Saturday, February 7, 2009
Awake
I'm not an empty shell, I'm finally awake. I feel like today doesn’t happen everyday, its just so clear to me….
I was going to do it. I had been given more than a month to make a decision, I still wondered why it had been so difficult. I have my own life to live, why should I base my existence on what people have to say. Not a day passed since he asked, that I didn’t think on it, inducing head pains in the process.
I will do it, I had repeated for almost a week, steeling myself against any criticism and backlash I expected. A week to the departure day, I called him and told him that everything was fine and no problems were on my side, he said he couldn't wait. I just felt so giddy when I imagined all the things set out for the next week or two to come.
I told my parents I was traveling to Lagos, to get some important documents from my school which I needed for work and I would stay with some friends. How long? They had asked. A Week, I replied with such steadiness. I was proud of myself.
I didn’t even know what to pack, I was so excited. When the day finally arrived, Abdul called me that morning, waking me up. I love you he whispered. I really didn't think it'd come to this, I never expected it now. Still groggy, I didn’t even know if I loved him, but I knew I wanted to be with him, always. You don’t have to say anything, he continued, just know it, I will pick you up by 4pm. I told my parents the day before that my flight was by 5pm, so 4 was a good time to leave the house, alright I said my voice still soaked with sleep. Ok then babe, go back to sleep, he said giving a laugh, one which I had grown to like.
I surely couldn’t go back to sleep, but the next few hours where the slowest I ever had, i stayed in my room after seeing my parents and having breakfast. It was a Saturday and the day just dragged, suddenly the hour of 4 was upon me.
I got my carefully packed box, told my parents goodbye, my phone rang just as i stepped out the doors to the house, Olanna, im outside your house, I quickly walked to the gate, and straight to Abduls car. He was standing by the drivers’ side, when he saw me, he came over to meet me. We hadn’t seen each other for more than a month so when he was standing a breath away from me, he planted a kiss on my lips, just like the first day we had met. Unbelievable, that day, only this time I loved it.
Abdul had been an acquaintance of one of my best guy friends, they met only once, but they constantly exchanged emails, they were both techies, which is so not my thing, i am only interested in having the fanciest and prettiest gadgets.
My last two relationships hadn’t gone well and while I hadn't given up on guys, I had gotten tired. So my friend told me that Abdul was single, I had laughed,telling my friend not to bother playing matchmaker. He told me that he had given Abdul my number, I got angry for about 2secs and took my mind off it, what could come out of it? i thought, if I don’t like the guy's voice I wont even bother picking any future call.
I had liked his voice, and when we met, I couldn’t believe my unluckiness, Abdul is much taller than I am, dark and hairy, actually mostly on his face, he looked like a liberal, modern “mallam” without full beards and jeans. He had taken me for dinner then we went on to a club, who would have thought, we didn’t dance much, we had drinks, talked as much as we could, he saw some friends, I saw some people I knew and pretty much spent most of the time chatting and laughing. As we got ready to go, we were sitting really close, he only had to turn his head to plant one on my lips, it was so weird for me, such things never happened. I stared at him, for at least 5mins , he smiled and hugged me, told me not to worry. I had hated the kiss, his beards grazed my cheeks and my chin, I had never felt so uncomfortable with a guy, he confused me. I hated that he was way taller than I was, he smoked and he was a Muslim, even though he had said in relation to religion “everyone needs a hobby”
But right there outside my house, I knew i had come to enjoy Abdul so much, I was getting addicted to him even if this didn't come easy. He was so kind, intelligent and funny, I liked the smell of the cigarettes now and I made him trim his beards every now and then,he looked so handsome, it was heart breaking.
When we finally disentangled, my cheeks blazing, I knew Kasali, the gate man must have been watching us. After placing my box, in the boot of his car, we shared one more tender moment and drove off, I looked back at my house as it got smaller and then disappeared around the corner. I knew, suddenly, i knew i wouldn't be seeing it anymore.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My Extra-Terrestrial Affair.
I was among the chosen; it was a class trip to the neighbouring planet. I was beyond excited. I had only begun teaching at the school two years ago and still had been picked. I was so pleased. My elation defied boundaries; I called my parents, my boyfriend and friends and anyone i could get to. They didn’t seem happy, but they knew this was something I constantly chirped about.
I had dreams to go afar, to travel with the galactic guards across the planet spread. Lofty dreams my boyfriend usually muttered whenever i shared with him, I had to keep them pocketed; everyone around me just seemed like chess pieces, they knew their places on the playing board and were never going to change. I was different. This opportunity had come and i was diving into it with all I had, my family and friends couldn’t get enough of it, I promised them all kinds of souvenirs. I had seen their eyes; I could smell the envy dripping from their foreheads. ha! I exclaimed smugly now they have awakened!
I didn’t get much sleep three days before the scheduled departure date. I dreamt a lot, my imagination not only ran wild, it skipped mountains and swam across the Milky Way. I was almost delirious.
Going to any planet was a huge cost and most people didn’t bother. I had harassed my family countless times on this matter. My parents had always said it was too expensive and dangerous. It was the major reason i tried my possible best to get a job in Reilly private school. It was an exclusive institution where the pay was high although the hours were long. I taught nature studies, I was also on the gym team and I gave extra lessons. If I was to save for this trip on my own it would take about three years with a lot of personal and necessary utilities cut out, and I was being handed this on a platter of gold or platinum perhaps. My class was made up of 10 children all between the ages of 8 and 11, they weren’t even as excited as I was.
When the Day finally arrived, I put on one of my cheeriest dresses, a yellow laced knee length gown, I had bought it for occasions like this, I couldn’t help laughing at myself. My boy friend had commented that I looked too good for the Aleouns an offensive slang name for people from other planets; I gave him a rueful look, kissed him on the check and left our home. While waiting in class with my pupils, I received a message on my PDA, is your class ready it said. Yes I replied with delight casting my eyes over the children who were in high spirits, chattering, laughing. We were ushered into a conference room, where we were briefed. I’m sure you all must have read some material on Planet Earata the principal said, I looked around the room; those making the trip were not more than 100, I was indeed lucky for my class to have been chosen.
Planet Earata at last! It was nothing I had dreamed about, there was no trip to talk about. One minute we were all seated in the ship, and the next we were landing on this Beautiful planet, surely they had to have another word which described it better! Everyone was in awe, the pictures and descriptions we had looked up were nothing compared to what we saw, It was beyond. . .Okey lets all assemble here, the old somberly dressed woman who was our planet guide said in a shrilly voice breaking the fragile pieces of my thoughts. I called my pupils to order and we filed out of the ship, everyone looked around in amazement, except for the few that had been here before , you could see it in their eyes and their raised eyebrow, been here done that.
After being briefed, we were introduced to the natives who would show us around and to our designated assignment. Being a nature class, we were to study the flora and fauna of the planet. Miss Reows She said to me here is Fanmsz he is your guide, I looked up and saw the most handsome/beautiful human being I had ever seen, I was doubly convinced our language was extremely deficient, the words we used on my planet were completely out of place here.
Hello I managed and offered my hand for a shake, he took it, shook it warmly and smiled, I wasn’t the same again I tell you. He was tall, had a skin that glowed, it was the colour of healthy brown soil. He was clad in garments that were like ours but he had nothing on top. I had to make sure I wasn’t flushed; my boyfriend paled in comparison, paled was the perfect word. I am Fansmz he said with a voice so rich, I hoped I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I quickly introduced my pupils who were apparently taken with the oohs and aahs of this place. He told us were we going, but that that point i was already lost in the bliss of his presence, i just wanted to hold on to him, I also began contemplating staying on the planet. Crazy? Yes, i know. I couldn’t help noticing how different but yet how familiar he was to me. Taller than the average male on my planet, skin darker than Cocow, hair darker than your worst nightmare, he still appealed to all my senses. i must have been as red as a beetroot because i just couldn’t stop staring, must of what he was saying went past me, what am i thinking!, i tried to fill my mind with images of Lukke, my boyfriend but the images faded faster than snow in the Saxarra Desert. What am i going to do!
Fansmz, I rolled his name around in my mind, ooh I ought to be working I thought trying to call myself to order. He was apparently great with the children as I watched him pointing to some plant as they huddled around excitedly hanging to his every word, A picture of him and me flashed across my mind, I in a white dress floating through flowers with Fanmsz in chase in a white tunic the contrast with his skin so beautiful Miss Reows, Miss, with a blush I answered the man. He smiled and said This place is called Yutkion, it’s the place were the flowers never die, come I have something to show you, what about the children I asked? They are safe here he said and took my hand, the picture I had conjured earlier came across my mind again and quite suddenly Lukke’s frowning face. Acck I felt a slight groan in the pit of my tummy, what am I doing!
I had dreams to go afar, to travel with the galactic guards across the planet spread. Lofty dreams my boyfriend usually muttered whenever i shared with him, I had to keep them pocketed; everyone around me just seemed like chess pieces, they knew their places on the playing board and were never going to change. I was different. This opportunity had come and i was diving into it with all I had, my family and friends couldn’t get enough of it, I promised them all kinds of souvenirs. I had seen their eyes; I could smell the envy dripping from their foreheads. ha! I exclaimed smugly now they have awakened!
I didn’t get much sleep three days before the scheduled departure date. I dreamt a lot, my imagination not only ran wild, it skipped mountains and swam across the Milky Way. I was almost delirious.
Going to any planet was a huge cost and most people didn’t bother. I had harassed my family countless times on this matter. My parents had always said it was too expensive and dangerous. It was the major reason i tried my possible best to get a job in Reilly private school. It was an exclusive institution where the pay was high although the hours were long. I taught nature studies, I was also on the gym team and I gave extra lessons. If I was to save for this trip on my own it would take about three years with a lot of personal and necessary utilities cut out, and I was being handed this on a platter of gold or platinum perhaps. My class was made up of 10 children all between the ages of 8 and 11, they weren’t even as excited as I was.
When the Day finally arrived, I put on one of my cheeriest dresses, a yellow laced knee length gown, I had bought it for occasions like this, I couldn’t help laughing at myself. My boy friend had commented that I looked too good for the Aleouns an offensive slang name for people from other planets; I gave him a rueful look, kissed him on the check and left our home. While waiting in class with my pupils, I received a message on my PDA, is your class ready it said. Yes I replied with delight casting my eyes over the children who were in high spirits, chattering, laughing. We were ushered into a conference room, where we were briefed. I’m sure you all must have read some material on Planet Earata the principal said, I looked around the room; those making the trip were not more than 100, I was indeed lucky for my class to have been chosen.
Planet Earata at last! It was nothing I had dreamed about, there was no trip to talk about. One minute we were all seated in the ship, and the next we were landing on this Beautiful planet, surely they had to have another word which described it better! Everyone was in awe, the pictures and descriptions we had looked up were nothing compared to what we saw, It was beyond. . .Okey lets all assemble here, the old somberly dressed woman who was our planet guide said in a shrilly voice breaking the fragile pieces of my thoughts. I called my pupils to order and we filed out of the ship, everyone looked around in amazement, except for the few that had been here before , you could see it in their eyes and their raised eyebrow, been here done that.
After being briefed, we were introduced to the natives who would show us around and to our designated assignment. Being a nature class, we were to study the flora and fauna of the planet. Miss Reows She said to me here is Fanmsz he is your guide, I looked up and saw the most handsome/beautiful human being I had ever seen, I was doubly convinced our language was extremely deficient, the words we used on my planet were completely out of place here.
Hello I managed and offered my hand for a shake, he took it, shook it warmly and smiled, I wasn’t the same again I tell you. He was tall, had a skin that glowed, it was the colour of healthy brown soil. He was clad in garments that were like ours but he had nothing on top. I had to make sure I wasn’t flushed; my boyfriend paled in comparison, paled was the perfect word. I am Fansmz he said with a voice so rich, I hoped I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I quickly introduced my pupils who were apparently taken with the oohs and aahs of this place. He told us were we going, but that that point i was already lost in the bliss of his presence, i just wanted to hold on to him, I also began contemplating staying on the planet. Crazy? Yes, i know. I couldn’t help noticing how different but yet how familiar he was to me. Taller than the average male on my planet, skin darker than Cocow, hair darker than your worst nightmare, he still appealed to all my senses. i must have been as red as a beetroot because i just couldn’t stop staring, must of what he was saying went past me, what am i thinking!, i tried to fill my mind with images of Lukke, my boyfriend but the images faded faster than snow in the Saxarra Desert. What am i going to do!
Fansmz, I rolled his name around in my mind, ooh I ought to be working I thought trying to call myself to order. He was apparently great with the children as I watched him pointing to some plant as they huddled around excitedly hanging to his every word, A picture of him and me flashed across my mind, I in a white dress floating through flowers with Fanmsz in chase in a white tunic the contrast with his skin so beautiful Miss Reows, Miss, with a blush I answered the man. He smiled and said This place is called Yutkion, it’s the place were the flowers never die, come I have something to show you, what about the children I asked? They are safe here he said and took my hand, the picture I had conjured earlier came across my mind again and quite suddenly Lukke’s frowning face. Acck I felt a slight groan in the pit of my tummy, what am I doing!
THE NUMBERS WHO CHASED ME
It was a dusty, stony road. It was flanked on both sides by thorny branches; I could hardly take a step without being harshly caressed. But this was my pathway to solace. I knew if they came in here they would get caught in the bushes and probably choke to death. I was safe!
I had been out of breath by the time I stumbled upon the pathway which was behind some rocks, I had been searching for a place to hide. Looking through a gaping hole I had still been contemplating going in, when I heard the thud thud of the marching Numbers, they are closing in, I imagined with fright.
Quickly I scrambled into the hole. They won’t get me! Not this time, the hole was musty and chilly. The smell reminded me of grated frog skin, ugh! I caught my breath as the sound of the striding integers grew, they can’t find me I snickered slightly. Moving away from the entrance I began crawling, it became very dark and the next thing i knew, i was falling. in about 2 seconds I hit the ground, thankfully on some leaves but my back hurt terribly.
Groaning in pain i opened my eyes and looked around, leaves were everywhere on the ground, the branches were all bare, like that skinny girl in my art history class i mused. There was no sign of animal life here, have I swum from the lake into the ocean I thought with so much soreness.
Damn those numbers! I couldn’t even imagine what the One to lay an ambush was doing. If i stay here i will be safe, but how do i survive.
Eventually, i knew,
They would get me.
I had been out of breath by the time I stumbled upon the pathway which was behind some rocks, I had been searching for a place to hide. Looking through a gaping hole I had still been contemplating going in, when I heard the thud thud of the marching Numbers, they are closing in, I imagined with fright.
Quickly I scrambled into the hole. They won’t get me! Not this time, the hole was musty and chilly. The smell reminded me of grated frog skin, ugh! I caught my breath as the sound of the striding integers grew, they can’t find me I snickered slightly. Moving away from the entrance I began crawling, it became very dark and the next thing i knew, i was falling. in about 2 seconds I hit the ground, thankfully on some leaves but my back hurt terribly.
Groaning in pain i opened my eyes and looked around, leaves were everywhere on the ground, the branches were all bare, like that skinny girl in my art history class i mused. There was no sign of animal life here, have I swum from the lake into the ocean I thought with so much soreness.
Damn those numbers! I couldn’t even imagine what the One to lay an ambush was doing. If i stay here i will be safe, but how do i survive.
Eventually, i knew,
They would get me.
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