Zaky 4

We left the party in about an hour. Everybody was still there when we left. "I hope you had fun." He said. I nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you did." He replied as we walked down the street to catch a cab. He hadn't asked for my number this whole time. I wanted to take his but I felt it was a bit pushy. When he said "I think this taxi is empty, we can take it." I calmed my nerves. He said WE! He opened the door for me and joined me at the back seat. He looked at his watch and asked me to tell the taxi driver where I was going. He probably had more plans for his night. There was no traffic at all sadly, so we got to my house in no time.

When the taxi stopped I put my hand in my bag to bring out my purse but Zaky stopped me. He insisted on paying. "We could split it." I offered but he would have none of that. "Ah is there a bank down this road?" He asked pointing. I nodded and he asked if there was a restaurant right opposite it. I nodded again and he smiled. "I think I know this area." He added. I giggled and told him our office wasn't far from my house. "Thanks for coming with me Spider Woman." He teased. I laughed and nodded. "Alright see you around." He said and the taxi left.

"His number." I said to myself when I realised I had forgotten to ask him but it was too late. I turned around and walked to my house. I noticed my car was back. I smiled as I went past it. If I had driven it to work I wouldn't have met him. I still had what Kafui said on my mind. It was a bit confusing but I thought about how interesting Zaky was and smiled. Maybe a visit to our Head Office would do the trick.

Dede couldn't wait to see me the next day. She came over to my desk immediately I settled down. "I did some snooping around and guess what?" she asked. I smiled and asked her to continue but I noticed she was staring at me in a funny way. "Really? This is the best you could wear today?" She asked with her hands on her hips. I shrugged and explained to her that I really wanted to wear something interesting but I didn't own any such clothes. "How about that white top with the ruffles?" Dede asked. "It was dirty." I said hiding my face in my palms. She gave me a sympathetic look and continued what she was saying before she was rudely interrupted by my fashion flaws!

Dede told me the person Zaky was covering for had extended their leave so he was going to be around at least for 2 more weeks. That was amazing news! That was why Dede wanted me to look good. Now I had to just plan how to bump into him. The bus would have been a good plan but I brought my car to work this time. "Tomorrow I'll leave my car at home and use the bus. He'll take it too." I said. Dede giggled. She thought it was a good plan but didn't understand why I needed to go that far. "You guys are friends now. You can just walk up to him and talk." She said. I stared at her. She had a point but I wasn't sure what I would say. The only thing I really wanted to ask him was what the girl at the party meant by what she said. But I honestly didn't know how to ask without it sounding weird. Just then Dede's boss walked into his office. "We will talk about this at lunch time." She said quickly and rushed off.

Unfortunately for me Dede wasn't able to meet up with me during lunch time. She had to attend a meeting at the head office that took longer than she imagined. After work I walked to my car and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Zaky coming out of the building too. He was with a bunch of his colleagues. Before I could turn away our eyes met.


To be continued... 

Just like Adel 7

 All of a sudden my anger towards Henry evaporated. I didn't like what I heard. Henry was hard working and had acquired many certificates and awards. Why was Adel who just graduated with no experience at all going to head the company? I went around the party grounds looking for Henry. It made sense for him to keep to himself, I mean his own family were not treating him fairly.

I went to the front of the house where all the cars were parked and just like magic I saw him leaving. I run up to him and hugged him. "I'm sorry about earlier." we both said at the same time. We laughed and each explained what we were sorry for. Maybe he didn't like me like that but I guess being his friend at a time like this was pretty much what he needed.

Henry and I sat on the stairs in front of the house. "Aren't you scared of kwashey boys?" I teased. He laughed and said he was covered because I had a 'gun'. I smiled. "I know why. I know why you are cold sometimes." I said. He turned to look at me. His eyes were wide open. "Don't ask me how but I heard your dad and your sister talking." I added. He looked very surprised. I looked down. I wasn't happy about how I found out. "What I don't understand is why?" I said turning to look at him.

My words seemed to ignite his sadness. I wondered if I should change the subject. "That's just how life is." He said in a very low tone. "It's not fair." I said. I could feel his pain. "I honestly don't blame you for not liking me because I look like Adel." I said. Then Henry giggled. "Where is this one too coming from? Yea you look like Adel but you are not like her at all. " He asked. I looked at him funny. "I'm confused." I confessed. "I like the two of you differently." He said looking away. I asked him to explain and he shyly changed the subject. I didn't push it at all. What he said worked for me.

"So is there anything you can do? There has to be something right?" I asked. He nodded. "Then I will help you." I said. It's like my words ignited another emotion. This time it was joy. His smile filled his face in a matter of seconds. He seemed to really like the idea. Just then Senam and Dean came out and saw me. She wanted to leave. Dean smiled when he saw Henry and I. I said a quick goodbye and left with Senam. I didn't think Henry would open up so easily about his issue but all that hardwork could not go to waste.


To be continued... 

Just like Adel 6

That weekend I stayed indoors. I wanted to have some me time. I would admit that I missed having a boyfriend to share things with but because Dean was always available I never felt it until Adel came. My phone rung and I couldn't believe who it was. It was Henry. I stared at the phone and contemplated answering it. I shook my heard and decided that if he called the second time I would answer. I watched the phone quietly to see if it would ring again but it didn't. Instead there was a knock at my door that startled me. I walked to it and saw Gilly standing there with a rubber bag.

"I hope this isn't a bad time." He said with a smile. I shook my head and stared waiting to hear his agenda. He handed me the rubber bag which contained a bunch of goodies. Gilly said they were from Henry. He was a bit busy at the office so he asked him to bring it over as a thank you gesture for the other day. I was surprised. To be honest I had a deep feeling Adel was behind this.

I asked Gilly why they were working on a Sunday and he said he had to work on something with Henry urgently. He said a workaholic joke and we both laughed. Before Gilly rushed off he turned to me and said "This is the first time I've seen Henry buy something for someone." I smiled and laughed to my head. I dumped my sympathy gifts in a corner and walked to my room.

After lots of convincing during the week Dean managed to get me to go to Adel's birthday party. I really didn't want to go but I realised I had to get over Henry and maybe this was my chance to have some fun and meet some new guys. I went shopping the day before so my outfit was spanking new. Just so I wouldn't look lonely I went with my coworker, Sedem. She felt so under dressed when she saw me. We got to the party just in time for the fun parts.

"Isn't that the Henry guy Dean is setting you up with?" Sedem asked. I turned around and saw him. He was in a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Black really suited him. I turned around immediately he turned our way and Sedem laughed. I think her laughter attracted him because he walked to us. "Hi." Henry said. Sedem conveniently excused herself to get another drink. He was looking a bit pale. Probably from over working. He looked straight at me. "Hi." He said and I nodded. He went ahead and complimented me. I smiled briefly and excused myself.

I saw Sedem eating a slice of cake. It looked so good. I asked her where she got it and she pointed to the kitchen. "I got lost and saw a huge tray of cake so I picked one." She said. I scolded her for not getting a piece for me as well and made my way to the place she was pointing to. Adel's house was so big. I saw an opened door and walked into it. Unfortunately it wasn't the kitchen. It was a little office.

Just before I turned around to leave something caught my eye. On the desk there were a bunch of old pictures of what looked like Henry and Adel. Some had their parents in them. I smiled when I went through them. Henry looked very happy and normal. Time had really changed him. I heard a sound and instinctively turned to look at who it was. I saw Adel and her father. He handed a big brown envelope over to her. "That's the expenditure list for the new branch." He said. What kind of father brings work to his daughter's birthday party? That's right, Henry's Father.

I hid behind some bookshelves where I could hear more. "Dad this could have waited till Monday." Adel said shaking her head. "You need to learn to give the company importance. When you take over the company next year you will have to make sacrifices. " Her father said. My jaw dropped. It was true Lestor Brock was old but Adel? "Is Henry here?" Lestor asked and his daughter nodded. "He still won't talk to you?" She asked. He turned away. "Dad, I'm sure he will come around. You need to understand how he feels." She added. Her father nodded and walked away. Adel walked into the office and my heart missed a beat. I sat very still behind the bookshelves. She dropped the envelope on the table and walked out.



To be continued... 

Just like Adel

Dean walked to my desk and when I saw the look on his face I knew he wanted me to do something. "What do you want this time?" I asked turning away from my table. He led me to his desk and asked me to fix an issue on his computer. Dean was so bad with computers it wasn't funny. "So did Henry call you?" He asked. I shook my head. "Chale I don't think he's interested oh." I replied getting up from his desk. Dean frowned. He was just about to talk when our boss walked into the office. I turned around immediately and went back to my desk.

Henry was the older brother of Dean's girlfriend. I thought he was cute the day I met him and Dean gave him my number. That was a month ago. I hoped he would call judging by his wide smile when we met but after a week I just gave up. "Doris I have a new job for you."  my boss said and signalled for me to come to his office. I walked briskly behind him. He handed me a file and said it was a pharmacy advert I was to work on it with Dean. He made it clear that they were a big shot client and so I had to bring my sharpest ideas. I smiled and rushed to Dean's desk. I'm a copywriter who loves her job and challenges excite me. My thoughts of Henry disappeared just like that.

Even though we were nowhere on our project Dean suggested we go to a coworkers wedding. I tried to play the workaholic card but he would have none of it. I finally agreed and we went. It was a beautiful wedding I must say and it really refreshed me. We sat on the same table with Sedem another lady from work. Half the time Dean was on his phone most likely chatting with his long distance girlfriend Adel. He always kept in touch with her and talked about her all the time. My buddy was smitten. It made hanging out with him so much easier because I knew there were definitely no strings attached. "Guess what?" Dean asked as I stuffed my face with a huge slice of wedding cake. "Henry said he lost your number. Adel just told me." He added. I wiped my lips with a tissue. "That again? I thought I told you I was over him. Crushes don't last remember?" I said. Dean just ignored me and kept on typing. Sedem was interested in the topic all of a sudden. Dean told her a very badly fabricated story of the day Henry and I met. I rolled my eyes and looked out for another person serving cake.

Just then a guy came out of no where and shook Dean's hand. They laughed and joked for a while and he turned to me and shook mine too smiling so widely. "I didn't know you were around." He said to me. I stared at him not sure what to say. Then he continued. "You two are not matching colours this time?"  then it hit me. He thought I was Adel. This wasn't the first time. Before I could correct him Dean jumped in and did me the honours. The guy stared at me again and apologised. "Wow, this is.." He started but the phone in my pocket vibrated and I jumped to answer the call.

After talking to my boss over the phone I realised we had less time than we thought to finish the project. We had until Monday afternoon to come up with 10 scripts and Dean hadn't even taken a look at the file. Even though I insisted we leave to do our work Dean still managed to let me stay. "We haven't met with a representative from the company yet even." I nagged. "Don't worry. I'll do that on Monday morning. Have I ever failed you before?" He asked. I shook my head. He was right. I looked around and took in the beautiful environment with my glass of champagne.

Monday morning Dean and I got to work very early. I gave him the file to read while I finished up on a script I had written the night before. "Heh for real?!" He shouted. I turned and looked at him confused. I rushed to him and asked if there was a problem. He shook his head. "You know what? Let me stay and finish up the scripts while you go speak with them." He said and quickly turned over to his computer without even bothering to listen to what I had to say. I complained a little and just left when he didn't badge.

When I got to the client's office I was asked to wait. It was one of the biggest pharmacies in Ghana. "Hello, Mr. Brock will see you now." The Secretary said. I smiled and walked into his office. It was a very big office with very beautiful decor. I wondered if I was going to meet Lestor Brock himself, the CEO. I noticed the man sitting at the desk didn't have grey hair. As I got closer I noticed he looked familiar. "Henry?" I asked. He looked up at me, clearly surprised. "Hi, what are you doing here?" He asked, taking off his glasses.


To be continued... 

Monday morning surprise

As Samira walked to work she remembered the sermon that was preached at church the day before. The topic was about loving your neighbour. Even those that didn't love you. She knew one person like that at work. Sarah Brown. Sarah just didn't like her and the feeling was very mutual. From her first day at work Samira never got along with her. Maybe Sarah felt insecure around her because she was younger, she just couldn't tell. "I'll love my neighbour." Samira said with a long sigh. Just before she entered her office building she saw something interesting. There was a car having boot sales not very far away. She looked at her watch. She had enough time to do some window shopping. She saw a nice necklace. It looked like something Sarah would love. She thought for minute and bought it for her at a very good price.

When Samira got to work Sarah was not at her desk but she saw her favourite red bag and knew she was around. She picked up a sticky note from her desk and wrote a little note. She stuck the note to the present she had just bought, put it on Sarah's desk and walked away. When she got to hers Elikem walked by with a smile. "Is that a bomb you put on Miss Horror's desk?" She asked. Samira giggled and shook her head. Elikem always had names for everyone. Then it hit her that she wasn't the only one who didn't like Sarah. "Love your neighbour." She whispered to herself as she turned on her computer.

After a few hours there was a general meeting for everyone. Samira took a seat at the back of the board room next to Elikem. "Pay raise time, woop woop." Elikem whispered and did a little dance in her chair. Samira laughed. "You are such a child." She said to her. The CEO of the company walked in with some sheets of paper. He said he had bad news. The company was not doing as good as it used to and they had decided to do a downsizing exercise. Samira's heart missed a beat as he mentioned the names of the people who were being laid off. Her heart sunk when she heard Elikem's name. Fortunately for her that was the last name. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to comfort her friend.

When she got back to her desk she saw a red sticky note and instantly knew who it was from. It said, 'thanks for the necklace. It's so lovely. Yes you are right we started off on a bad note. So your apologies have been accepted.' Samira smiled. She turned around and spotted Sarah at the entrance of the board room. She walked to her but the CEO was quicker. Samira just stood aside and waited for him to finish talking to her. "Sarah I thought we decided on 12 people? This list is short of one." He said. "Sir that's true but I found out recently that she has potential as compared to the others." Sarah replied and smiled at Samira. "Alright, I trust your judgement, have a nice day." The CEO said and walked away...... 

Love your neighbour!

What matters most

0ne night my wife and I had a terrible fight. It was very late and I he was just coming home. “Frank you need to seriously decide what is more important, your family or your work!”  She yelled. She was furious because our only son was very sick and I rarely had time to spend with him. “Mercy, we are two parents. When I’m not here you are here. Have you forgotten I have paid a nurse to come and take care of him here? Where do you think this money comes from?” I snapped back. “Jackson, are you listening to yourself? He is your son for heaven’s sakes! What the hell is wrong with you?!” She shouted even louder. I was really tired of hearing her nag every night. She would shout at the top of her voice too. I turned around and took off my glasses. 

This had to stop. “You know what? I will just quit my job and stay at home with the two of you. How about that? So who will pay for Junior’s medical bills, you?” I asked, trying to stay calm. She opened her mouth and closed it again. “I didn’t think so.” I said and walked off. Then she said something to me. “The medicine keeps him alive but love makes him feel alive.” I turned around to look at her. “Mercy, I love my son and he knows it.” I said and went into the bedroom. I passed by Junior’s room. He was asleep in bed. I noticed the toy car I bought for him two days ago on his wheelchair. I smiled and went into our bedroom. 

When I was in bed and ready to sleep I had a call. It was my boss. He wanted me to get ready for a meeting in Nigeria. I was to take the first flight out. I quickly agreed and jumped off the bed to pack my bag. I had to print certain documents too. Mercy came into the room and said nothing. Don’t get it wrong, I love my wife but I feel she can get very exaggerative about certain things. “Mercy, I’m going to Nigeria tomorrow. Quashie was supposed to go but he is sick. I will be back on Saturday.” I said after I finished putting my things together. She didn’t reply. I got into bed, next to her and slept. Things had gotten cold but I was doing my part. 

I was ready to leave at about 4am. I turned to look at my wife. She was still asleep. I wrote a note and put some money in an envelope for her. If I woke her up she would either argue or even cry. It was too early for that. I stopped over at Junior’s room and put a 20 cedi note under his pillow. I looked at the pile of drugs on his table and my heart cried. He was just 6 years old. Just then my phone rang. I quickly answered it and walked out. It was my boss. He was already at the airport and wasn’t very pleased that I was now leaving my house. “Jackson, if you make us miss the first flight I’m cutting down on your travel allowance!” He thundered. I rushed off as fast as I could to the airport.

I got there just in time. My boss still wasn’t thrilled. Immediately we took off I remembered I had to finish some typing I was doing the night before. I took out my tablet. Junior had been playing games on it the last time. I just had one bar of battery left. I had to be quick but something caught my attention. There was a recording on it. I pressed play. I heard a rambling sound. My poor son must have hit the record button by accident. Then I heard some voices. I plugged in my earphones to try and hear what was being said. The nurse was leaving the house and was talking to Junior. “I will see you tomorrow ok?” She said. There was a brief silence and Junior responded. He was trying to convince her not to leave and she explained that she had to go. Then he said it… “You are the only person who loves me. Ok, you and my mum. Everybody else thinks I am weak so they don’t love me.” 

When we got to Nigeria, all I could think about was my boy. The meeting went smoothly. We had the rights to sell our products across Nigeria but I wasn’t happy. I would be receiving a travel bonus of 1000 Cedis but I wasn’t happy. Unfortunately I had to stay for another three days to give some of their workers some training. My boss left for Accra the next day. All the time, I kept calling my wife but she wouldn’t respond. I knew she was angry with me. I left at the time she said she needed me. I decided to let her cool off. The first day when I was doing my training a man came late. “Sir, I’m sorry I’m late.” He said. “My mother wouldn’t let me stop eating her food, so sorry.” He added. “Be careful oh. If you eat her food so much your wife’s food won’t be nice to you.” I teased. The whole class laughed but he gave a quick comeback before he sat down. “Oh the same way I love them differently I’m sure I will love their food same.” Some people giggled some more and I had to ask. “How would you do that?” He smiled at me and said. “Sir, when you love someone your brain always thinks of ways to fix things. I’m sure if my wife’s food is too salty I will eat it and take a sweet drink to balance it.” Everyone burst out into laughter again. This guy was pretty funny, and then it hit me. He was right!

Instead of teaching for two hours and doing another two hours the next day, I did all the training in one day so I could go home the next day. I booked the first flight to Ghana and felt so proud on my way back. I bought a bouquet of flowers for my wife and toy car for my son. I had thought and found out ways to squeeze in time to spend with my family. When I got home I rushed into the house and called my son’s name. There was no response. The nurse met me in the hall and said my wife was in the kitchen and my son was in the bathroom. I smiled at her and gave her a tip. I rushed to the kitchen. My wife was cooking. I sneaked up on her and handed the flowers over to her. She gave a feeble smile and said thank you. My show wasn’t over. I lifted her off her feet. She shouted in excitement and asked me what was going on. “Did you get a promotion?” She asked. I shook my head and kissed her. She was overwhelmed. “Mercy I love you. I know I haven’t been the best of husbands and fathers but please give me another try.” I said. She smiled and hugged me. It’s like she could feel my sincerity. “Jackson you are a good husband and father. I just want you to show that to Junior.” She said. 

Then a loud shout cut in. I dropped everything I was holding and rushed into the bathroom. Junior was on the floor. There was blood on the floor. He was attempting to get into the bath himself and he fell, hitting his head on the bath. The trip to the hospital felt longer than ever. Waiting for the doctor’s report in the waiting room felt even longer. He was taken straight into surgery. I prayed to God and asked him to save my boy. I closed my eyes to pray some more. When I opened my eyes, I saw the doctor walk to us.

The funeral was quick and simple. My wife and I wanted it that way. “Jackson, I’m sorry for your loss.” My boss said shaking my hand. I nodded and he left. I had spent days blaming myself and my work for the death of my boy. What was the point of working so much and making so much money if there’s no on to buy that Play Station, toy gun or even perfumes for? What eats me up the most is the fact that my son died thinking his father didn’t love him. I turned to my wife. She was crying. I held her hand and she put her head on my shoulder. She mattered very much to me and I made sure I would let her see that till the day she died.

 

A chance to talk to her

She greeted me in the morning but without a smile

Her walk was slow and sluggish like she had walked a mile

There was something wrong with her. This wasn’t her style

I could tell there was something wrong by watching her for just a while

Why could a free spirited lady feel so down?

In all my life I had never seen her frown

Maybe I should go to her and talk to her now

Who was I kidding I was nobody and she was the prettiest girl in town

Then God gave me a push. My boss sent me to go over

I took a deep breath and walked into her office praying not to stammer

“Hello, my boss said to give this to your father.” I said with hope of getting closer

“Ok.” Was all she said, took the envelope and put it into her drawer

I had blown it. I could have asked her why she was sad

I turned around and walked out feeling really bad

“Hi, wait!” She called from behind me and I turned sharply like mad

“You work at IT right? Could you please help me? I think I broke my dad’s Ipad.”

Jackpot! God had given me another chance and I was super glad!!!