put you in the good books." Selorm said. Selorm had been his manager for 3 years and had done an amazing job. Trix rubbed his eyes. "Look you fly to New York tomorrow night, relax for a bit. Do the 3 songs at the show and you are on a flight back to Ghana the next three days. Cool?" Selorm explained. "Oh Selorm that is a whole week!" Trix shot out. "Well you have a few interviews. A couple of magazines. Look, I'm doing all of this for you." Selorm said and grabbed the other controller.

It wasn't until Trix got home that he realized he hadn't returned Mina's call. He swore and looked for his phone. When he found it he saw a message from a girl he had a fling with once. "Hey devil, I heard you will be in New York for the Peace concert. Will be waiting for you with nothing on so we can make some peace all night." He read in a low voice. He felt a little shiver. "Dirty Diamond." He said. Diamond was so hard to turn down. She was drop dead gorgeous and so kinky. He decided not to reply even though it was tempting. There was another message. It was from Mina. His heart missed a beat. "Hey, you just made me look like a fool. Why do you keep doing that?" He read to himself. He felt bad. He called her immediately. "Mina I'm sorry. I should have returned your call earlier." He started unlocking the door and walking into his apartment. "Surprise!!!" He heard. There was a camera and about 10 people in the hall. He saw the microphone. It was MusicGh. A lady with the mic walked up to him and said. "Hi Trix. Did we surprise you?" "The hell you did." He said smiling. He didn't hear Mina saying a number of hellos. Later on he noticed, she had hung up. Immediately the tv program was done he drove as fast as he could to her house.

"Mina I can explain. It's been a crazy day..." he started. "Trix you are always apologizing." She interrupted. "Won't you at least let me in?" He asked looking around. Mina took in a deep breath and stood aside. He walked in and sat on the couch next to her. She moved a bit away from him. He understood. "Remember my friend Naa Norkor? She asked me to come to her party on Saturday. I told her I couldn't make it because we said we were going out on a date. She asked me if you had cancelled the concert you were going to perform at. I didn't know what to say." She said. A tear drop fell from her face. She looked away but it was too late. "I'm sorry I was going to tell you..." he tried to explain. "We spoke about this. Just tell me...is it so hard to text or call me?" She asked. Her voice was quivering. He didn't like to see her like this. He felt terrible. Then his phone rung. It was Diamond. He ignored it. "I leave tomorrow. Will be back the next Thursday. We could do something when I come back." He said. Things weren't always like this. He didn't know how they got there but he knew he loved her. His phone rang again. This time it was his trainer. He was late for his rehersal. "You have to go huh?" She said wiping her tears and putting herself together. He stood up. Maybe he should just end it but he couldn't. He let himself out.

"What's wrong with you?" His trainer asked. "I'm good. Are we done?" Trix asked. His trainer stopped and looked at him. "You are doing 3 songs. We just finished with one. You need to get yourself straight. Let's take a break." He said walking away. "Ben. You go on tour with me and a lot more artistes, right?" Trix asked. He stopped walking and turned around. "Yea why?" He asked, getting a bottle of water. "When do you spend time with your wife and son?" He asked again. Ben laughed. "So that's what this is about. Well all I can say is I make time when I can and they understand." He said. This didn't help Trix much. "Ayt thanks." He said and looked away.

On his way home Ruth, Selorm's PA called him. "Trix, Selorm said to remind you that you still have to go for the photoshoot tomorrow. He said you should pack the stuff you need tonight so I pick them up and bring them to the airport in time for your flight." She said. "I'm so tired and the shoot is at 8am! Come on Ruth." He complained. "I'm following orders. He doesn't want you to miss your flight like last year's MTV awards. I could come and help you pack now." She offered. "Thanks Ruth but I should be having my girl around for that." He said. "I'm sorry if that was inappropriate." She said shyly. "No, no it's ok I don't have her around much...wait that's it. Thanks Ruth you are amazing. Get another ticket for me for tomorrow. I'm taking my girlfriend along. I'll surprise her." He said excitedly. He called Selorm immediately and they made plans.

The next morning Trix got to Mina's house just in time. She was just about to go to work. He rushed over to her and literally dragged her into her place. "Before you yell at me let me talk ok?" He started. She looked surprised. "I havnt been a good boyfriend for a while now. I was totally and overly involved with my career. I'm sorry but I realized what the problem is. We used to be cool but since my career took off I have literally cut you out. I didn't tell you stuff because I don't like them. Mina I love you and I want this to work so I'm gonna get you involved. So involved you will be screaming to get out. Trust me it will work...we will work. Please give me a ..." before he could finish she grabbed him and kissed him. "Trix I love you too. I just wanted you to open up to me." She said. They both nodded and giggled. He took her car keys. "What, are you gonna drive me to work?" She asked smiling. "No, you wish." He teased and she smacked him. Her joy gave him joy automatically. "I got my manager to call your boss. I asked to have you for a week. It might come out of your leave though." He said. "What?" She asked. He took her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "Come to New York with me." He said. Mina's mouth opened. "What? Really? Yes, sure!" She said and hugged him. "So let's go pack up then." He said. She jumped and run up to her room. "Yo, don't take too much stuff oh. I'm not paying for an extra bag of shoes woman!" Trix teased behind her. He smiled and noticed he hadn't felt this good in a long while.    

The Trix Tape II, Love lived here : http://mp3twit.com/hxE ....my inspiration for this piece : )

We live

I don’t have wings yet I want to fly

I want to go to heaven but not to die

How can I achieve greatness without sacrifice?

Purely because I’m afraid I won’t survive

I look to my left and to my right, anxiety

I look at myself and I’m even scared of me

Opportunity comes but once the wise men say

But maybe for me it will come another day

If you don’t know what I’m writing about

Close your eyes and breathe in and out

You will find a bit of doubt of something you believe

All I’m saying is that our fears are proof that we live

Silver sky

Six days in a week, no seven I lied before but now I don’t

There’s just one thing I seek, I can forget about it but I won’t

What’s in the sky? U ask, I stare for a reason u won’t understand

From dawn till dusk, I see a sky made of silver, the kind you put on my forth finger

Six years gone by, yes six, this time I tell no lie

Each day I try, try not to cry

So I smile because you are looking down at me from above the silver sky