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.

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 : )

My passion

My mother is so annoying sometimes. When I spoke to her over the phone some days ago I told her I was coming home for the weekend to rest after my stressful mid semester week. She was so excited and said the house had been boring without me. I knew she missed me. Hannah, my older sister had moved out of the house when she got married. Being a single parent we were all my mum had. Well sort of. On Saturday morning my mum came into my room at about 6am! She tapped me and asked "oh are you awake?" I was so close to saying no. "Oh Frank. Wake up." She said when I didn't mind her. I turned around and looked at her with my eyes squinted. "Sweety, I need you to pick some roses from Mrs. Quaye's place for me." She said pulling my cover cloth off me. "Oh Ma, at this time?" I complained. She made her usual surprised face and nodded. "I have a client coming to pick up some orders this morning." She said, looking through the magazines I had on my bedside table. I stretched and took them from her. "Ok, I will go. Give me some minutes to get dressed." I quickly said. She smiled and rushed out. She was so close to opening my magazines! They weren't even mine like that. I was just, you know...keeping ...them for..ermm..whatever! I think my mother just manipulated me.

I dressed up fast and went to the dining table. My mum usually did her hamper arrangements there. She works as a teacher for a junior high school but she makes hampers and gift items as a side business to substitute her income. When my father left us she realized her lean salary couldn't take care of us so she turned her hobby into a business. She makes so much money from it too oh, purely because she has very satisfied clients and knows how to bargain. Eii, that woman can bargain! "Mum, I'm ready oh." I said with music plugged into my ears. "Ei Frank isn't your music too loud? I can even hear the lyrics." She said. I giggled and reduced the volume. She leaned over and pulled the phones out of my ears. "Oh." I said. She giggled and replied. "Oh sen? Because you are in the university you want to do things by heart eh?" I rolled up the phones and put the ipod in my pocket. I laughed aloud. "Sorry oh but you know I love music. It's my passion." I said playing with one of her ribbons. "Just like how making hampers and gifts is yours." I added. Then something super funny happened. My mum shook her head and said. "Me my passion saved me financially oh. Yours will make you deaf. That's the money. Please hurry up eh?" I picked up the money and walked out. Just before I got out I heard hear shout. I turned around. A needle had pricked her finger. "Aha! Your passion has hurt you." I teased. "Herr! Go away." She said pretending to throw something at me. I rushed out laughing.

I walked to the junction and waited for a trotro. The woman's shop wasn't far from ours at all. In less than 6 minutes I was at her shop. She already had the roses ready. I paid her and collected them. And left immediately. I hopped into another trotro and was about a minute to my junction when I realized that I hadn't listened to my music at all. Ahh, this woman made me forget. I plugged in nicely and increased the volume to the max...just for shege sakes. Lol. I didn't like the song that was playing so I took the ipod out to change it but it slipped out of my hand and fell. It was a big trotro too so I had to bend real low for it. Just when I grabbed it I heard an odd sound. It was a bit piercing. Then I felt the bus move sharply to the left. I hit my head on the lower metallic part of the seat in front of me and everything went black.

The next thing I heard was a beeping sound. I woke up and realized I was in a hospital. A doctor was standing beside me and talking to a nurse. I heard him say "his mother can see him now. Oh we can discharge him too." The nurse left and a few seconds later my mum was here. She was smiling but I could tell she had been crying. The doctor spoke to her and she came to me. "I'm so sorry Frank. I should have let you rest." She said. "Oh mum its not your fault. If I had not been listening to loud music I wouldn't be here." I said feeling bad. She laughed out loud. "You must have passed out pretty soon." She said and took my ipod from her bag. She took a deep breath and said. "The bus run into a crane...you were the only one who survived. Looks like your passion saved your life." She waved the ipod at me. DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR PASSION!