Bill's Story - Part 4

So it's been over a month since I last posted...I have a good excuse...WORK! Anyway, thanks to those who kept asking "when are you going to post part 4?" I managed to make time to pen down something.   I hope it is worth the wait!...oh, and let me add this. I really do appreciate all your comments and constructive criticism, but could you pleaseeeee leave those comments as comments beneath the post instead of sending them through Whatsapp and so on? ;)  A kiss for every comment that comes through here :* 

I was seated at my desk catching up on happenings around the world when my Chief Executive Officer called for me. It was rare for him to ask to see anyone in person. Being such an impersonal man, the telephone was his best mode of communication. His secretary, Marianne, was on the phone when I entered. With the phone wedged between her shoulder and neck, she signalled me to go ahead in.

He was at his desk, furiously typing away at his keyboard. He offered me a seat, his eyes still fixed on his monitor. I greeted and took the seat. It took him well over ten minutes to respond to my greeting. All I did during that time was stare at my fingers, regretting that I had not carried my phone along. I had the option of paying more attention to the pictures hanging on his wall. But who would want to stare at pictures of his boss speaking into different colours of microphones at different events? He finally took his eyes off the screen, stretched his hand to shake me with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and went straight to the point.

“Mr. Mensah, I’ll need you to fill in for me next week at the Annual Architect’s Conference. You’ll have to present a paper on my behalf.” His huge voice belied his tiny structure. I always wondered how such sounds could emanate from a man his size.

“Wow”. That was all I could manage once I got my thoughts in check. This was not the time to be analysing his vocals.

“I know you are probably thinking this is above you, but trust me, I thought long and hard about it before deciding on you.” He went ahead, not giving me the chance to put my thoughts together to say something sensible.

“Jean, being the next in line should have been the one to go, but there is another equally important meeting around the same time.” He handed over a file to me. “This should help you prepare. Let me know if you need further clarification. You can leave now.”  He did not give me the chance to say anything. I thanked him for the opportunity and hurried out.

Marianne’s desk phone was ringing when I went past her desk. Seconds later, she ran after me. “Mr. Daniels wants to see you.”

This time around, he did not offer me a seat. “I forgot to mention that you will have to go along with one of the junior staff. The Human Resource Manager will have to decide which of them goes with you. Speak with him and let me know by tomorrow whom he decides on. That’ll be all”.

I made a beeline for the HR manager’s office. It took him less time to make his choice than it took me to explain why he had to make the choice.  “You’ll have to go with Ralph”, he announced. I heaved a sigh of relief. I’d been praying tongues in my head that he’ll not choose Amy. My prayers had worked! I headed back for my desk, and got so engrossed in getting myself ready for the trip I forgot to check on Berth until close of work. I called her before leaving the office.  From the look of things, I was very likely to meet her at home since she was now going to start packing. I figured I could try convincing her to reconsider her decision to move out. I stopped on my way home and got some pizza with a double serving of her favourite topping. We’ve been together for close to three years, but I was yet to wrap my head around how she could enjoy pizza with pineapple toppings all in the name of Hawaii.

I let myself in and placed the pizza on the dining table. She gave me a hug when she came out after I called out for her. Nothing looked amiss. I started nurturing hopes that she’ll inform me of a change of mind, but she didn’t. The look of delight on her face on sighting the pizza could not be missed. “Oh darling! You got my favourite!”

That got me a quick kiss on the lips. From what most guys tell me, the only things that could elicit such delight from their wives or girlfriends were usually presented in cute tiny boxes, not pizza boxes. I seem to have found a different kind of woman for myself. One that would show appreciation for the most mundane thing you got her!

She went on, “I had wanted to eat after packing, but you know I hate cold pizza.” She went ahead to open the box and took a bite.

“You can always heat it in the microwave later on,” I suggested, and regretted the words once they were out of my lips.

The next slice stopped midway to her mouth. “Do you want me out that fast?” She laughed before I realised she was teasing, but I still went on to let her know how I really felt. “Berth, you know I love you and would move heaven and earth to get you to stay.”

“Bill, we already talked about this, and I’m not backtracking.” She said it in such a gentle way, but the finality behind the words was unmistakable.

“Ok, whatever makes you happy dear.”

“Do you think I’m happy to find myself in this situation?”

I could tell she was slowly getting worked up. I had to diffuse the situation.

“No, I know you’re not happy, and I’m really sorry. But trust me, it won’t be long, I’ll get that smile back on your face.” I walked towards her and kissed her on the forehead. With my arms around her, I looked her straight in the eyes as I said, “I need one thing from you.”

“What could that be?” She enquired.

“Why don’t you stay till the weekend? It’s late tonight.”

She burst into a fit of laughter. “Nice try Bill!” She said between her laughter fits. “I agree it’s late, so I’ll leave tomorrow Wednesday.”

“I’m asking for you to stay till the weekend because I’ll be going to the States on Sunday for the Annual Architects’ Conference and -”

“And you’re now telling me?” She cut me short.

“I only found out this afternoon. Why would I keep this away from you?”

“Ok, that is a good enough excuse. I’ll stay till Sunday then.”

“Aren’t you a darling?” I gave her a hug and went for a quick shower.

The rest of the evening went well. We spent quality time together talking about anything that came to mind. When I asked what I should get her from the States, all she said was “Anything, dear”. I already knew what I was going to get her though. I couldn't wait for her to fall asleep so I could measure her ring finger. We both fell asleep on the couch in the living room, and it wasn't until sometime after 2am when I woke up to use the washroom that I woke her up and we moved to the bedroom. I did not forget to take my measurements before waking her up though.

Bill's story - part 3

I wrote this sometime last week,,,don't know why I'm now posting it!

I managed to make it to the office in one piece, and it wasn’t until I got there that I was reminded of the existence of a being called Amy. I caught a whiff of the perfume she’d been wearing yesterday immediately I entered the building. By the time I made it upstairs, it was as if the whole hallway had been sprinkled with a bottle of her fragrance. I pictured her getting into the building before anyone else to sprinkle the fragrance there just to torment me. I laughed at the mental picture I created of her doing it - Just like in the local movies where juju concoctions are sprinkled in the corners of a room using some sort of broom. I was still laughing when I stepped into my work station.

“Looks like someone had a goodnight!” Kwadwo observed as he made his way towards me. “Fill me in, man” He was already perched at the edge of my desk with an expectant look in his eyes. I noticed Amy from the corner of my eyes, and there was a battle going on in my mind as to the approach I was going to use to handle her. She showed no signs that she had seen me come in, but I swear I saw her ears perk up when Kwadwo asked me to fill him in.

 “I brought breakfast, are you interested?”, I lured him out to the kitchen.

“Where’s the breakfast?” he asked when he noticed I had nothing for him.

“Berth is moving out”, I announced. He forgot all about the breakfast.

“You must be kidding me! Did you cheat on her?” He dragged out a chair and sat down, his eyes fixed on me all the while.

“My guy, I did not say she broke up with me! I said she’s moving out.”

“But what’s the difference? Trust me, the probability of her moving back in is non-existent”, he sounded so sure of himself.

“Well, she promised to move back on condition that I marry her.”

“That is blackmail! She never came across to me as one capable of that.” He said this with a twinkle in his eyes. The earlier despondency in his eyes, which I believe was borne out of pity for me, was now turned into one of fascination. He was clearly fascinated with Berth’s move.

“It is not blackmail. She is just holding me up to my own words.”, I jumped to her defence even though I was angry with her. “I just have to put things in place and ask her to marry me.”

Our privacy was invaded by other colleagues who had to use the kitchen. On our way back to the office, I flippantly asked Kwadwo to remind me to tell him something later. Back at my desk, I figured an email to Amy will be in order.

“Hello Amy, I had wanted us to make time to talk about the happenings of last night, but on second thought, we’re better off not talking about it in person. As I told you yesterday, I’m going out with the woman I intend to marry, and no one can come between us - not even you. Don’t get me wrong, you’re hot and all that, but I’m sorry, I’m committed to someone else. The most I can offer you, is nothing more than true friendship.”

A few minutes after I had hit the send button, she walked up to my desk. I hadn’t read through the message before sending it, I had just been typing whatever came to my mind. The sight of her walking towards me caused my heart to beat faster. This surprised me because I could not tell if this was because of the message I had just sent, or because of something else I could feel but not explain. Maybe, this inexplicable feeling had more to do with my notoriety with being drawn to danger.

She offered herself a seat. “Goodmorning Mr. Mensah. Forgive my bad manners, I should have called to say thank you for yesterday. My supervisor looked through the designs, and he was very impressed with my input.” If she read my message before walking up to me, she showed no signs up until this point that she had. The perfume in which she had doused herself was too much for me. I let out a loud sneeze.

“I’m glad I was of help.” That was all I said back to her while reaching for my handkerchief to stop the next sneeze.

She made a show of walking back to her desk with her heels loudly clicking against the tiles, before returning to add, “I forgot to let you know I got your email. I didn’t reply because emails are not my thing. I just use them for official stuff – I like to discuss personal issues in person.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper and then she said with a wink, “I’m willing to take you up on that true friendship offer though.”  She offered her hands, and our true friendship was sealed with a handshake.

I felt a sense of relief and trepidation wash over me when I let go of her hands. Relief from the fact that the encounter I had been dreading was over. The feeling of trepidation had more to do with the inexplicable feeling her presence and that handshake had caused. I knew for a fact it wasn't love. Heck!, it wasn't even like! It was one of those things you could never quite place a finger on no matter how hard you tried.

Bill's Story....Part 2

Berth was up waiting for me when I got home – I knew she would. “You must be tired”, she said, taking my brief case from me. “Should I warm your meal for you or you had something to eat already?”

I had not eaten anything since my lunch at 1pm, and I was starving! But knowing Berth very well, she would sit through supper with me, engaging in little talk. I was not ready for that. There were too many things going on in my head, and I’ve come to realise through living with her that you don’t mess with anyone who took a short course in psychology. They are more than professional psychologists. She thinks she has me all figured out although I always tell her she is only right 10% of the time. Tonight however, my fear of the probability of the 10% being right was 100%.

“I fed on some junk whiles working, so I don’t feel hungry.”  That in itself was not a lie, and I made sure to look straight into her eyes whiles saying it. Amy offered me some coke and chips when she moved over to my work station. She had wanted me to look over some calculations her supervisor had asked her to submit by the next morning. That excuse sounded much more plausible when she said it to me then than now. Looking back, I wonder why she had two packs of snacks with her.

Berth’s voice brought me back to the present “Should you wake up hungry at 2am, it will be in the fridge. I’ve to get to work early tomorrow so it’s an early night for me.” She placed the food in the fridge and headed towards the bedroom.

“I’ll soon join you. I just want to listen to the late news.” 

This got her to stop in her tracks. “Did you mean to say soccer highlights or late news?”  She teased. Shoot! I mentally kicked myself. Everything was going fine up until now.

“I meant both. Is there not a sports segment in the late news? Go on to bed love, It’s only the highlights I want to watch”.

 I turned on the TV, and sat in the couch directly opposite it. My eyes were fixed on the screen, but my mind was back on Amy, trying to figure out how to go about putting her in her right place the next day. I’ll just tell her that Berth is not just a girlfriend. She is the woman I plan on marrying, and therein lies the difference. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard laughter behind.

“Oh my God! Jay,” Berth managed between fits of laughter, “since when did Cartoon Network start showing the late news?”

That was when I noticed I had been staring at cartoons all this while. I laughed in spite of myself.  “Work was so stressful today, I figured I’ll be better off watching cartoons than filling my mind with all the negative news going on around the world.”  This time, I patted myself on the back mentally. That was such a smart thing to say! “What brought you back here?”

She ignored my question. “Well, over an hour of cartoons doesn’t seem to have done the trick. You still look stressed. Come on, let’s go to bed.” She turned off the TV and I followed her to bed.

My heart literally skipped a beat when once I turned out the lights and settled into bed, she mentioned my name. That was what she usually did whenever we “had to talk”.

“Yes dear?” I squeaked.

“My dad called me today with good news. My kid sis got admission into the medical school”

I turned to face her “That’s fantastic!”

“There’s a little problem,” She went on. “He suggested she spends her first year with me as a day student.”

I didn’t see the problem with that. “And how is that a problem?”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “You seem to forget that I am no longer living on my own as I’ve got them to think. They’ll kill me if they know I’m living with a man I’m not married to.”

“We’ll find a way around it.” I knew very well this would be a big issue with Berth and her people, but I also knew it wasn’t the end of the world.

“Well, school starts in 3 weeks for her so we’ve got to think fast. If Adwoa were one who knew how to keep her mouth shut, I wouldn’t have been up thinking about this. But trust me Bill, I know my sister.”

“Tell your parents you’ll pay her boarding fees.”

“And you think that solves the problem? What happens when she’s on holidays?”

I could tell the next form our discussion was going to take. She was going to say something along the line of “Why don’t you just man up, go see my parents and lets formalise this thing?”

My guess was right – the very same wordings.

“I thought you had an early morning tomorrow? Why don’t we discuss this after work?”

“That is what you always say when you want to avoid an issue. “Why don’t we discuss this later?” Well, today, we are going to discuss this now.”

Wow, she was angry, I could tell from her tone. She turned on her bedside lamp, and sat up in bed. There was clearly no running away from this. I sat up and scooted closer to her, wrapping her in a hug. “Listen to me love, you know you are the one I’m going to marry. There’s no fear about that. We just-“

She disentangled herself from my hug.“Bill, you’ve been saying this to me for the past one year. I don’t doubt you, but seriously, when is it going to happen?”

“Sooner than you think.” I meant my words.

“Well, I’ve decided to move out. I’ll only move back in as Mrs. Mensah.”

She caught me off-guard. “When did you decide on this?”

“Oh, just now. I decided as I spoke the words.”

I could tell from the fierce look of determination in her eyes that she was serious. “Where are you moving to?” I managed.

“Have you forgotten I had just renewed my tenancy agreement before you convinced me to move in with you?”

“So when are you moving out?”

“Tomorrow, after work.”

 “What can I say to make you change your mind?”

“You know what to do Bill, not just what to say.” She smiled, kissed me on the forehead and said goodnight before turning off her lamp.

"What a day!" Yes, I actually said that out loud. She gave no sign she even heard me. She only repeated goodnight and went to sleep. "Goodnight" I replied.

Pursuit of love??

Ok, so i wrote this sometime early this year, but never had the courage to put it up...I seem to be on a high tonight (no, i don't do drugs), so i'm putting it up....Please let me know what you think when you're done reading. Thanks :)

It all happened so quickly. Before Nadia knew what was happening, she’d become the other woman in Bill’s life. She was not happy about what was going on between Bill and her, but she was also frustrated to realise she didn’t have the will power to put an end to something she had such strong convictions about.

“What mess have I got myself into?” She asked herself in the dark of her room. Bill had just called to say he’ll be with her within the next hour. He was so excited at the prospect of seeing her again that he did not notice the sadness in her voice.

“Sweetie! Guess what?” He went on without giving her the time to make her guess.

“Akua just called to say she’s going away on a field trip for the next two weeks. Can you imagine that? Two whole weeks! As we speak, she’s at home packing!”

“Okay, Bill.”

“Yea, very okay. So, see you soon darling. Should I get you some of Aunty Ama’s  kelewele on my way? You should try it with the new ice cream from frosty bite! It’s like going to heaven.”

Nadia rolled her eyes and feigned excitement, “Oh really? I can’t wait to try out that combination. See you when you get here.”

“Can you pick me up from the station? I don’t want to drive over. Too many questions about what my car is doing in your driveway from your neighbours who can’t seem to mind their own business”, Bill laughed.

Nadia did not find anything funny about what he had just said. But she decided to let it go – at least, with him. She would sort it out with herself later.

“No problem, I’ll be there. Just call me when you’re five minutes away from the station.”

“See you soon dear, bye”

Six months earlier, she believed she was the happiest girl on earth. She had just moved out of her parent’s home into her own apartment. She still remembers Natalie’s reaction when she first told her she was moving out. They had both met for lunch at a spot close to Nadia’s office.

“Natalie, guess what?”

“My friend, if you have something to tell me, tell me now ooo, I’ve got loads of work on my desk to finish up. Kofi always puts up an attitude when I carry over work from the office home. It’s almost as if I’m cheating on him with my work!”

Holding up her hands to signal her to stop, Nadia said, “Before this turns into a “marriage is not easy” session, I was just going to let you know that I’ll need your help this weekend.”

“Oh, so that is what you wanted me to guess eh?”

“Won’t you ask what for?”

“Why should I when I already know? You need me to take you shopping for something to wear for another of your friend’s wedding I guess. Who is it this time?”

“You’re wrong my dear sister. I need you to help me pack into my own apartment! I’m moving out!”

“That’s a lie. We both know Mr and Mrs Adams will never in a million years allow that to happen. Their anthem has always been “Unless you’re moving in to your husband’s house, you’re going nowhere”.

“Well, let’s just say, between the time you got married and now, a million years have passed.”

Natalie had been so excited at the news that she stayed an extra hour into her lunch break. She was fully convinced that their parent’s change in stance on the issue of moving out was because of her though she could not exactly point out the connection.

“See, when I got married and moved out, it made them realise that we were no longer kids. It suddenly dawned on them that we were adults who had their own lives to lead.”

The ring of her phone brought Nadia’s thoughts back to the present. Without checking the caller ID, she knew it was Bill. She picked her keys and answered on her way out.

“Hi!, I’m on my way,” she told him as she backed out of her driveway.

“Ooops, I was hoping you’ll answer before setting off, but never mind. I’d wanted us to pass by La Paillote for your favourite.”

“Let’s make it tomorrow then,” Nadia suggested. She was hungry alright, but was in no mood to eat out. “We’ll find something to eat from my end.”

“Anything that makes you happy, my dear, anything for you.”

Nadia smiled to herself. This was one of the things about Bill that so much endeared him to her. He virtually lived to make her happy. Bill was already at the station when she got there. As she eased her bright red Opel into the only available parking spot, she wondered why there was so much activity in town this evening. Everyone seemed to be headed somewhere. Bill spotted her and walked towards where she was parked. He let himself in through the front passenger side and leaned in towards her to plant a quick kiss on her cheek before she could protest.

“Bill! I’ve told you time and again I am not a fan of PDA! You never know w ho’s watching!”

“You don’t have to bother too much about what people think sometimes, you know?” he chuckled as he fixed his seat belt.

“Oh really? Then why am I here picking you up? I thought you were worried about my neighbours seeing your car in my driveway”. Nadia could not hide her indignation.

“Sweety, that’s a different case.”

“You know what? Let’s just end this before it turns into the topic of discussion for the night. I’m too stressed out for that.”

“You definitely are stressed out, and I know just what will de-stress you.” He leaned in again to kiss her, but drew back into his seat when he saw the look of disapproval in her eyes. “Wow, I promise to behave until we get behind closed doors,” He joked.

Shaking her head, she said, “You’re just impossible Bill” and burst out into laughter as she eased her car out of the parking lot.

They both rode in silence for a while before Bill broke into Nadia’s thoughts.

“Hey, did you listen to Uncle Ebo this morning?”

“No, what did he say today?”

“He was giving you ladies tips on how to be more caring. I was tempted to call Akua and ask her to tune in. But I thought twice about it and stopped myself.”

“Why didn’t you think about calling and asking me to listen too?” She sounded jealous.

“Because, you, my darling are already too caring. I couldn’t ask for more from you. Thank you for always being there for me.”

“That sounded so sincere. You almost drew a tear from my eyes.”

“It is actually from the depths of my heart Nadia.”

“Okay. I’m glad you value my time and attention”. She flashed him a smile and silently prayed for a change in subject. She really was not up for any emotional things this evening. She turned on the radio, and his reaction to the news item being discussed made her thank her stars she did. She would rather discuss the Arab Spring with him tonight than how he felt about her. Her thoughts on that issue were enough.

“Looks like your neighbours are part of the reason town is so congested today” Bill noted as they pulled into the driveway. “Where have they all gone to?”

“Don’t get too excited dear, most of them started making use of their garages after a recent spate of minor burglaries.”

“So why is your car being parked outside?”

“Oh, there’s nothing on or in this car that those thieves want. Let’s just say that’s my reward for using my dad’s 1985 model Opel. The perks of hand-me-downs I guess.”

Nadia noticed Bill kept looking over his shoulder as they walked towards her apartment. She felt like laughing, but at the same time, his actions made her realise the situation she’d put herself in. She however quickly banished the thought and uneasy feeling that came along with it to the back of her mind. She’ll deal with it later, she told herself.

“Settle down while I get us something to eat Bill.”

Bill planted a kiss on her cheek as he handed her the ice cream and kelewele he had promised her.

“It’s beginning to melt. I guess we should keep it in the freezer for later”.

“You know, I totally forgot about it. Since when did frosty bite start producing this flavour though?” She dropped them on the table and Bill picked them up and headed for the kitchen.

“I don’t know love.”

Nadia laid down in the couch and began channel surfing. Her favourite programme was on air.

“Bill, hurry up and let’s watch this together. You will not believe what Adelaide said to her boss! She’s going to be fired. I can bet my last pesewa on that!

“I’ll soon join you dear” Bill hated that particular series, but he was ready to watch it with her.”

The ring of his phone startled her. “Your phone’s ringing!” She screamed, a little annoyed that the loud music from his phone was drowning out what was being said on the TV.

“Could you please answer for me?” Bill screamed from the kitchen.

Nadia was fishing the phone from the pocket of his jacket which he had dropped on the rack when he entered. “No! I’m not going to answer. Oh, and by the way, it’s your wife calling. Do you still want me to answer?” She screamed back.

Bill was in the living room at this point and rushed to snatch the phone from her hands. “Hello dear. Yes, I’m home.”

Nadia turned down the volume of the television at his signal. His phone was not on loudspeaker, but she could clearly hear his wife’s voice from the other end. “I just arrived at Sunyani. The journey was stressful and my battery also ran down. I’m sure you were worried trying to get through to me.”

Bill lied. “Yes, I was worried after I couldn’t get through to you.” He did not know why, but he went on, “I almost called your driver, but I felt it was not safe since he would be driving”.

Nadia made a mental note to tease him on this lie later on. She headed out to the porch in an effort to give him some privacy.

“I am sorry dear,” Akua yawned noisily into the phone. “I’ve got to hit my sheets. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me. I’ve got a number of meetings with some clients.”

“Okay, I’m tired myself and will also head to bed soon. Have a goodnight.”

“Goodnight”, Akua replied. Just as Bill was about to cut the line, she called his name.

“Bill, I know I have not told you this in a long while, but I love you. I really do. And I miss us. I miss what we used to be.”

“Errm, Akua, you know I also do.”

“Yes I do. We will survive this test together. I know it.” Even as she said this, there was unbelief deep within her heart. But she had always believed in positive confession, and she was only putting into practice her beliefs. The positive ones at least.

“Goodnight”, Bill said once again. He wanted their conversation to come to an end. Had he been in his matrimonial home, he would have clutched at this rare opportunity to make things work out with his wife. But no, he was in his mistress’ house, and his conscience will not permit him to start reconciliatory talks with his wife of five years. Living with her for the past half year had been tough. It was as though an undeclared war had been in progress. A war neither one of them seemed to be winning. This he felt had left them both with an unspoken sense of suspicion. He could tell from the way she acted towards him that she had her suspicions about his fidelity. But then again, it could just be his guilt driving him to read too deep between the lines. He also had his suspicions. Funny enough, he realised his suspicions were baseless anytime he brought himself to think of it. It was a fact that her business trips had gotten more frequent within the past 3 months, but he also knew it was because of the new project she’d been given to manage.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and went out to join Nadia who was gazing at the stars on the porch.

“Are you not going to finish up the show? It’s still on.”

She did not shift her gaze from the sky. “No, I’ll watch the repeat omnibus over the weekend. That’s what I always do anyways. I had just wanted to watch this episode with you.”

“I’m sorry.” He simply said.

There was a look of surprise on Nadia’s face as she tore her gaze away from the sky and asked, “What for?” His ability to apologise without prompting was another thing that endeared him to her though sometimes, it got on her nerves. This was one of those times.

Bill could not tell if she was being genuine. “I’m sorry for disrupting your favourite show, and also for spending too much time with her on the phone.”

“Come on! How could you apologise for speaking to her? She’s your wife for god’s sake!”

“Thanks for understanding me then.”

He sat by her and put his arm around her shoulders. Her eyes were back in the sky, fixatedly staring at the stars. Tears slid down her cheeks without warning. Bill did not ask if everything was alright. He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her on the forehead. She tilted her head back  till her lips found his. She knew they were outside, but it took her five or more minutes to listen to the voice that had been screaming in her head, that kissing someone else’s husband on  your front porch wasn’t such a bright idea.

“Let’s go indoors”, she said, breaking off the kiss.

To be continued ;)

Bill's Story...Part 1

So i finally got around to writing a short story. This was after someone I was always ranting to about wanting to write but never having the time to do it made me feel like I'm not serious about the writing thing...so, here it is...if you read and you think it's worth sharing, then please share... Ps. let me know what you think of it through comments.

As we walked towards my car in the car park, I noticed we were the last two people to be leaving the office.

“Where is everyone?”, I wondered out loud.

“Funny you’re now asking. I noticed when we started down the stairs too that we were alone in the building.”

“So why didn’t you point it out?”

“What difference would that have made?”

I could tell she was trying real hard to not sound sarcastic. Her reply made me realise I should not have asked mine in the first place.

“Would it have made you more open to adventure?”, she continued.

This made me realise that she had really been coming on to me back in the office. It wasn’t my mind playing tricks with me. Amy was the new girl in the office. “Da new gal on da block” was how Kwadwo put it. He had been planning and scheming on getting her to so much as smile at him since she first stepped foot into the building, but his plans were yet to work. Instead, she seemed to be warming up to me a lot recently. I did not even notice it until Kwadwo pointed it out to me during one lunch break.

“You’re beginning to imagine things.”  

That was what I said to him. No, it’s not a case of me having low self esteem or anything of that sort. It’s just that I’m a realist – I’m very much aware of the fact that Kwadwo who could be described as my best pal, is a looker. Most girls go to all lengths to catch his attention even in the office. I on the other hand, am your average plain guy, the kind who will not warrant a second look from any girl. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not ugly. I’m just not on the same level as my pal when it comes to the looks department. That is why I find it a bit awkward that Amy is being all nice to me instead of my friend.

My original plan when I got into the office this morning was to clear all the backlog of work off my desk by 3:30pm. I had wanted to close before the evening rush hour so I could surprise Berth with supper this evening, but it was not meant to be. I had underestimated the volume of work I had, and here I was five hours after my own deadline.

“Which way are you headed?”, I enquired.

“Towards Madina.” “Aww, that’s so sweet of you,”  She gushed when I offered to drop her off.

No, Madina was nowhere near my intended final destination, and she was very much aware of this. I was hoping she’ll be considerate and ask me to drop her off at a point so she could pick a dropping home. I just realised my hopes were set too high. I managed a smile that looked genuine but felt nowhere near genuine. How on earth was I going to make it from Madina to Tema with the amount of fuel in my tank?

We got into the car, and I cursed under my breath  when loud hip hop came out the speakers once I turned on the engine. The look on her face when I looked up at her was one of surprise.

“Why do you look so amazed?”

“I was just wondering why you were cursing. If you were the last person to step out of your own car, the system volume will not climb up to 40 plus by itself, and neither will the CD change itself to what was playing.”

She noticed I did not find it funny. “I’m just trying to say you should chill out and be yourself around me!”

I was tempted to explain to her that Kwadwo had used my car during lunch break because his was at the workshop, but I felt I owed her no explanation. I just smiled, closed my eyes and let out a deep breath as I loosened my tie just a little bit. When I opened my eyes, she had leaned in towards me with her chin drawn up and a dreamy look on her face. There was just enough lighting from the car park for me to see. I was taken aback. I gently pushed her back into her seat whiles apologising profusely.

“You don’t have to be sorry. It’s not too late to change your mind. I know you’re not married, Jay”.

That also caught me unawares. “Oh no, no, I’m not married, but-”, She cut me off as she leaned in towards me again. This time round, she kissed me, and I responded although I was uncomfortable with it. My thoughts kept going back to Berth, but I kept telling myself this will not go anywhere. The ring of my phone was what it took to break it off. I cursed as I reached for it from the depths of my pocket. I knew from the ring tone who it was.

“Darling, I’m about driving out of the office. See you soon.”

I turned to look at Amy. “That was my girlfriend.”

“Is that why you look like you just killed someone? She’s only your girlfriend, not your wife!”

I backed out of the parking lot into the dimly lit street, and we rode together in silence for five minutes or more before she suggested I drop her off at Tetteh Quarshie so she could pick a taxi.

“I’ve kept DARLING waiting long enough as it is already.” Her words dripped with disdain, but I chose to ignore her. I was not even going to fake it and insist on dropping her off at home. “Thank You.”  That was all I said. When she got down, she leaned in through the passenger side window and said, “I enjoyed every bit of this evening. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

“No, listen to me, Amy, what happened should not have happened.” I was desperate to get her understand that this was a mistake.

She only laughed and walked away without looking back. I sat with my mouth gaping and watched her flag down a taxi. It was only after the taxi took off that I cursed again and drove off.

“I’ll put her in her place tomorrow.”

To be continued???

To post or not to post - that is the question

Ok, so i've been working on something and someone has convinced me to put it up...
I'm still thinking it through though. Different thoughts running through my mind - what if no one really likes it? You know, the usual...but i have a feeling the urge to put it up is going to win...so keep a tab on this blog... You just might find it up soooon!