“What do you want from me?” he shouted.“Marry me; because I have your baby”“You have what?”“Your baby”
She sneaked into their room and discovered he had left. Just as she turned to leave, Donald hurried in to take what he left on their cabinet. He bent down and without intending to, threw her eyes on the standing mirror fixed beside him. His new hair spray was gorgeous, and he nodded absentmindedly before he said “You are supposed to leave today, Favour. Aren’t you?” His unfriendly tone was obvious so she would get annoyed but she kept her cool. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Donald said as he searched for the documents. Favour walked to the door and clipped it. “What are you doing?” Donald said, dumbfounded. She came so close to him that her body was almost pressed against his. Donald was speechless when she yanked off her top dress and began to smooch him. But he pushed her away. “Do you realize what you are doing?” Donald said while wiping his lips. “You want to ruin your sister’s marriage. God!” “Have me Don, I can’t stop thinking about you” “Are you okay?”
She flagged down a motorcycle as she looked at her wristwatch. What had she been doing at home? She sighed. She was already late but that didn’t stop her from tugging the rider on the shoulder when he started over-speeding. The driver didn’t know what to say, befuddled.She just told him a few minutes ago she needed to arrive in time for the interview and he should do anything possible to be there before time choked her. There was nothing you could do for people to be judged better, the rider might have thought. When she arrived at the venue, many others had come for the job, and her eyes demonstrated the surprise. She never imagined the number. They were sitting in the anteroom waiting for the human resource manager. She went to join them. There was only one empty chair left and it just seemed the seat had been waiting to receive her. A young man sat beside her. She could guess his age. He was the youngest among the job seekers. But his confidence and assertiveness threw her off ba
This early morning. Saturday morning. A day she had always dreamed of for herself. Some graceful breeze glided through the window and she could not help but feel its calmness. It enlivened her spirit as she lost herself in some introspection. She was aware of every tiny detail now. She could hear from within and from without. Some insects and mosquitoes swooshed past a little above the upper floor. She knew how annoying those creatures could be and would have pitied those they had come to greet this morning. She could hear some loud talks in the coal tar, a little down the street. It was bus conductors and their palaver, she guessed. They were always first to wake up and last to get home. And she wondered how they maintained their health considering their busy life; even some of them didn’t eat well or wasn’t as educated to know how to eat well, and yet they had invariably come out every single day with unbelievable determination and gusto. She also was awed at their vibes, and en
He slouched to the refrigerator to see if there was anything to eat. But there wasn’t. Any snack would have been enough to ease the hunger but what a day. She didn’t even have any. He put a smile on his face and pretended he was fine; he went back to his seat with a cold bottle of water.He crossed his leg and put it down as quickly as he had done. He moved his butt to the edge of the sofa with both hands on his lap as if he was observing something far and needed to get closer to see it clearly. Just for a moment, he reclined. Now, he stood and changed his position. The other sofa was longer and he would relax more comfortably or even lay on it. He didn’t want to sleep, anyway. Lying on the couch would make him doze off in a twinkle of an eye and it hadn’t gotten to that.He just needed some refreshment and all this discomfort would cease. He didn’t need rest, he had not done so much today. He just needed to eat.“You can put on the TV to distract yourself. I know you must be very hu
Emelda paced around the room, concerned, but didn’t know what to say or do. She tried to sit but couldn’t, her heart was heavy with pains and it all seemed she was crying more than the bereaved. “She stabbed me…my sister had the guts to do it. Oh. How foolish I was. I was blind; I didn’t see it coming,” Maria said, sitting on her couch while Emelda walked around her room pensively, speechless. “We must save your husband first, Maria,” Emelda found words finally. “This is not the right time to whine or overthink” “Who will I run to if anything happens to him, God forbid,” she sobbed. If Emelda had noticed her eyes, she would say they had stooped. “My family. Would I run to them?” “Nothing will happen to your husband, Maria,” Emelda patted her on the shoulders. “Doctors said he would be fine. Isn’t that what you told me?”“Do you trust doctors? Some of them are merchants of hope”“Please don’t say that. Besides, Gee Hospital is known for its proficiency in...”“That doesn’t mean th
She shouted in excitement and hugged her so tightly. She drew back to observe his looks, he was more muscular than she could remember. She jumped on him again like the child who had missed his dear Mummy. She perceived his cologne more strongly when he hugged him the second time and knew it was foreign. He smelled nice and she imagined how costly it would be. She took his hand while they walked. Emelda could not contain her happiness as she had missed him for so long a time. And had been longing to set her eyes on him. He kissed her forehead and cuddled her for a moment. When she was sure he had felt her so well and had had that awesome feeling of reconnection, she ushered him in and asked him to make himself comfortable. “I missed you. I thought about you every time while abroad” Donald said. “I missed you too,” Emelda looked into his eyes. They were fixed on hers, firm, constant and sensual. She gently looked away and complimented his nice looks and gorgeous apparel. He appeared
Bisi quietly closed the door behind her and moved to where he sat. He was watching a movie, some Chinese karate movie. “How did you know I was around,” Donald asked her, surprised.“I knew you didn’t later go last night,” Bisi said, looking around “Hope she is not around” “Emelda?”“Yes. She went to work,” Donald said, taking her hand. “What is it about you that I could not take my eyes off you the first time I saw you?” “You came from abroad,” Bisi said, drawing an imaginary line out of shyness. Donald wondered how his coming back from abroad answered his question. He couldn’t draw any connection between what he said and her answer. It dawned on him that he would be dealing with a teenager who looked smarter in appearance than in thinking. “Oh. Is that it? People abroad have answers to all mysteries?” he drew her closer and paused. A moment of awful silence besieged the whole room. And something rebuked him, a voice he didn’t know where it had come from, telling him that even i
She sneaked into their room and discovered he had left. Just as she turned to leave, Donald hurried in to take what he left on their cabinet. He bent down and without intending to, threw her eyes on the standing mirror fixed beside him. His new hair spray was gorgeous, and he nodded absentmindedly before he said “You are supposed to leave today, Favour. Aren’t you?” His unfriendly tone was obvious so she would get annoyed but she kept her cool. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Donald said as he searched for the documents. Favour walked to the door and clipped it. “What are you doing?” Donald said, dumbfounded. She came so close to him that her body was almost pressed against his. Donald was speechless when she yanked off her top dress and began to smooch him. But he pushed her away. “Do you realize what you are doing?” Donald said while wiping his lips. “You want to ruin your sister’s marriage. God!” “Have me Don, I can’t stop thinking about you” “Are you okay?”
“What do you want from me?” he shouted.“Marry me; because I have your baby”“You have what?”“Your baby”
Fully back at work after a sweet honeymoon in Gold Coast. She was back with energy and excitement. Obinna had missed her and had tried calling her when they were at Accra; her fans had missed her too. She was going to begin her programme today, and she would tell them how much she had missed them too. Emelda was extremely happy; Donald had treated her like a queen at Accra. He would always be the one to wake her up in the morning and serve her breakfast while she was still in bed. Each time they went out, he guarded her jealously. Some of these men didn’t give a hoot about her marital status. She was embarrassed to see them come up with their advances even when they saw a ring on her hand. When would men respect the sanctity of matrimony? She wondered. It was common knowledge that one should not cross a boundary but not for these guys. They chased anything under the skirt of a woman. Obinna listened with full concentration as she swooned into the deeps. Gesturing as she spoke.
Donald’s mother noticed they had been beefing about each other. She heard Emelda accuse him of cheating on her, and her son had said the same thing. She called them together this Saturday morning and told them that if they were ever going to get married and stay married, they should trust themselves. “None of you have concrete evidence to prove your suspicion true,” she said. “Hence, all accusations are watery” “But mum, I was told she kissed Obinna in public. From a reliable source,” Donald said as he crossed his leg. “Will you shut up and listen?” his Mum howled and stood up. He had been the only one interrupting her and this made it look like he was innocent. “You are such an ingrate, son. And I am disappointed in you,” she was still standing, glaring at him. “Aren’t you tired of fake, worthless women around you?” “You have a real woman right before you, and you can’t appreciate her. All you do is come up with stupid allegations so that she would get tired and leave you…so t
Donald waited until he was sure he had settled in his office.He stepped in at the right time. No client was on his desk and his colleagues were not around, Emelda included.On entering his office, he looked around and saw three portraits. They were unknown to him but he was sure they were public speakers, famous for their achievements in the media industry.He was nodding and pacing around. And yet hadn’t uttered a word. Obinna was speechless and somewhat scared; there was some vibration in his heart. What was he doing? “Please, how may I help you?” he began. He would blame the gatekeeper for allowing him entrance. Didn’t he see how rugged he was dressed?Some musicians dressed like that, anyway, Obinna would have said, afterthought. As numerous of them had trooped in to place an advert for their songs on the radio. Don removed his eyeglasses and sat down without being asked to. “Leave her alone before you get into trouble,” he said in a very low voice. “Who are you?”“I won’t re
Donald was reading a newspaper with his legs straddled on a stool when he saw the call. He contemplated for a moment if he should concentrate on reading or give the call an answer. He picked up the phone, put it on silent, and dropped it. It was a strange number, but he guessed who was calling. “Samson,” he called one of the gardeners. “Sir,” he answered where he was trimming the flowers. “Come and see” Samson was surprised at first because he was at home today, sitting around, and second, because he lowered his voice instead of choosing to shout. “Have you read today’s paper?” “No Sir,” he said. He couldn’t remember the last time he was given the freedom to relax and read anything in the palace. The last time? He didn’t think he had ever done anything like that, not in this palace. His job had always been to cut overgrown flowers and leave. Sometimes sleeping in the boys’ quarter if need be. “Look at what they are saying; go to the advert section instea
For a moment Donald looked up in the air while she lapsed into reflection. The silence created a distance between them so that they looked like two strangers clumped close together. The earth was humid, making the orchard more freezing. “Are we sure this will work?” Donald said. “If you are committed to making it work, why not…” Donald cut her short and raised his voice “Then tell me who he is. Tell me!” “What else do you want to hear?” Emelda thought he had forgotten all this the day he called her and inquired her whereabouts. And she had simply told him that she went out with her colleague in the office for a brief chat over the celebration of her new job. “I want to hear the whole truth. The story is incomplete” “How can this work if there is no trust” “I trust you, Eme,” he said and faced her, looking straight into her eyes. “Then believe me. There is absolutely nothing between us. He is my very good friend. I met him the day I went for an interview some years ago” “
Ben’s tallness attracted massive eyeballs as they passed by to a more secluded place. What was this tall guy doing with this short lady? The inquisitive eyes must be wondering. He hadn’t prepared for this outing but had to agree because she had been forcing herself on him somehow whereas the person he needed had been forcing herself on someone that didn’t deserve her, he thought. What a life. Where mystery and reality were intertwined. And one had to wonder now and then. It was Emelda that occupied his mind even while they sat close to each other exchanging words. “So, are we officially dating?” Evelyn said but would have withdrawn her words on discovering that it was not a smart question. If she thought they weren’t dating, she should make it look like one and that was a similar thing to what she had done. By convincing him to go out with her. So why the hell was she asking? She felt defeated. “Do we look like we are dating?” Ben asked. He loved that she was good in bed; h
Emelda smiled as she finished reading the letter. How did he do it? No interview was conducted. No portfolio was submitted. Even no one’s ass was licked to fetch this job. And she did not have to be used by some boss to be able to get it. Wonderful. She thanked him for working it for her. How life brought people together. Everything was still afresh in her memories. How she met Obinna the day they went for an interview. He was jovial, and he was the only person that looked beyond the fear of facing the panel to talk with her.Others were so much serious with either their phone or their mind. It was he that admired her and made her feel her presence mattered most in the room. It was he that engaged her in a conversation so that she would not be too anxious about the interview.That was too much from a stranger and she was thankful even though she didn’t mention it. And though, he was the youngest person in the room, she saw a responsible person in him. All was crystal clear from his c