Of Ex’s and O’s

Why did he have to do it, she thought to herself as she prepared to call it a night. Why did he have say those words and ruin what they had. They had been going steady for the past year, they enjoyed each other’s company, really liked each other, and yes she did love him. But did this necessitate taking the next step. Why spoil something that was already so perfect.

She tried to close her eyes and will herself to sleep, hoping it was all a bad dream. But sleep seemed to have deserted and this wasn’t a dream. Damn the man, the over sentimental fool, she should have dumped him when she had a chance, it wouldn’t have come to this, but she knew she couldn’t bring herself to it, she loved him. He was the best thing to have happened to her. But why did he have to go and ruin it, make a fool of himself. Thankfully he didn’t plan anything grand, an elaborate gesture, it made not giving him an answer, not saying yes, easy, without embarrassing him.

She wondered if she was commitment phobic? Were women capable of being phobic towards any sort of commitment? She thought to herself, chuckling at the the sexist nature of it. She always thought it was a man thing, not a lady like thing to do. But was she really commitment phobic, she questioned herself. Did she have an aversion to commitment?

She remembered her first love. It was in high school, her first true love, or was it, she wondered. But then they were immature, they were kids, too young to understand the nuances of love. They grew up, they broke off, they moved on, never to ever bothered to keep in touch with each other.

Then there was the one she had in college. He was the jock, the popular kid. She was surprised that he even asked her out, with all the clackers (the noise their heels made against the marbled floor) and the plastic Barbies that craved his attention. She wasn’t that bad looking tough, she thought, as she adjusted the errant strand of hair behind her ear, as she stood before the mirror. But then he was a himbo, with brains in his biceps. When it ended it brought her a sense of relief. 

Her next one was with someone who was sensitive and sweet, caring and loving and understanding, and gay. Yes he was gay, and she found about it in the funniest of ways, when they were out on a date (now that was another story altogether, for another day). But despite of this revelation, they remained good friend, in fact he became her gay best friend, the Will Truman to her Grace Adler. Sometimes she wondered if she actually turned him.

When she moved to the city, there was her nerdy neighbour who harboured feelings for her, even though they were as different as chalk and cheese, she decided to give it a shot. He reminded her of a cross between Ross Gellar and Leonard Hofstadter. So what would that make her, a Rachel or a Penny? She liked that thought. But then things soured and it was better to end things. After all they had literally nothing in common.

By now she knew that her thoughts would not let her sleep, and sleep itself seemed to be like a distant thought hidden in the recesses of her mind. She got up put some coffee to brew. Pouring it in her mug she went out to her balcony and sipped it while lighting a cigarette as she stared at the world that was slowly stirring from its slumber. She took deep puff and looked into the predawn sky. She took a deep breath and inhaled the air into her lungs.

And there was him, she thought. The one who she believed got away from her, the one she really liked, the wanted she would have wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They had met when she and her friends were planning a vacation and he was helping them out with. At first she was surprised that he gave her more attention, at times even annoyed, but with time and all their chatting, they grew fond of each other, and so they went out on a couple of dates. He was a type of man for her, good looking, handsome (didn’t that mean one and the same), smart, well dressed and groomed, someone who could take care of her. Moreover he was the only guy who could make her toes curls and bring her to orgasm. But alas it  it wasn’t meant to be. He didn’t want to be tied down, based on his past relationship. This was the only time in her life she wanted to settle down, and he was not ready for it. Beside he didn’t have the financial stability she needed. So it was best for her not to pursue him, just remain friends.

She sighed as she thought of him and took a deep drag of her cigarette. She well and truly missed him, and though they still kept in the touch and shared thoughts with each other, things weren’t the same. Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like, a life with him.

She finally took the final sip of coffee and watched the world as it stirred to life. A Gradual orange shade of dawn slowly taking over the inky blue night sky. She looked ahead and realised that she had been in many relationships, but none lasted long. Well not till now. She had met him when a common friend set them up. Apparently, he was in one of the countless WhatsApp groups that she was on. He had liked her posts and now wanted to meet her, something she found surprising (call it humility or self-depreciation). Her friend advised to give it a short, after all how long would she stay lonely. 

He was nice guy, loving caring, good looking and from her past experience, definitely not gay. She liked his company, loved spending time with him, loved being loved by him, the centre of his attention, but wasn’t sure she wanted to be married to him, bound to him. She wasn’t ready to settle down just yet. Though age was catching up to her, her biological clock was ticking away, she was in no hurry. Age was just a number to her, motherhood was not her priority. There’s so much life she wanted to live, so much she wanted to do, to achieve, before she was ready to write the next chapter, and she was not there yet.

She sighed, it was almost morning, and she was still lost in her thoughts. She hadn’t even slept a wink all night. Her thoughts kept her awake refusing to let her sleep, even for a short while. Damn him, why did he have go and propose. But then the night had given her perspective of where she was and what she wanted from life and love. She was not ready to take the next step, at least not right now. She wanted time and didn’t want to jump into anything. 

She quickly took a shower, had her breakfast and got ready. She had her answer and was ready to face him and tell him what she wanted from the world, wanted from him. She held her head up high and went out to face the morning and meet him and tell him what she wanted to say.

From sea to shore

As he stood on the deck outside his cabin, trying to see what lay in front of him. He strained and squinted to make out something, make out anything but all he could see was the inky blue sea that mirrored the inkyness of the night sky, rising and falling to its own rhythm, and with it the ship rolled, as if to keep in tune with the sea.

He strained to look landward, where he had plotted land would be, cause land was his heart lay. Though sea was his mistress, his heart belonged to another, and land was she would be, the owner of his heart, the purpose of his existence. Ladies may have thrown themselves for a man in uniform, at every port he visited, even some men too, but he belonged to another and he would have no other.

He missed her badly. What would he not give to have her by his side, to hold her in his arms and never let go. But he knew the sea was not where she belonged, the sea wasn’t her home, the sea wasn’t a place to raise a life together, to raise a family. She had her life to live, her career, her goals, her ambitions. It would be cruel and selfish to take that away from her, as much it would be selfish if she asked him to stay back and never sail. He was proud of her every achievements, the way she managed her life and the family, when he was not around.

He had spoken to her only a while ago, but know those few moments seemed like ages, he already missed her. Although he knew that reaching port, he would get on a plane and fly to her, but those moments seemed to go by so slowly leaving him flustered and frustrated. If he could, he would jump into the ocean and swim it all the way to her. He could swim across the oceans, climb the highest mountains, make it across the deepest valleys, just to be with her.

But he would needed to console himself by staring at the sea, hoping that time would just fly by, till she was in his arms. And so continued to stare landwards, from sea to shore.

The Dancing Queen

She was small and mousy, bespectacled little lady. There wasn’t anything striking about her to make you want to give her a second glance, to remember her. In fact her looks were quite ordinary making her easily very forgettable, just another face in the crowd. But she didn’t mind being that way, being lost in the crowd. cause she had a secret and she hoped to keep it that way.

Come Friday night, when the lights are low and everyone were looking for a place to go, she metamorphosed into a striking beauty, someone polar opposite from the way the world perceived her daily. She danced, she jived, having the time of her life. The dance floor was hers for the taking. She owned it, she ruled it. She was the queen of the dance floor, the queen of the night, the dancing queen.

Wherever she went eyes followed her, she was centre of every attention. Men wanted her, to dance with, spend the night with, all clamouring for, hoping for a little romance but given only half a chance. Women wanted to be her, wanted her, envious of her. Wherever she went their jealous eyes followed. Little did they know her secret.

But she didn’t mind, cause for those few hours she was the Cinderella of the dance floor, dancing and jiving, having the time of her life. She didn’t mind attention though she didn’t care for it. She just went on dancing the night away.

But come Monday she was back to her mousy, bespectacled, ordinary ways. She didn’t mind getting back to her ordinary self cause she enjoyed holding on to her secret that was hers to keep and for no one else to know. She knew that come the weekend and once again she would be the belle of the dance floor, the dancing queen.

All Quiet Uptown

She sat on the stone bench in the rain. It was all quiet up town, with only sound being the patter of the rain. She sat quietly by herself staring into space. The quietness was unsettling but it was what she needed right now, to find a little bit of peace and quiet, a little time to herself, to find herself.

She seemed calm but there was storm brewing within her. She felt all grey and gloomy like the weather around her. She appeared strong and collected but inside she felt shattered and falling to pieces. She was grateful to the rain cause it helped cover up the tears that streamed down her face.

What she would not give to see him once again, to hold him in arm once more. She would willingly trade places with him in a heartbeat so that she could have him here, in this world.

She had been so consumed by herself, her grief that she was guilty of ignoring him, though it had been unintentional, and now he’s gone and there’s nothing she could say or do to make up for it. She was so consumed by her pain, her grief, her betrayal that she didn’t see that he was hurting too, he felt betrayed too, shattered and heartbroken.

She saw him from her distance. He had betrayed her, broken her trust, brought her life crashing down on her, the partial cause of her pain. But the man she noticed coming towards her was broken, shattered, drooping. Gone was the ambitious and pompous man she had known, in its place was a grieving soul who had aged more with the pain of the outcomes of the past day. She thought she would never bring herself to forgive him for what he had done to her, but now somehow she felt sorry for the man who was coming towards her, cause somehow he was in the same boat as she was, sharing her grief. 

She had chosen him despite of he was, his short comings, his ambitiousness. Her family and friends had warned her that he would end up betraying her, hurting her, and he did as they had forewarned. She would never ever forgive him but now was not the time for it. They needed each other, they needed put aside what had happened between them and be there for each other in their moment of grief. 

He joined her on the stone bench, siting besides her,  holding the umbrella over her head providing some respite from the rain. She rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arms around her. They were two lonely souls bound by grief. Together they sat on the bench staring at the spot, the grave where they had just buried their first born.

When the Girl meets Man... and a series of beautiful misunderstandings

As she finished unpacking the final box she felt sharp hunger pang. It had been a a very busy morning. The movers had delivered her stuff last evening and she had spent the entire morning unpacking and arranging and rearranging. She was so caught up that she had forgotten that she had taken a very light breakfast and now was suffering the consequences of it. She knew there was nothing in the house and would need to go down for a quick bite before she could continue with the task which she had set for self.

She stepped in to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She surveyed herself in the mirror. A part from the weariness that she felt from all the packing and unpacking and shifting, there was no toll on her features. She was still the pretty, athletic 25 year old who refused to acknowledge her attractiveness, who considered herself a big dork. 

She dabbed her face with a towel and quickly fixed her hair. She made a note to herself that she needed a haircut. She hated her hair getting messy and the summer heat was just getting it matted from the sweat. 

She put on the a fresh tee that she had kept for drying and stepped out of the bathroom when she heard that familiar annoying sound of the leaky faucet of the kitchen sink. She had asked the society to send someone to fix it but no one had come as yet. She could stop by the society office on her way down and insist they send someone.

As soon as she was out of door she saw him there, fixing something on the door of 3A. Age had been kind to him. His salt and pepper hair and stubble just added to his allure. Even wrinkles added to his raw masculinity. He had his tool belt strung on his waist and had a posterior to die for. Maybe this how they felt, she thought when she started to feel flush, referring to those Mills and Boons heroines which she had read in her growing years.

She finally shook herself and willed herself out of her daydream. She tapped him gently on his shoulder. “I know you’re busy. But I’ve recently moved into flat 3D and have a leaky kitchen faucet. I have informed the society but they have yet to send someone to fix it. So if you aren’t too busy could you please come over to fix it.”

She waited for a while for him to react. He gave her a bewildered look at first but then smiled and said “I will be there in a while.” As she walked towards the lift, she turned around to get a glimpse of him one more time. She quickly shifted her gaze when he caught her staring at him, giving her a smile once again.

Later that afternoon, after she had completed unpacking and had satiated her hunger, she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door to find him standing in her doorway. He was still wearing his tool belt and looked hot like hell. Her heart skipped a beat, did a back flip and began racing. So this is what they must have felt, she thought, when they saw the handsome handy man, once again referring to the heroines in those romantic novels.

“So where is this leaky faucet?” he asked her. She led him to the kitchen and pointed to the sink where the faucet was still dripping. He immediately went to work. She couldn’t help but stare at his well shaped ass as he bent over the kitchen sink. He seemed to be struggling with tightening it. “Why don’t you use the larger tool that’s in your pants”, she said innocently without realising what she had just said.

This caused him to squirt water all over himself, getting his tee all wet. He raised his eyebrow and gave her stare and then began grinning. When she finally realised what she had just said and went red with embarrassment. She apologised profusely and offered him a towel to dry himself. They then broke into peels o laughter.

Finally when he fixed the faucet, she offered him cash for his service, he refused to take it. “That wouldn’t be necessary”, he said, “I stay down the hall in flat 3A, so if you need any help you can always ask me.” He gave her his most dazzling smile. She thanked him and closed the door and couldn’t help but be delighted. She knew she was smitten and smiled goofily like a teenage girl. Just then there was a knock on the door again.

“That was quick” she thought to herself as she opened the door. But it wasn’t him, just another man. “Hi! The society sent me to repair the faucet which you had complained about,” he said. For the second time that day she felt embarrassed about what she had just done.

Later that day, she made her way down the corridor to apartment 3A. She gently tapped on the door and waited with baited breath. She was not sure what she was going to say but one thing for sure, she was embarrassed with what had transpired earlier in the day. She had come to apologise for her folly and with a peace offering.

He opened the door and once again her heart skipped a beat, did a flip-flop and began to race. For a moment she did not know what to say, she stood there with a goofy look on her face. “Hi,” he said, finally snapping her out of her foolish thoughts. “How can I help you? I hope the leak has stopped and the service was up to your satisfaction,” he said with a smirk on his face.

Once again she went red with embarrassment. She finally blurted out “Why didn’t you tell me who you were? Why didn’t you stop me?” “For starters you didn’t give me a chance to tell you this,” he said, “and secondly how could I refuse such a beautiful lady.”

“Good Lord he’s flirting with me again,” she thought, “could he get even more better.” “I am no beauty, but I really am grateful for your help. One of my friend gave this wine bottle as a house warming present,” she said holding forth the wine bottle that she had in her hand. “As I am not much of wine drinker, I would like you to have it as a small peace offering, a thank you for coming to the rescue of this damsel in distress and I am not going take no for an answer,” she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Since you have given me no choice, I will accept this but on one condition,” he said smirking, “If you would join me tonight for dinner. Nothing fancy, I am making meatballs and spaghetti, and I have been told that I make a mean meatball. So what do you say?” 

“I think that would be perfect,” she said delightfully. “Then it’s a date,” he said, “I will see you at sharp eight. Don’t be late I may just start without you,” he said with a grin. She couldn’t help but return his grin with a big smile. This was probably best thing that happened to her the whole day, the best thing that happened since she moved in.

She couldn’t wait for it to be eight. She couldn’t decide what to wear. She didn’t want something too casual. She wanted to look sophisticated but not too aloof. She wanted to look appealing, but not too desperate. She didn’t want to seem like she was trying too hard. She finally settled on a blue jean and her favourite crop top.

She couldn’t wait for it to be eight. She didn’t want to be late, but somehow time seemed to go by really slowly. “It’s not a date,” she kept telling herself, “just dinner to get acquainted with the new neighbourhood,” as if she was trying to convince herself. She knew she was smitten by him, she liked him, and hoped he felt the same way too. At least that was she felt, if she read the signals right.

She quickly took a shower, put on the clothes she had selected and applied some light make up. At exactly eight she made her way to 3A. She could hardly wait to get to spend time with him, to get to know him, smell him all over again. She couldn’t wait to feel her racing heart pounding against her chest. Was it possible to feel this way for someone who you had just met? She knocked the door and waited with baited breath. 

The door opened but the person behind the door was not him. Instead it was this stunning woman, who was more closer to his age. “How can I help you,” she asked. “I came to..” was all she could muster herself to say. “Oh yeah, you must be the new neighbour,” she said. “Your handyman is in the shower and will be with us in a short while. He told me about the whole incident and we had a good laugh about it.” She said much to her growing embarrassment. “I can’t wait to hear more about you over dinner.”

She felt crushed when she heard this. So there was a us for this dinner. Who was this lady and what was she doing here? Why is she crashing what should be a perfect evening? “Well I actually came to say that I have to take a rain check on dinner. I have been called in for some urgent work and wouldn’t be able to join for dinner,” she lied. “Could you please apologise on my behalf.” In a way she was grateful that he was in the shower, she wouldn’t have been able to look at him and lie to his face. She felt crushed as she made her way back to her apartment, felt like a fool for getting ahead of her own self.

“Who was that?” He asked from the shower as she shut the door. “That was your neighbour. She said she wouldn’t be able to make it for dinner, something about some urgent work that has come up,” she said. “That’s bad”, he said a hint of disappointment in his voice, “I was actually looking forward to it.” He got back into the shower. 

She felt shattered, almost sobbing through the night. The next day she poured her heart to her best friend who had come to visit her. “Girl it looks like you’ve fallen head over heels for your handyman,” he said teasing her, “Who knows that may have been his sister.” “How I wish she was but I don’t think so,” she said. “From what you’ve told me about him, he seem quite the guy. Are you sure he’s straight otherwise I could try for him. I hope you don’t mind the competition,” he continued to tease her. “What competition? Looks like I am already out of it,” she said with a sigh, “But be my guest. And I think he’s pretty straight.” “Girl you need a drink and some R&R,” he said with a big grin, “Let’s go get you a drink.” “So early in the day?” She complained, “but hey, I could do with one. Let me grab my coat and we are off.”

As they made their way down the corridor and to the lift, there he was standing outside his apartment all suited up. She could swear that he looked more handsome than he already was. 

“Hey”, he said, acknowledging her, “so sorry that you couldn’t make it last night, I was really looking forward to it.” She could die a thousand time she heard those words. “Me too! But then work’s work and you can’t run away from it,” she said, trying not to look at him. “That’s too bad, you missed a wonderful dinner. So where are you two heading?” 

“Ouch!” She exclaimed in pain from the nudge that her bestie gave her. “Where are my manners,” she said and paused for a while as it contemplating her next words, “This is my boyfriend Drew, and we were just on our way to check out the roof,  heard it got one awesome view,” she said while clinging on to Drew’s arm. “Hi I am Drew and it’s nice to meet you... wow that’s one strong and firm handshake,” Drew said admiring him. “Well we better be going, we don’t want to keep you away from your work,” she said while pulling at Drew’s arm who continued to admire him. “Hope you like it, it’s one of the best in the  neighbourhood,” he said with a smile on his face, “and hey, hope my ex didn’t give you any problem last evening. She has a way of dropping by unannounced and making herself at home. Well Drew it was nice meeting you.” 

Saying this he went into his apartment and closed the door leaving her gaping. She looked at Drew who gave a look in return. Once again she managed to assume wrongly and mistake the entire situation and shoot herself in the foot. “Why does this always happen to me,” she complained to Drew, who pulled and hugged her as they made their way down the stairs.

Later that evening, she once more found herself standing in front of apartment 3A. She knocked once more and hoped that it wasn’t opened by some strange unknown lady. And it seemed like her prayers when he was the one that opened the door. “Boy he looks so irresistible,” she thought.

She couldn’t help herself but to just have a go at it, “I am so sorry,” she said, “This has all been a series of misunderstanding and bad assumptions. The truth is that I like you, I like you a lot l, and have been doing foolish things, saying foolish things like would you like to grab dinner with me tonight.” 

“I would like that,” he said, catching her totally unaware. “You would like what? She said sounding a bit lost till she realised what he was agreeing to. “That... wow... awesome... then it’s a date.” She blurted excitedly. “Well wouldn’t you have to ask your boyfriend first, I am sure he’s not going to like it,” he inquired. “Oh he’s not my boyfriend. It was just something I said to make you jealous.” She said coyly. “Thank God then,” he said, “he seemed so...” “Gay,” she said interrupting him before he could complete what he was saying, “yes he is and he actually fancies you. So tonight at eight. So that’s a date.” “It looks we are,” he said with a smile. “Then I’ll see you at eight and please don’t be late. I’ll text you the address of the restaurant,” she said excitedly as she made her way back to her apartment.

That evening she wore the best dress and reserved the best seats at her favourite restaurant and ensured that she was there before time. Then she waited for him arrive. She waited and waited for him to arrive but there was no sign of him. She checked to see if she had texted him the right address and then checked to see if there were any message from him. But there were none. She waited and waited till she realised the inevitable, she had been stood up.

Dejectedly she made her way back home. She thought of stopping at his door and check if he was alright but she couldn’t get herself to do that. She just walked by his door and went to her apartment. That night sleep didn’t come to her easily. All she could think of why didn’t he not come? Did she do anything to offend him? There was so many thoughts running through her mind refusing to let her sleep.

Around the early morn, while it was still dark outside, she heard a beep of a new text notification. It was a message from him asking if she could meet him on the rooftop, if she was awake. She thought for a while before responded back with a Yes. She put on a tee, tied her hair and groggily made her way to the rooftop.

He was already there, staring at the cityscape in front of him, while he waited for her to respond, waited for her to come. The view was indeed beautiful with sounds from the street below as the city slowly stirred from its slumber. But all this was lost on her cause all she wanted to do was to find out why? What went wrong?

He turned round to face her. Though he tried to appear to be calm but there was pain in his eye. Even in all this she found him heartbreakingly beautiful. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but words seemed to have deserted her. There was an uneasy silence between them.

“I don’t know where to start, and I don’t know if you’ll forgive me for what I did,” he finally said, breaking the silence that was getting unbearable, uncomfortable, that was threatening to choke them. “But I did come to the restaurant on time and through the window I saw you sitting there. You looked so breathtakingly beautiful. I knew that I would be the envy of so many men. But then I saw something that scared me. I saw me. I saw my reflection in the windowpane and I  realised our age difference. While I am at a point in my life I would need stability, you  are discovering love. You will have a number of opportunities to experience love, for me that would not be possible. I worry of hurting, of hurting you if things were to go south and as we we stay in the same building, on the same floor, things could get very awkward between us.”

He paused for a while just to study her expression, her reaction, before he continued, “For this I don’t think we should see each other. I don’t think things would work between us. We would only end up hurting each other, and I am scared of hurting you. I am not getting any younger and I will only disappoint you. I am so sorry, but I needed to say this before it’s too late.” 

“No”, she muttered, finally breaking her silence. “No I didn’t agree with you! You don’t get to decide for the both of us”, she said sternly.

“But...” he began to protest before she cut him off before he could complete what he was trying to say. “It is totally unfair of you to assume this even before things have started. I am aware of the age differences and I am aware of the pitfalls of this but I really like you and I am willing to risk it all. I am scared too of things going south. I am aware that the importance of relationship may be different for the both of us but it is wrong on your path to assume what I want, you are wrong to try nip things at the bud when you have not even given it a chance to take root.“ she said trying not to choke, fighting by the lump that was welling in her throat.

“I may not know love like you do but I would love to learn love,” she said growing ever more confident and sure, “and we all deserve to be loved. I don’t know what the future holds for me, for you, for us, but I am willing to take a risk on it, I am willing to take it one day at time. Are you willing to do the same?” She asked him.

He slowly looked at her, studied her face. A smile slowly broke across his face releasing him from the tension he had felt all night. “I would like that,” he said with a big smile on his face.

“In that case, let’s start from the very beginning,” she said, reciprocating his smile. “I am Grace,” she said, extending her hand to him. “... and I am Will”, he said as he reached out to grab her hand and pull her to him. Before she knew it their lips met and they were in a passionate embrace.

And as they stood there all enveloped in passion, dawn broke and the sun rose basking the world in its gentle morning light, signalling the start of a new day, a new bond, a new relationship.

The Farm-Boy and the Girl in the Cotton Dress

He fell in love with her the moment he saw.   She in her cotton dress, dancing in the wind, as she passed by. She was this beautiful creature that God had created at leisure and with care.

He had known her since they were little. They studied in the same school, however never talking to each other cause of an age old family feud that kept them away from each other. But that never stopped him from swooning over her without letting her know. 

He dropped out of school to tend to his family’s land while she continued her education, even going to the city for her studies. He was all caught with his farming but oh how he loved and missed her. He always felt that for her he didn’t exist as she was always surrounded by her friends, never truly acknowledging him.

Years passed by and the ancient feud was all but forgotten. She came back to tend to her ailing parents. She still wore her cotton frock that would dance in the wind as she passed by. She was even more beautiful than he had known her. 

He lost his heart all over again. But he didn’t have the courage to tell her. He always wondered if someone so well educated and beautiful could love someone like him, a simple country bumpkin.

One day he finally found it in himself to talk to her. He approached her and introduced himself. She initially was taken aback and looked at him with surprise. She listened to him attentively as he explained to her about the feud that had kept them apart, and then he told her how he loved her.

He paused and tried to study her reaction,  wondering yet again if someone like her could love someone like he. She finally looked at him smiled, and with that smiled began their courtship. She knew who he was, had seen and known him all her life, it was just his shy nature had kept her from befriending him. 

Their courtship was initially met with resistance but finally things fell in place. Come spring, the following year, they were married and started a family of their own, putting an end to the age-old feud. 

And so their love story came to be known about the young farm boy and the girl in the cotton dress.

Locked In: When opposites get stuck together

They couldn’t be more similar to each other just like chalk and cheese. If humanity were measured on a scale they would be either end of it. But yet they found themselves thrust together by a series of unfortunate events. Forced to endure each other’s company much to their charging.

They were from the opposite end of the social spectrum. She thought of him as uncouth, ill-mannered, rude, lacking any social skills. He thought of her as a spoilt, self-centred, self-absorbed, obnoxious princess who thought the world revolved around her. She was beautiful and delicate, he was rugged but handsome. She was the queen bee while he was the outcast. 

He would have been the last person in the world she would have wanted to be with but yet destiny had conspired and brought them together. How could this happen? How did they find themselves in this strange predicament?

Damn the janitor who locked up went without sparing a thought to check if anyone was in the classroom. She cursed under her breath, which was so unlike the prim and proper her, why did she have to return to class to search for something she has left behind, by now she had even  forgotten what it was. He, as usual, slept through the lecture, and no one bothered to wake him up. 

She went below the desk to search the thing she was looking for, while he just rolled off the desk he rested his head on. Next thing they knew was they heard a click and a rattle of keys. They rushed to the door at once only to realise that their worst fears had come true. She tried to force the door open, tried to pry open the windows. Their mobiles had no signal which was usual for this part of the campus.

He  sat there observing her, feeling amused at all her attempts to get out, much to her annoyance. She banged, screamed and even tried to break the glass to draw attention. But all seemed futile. When she finally ran out of ideas panic set in. She realised that the college would be closed for the weekend and she was expected to sleepover with her friends, which was a cover to spend time with jock boyfriend. She was sure no one would miss him. 

In all her hopelessness she began to sob. Moved by her tears, he finally got up and walked towards her and offered her his handkerchief. She looked at it suspiciously but finally took it and patted her face with it. 

He tried to see if he could find a way through the air condition ducts in the ceiling. He almost made it to the top when he lost footing and came crashing down landing heavily on his foot. He screamed out in agony causing her to immediately rush to his side. He tried to stand but his ankle couldn’t take his weight. He winced in pain and sat back down. She propped his hand over her shoulder and helped him hobble to the nearest bench.

His ankle hurt where he had twisted it but even more bruised was his ego. She managed to force open the cabinet and extracted the first aid kit from it. She sprayed his ankle covering it with her scarf. He was glad that she was there otherwise he was not sure what he would have done, but he refrained from saying it out loud, call it male chauvinism. In a way he became the damsel in distress.

They finally settled down, waiting for someone, anyone to come and rescue them. They thought to a time long ago, when they were kid, a time when they were best of friends, totally inseparable. What happened to them? She became the queen bee, the popular girl who everyone wanted to be seen with, while he became the rebel, the outcast. She occupied the apex of the pecking order while he didn’t even bother about the order. He would have been the last person who she would want to be seen with it.

As hours passed by her panic lessened and so did his pain. He was able to stand on his own even though she offered to help him. However, hunger began to rare its head and began to take over them. He rummaged through his bag and found the sandwiches which he made for himself. He knew she too was hungry and offered it to her. She accepted and greedily gobbled it down only realising what she had done when she had taken the last bite. She felt ashamed of her greediness cause it was so not like her to be this greedy, this improper. But she remembered that he always had the best sandwiches and this moment they felt heavenly. He assured it was ok and hobbled to a fellow student’s desk who he knew had stocked junk food and indeed he found some biscuits and chips stored away for some boring lecture.

Now that their hunger was satiated sleep began to take over them. He offered his bag as a pillow for her to rest her head and his jacket to cover her. He volunteered to stay awake in case if anyone would come. So while she slept he kept a watch, however, not for long, for sleep overtook him.

He didn’t know how long he was asleep but woke with a start when she shook him. She was wide awake, at first he didn’t hear it but after a while he could hear the footsteps too. They both began to scream and bang the door to draw attention to them. The footsteps grew louder. It was the janitor who had come back. He assured them that he would with the keys.

While they eagerly waited for him to return they made a promise to each other that they would try and be civilised towards each other. They knew they couldn’t be the friends they once were but they could always be frenemies. He promised to not treat her with contempt while she promised to be less mean towards him. 

And so when the door finally opened, they bid farewell to one other and swore never to utter a single word of what transpired in those hours. They returned back to their social pecking order but a little less hostile to each other.

An Awakening

She was beautiful to behold with looks that could anyone’s breath away. She was the apple of her daddy’s eye, the thorn in the eyes of her rivals and the object of lust to her many suitors. She was a combination of beauty, charm, wit and brains, and used it to her advantage. She was not born with a silver spoon but knew how to use her beauty and charm to get her way, to get what she wanted.

She craved for a life of luxury, of no cares for the world. But above all she craved for a high standing in society, leading her to spurn many a suitors who coveted her attention but didn’t meet her expectations. She finally married for the money to a man way older than she, handsome for someone of his age.

Though she had all the riches which she craved for, she felt an emptiness in her, a loneliness. He gave her all the luxuries she desired but what he didn’t give her was love. He treated her with respect but seldom paid her any attention, and of love he didn’t give her any. She tried to console herself with the thought that she had all the riches in the world but all she felt was a sadness that her beauty and Love was given to a man who had no use for it.

She thought of a boy she once knew, a young strapping lad who loved her with all his heart inspite of her vainness, and she found herself falling for him despite of the walls she built around herself. But like all her other suitors, she spurned him too cause he couldn’t give her the life and social status she wanted. She thought about the passions she wanted to pursue but had abandoned in her quest for riches.

She wondered how did she ever let her life get way from her, how did she ever get this way? Was she tired or was she just lazy? Where did life go, had she she sacrificed her happiness for a life of luxury? Had she sold her soul for it? She buried her face inside her hand and began to cry, a prisoner of her own vanity.

He married not of his own will but of the the will of others. He was surprised when she agreed to marry him, considering she was young and beautiful and he was way older than her. 

He felt no attraction towards her, he felt no attraction to any women at all. He had long since made peace with his preference, burying it in a singular focus to be successful and rich, especially knowing that his family would never accept him for who he was, would never accept his choices. He knew they feared ostracisation, being knocked off their self-made pedestal. So he went about living with a mask on dodging the question of marriage as long as he could till he couldn’t take the pressure anymore and finally gave in. 

He couldn’t love her like husbands should. Her beauty captivated him but he  couldn’t love her. He could provide all the luxuries of the world but the one thing he couldn’t give her was love. Out of a sense of guilt he let her have whatever she wanted never once questioning her. He had befriended loneliness and continued e to be friend with it.

Though they shared a bed, a room, a house, a last name, they were strangers to each other living under the same roof. They tried to consummate their relationship in order to further the family name but had to abandon the act when things got weird, awkward and uneasy.

They were two souls in a loveless, tortured and unhappy relationship but never once wanting to the end the union, giving up the lives they were living. They were prisoners of their own trappings.

In the midst of their turmoil he came like a breath of fresh air, a whirlwind that swept them from the lies they were living. A stranger, a distant relative, who initially felt like an intrusion, an annoyance, but by and by he grew on them. 

He was everything they were not, everything they hoped to be, which was what took them by surprise, made them envious, made them distrustful of him. He was free spirited, an open book, what you get is what you see. A person who lived life openly on his term. He flirted with both of them, to their annoyance and later to their flattery.

She was the first to let her guard down. In him she found a companion, a confidante, a friend that she lacked. He helped her see the folly of her materialistic views and helped find a life she once knew. He encouraged her to shed her materialistic ways to pursue a life she had abandoned, a life that brought her true happiness. He made her feel the way she used to feel. He opened her mind and brought about a change in her.

He took a bit more time to come around. This may be due to that fact that he was unnerved by his mere presence, envious by the fact that here was a person who wore his preference on his sleeves, who was unashamed and unafraid of who he was and open and unbashful about it. He was all that he was not.

He tried his best to keep his guard up but he couldn’t help but find himself being drawn to him. He would find himself staring at him, and when this was noticed he quickly averted his glance. This lead to him being hostile and curt towards him. 

One evening, while he was strolling through the garden, trying to get him out of thoughts, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and his heart skipped a beat. He was standing there, trying to confront for his hostility towards him, asking him he did anything wrong towards him. 

And in all this he just could notice his lips, his face, and in that moment he let his guard down, grabbed his face and kissed him with all the passion he felt. When he pulled back he expected a punch on his face but was surprised when he kissed back. It was like the floodgate was open and passion and emotion like water flowed.

When they finally parted, he began to sob in his arms. He felt ashamed, exposed, emotionally naked. This was who he was, no more mask and all. He embraced him and kissed him once more and told him that there was nothing wrong with him, nothing to be ashamed of cause this was who he was. He encouraged him  to be himself, to be true to himself and to her.

She had observed them from the balcony that overlooked the garden. She saw all that transpired. It took her by surprise but she didn’t feel hurt or betrayed, instead there was feeling of relief that a curtain was lifted and what was behind it was there for all to see. 

They met in the hallway, initially not knowing what to say to each other. After a bit of hesitation they broke down in each other’s arms. For the first time they embraced and really meant it, for the first time they had a heart-to-heart conversation. They had an awakening to each other. That night one relationship ended but a new bond took root. They agreed it was the best they go their separate ways.

Couple of months later they divorced amicably, bringing an end to their marriage. However they stayed friends, their bond stronger than it ever was. He supported her passion, her career endeavours, providing her valuable advice and emotional and financial support when she needed it. He was shoulder for her to cry on, lean on, through success and failures, good times and bad times.

She in turn was his rock who stood by his side especially when he came out of the closet, providing him the courage and strength that he needed at the time. Unwavering and unflinching she supported him.

They found success and they found love and they were happy content with life and for each other. They no longer had to live a made up life.

As for the stranger who acted as a catalyst, who brought about an awakening, well after while he said farewell to both of them. His job was done and now he had to return back to his life. 

In the end, they were in their on way, content with the lives they now lived, their very own happily ever after.