His kind of girl (2)

I cried my eyes out that night. I couldn’t get what happened out of my mind. Nana called me several times but I wasn’t in the mood to talk. How could someone I had known so well be so mean? By 5am the next morning I got myself thinking that it wasn’t his fault. Maybe it wasn’t the physically sophisticated girl he liked. Maybe he liked girls who put their nails, hair and make-up first. I just wasn’t like that. Besides he was is a good friend. All was well, besides I really couldn’t keep up with the whole ‘heels’ thing. My feet were killing me! I rolled over to the other side of my bed and finally drifted off into sleep.

“…Beautiful girls all over the world…” my phone rang. “Apparently Nana didn’t like this beautiful girl.” I said to myself and cut the line. It rang again and annoyed me even more. Why was this song my ring tone again? I took a look at who was calling. It was Sedem, then it hit me, (like Tina did Ike in the Limo it finally hit me) his sister’s party! I cleared my throat and answered the call. “No, I’m not asleep. I’m almost done dressing. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.” I lied. I put a pillow over my head and snoozed.

When I got to Sedem’s house his little sister, Mawuena was furious. Just so you know, Mawuena is a completely spoilt child who feels she is a queen! I apologized to her majesty and decorated the place as fast as I could. Just when I asked Sedem about Nicky, I heard her voice from the gate. She was on the phone as usual. When she saw me she rushed to where I was. “Hey you. You got back very late last night eh? Wow, tell me all about it.” She said all excited. I put the star I was holding down and looked away. “It didn’t work out. He doesn’t like me. He still sees me as just a friend.” I replied. Nicky seemed shocked and Sedem turned to look at me. “Is he mad? Does he know how much we spent on the new look?” She blurted out. Sedem just giggled. “You find this funny?!” I shot at him. “No, not at all. I just think you put in too much for this guy. Any guy who doesn’t like you for who you are and how you naturally look is a jerk. Forget about him.” He said. “Hey, Nana is not a jerk ok?” I replied. Nicky put her hand around my shoulder. “Doris don’t worry. If you guys are meant to be he will come around. Did he call you today?” She cut in. I nodded and she smiled broadly. “You see, there’s hope.” She added. “I don’t believe you guys.” Sedem said and walked off.

I stayed till the party ended. I was glad I stayed there. I had the chance to forget about Nana, at least to an extent. I sent him a text saying I was at Mawuena’s birthday party and I would call him back. Nicky kept my phone so I wouldn’t be tempted to call him. “Hey, I’ve got to get going. Walk me home.” I said to her. We waved at Sedem. “Hi, I guess the party is over.” A guy said walking towards us. A very fine guy for that matter. We both smiled and nodded. His little sister I guess was at the party. She ran to him when she saw him. “Errm this is my sister Annette. I’m Pierre.” He said, shaking my hand. It felt weird to have all the attention. That was Nicky’s thing. I was always the girl next to the fly girl. “I’m Doris and this is Nicky. We err did the errm the decorations oh and Nicky is the birthday girl’s cousin.” I stuttered. So yawa! “Pierre could you drop Doris off, she lives just a few blocks away.” Nicky hitched nicely. I was so shy I didn’t know what to say. “Sure, will do.” He said. Nicky smiled and rushed back to the house.  

I sat down in the front seat and wondered what was happening again. We got to my house in no time. “That’s my place. Thanks for the ride.” I said politely. “Sure, it would be nice to see you again. Would it be ok to pass by next time I come pick Annette up?” He asked even more politely. “Yea, that would be nice.” I replied. He smiled and waved as they drove off. I stood and stared for a while. “Why didn’t Nana want me?” I asked myself. I took my phone from my bag as I walked into the house. He sent me a text. “Call me as soon as possible. I miss you.” I smiled and dialed his number.

Me: Hey, I got your text.

Nana: Doris. Thanks for calling. About last night I’m …

Me: It’s ok. Forget about last night. Let’s do what we do best, be friends.

Nana: Are you sure that is what you want?

Me: Huh? That’s what you were going to say right?

Nana: Well yea but not exactly. Are you home?

Me: Yes, why.

Nana: Let me come over. I don’t want to do this over the phone.

I called Nicky after this conversation and she advised I go take a good shower, put on some sweet perfume and wear my Hello Kitty shorts and tank top. I told her that was silly but did exactly as she said. In 45mins Nana was at my door. I went out and the stare I got was worth the hassle. We sat down on the veranda. “Nana Obeng-Yeboah, you have my full attention.” I said to break the silence. He took my hand and my heart missed a beat. “Doris, you are one of the most amazing girls I have ever met. You play a very important role in my life. Will I go out with you if I had the chance? Of course! I mean, which boy won’t?” He said. I can bet my last Pesewa that if I was white I would have been blushing like it’s no one’s business. “You know me well, and you said it yourself that I like to date sophisticated girls but you got it all wrong. It’s not about how they look; it’s about the way I relate to them. I haven’t really been the long term girlfriend kind of guy and you know that. These girls don’t mind just dating me just for a good time and honestly because my life isn’t very stable with me traveling here and there it’s the best. If anyone mentions marriage or long term girlfriend, you are the only one on my mind but for now I want you to be my friend, my best friend.” He said. His eyes were tearing. I looked at him. I was so confused. I didn’t know what to say. “Please Doris. I don’t want to lose you. Please understand me.” He added. I smiled and hugged him. I told him my mum didn’t want me to stay out late so we should talk later. He hugged me again and left. As I went to bed in my Hello Kitty outfit, I told myself over and over again, “God, help me let him go.”

To be continued...

His kind of girl (1)

“Wow this is going to be really cool.” Nicky said with a grin. “Is this really necessary?” Sedem asked shaking his head. Nicky and I just giggled. “You are a guy, you won’t understand.” Nicky explained. We got out of his car, waved at him and walked to the beauty parlor. It was just as I imagined it. I kept my shades on to hide the surprise in my eyes. The place was huge and so pretty. I knew this was going to be heavy on my pocket but I felt I deserved it. A lady came up to us and escorted us in. First I had my hair done, then I had an amazing facial transformation and finally had a manicure and pedicure. Nicky was in the lounge enjoying a FIVE CEDI glass of juice and flipping through fashion magazines. In four hours I was done. I looked at myself in the mirror and I couldn’t believe the image staring back at me. Oh Nicky was speechless as well. When Sedem saw me he got out of the car and gave me the keys to drive. It was so hilarious. 

It was amazing how I caught the eye of so many men. When my Aunt said beauty is like a magnet she wasn’t wrong. You know you look really good when both men and women stare! I bet you are wondering why I went through this process. Well the reason is quite silly. There was this guy, Nana I have known for about three years. I’ve always liked him but he always had a girlfriend. We spent so much time together but he never noticed how I felt about him. From the type of girls he dated I came to realize he liked the high maintenance, sophisticated kind of girls. You know, the Taylor Swift kind of thing. He traveled out of the country for a year and was coming back. This time around he was single and I wasn’t going to lose him! 

He called me the minute he got to Kotoka Int. Airport. He scheduled to meet the very next day. I didn’t know he was that eager to see me. This was perfect. Wait! I hadn’t practiced to walk in heels enough. That night my dad came to my room and said in a very harsh tone. “Doris, stop making that kro chia noise!” The determined me put a blanket on the floor and went on with my walk. Before I went to bed, I ironed my clothes for that very important date. Nana sent me a text just when I was about to fall asleep. “I’m so glad to be back home. See you tomorrow and don’t be late ooh. I know you.” I read the text over and over again. That night I slept like a baby.

“There you go.” Nicky said. She just finished my make-up. She is such a resourceful person. I looked at myself one more time in the mirror and said to myself, “you better let all that money you spent be worth it.” Nicky’s cousin Sedem, gave us a ride to the pub. Nicky came with me till we got to the entrance. “Good luck ok?” She said and gave me a hug. I smiled and nodded. I could see Nana. He was looking so good. I walked slowly to him, not because I wanted to make a dramatic entry but purely coz the heels were killing me. When he turned around and saw me, he stood up. He was clearly staring. “Hey.” I said and hugged him. We sat down and he was still staring. 10 points for the beauty parlor!

 The first thing he said was, “wow, you’ve changed. You look so….different. I guess I’ve missed out on a lot.” I giggled. “I haven’t changed. You have been chatting with me online all the time. I’m the same me.” I said playfully. We went on chatting and laughing like old times but from time to time he gave that ‘wow’ stare. This was the best date ever. I could see our goodnight kiss already. If he wouldn’t do it, I was gonna do it for him. All too soon the date was over and Nana drove me to my house. “Tonight was really fun. Hey what are you doing on Saturday? My cousins are going to Labadi beach. You should come.” He invited. For some reason he was nervous. I guess I wasn’t the only one thinking about the kiss. “It’s ok, you can kiss me now.” I whispered trying to look as sexy as possible. (Nicky told me about the whisper thing) 

Then the unexpected happened. He leaned over to kiss me and just when I closed my eyes he pulled back. “What’s wrong? I’m not pretty and sophisticated enough?!” I asked furiously. “What? You are beautiful. You have always been but you have changed so much.” He answered. “What are you saying now? You don’t want to kiss me because I look better?” I said in a very unsexy tone. “Doris it’s complicated.” He added. I opened the door. “Oh I get it. You like me as a friend so there will always be an excuse. It’s fine. I mean you can’t force a person to love you.” I said and got out of the car. Tears were rolling down my carefully made-up face but I didn’t care. Nana got out of the car and rushed to me. He grabbed my hand but I pulled it away. “You have said enough, tomorrow my tears will be dried up and we will be best friends again. So go home.” I managed to say. “Go!” I yelled. Just then my dogs started barking and the lights in my parent’s room came on. I heard him say a very faint I’m sorry as I walked to the house.

To be continued…

People

The people we take for granted

Are the ones we least wanted

Yet they are the most needed

My dear ex boyfriend

We broke up, we are no longer together
I don't hate you, I'm more indifferent than ever
I don't mind if I see you tomorrow or even never
Because I enjoyed us while it lasted, and that's my forever

I don't keep pictures of you, that's a drag
But whenever I see you, trust me u'll get a hug
Our memories are solid, stuck in my head like a bug
They come back to me when I'm sad, just like a happy drug


We may not have had the best of relationships
We probably had just too many flaws and slips
But the good times were far more than the hardships
So my dear ex boyfriend, I'm glad I met you, coz in my movie of life u gave me happy clips

The interesting girl

She looked no different than any other girl

But when she smiled, she could take over the world

She spoke with style, confidence and commanded the language so well

I had never seen such a girl, such an interesting girl

From across the room she had all the attention

There was a yearning to know her and we all wanted that satisfaction

When she spoke, in her eyes I could see her passion

It had been only twenty minutes and it’s like I had known her for a generation

I just couldn't figure out her kind of guy

She had this unbelievable confidence but still acted a little bit shy

This girl was the kind you just couldn't pass by 

But just like all other interesting girls she had and loved her man

The reality of fear

‘Crocodile!’ I heard someone scream. I turned and noticed there was a real crocodile moving up into the boat. This was followed by several screams. I was close to a tall tree next to the boat so I decided to climb it to keep myself alive and away from this beast. It seemed like everything was just getting worse by the minute. First the boat runs out of fuel and just when we are close to land a crocodile decides to feed on us. As I climbed the tree, others followed. It was too late for some of my mates. Before they could move a muscle the crocodile had attacked them. I watched in horror as it tore apart my own friends. John picked up the fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the animal. It begun to retreat because of the pressure the extinguisher produced. It turned around and dashed into the water. Kwaku then grabbed the sledge and pulled it in so it couldn’t climb back up. 

I felt a lot relieved even though I was sad that two people were killed. We were on a leisure trip! We never expected it to turn out this way. The tour guide and also the captain of the boat had mysteriously disappeared and left us in the middle of no where. There was no fuel in the boat anymore so we were just drifting to God knows where. After the third day of the one day trip, things were just going wrong. The ten of us were out of food and got incredibly thirsty. We sent out SOS signals but there was no response. We knew things were not going on well but I didn’t expect to see a crocodile tear people apart before my eyes. One of those people could have been me!

We had finally gotten to land but didn’t know exactly where we were. At this moment I was sitting on a branch on the tree. ‘Come down!’ Kwaku screamed and the five of us on the tree started descending. Just when I decided to go down I saw something that sent an even larger shiver down my spine. I saw Kwaku and Tina strangle John. ‘Wait!’ I shouted to those on the tree. ‘Don’t go down. Kwaku and Tina have gone crazy, they want to kill us.’ I said. Tina noticed that I had seen them and headed for the tree with a knife. The rest saw this and started climbing the tree further. ‘We wont let you live!’ Kwaku screamed and run for the tree too. 

I was busy climbing higher as my heart raced. I could feel my death near. I saw another tree next to the one we were on. I wasn’t the only one who had an idea but Stephanie said, ‘Jump onto the next tree. That’s our only hope.’ I hesitated a while because it was a long way down. Stephanie had already jumped. ‘Juliet, come on jump.’ She called out to me. Just then I heard a scream from below me. Tina and Kwaku had caught up with Cindy. I held my breath and jumped. I held on to the other branch and stepped on the next tree again. Stephanie and the rest were almost at the base of the tree. I got to the ground finally and run as fast as I could without turning back. ‘Even if we don’t get you, our people will get you outside there. You will never be free!’ Kwaku screamed when he noticed he couldn’t reach us. 

Just then a memory hit me and everything made sense.  Kwaku and Tina had gotten very fond of each other very quickly. When I found out Kwaku’s girlfriend was dumping him I spoke to her. I told her that if she was leaving him because she suspected that he liked Tina then she shouldn’t because they were just friends. She said something that clarified a lot of things. ‘It’s not that. Do you know what cults do?’ I asked her what she was talking about and she acted like she was joking. Tina had introduced Kwaku to a cult called Souls. The cult provided money to young people in exchange for some human body parts. It was a rumour floating around campus but I had to know the truth the wrong way. That meant there were other cult members out there. 

It was dark and the wind was blowing violently, throwing dust into my eyes as I run. Just then we heard the sound of cars. We were close to a main road. When I got to the road, two men were talking to Stephanie. One of them brought out a gun and the other called the police. ‘There’s reception here. Kwaku has probably called the others in his cult. That means they will be here soon to finish us off.’ I said worriedly to my self. There was a bus pulling over a few meters from me. ‘Wait!’ I called out. The driver stopped and waited for me. I got in and saw the others hiding in the bus. ‘They are going to find us and kill us aren’t they?’ Kojo asked, terrified. I know he was scared but I was even more scared than him. The cult was large. They could be anywhere. I sat down somewhere at the back of the bus and prayed for my dear life as the bus moved in the dark night…   

Seven whole days

 Seven whole days, not one in Seven

Should I praise you Lord, like your angels in heaven

Other days I call them friends, but Sunday they are brethren

I forget you several times, but on that day you are sovereign

For several hours I give you my all, then the day breaks and it’s forgotten

Twenty fours go by, but yours is but a tiny portion

My heart wants to do right, to worship you right and give you all glorification

So today I start with a song, I will sing for you, each and every day, not one in seven.