₦airaland Forum

Cuddlemii: Oh sorry about that. I am not aware of this. It must have been some kind of mistake.

But next time, just use the modify button. I will make enquiries on your behalf, and ensure it doesn't happen again.

Thanks.

Anytime Madam....Welcome.

Nice idea though....

Cuddlemii: Hi.

Please, can you explain the bold-faced statement? I am confused, and I need clarification.

i mean i wrote up there in my first "someone willing to write and me designing but i would love to have a little input if neccessary in the poem's final output" only to come online back and see the word co write. Anyways its not a biggie but i was just wondering why someone would have to go to that length or maybe my clone changed it.lol!

princesa: my oga is in! i doff my Gucci hat

and i comot my versace shoe and pulls read carpet for my oga at the top ...who are you with? writing or designing princesa?.

but please wait o who goes around modifying individual posts? you got time i swear!

Ok...i posted two extra chapters . ...Sorry for keeping you guys waiting.

Have like 4 extra waiting to be edited before posting.

SAYO
OSOGBO, SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA. 19:05 HRS

It was dark already inside the Culture building and Deola had been working late into the night trying to complete the work she had left undone in the last two days which had piled up over those days she was absent. Her mother had been very ill and she had to take a three day break so she could visit her and help her in her recovery.

She stood up and move to the corner of the room where a mirror rested on a frame and she stared at the frame in the mirror and studied the reflection of a young and attractive woman; tall and slender with a drawl hair. The mirror couldn’t show the finer details of her face as the lightening was dim.

She returned to her sit and eased herself back into her sit to continue her typing but was still feeling numb in the neck. She thought to herself she needed to take a short walk down the stairs to relive the pain in her neck before returning to her work. She stood up and turned towards the door. She entered the corridor and was hit by the looming darkness. She returned back inside and got her pen flash light which was in the drawer of work table. She flicked the switch on returning and returned to the corridor bringing the light upon the darkness in the hallway. The corridor was quite and she was sure everyone would have gone home.

Deola passed beside the cafeteria and walked down the corridor before turning left when she reached the end of the stretch. In order to quickly relive her stress she decided cat walking and trying different styles as she walked down the hallway.

She needed to get the stress of her body and she tried everything including dancing on one leg. She was making a merry go round when she heard a door open and slammed shut very close to her. It was too late. She bumped into someone sending files and stacks of paper off into the air. She lost her balanced and next thing she was laying on someone. She closed her eyes to catch her breath.


"Damn” The voice of a lady echoed back in the dark.
"Can you get off me?”......"You are sitting on my hands". The lady said with apparent pain.
Deola was lost and she looked down and scrambled to stand up from were she was lying.
"I am so sorry" she muttered under her breath.
The other lady was trying to stand up and when she looked up to see the villain who had bumped into her. She winced. “So it is you”
“Ah! Sayo "Deola gaped in surprise at her colleague who was lying on the floor trying to gather herself up.
"Am so sorry, I didn’t imagine anyone would still be around the office this late"
“Even if I wasn’t around; what were you doing down here dancing on one leg in the dark.” Sayo said as she straightened her skirt.

Deola was her Assistant and she had been transferred to the Culture commission some few months back. She had read glowing letters from her former dean in school Prof. Arise who had not exaggerated her talents. Sayo liked Deola instantly for her sharpness, quickness and beauty. She had first she was beauty with no brains like most young ladies she with such stunning beauty she sees. And it was a no brainier that she had come to love and appreciate her so much in such a period of time and Sayo was very happy Deola had turned out to be a superb addition to the workforce at the culture house. Their relationship had blossomed to something of sisters rather than the official boss –subordinate relationship.

“I stayed back to finish the backlog of work I had when I was absent and was feeling numbed so I decided to take a short walk down the corridor" Deola said as she picked up the files and papers scattered on the floor.
“Am so sorry, I didn’t see you” She repeated feeling helpless.
“It’s okay Deola. Nothing to worry about. I just hope you didn’t hurt yourself with your Cinderella dance in the darkness act”. Sayo responded joining her in picking up the papers on the floor.
"But wait what were you doing this late in the office ma?"
"All I remembered was taking a short nap three hours ago only to wake up few minutes ago”
"Really? You must have been stressed out with work today"
“Sure, but am on my way home. I hope you are also done with your work so I can wait so you get your things and we head out of here.” Sayo said picking up the last paper on the floor.
Deola nodded and picked up the flashlight off the tiled floor pointing it back towards the way she had come. They walked silently in the dark with their high heels making the cocoka cocoka noise as they clambered down the corridor. The silence was caught short by the chipping of Sayo's phone. She searched through the hand bag she was carrying and picked up the phone.

“Hello Mr. Kunle”
“Hi, howdy?”
“Am fine”
“Good to hear, so where are you tonight"
“You want to guess?”
“Let me see, home?"
“Nope”
“Outdoors ?”
“Outdoors can be anywhere you know?” Sayo laughed.
“Your office then?”
“Correct”
“What are you doing this late in the office?
“I was working on something” she lied
“And here was I thinking of asking your eminence out for a Friday night date”
“Date with you? I doubt that” she answered with a visible sneer on her face.
“Why not? You know I want to discuss some issues pertaining to some of your work”
“Kunle, you know I don’t discuss my work over dinner”
“So what would you want to discuss?”
“Nothing”
“Ok, please yourself”
“Definitely, I have to go Kunle now"

Sayo said as Deola returned to hallway clutching her belongings with one arm and using the other to lock the office door.
“Ok, I will call you later then.”
“Bye" she placed the phone back in her handbag.
“Who was that?" Deola inquired
“Kunle, of course, who else?”
“hmmmm” Deola muttered.
“What are you humming about?”
“Nothing, so what does he want tonight?”
“A date”
“And what did you say?”
“No”
“Why not?” Deola said half shouting as the two ladies made their way through the lobby in the dark.
“He's not my type”
“Huh!” Deola scoffed “One of the most eligible bachelors in town is not your type?”
“Deola you should understand better.”

“I don’t, make me understand Sayo. You are successful in your career, beautiful and very hard working. Tell me what else you want in a man than to find someone who can compliment all these?”
“I agree, but not Kunle.” Sayo said.
“He's handsome and quite rich”
“I agree, but he is not what am looking for”

“So what are you looking for if I may ask?” Deola said as she opened the door that led out of the building
The rain had stopped momentarily by now although the streets that lay ahead looked dark and empty except for the occasional headlight and sound of one or two automobiles that zooms past as they made their way in the distant. They exited the building and walked down towards were Sayo's car was parked. Sayo unlocked the doors and both women entered. Sayo inserted the keys in the ignition while dropping her back in the rear sit of the car. The engine roared to life only for a few seconds before it went completely dead. She tried one more time but nothing happened. She turned the keys one more time and same happened.


"Kai!” She cursed.
“What’s wrong” Deola inquired
“The car is not starting.”
“Try one more time.” Sayo did as she was told but still nothing
“So what do we do?”
“I want to call my technician”
“But does he stay nearby?”
“His place is just a ten minutes drive from here; he should be able to make it down here real soon”


She flicked her phone on and dialed a number. The operator voice came on
"The number you have dialed is switched off, please try again later.”
“His phone is switched off"
“Oh, try it again. The network sometimes is like that especially when it rains” Sayo dialed the number again and got same response. She hissed and got down from the car. She located the bonnets tuck and pulled it. She turned around to the front of the car to open the bonnet and see what was wrong.

She looked around the engine as Deola joined her shining the flashlight on the various wires. “Everything looks fine.” She muttered. She closed the bonnet and returned into the car. She started it again but the fan rolled for some few seconds before it went dead again.

“So what do we do? It’s getting late and the rain seems to be drizzling again.”
“I have to call someone to pick us up.”
“Who exactly?”

She went through her phone book and could only single two guys out who could help them out of the predicament. “I need to take this car home tonight muttered Sayo. I got lots of errands to run in the morning and I need the car badly” She said sounding disturbed.

“Do you have anyone we can call?” She asked Deola.
“Am new to the town you know.” Deola said.
“Ok, let me dial someone”
She picked her phone and dialed another number but got the same response.
“Same.”
“So what we do?”
“We have only one option left”
“What’s it? “
“Kunle, but damn I can’t afford to call him.”
“Why not, if he can help us out, you don’t expect us walking ten miles in the rain this night.”
“I just turned down his request and you don’t expect him to just run down here. He might also be busy and far off”
"That dosen't change a thing, he should be more matured and help if he is in a position to help". Deola replied

“Ok, I will call him”
She said biting her lips and hesitating some few seconds before she scrolled through her phone and dialed his number. The phone barely rang before Kunle picked up.

“Hello, changed your mind?" the voice on the other end.
“Not that Kunle”
“So what is it now?”
“I need your help” Sayo barely said, the words slipping for her mouth and she hating the sound. She hated been indebted to someone. She was independent and that’s what she loved about herself.
“hmm, that’s new. When did miss independent start needing someone’s help?”Kunle taunted.
“Am serious. My car won’t start and I am stuck in front of the culture office, can you make it down here please. Don’t make me beg.”
“I think I can help. I just drove through that neighborhood some few minutes back. Give me 5 minutes.”
“Thanks so much, IOU” And the line went dead.
“He's on his way" Sayo announced to the delight of Deola.

CHRIS
SOUTHSIDE CHICAGO, 1:45 HRS.
Chris sat over the piled up garbage in front of him. What had started like an after party cleanup had turned to full house sanitation and cleaning. It had taken him almost three hours to clean a large part of the second room. Every inch of the house was touched by the desecration that happened overnight. He had cleaned empty cans of beer and even a blond wig stowed in the water closet. He had gone three rounds to drop sacks of garbage into the waste bin outside.


Everything in the sitting room was almost in their usual place and he was returning a set of books to the shelf when what seemed like a card fell from the bulk he was carrying. He placed the book on the table and bent down to pick up the item which had filtered under the central table.

He retrieved what seemed like a white card until he turned it upside down and discovered t was a picture of a tall black man in colorful attire and a small boy perched on his laps. The scenery in the picture looked old and one could make out a fountain at the back. The man was middle age, tall and well built with dark skinned. Chris recognized the little boy with the baseball cap as him and the man as his dad. The fire that raised their apartment back in L.A had destroyed most of his mum’s property and all that was salvaged from the fire were just some pictures, letters and some personal effects which were stored in the attic. He brought the picture closer and tried recalling memories he had about times he had spent with his dad when he was younger but everything seemed blank.

In all honesty his dad spent little time with them before his parents divorced although he felt his presence more in the aftermath after his dad travelled to Africa and never returned. He had to think hard to recall what his dad might look or sound like now. He breathed deep and thought about how his life had changed due to that single event. The separation of his parents had affected Chris negatively. Ever since he had turned a loner and even back in college he had few friends and no family. He figured that was the way it was and that was the way it would stay. He always feared his friends or loved ones would leave him so it was better not to make one. Until he met Sarah nine months back; a beautiful black American lady; Tall, sensuous, with big expressive eyes and jet black hair and now he had fought with that one person he connected to in a long time.


Chris opened the drawer and sought all the letters his dad had sent him when he was 12. He had always sent him a letter on his birthday after the divorce but the last one he had received was in his sophomore year. He pulled out stacks of envelope before reaching a green colored one and opened it to read;

My Dearest Boy,
It’s your twelfth year birthday and I wish you many happy years ahead. Though I don’t have much words but I just wanted you that I do remember you. Be a good boy.

It was a short birthday message but it meant a lot to Chris back then. Any memory he had about times he had spent with his dad had dissolved over the years and most times he had asked questions about his dad his mum had refused to discuss such. An idea hit him at that moment, if his dad was not willing to come over and meet him why doesn’t he take a break to seek the old man out? As he thought about the idea in his head he felt an enthusiasm he felt when last he graduated from college. A feeling of exploration, adventure and a feeling like he had something to challenge in the world. With this he strode the room to the other end where the phone lay on the table and picked it up the phone before punching in Sarah's number on the redial. After several rings she picked up the call.


“What’s up baby?” There was an awkward silence before she responded.
“You know what Chris? I am in mood for any discussions today. I guess you know it's over between us. You crossed the line and you knew the consequences.”
“Sarah, it is not like that”
“What is not like that? You knew what you did. Please spear me the gory details. I am done with this”
Chris paused before replying. ”I just wanted to say I am so sorry”
“Nothing to be sorry about you are crying over spilt milk”
“Sarah, I mean it.”
“Oh! So you mean it now? Huh? Did you also mean what you did the other night?”
“I didn’t, it was a mistake and you know it. I was drunk and was oblivious of what I was doing.”
“I have made up my mind, why am I even having this conversation with you?”

A car engine revved and came to a stop outside and Chris could hear the repeated honking coming from the car driver. Chris steered forward towards and parted the side curtain and took a peep outside.

Alex was already alighting from the car and he was waving to him to come over when he spotted him through the opened curtain.
“You know what Sarah let me say it one more time baby I am deeply sorry and I guess with time you will see things my way--”And before he could complete the phone clicked and disconnected.

“Hello, hello...Sarah...you there?”

When he didn’t hear a response he dropped the receiver and headed out of the apartment. The sun was still high and blazing hot and in the reflection was a big and powerfully built man with high set cheekbones, black eyes and deep black hair resting on the bonnet of an SUV car.
Alex burst out laughing when he saw Chris. “Look at the bald head.” He said pointing at Chris head. “I couldn’t even recognize it was you if not that trademark smile of yours”
“Alex enough already” Chris said waiving his index finger.
“Back down? Is that what you are asking from me? Not possible, egghead. Go get dressed we are hitting the bar” Alex said as he continued laughing and kept pointing to Chris head.
“Okay then enjoy the fun while it lasts.” Chris turned back towards the apartment.
“I just need some few moments I will back with ya soon.” He called out as he opened disappeared behind the apartment’s front door.

firestar: Okay, who's my designer?
God knows I need one hell of an artist to spar with.

And oh... I'm sssssssssssssssssooooooooooooooooo~ in.

I can be....what do you say? but I hope you don't mind me having an input in the final peom outputs?

interested....but willing to design and co write.