I CHASED LOVE BUT FOUND SOMETHING ELSE PART 5

My breath hitched. My brain refused to function. Was I still asleep? Had I somehow dozed off in the taxi, and this was just another level of the dream? Because this was madness.

"KD, sit down, lah! Why you dey stand like thief wey dem catch?" my roommate, Jerry, whispered as he yanked me onto the bench beside him.

I plopped down in a daze. "Jerry," I muttered, still staring at her, "you see that girl over there?"

Jerry followed my gaze and shrugged. "Yeah, that’s Emmie. One of those dbee girls. Why? You know her?"

Emmie! So that was her name too? But how? How did my mind create a person who already existed? Or had I somehow... predicted the future? My heart pounded. This was too much for a broke university boy to handle at 7:30 AM.

Jerry snapped his fingers in front of my face. "KD, focus! African Studies paper in thirty minutes. Forget whatever romantic nonsense is running through your head."

But how could I forget? This was not just any girl. This was the girl. My dream girl—literally.

The invigilator entered, and the usual pre-exam tension settled over the room. Whispered prayers, frantic last-minute flipping through notes, and the occasional nervous sighs filled the space. I, however, was still trying to process my existential crisis.

Then, as if the universe wasn’t done playing tricks on me, Emmie turned her head... and our eyes met.

For a moment, time stood still. I could hear nothing, see nothing, except those big, curious eyes staring right into mine. And then—

She frowned.

Wait. Why was she frowning? Why did she look slightly irritated? Had she also seen me in her dream?

I quickly looked away, pretending to be deeply interested in my answer booklet, though my brain was running on empty. Ah, KD, see your life. Instead of impressing her, you’ve made her think you’re some creepy stalker. This is why you must mind your business in life!

The exam started. My pen hovered over the paper. The first question stared back at me:

Explain the relevance of oral traditions in African societies.

Ei, wait, what’s this? The question looked familiar. In fact, all five questions looked familiar. My eyes widened. Herh. This was the exact same exam I had written in my dream the previous week!

Suddenly, my mind cleared. The dream! I remembered the answers I had written in the dream! I quickly picked up my pen and started writing furiously, my heart racing with excitement. This was my chance. The gods had given me apor!

Ten minutes in, I glanced at Emmie again. She was calmly writing, occasionally brushing her braids behind her ear. My heart did a little flip. Was this fate? Had destiny planned this entire thing? What if—

BANG!

A loud noise interrupted my thoughts. A student’s chair had collapsed under him. The whole hall erupted into laughter, but I had no time for distractions. I bent my head and continued writing.

By the time the invigilator announced, "Five minutes more!" I was on fire. I had answered every question like a scholar who had spent years studying African traditions.

"Pens down!" the invigilator barked.

I let out a deep breath. I had done it. I had survived. More importantly, I had seen her again.

As students shuffled out of the hall, I made a silent vow. This time, I wasn’t going to let her just walk away. I needed to know her, talk to her. But how? How does a broke first-year student approach a girl who looked like she had Ghana's money in her Momo account?

As she walked past me, my heart pounded. Now or never, KD.

"Hey," I blurted out.

She paused and turned. Those same big eyes met mine, but this time, they weren’t frowning. They were expectant. Waiting.

"Uh... You, um, you write the paper?" I asked stupidly.

She blinked. "No, I was here to fry plantain."

Ah, what kind of nonsense question was that? KD, you’ve disgraced your ancestors.

She smirked and walked away, leaving me standing there, feeling like an expired loaf of bread.

Jerry appeared beside me, shaking his head. "Ei, KD, this your love story dier, part one ankasa e spoil."

I sighed, watching Emmie disappear into the crowd. No. This was not the end. The universe had brought her into my dream, into my reality. And I was going to make sure she stayed in it.

Even if it killed me.

I CHASED LOVE BUT FOUND SOMETHING ELSE PART 4

"Bro Kwabena, wake up! Woda dodo!"

A sharp shove jolted me from what felt like another dimension. My eyes snapped open, and there he was—Kwabota, my little nephew, his tiny hands planted firmly on my chest.

"Ah, what is it again?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

"Uncle, you were shouting ‘Emmie, Emmie’ in your sleep. Who is that? You owe me an explanation!"

I shot up like an accused man in court. Wait—was I giving a running commentary in my dream? My eyes darted around. I realized I was no longer in my high school dorm. No, I wasn't even in the hostel. Where was I? Home. I had come back for the weekend from the University of Education, Winneba, to get some money and food.

I checked the time: 6:15 AM. I had a mid-semester exam at 8:00 AM. 

Herh, see my life.

Why did I turn off my alarm at 4:30 AM and deceive myself into thinking I would just close my eyes for a five-minute prayer? If not for Kwabota, I would have slept until 10:00 AM. I sprang out of bed and dashed to the washroom. I didn’t know I could bathe in under two minutes.

I threw on my clothes and stepped out of my room, my heart pounding. I kept blaming myself for falling back asleep after my alarm had gone off. I was running late. Just as I reached for my phone, Kwabota stepped in my way again, arms folded like a disappointed landlady.

"Uncle, I said, who is Emmie?"

"Oh, she’s my coursemate. We study African Studies together."

That was a fat lie. I didn’t know anyone named Emmie in real life. In fact, as of yesterday, she didn’t even exist!

"Then why were you begging her in your sleep?"

Ei, see investigative journalism! I ignored him and rushed out. I had a bigger problem—our mid-semester exam in African Studies was in less than two hours, and I hadn’t even finished reviewing the slides.

I took a taxi to campus, still shaken by the dream. My mind kept replaying the moment the lady saved me from disgrace and how she had agreed to be my girlfriend. I was so grateful to Kwabota for waking me up because it also meant I had escaped Emmie’s father’s wrath.

The taxi screeched to a stop at 7:28 AM. I jumped out and sprinted toward the big exam hall, my bag bouncing on my shoulder. But just as I adjusted my bag properly, something happened that nearly sent me back into unconsciousness.

The moment I stepped into the lecture hall, I saw her.

Sitting at the far end of the room.

The same face. The same skin tone. The same confident posture.

I froze mid-step.

"Herh, KD, move! You’re blocking the way!" someone hissed, pushing past me. 

But I couldn't move.

Because the girl from my dream was real.

And I had just spotted her right before the exam.

No, no, no. This can't be happening. This must be a cruel prank from the gods. This shouldn’t be another dream!

THE GIRL I NEVER HAD, PART 26

 

I didn't believe she was telling me the truth. Who could come to school as early as 7 am to look for me? I went to put my bag down and went out to supervise the juniors. While I was supervising them, she came there again. She wanted to know why I refused to meet her as promised. "It was not intentional. I had wanted to come, but my mum locked the door and hid the keys, that's why I couldn't come. Can we make it this evening please?" I said. "Oh, I never knew you were mummy's boy. Anyway, I won't give you any more time. I don't want to listen to another my-mum-did-this-and-that-excuse. You have up to closing time. And, oh, this time, I'm very serious. If you don't kiss me, I'll walk straight to the headmaster's office and tell him everything," she said it angrily and walked away.

I stood there speechless and shocked. I had taken her for granted, but I could see from her eyes that she was very serious. I saw Frank approaching. I thought that was a very good opportunity to tell him what the girl was trying to put me into. I told him everything that happened the previous day and what happened that very morning. He told me to calm down and not be worried. He proposed that we met during the first break to think about what we could do. "After all, it is just a kiss that she wants, so you won't lose anything...Hahahhahaha," he teased me and walked away.

Classes began and our teacher entered the classroom. Because of the assurance I had been given by Frank, I felt a bit okay. We started learning, but the girl was not giving me a peace of mind. She was doing everything to get my attention. She wrote something on a piece of paper and passed it to me. I opened it, and I was shocked to read what she had written on it. It read, "Remember, you have up to closing time. Make sure you give me a deep kiss too. I can't wait for your kiss. With such pink lip, I know it will taste really good." I couldn't concentrate again. She kept sending me the note and demanded that I replied her, but I refused.

I was very pissed. I was so furious. I wanted to punch her on the face. I wanted to beat her up right there and then. I even wanted to report her to the teacher but I thought that would be a very bad idea. I wouldn't know how the teacher would handle the case, so I stopped. The first break took forever. It seemed the time had stopped. When it finally came, I called my partners in crime for a meeting. When I told them about the torture the girl was putting me through, they made fun of me. MA and EK jokingly said that now that I have found myself a girl, the two of them would compete for Lucy. We laughed it off, and tried to find a way to deal with our 'CID' mate.

When we got back to class, the senior boys' prefect came to call me that the headmaster wanted to see me. "Oh not again. What could be the matter? Has the girl gone to tell him something? But she gave me up to closing time, so why would she do that?" I asked myself these questions as I followed the boys' prefect to the headmaster's office. When we got to his office, the boys' prefect left. "Lucy's mum was here this morning. She wanted to meet you, but you weren't in school by then, I guess. She left an envelope with me to be given to you. I don't know what it contains, but I'm very sure it's not a bomb," he teased me and gave it to me. I thanked him and went out of his office. I really wanted to know what it contained but I thought school was definitely not the right place to open the envelope.

#to_be_continued

THE GIRL I NEVER HAD, PART 27

I hid the envelope in my pocket and went to the classroom. I was still wondering what could be in the envelope. Could it be money? Could it be a letter? Could it be a cheque? Well, I would find out when I finally open it. I entered the classroom and spotted the empty seat which Lucy used to sit on. Her thoughts consumed my mind. Where could she be now? Was she still under "house arrest"? When would she be coming back to school? I also spotted JK's seat. I started recounting the risks I took together with my friends, and got to know that it was a pyrrhic victory that we had won. Now, the ultimate prize, Lucy, was nowhere to be found. The one person I loved and cherished most and the other one I hate to see were all absent. I went and sat down and tried to avoid eye contact with my 'CID'  mate till we closed.

I knew she would wait for me behind the toilet so I went straight there, when we dispersed from closing assembly. When I got there, she wasn't there so I decided to open the envelope and see what was in it. I opened it quickly and found out that it wasn't money or cheque that was in the envelope but it was a letter. I looked at the subscription and the name there was Lucy. My heart missed a beat when I saw her name. Before I started reading the letter, I made sure there was no one there.

The letter read, "Hi KD, I'm so sorry for what happened to you last Friday. I wish I had the chance to apologize to you personally, but I didn't get any. I hope you will find a place in your heart to forgive me for what I'm about to tell you. First of all, I will no longer be attending the same school with you. This is because my dad is taking me abroad to continue my education there. I know this will be a very hard blow for you, but trust me, I'm also hurting. I thought now that we have agreed to date, you were going to feed me with your love, but it never came to pass. I wish you all the best in your studies and I hope you will find another girl, who could love you and cherish your love. My mum told me you would come to our house last Sunday evening but you didn't. I had planned to tell you then, but because you didn't come that's why I wrote you this letter. I would be leaving for Accra this afternoon. I don't know if I can see you before I go. Goodbye."

My heart beat increased. I was shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't believe the love of my life was leaving me for good. She was traveling to a foreign. She wouldn't be coming back. Fear gripped me, pinned me down and made me incapable of thinking. I stood there in shock. Lucy said in her letter that she would be leaving for Accra that afternoon. I thought there was a chance that I would meet her in her house before she leaves. I folded the letter and put it in my pocket. Just when I was about to go, the 'CID' girl appeared. She was so optimistic that finally, she would get to taste my lips. I told her I was leaving. "Hey, you can't go. I'm sure you know the consequences of what that action could be?" she quizzed. "Look here girl, I don't care about what you know and who you want to tell. You can do it fast. I don't care anymore. Do as you wish girl," I replied her harshly. She wanted to hold my arm but I pushed her off which landed her on the floor. I overheard her saying she was going to report me, but I didn't bother.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to Lucy's house. I didn't even take my school bag. All that was important to me was to catch a last glance at Lucy. I was cock sure I would see her before she leaves, but there was another faint voice that kept on telling me to stop wasting my time, but I kept on running. Just when I was about to reach the house, I met that car. That posh car Lucy's mum was driving last Sunday. The car stopped, Lucy called me from the car and I went. She was weeping. She couldn't say anything, but her tears said it all. Her mum bid me goodbye, because they were running late. The car drove off. I couldn't control my tears. I couldn't control myself. I sat in the middle of the street and cried like a baby. I didn't care about cars approaching, or people looking at me, or the girl going to report me, or JK or even my partners in crime. All I cared about was the love I had lost. All that concerned me was the girl I never had.

#THE_END

Be My Baby, Not My Maybe Part 7

As I watched the woman get closer to where we were, I saw that she was being pursued by a well-built man. The man was sweating and panting. She was crying out for help.  Was this a test for me to prove my bravery? Maybe yes, maybe no. Our elders say, "a sudden frightening occurrence knows no brave person." I've also learned that "the bravery of a lion doesn't protect it from the spear of a hunter." I needed to protect myself first before I would be able to protect others. I decided to tell my girl to open her eyes so that we could run away together. By the I turned to inform her, she was long gone. The love of my life has run away and left me there all alone to face the situation. She couldn't even wait for me to offer her protection. Has she lost that much faith in me?

“If while climbing a tree you insist on going beyond the top, the earth will be waiting for you.” The girl was long gone but, I still wanted to show my bravery to whoever was ready to witness. I stood in the middle of the road and raised my right signaling the man to stop. He kept on coming and shouted at me to move away from the road. I didn't listen. When he got to where I was standing, he gave me a powerful blow. The blow landed on my left eye, and it sent me straight to the ground. I sat on the ground and covered my left eye with my palms. It was so painful I thought my eye was going to fall out.

While I was sitting on the ground thinking of the pink eye that the man had given me, I heard someone approaching. It was her. Yes. The runaway lover. Has she come back to check whether I was still alive? Has she come back so that we could continue from where we left off? I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I wasn't in the mood to propose. She saw my swollen left eye. She got so worried. She apologized for leaving me behind to face it all by myself. I assured her everything was okay, and that, it wasn't even painful. But deep within me, I was hurting. The pain was extremely excruciating. 

But, she touched me. She touched my hand, and I felt something within me. It was a sweet touch. She held me by my right hand, and said, "KD, I know you wanted to tell me something. Can you please be quick about it? It's running late." "Sweetheart, I know you know I love you. I've loved you since the day I saw your note. Although I didn't know you were behind those notes, I fell in love with the person. Seeing you today has increased tremendously, the love that I have for you. Your love is like a burning flame in my heart. I can't quench it with water. It is only your love that can give me inner peace. Please, will you be my girlfriend?", I proposed to her. 

There was a long dramatic pause. She stood there motionless. I was on one knee, waiting patiently for her answer. My left eye was teary because of the pain I was going through. She was still not talking. I started growing impatient. I wish I had the power to make her talk, and answer in the affirmative. Finally, she looked me in the eyes and said, " KD, can we take it slow? I'll need time to think about it." 

That wasn't the answer I was waiting for. I sighed. Got up. With my head down. I was sad. I thought the world had just come to an end. I was powerless. I didn't know what to say. I thought the vibe was there. I thought she was in love with me so there was no way she was going to say give any answer aside from a big fat YES! I managed to say, "Okay." I told her I was going home. I took a step. I added another. I was hoping and praying she would call me back and tell me she had accepted my proposal. I took another step. The fourth. The fifth. The call never came. In the sixth step too, nothing came. I gave up. I lost hope. I took another step but this time, she called. "KD, when you get home, check your back pocket. Please, check it only when you are alone in your room. She let out these words and ran off. 

I was so curious that I dipped my hand into my back pocket right away. There was a note in there. I brought it out. It was nicely folded in the form of a heart. I unfolded it quickly and there it was. The answer I was waiting for. It was boldly written, " I WANT YOU TO BE MY BABY AND NOT MY MAYBE." After reading the note, I smiled.

Be My Baby, Not My Maybe Part 6

I turned and looked. There she stood, with startling bright eyes. Her adorable curved lips parted to expose her nice teeth as she spoke. Just looking at her, I concluded that she would be as sweet as the flowers of springtime. Using beautiful to describe her would be an understatement. There are other body parts that I would have loved to describe but after reading the description, it would give you a different perception about me, so I won't dare. I will only conclude by saying, she was as pure as the dew from the rose.

"So this is the damsel who has fallen in love with me? And all the time I was thinking it was that ugly bully," I asked myself. I quickly flew her away, and we went to stand at "one corner". It was then that I knew I had sweet words hidden safely somewhere in my heart. Now that I had finally met her, she was trying to prove stubborn. I got a bit confused. Wasn't she the one who was threatening to take her life if I was not ready to succumb to her love? So what has changed?

" KD, you're gentle and a nice guy, but I need you to win my love. I don't want people to think I'm cheap. As beautiful as I am, I need a guy who will be able to protect me and love me," she said. I stood there in shock, as I watched her tell me all that. Which people would think she was cheap if she readily accepted me as her boyfriend? As for loving her, it wasn't going to be a problem. Which man in his right sense would find it difficult loving such a beautiful girl?

There was one little problem. How was I going to convince her that I could protect her? Looking at how that ugly bully disgraced me in front of the other students, I was going to need divine intervention for that matter. 

When she was done talking, I wanted to show her that I had also fallen for her. I decided to do something crazy, to prove a point. I hurriedly looked around and saw that there was no one around. I got back to where she was standing. I looked into her eyes, she also did the same. We all stood there for a moment without talking. We stared deeply into each other's eyes. I decided to move to the next level. I stretched out my left hand and pulled her closer to me. I planted a kiss on her forehead. She had then closed her eyes. She was gasping for breath. If kissing on the forehead could make such a gorgeous girl pant for breath, I wonder what she would do when the actual action begins. Don't ask me about the "actual action" because I don't know. Her lips, I guess, were ready for a kiss, but mine was not.  I decided, instead, to go down on one knee and propose to her. 

Just when I was on one knee, crafting beautiful words to tell my newfound love, I saw a woman walking aggressively in our direction. I could see she was so angry. I didn't know whether to continue with the proposal or abort it, or whether to tell the girl to open her eyes so that we could run away from the woman.

Be My Baby, Not My Maybe Part 5

"How can I go on living, while you've robbed me of my life? How can I breathe, while you've taken my breath away? Your love has pinned me down, conquered me, and made me motionless. Love me back or set me free." This was the note I saw under my desk the next day I went to school. Now, my secret lover was becoming suicidal. When did not getting someone to love you become a crime?

I didn't want to believe the numerous notes I was getting were coming from that fat bully who nearly raped me in front of the whole school. The more I thought of it, the more I was convinced that it was her. I didn't want her to take her life because of me. I couldn't imagine the guilt I would carry throughout my life if that should happen.

I approached her and spoke to her gently that I wanted us to talk after closing. She hurriedly agreed to the arrangement. I had planned to tell her that if she continued writing those threatening love messages to me, I would be left with no option but to report her conduct to the school authorities. 

After school, I went to sit on the"lovers bench" waiting patiently for her to come so I gave her a piece of my mind. I waited and waited until I could hear no one talking in the school. I knew she was not coming so I got up, hung my backpack on my back, and left campus. On my way home, I saw this fat bully exchanging words with other girls. I got closer to them, to go and satisfy my curiosity. As I stood there watching them, someone tapped me on my back and said, "oh so you don't want your pen anymore? I've been waiting for you to come for it, but it seems you don't want it." I turned to look at this girl, and oh my world, what I saw made me speechless.