***The previous night*** “Hey, buddy,” Sam said to Cupid as he walked out of the elevator. Chief had just left and the night still had much fun to offer based on the plans already drawn up. “Where is he of the night school?” “He is on the way home to his lovely wife, Sam,” Cupid replied and then turned the music on even louder. It was much louder than it had ever been. “Wouldn’t it be fun if we were …
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By Richard Oti “I love you, daddy! Come back home safe,” his 3-year-old daughter says, wrapping her little arms around him. He takes a look at her and realizes that it might be the last time he stares at her beautiful chiseled face and lovely hazel eyes. Eyes that held all that was innocent and pure. So, he holds her tiny arms and pulls her closer one more time for a kiss and a tight embrace he hoped could last …
All I saw was a glimpse of you, One my eyes caught in the night A night when the moon would not reflect the sun And the stars wouldn’t shine bright. It was cold and the street was deserted, And then I saw you. But then I blinked, And you were gone. You disappeared into the darkness of the night. But how can I forget your beautiful eyes? They were full of dazzling light. Glowing with the colors of iridescent …
Every relationship has many facets: the obvious, the non-obvious and the never to be obvious. Confused? Take a deep breath, grab a bite (preferably; a Dagwood sandwich), and then enjoy the story of Daddy’s Little Girl. Well, they say girls are hard to understand. It’s like studying Applied Physics, Industrial Chemistry & Pharmacy, all at the same time. What’s the right word? Aha! I remember. It is Complex. So, when you find that girl you easily understand, you’ve got yourself …
It was very early on Saturday. Chief was awake, “it’s a brown new day,” he sang like a chirping bird, walking around his room aimlessly, whistling and smiling sheepishly. It’s amazing how love revamps a person. Ever wonder how happy people become once they fall in love? Yes, that’s because they actually lose common sense and so they see the world through a new lens, the eyes of love. I’m convinced that people would live longer and happier if they …
Chief had a delicious sleep for the first time in many months. Technically, sleep should not be qualified with such a term because It is not Nigerian jollof-rice. I know there is a war still ongoing between Ghanaians and Nigerians as to which country holds the bragging rights for the best jollof-rice in Africa. Where were the Ghanaians when Nigerians used the power of jollof-rice to get independence from the British? Or when Nigeria jollof-rice was the biggest source of …
Young African woman, You are strong, You are beautiful, And you are smart. Young African woman, Don’t let the walls of any college scare you. The fierce monsters you see are all in your mind, They are not real. Young African woman, Don’t let your mistakes haunt you. Don’t let the ghost of your past be your shadow. Don’t feed them in the darkness of the night while your head lies on the pillow. Don’t let them see you cry. …
Chief was non-malleable this day. Just like he had been most of his life. Eyes squinted, and his face ruffled. Even the new millennium haircut did not look so nice on him any longer. A frown makes one ugly. Very true. How does Chief get himself to say those words, or refer to his wife as – babe? It was like trying to get a good church boy to cuss on a Sunday morning. That’s a herculean task. Chief was not one of these …
His lovely slim tie was placed neatly beside his well-starched and ironed white cotton shirt. It wasn’t one of those white shirts that were on the borderline, closer to brown than white. It was pristine, slim fit and expensive too. On the bed, he neatly arranged his black suit and red linen pocket square. His shined shoe was custom made by Stacy Adams, as almost all of the shoes he had, lined up in his 6 tier wooden shoe …
01 A Day With Carla Carlson The little girl sat just a few feet away from me. A crease on her face, her eyes swollen; looking like she had deprived them of sleep for many days. I could see pain living in her deep moans, for she was unable to cry again. I wondered how this beautiful girl that looked not a day older than sixteen would be in such pain. I had been waiting to meet her, for several …
Akin had great pleasure breaking the news to me as we sat in the car headed back to central Abuja city. It felt like an ice-box had replaced my heart. I was cold, and in shock, a little more shock would have been all that was needed for a heart attack. It wasn’t that Chyoma didn’t have a right to move on. But she deserved better. She was the closest thing to my idea of an angel. It felt as …
Akin was stunned. It was hard to believe the gravity of his mistake. Never had he been that careless, not in many years of scheming. “It’s Fred’s fault,” he said out loud, hitting the steering wheel in annoyance. Things couldn’t go south now, not after he had done so much work to get to this point. Parking the car, Akin got down, and then he handed the Key to Fred. It was 5 minutes to 10:00 pm. “Baba, no vex …
Ndidi looked exceptional this afternoon. She was dressed in a black Tom Ford sleeveless jumpsuit. A cream shawl hung around her shoulders, flowing down towards her sides. Her braids were styled in a box bun. Her eyelashes were full, and her lips coated in light red. I looked down at her legs, she had on an Ericdress solid-color sequined zipper stiletto sandal. Oh boy! I couldn’t help but smile over and over again. Here was I, dressed like someone who …
“Daddy, its past 6 am. Wake up. Wake up.” Turning slowly away from the edge of the bed, I pulled the duvet over my head. “Do you have to go to school today?” I asked Shawn, not really interested in his answer, though. I know it’s very silly when your five-year-old son wakes you up in the morning and then you act like a little kid. The previous night had ended greatly for Shawn; he had dinner sitting beside his …
“Would you say a prayer before we eat?” Chyoma urged Akin, who was sitting opposite her. The time was 6:00 pm, their meeting was later than they had scheduled because Arik Air had delayed Chyoma’s flight to Abuja by over two hours. Sheraton never looked so good like it did to Akin this night. “Sure let’s bow our head.” Akin was dapper in a black tuxedo and it was complemented with a flawlessly shined George Cleverly black shoe. “Lord we …
Sunday mornings were always exciting for me. I liked church a lot, and as was my custom, I tried to always be in the building at least 10 minutes before service began. I didn’t review poems on Sunday. The kids were up by past 6 and were already turning the house upside down. “What are you guys gonna have for breakfast?” I asked Shirley, squatting so that I could be about the same height with her. “I’d like bread with …
It was time to leave Grand square, we all got into Chioma’s Bentley (flying Spur, 2014 model). It had tinted glasses, and the interior was custom-made in Italy. It was simply a car made for beauty and glory. Mehn! Everyone, everything and everywhere looked beautiful when seen through the rare view of a Bentley – 2014 model. We had just driven for about three minutes before it dawned on me that Akinyele was in the car with us. I thought …
It had been 4 years since they had been separated as little kids, but on reuniting, they were up to their usual shenanigans. In comparison to their mother, I was broke; so I took them to Mr. Biggs for lunch. It was easy to interpret the look on the red faces of both lads. There was a spirit of el cheapo hovering all over the air. The taste of the meal cast a pall upon all of us, not one that …
Sometimes, walking away seems easier than staying back and getting hurt. “But hurt me all you can, I’ll stay with you because I love you”. I heard love is patient and kind… So, I won’t shout at you when you bad mouth ‘the Blues’ and Mourinho. I’d like to give you a lecture on what it takes to be numero uno. But because you think Arsene Wenger is the greatest of all time, I’ll accept your point of view and keep …
“Dad, I know you mean well. But, I’m almost full grown and I need to make my decisions now.” Oscar said with all seriousness and almost desperation. “Son, I walked this lonely path many years ago and this, these…. Take a look at where we live and the life you have. This is where it led me to.” Oliver began to stutter and snapped, and then he broke down in tears. It was a shameful sight. Oscar quickly reached out …
“Nzogbu Nzogbu, Enyimba Enyi!” chanted the young men as they escorted the masquerade. The older men who accompanied it chanted some kind of mystical gibberish that sent the masquerade into frenzy. It was hard to guess who carried the masquerade each year. We grew up believing the masquerade was a spirit and not human. I stopped believing that when I was 10. I had followed papa one day, it was the gathering, the one where a fellow was to put …
FRANCES “Sweetheart, you will find a man who is worthy of you. I didn’t invest this much in you, to give you off to some riffraff. You deserve more”. I think that was the eighteenth thousandth time I was listening to my dada repeat these same words since I turned eighteen. My name is Frances Anita Iheanacho. I’m not your everyday kinda girl, thanks to my dad. I’m 22 years old, and I have a Ph.D. in applied physics from …
Chile is a southern South American country, bordering the south pacific ocean, between Argentina and Peru. Chile is best known for its sweet wine made from pais and muscatel also its magnificent beaches that attract lots of tourist yearly. Most people dream of living in Santiago the country’s capital, home to the wealthy class. But this dream never comes true for so many. Senor Valdez (my dad) is one of the many men who had been stuck in the peasant …
All you wanted was a rose So I scampered all over the earth I wouldn’t let Kilimanjaro’s height scare me Neither the length of Thames My feet hurts from the scorching sands of the Sahara My palms, thorns stung But I found you a rose, and it’s red Because I want us to be more than friends I want to dance with you beside the deep blue sea We’d dance all night to the songs of the angels …
If we held hands Would there be chemistry? Would I understand why Oxygen needs two molecules of Hydrogen to become water? Or why Sodium reacts with Chloride to liven up my pot of soup? If I asked Einstein Could he help me understand why there’s a force field that keeps me revolving around you? That should be easy, since he can explain syzygy When I’m still trying to understand why E=mc2 I know my heart should take a beat at …
‘Most of you would not make it to the end; some of you would get missing in action, some of you would quit after a few months, some would end up on wheelchairs and would have to be honorably discharged. Many would suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and their lives would never be the same again. Others would die in combat, and their bodies might lie out in the open for days, and flies would do them justice. But …
It was her turn to take the vow, she slid her hand forward and took his. Looking into his eyes, she recited the lovely vow she had written for him: “I’ll love you forever, I’ll keep your heart safe. I’ll hang a mistletoe everywhere around the house, so you would never cease to kiss me (he smiled). I promise to remain your favorite girl. If our boys turn out to be half the man you are, then I would know …
Love used to live on hope street, But she moved away. Now the days are long And the nights even longer. So, I moved into her house on hope street, Just to remember her once more. The memories were lucid, I knew they would last forever. So, while she was away, I slept in her bed, ate her food, wore her perfume. Talked in her voice Laughed like she would And then I cried all alone. Looked out the window …
In life, it’s almost impossible to find that friend that sticks closer than a brother, like ‘the preacher’ said in the eighteenth book of Proverbs, the 24th verse. But in Nasir Khalifa, I found a brother, one to keep for a lifetime. Our families were Coptic Christians living in Egypt before migrating to Syria many years ago, long before my father knew to spell his name. This was a few years before Hafez Al-Assad, the father of Bashar Al-Assad …
“I would tell you both a bedtime story, only if you both promise to be good,” Granny said, having a lightning of affection flash in her eyes. Ada and Obinna, just cuddled themselves up underneath the duvet, waiting to hear another exciting moonlight tale from Grandma. It was hard to believe that that was the last story they were going to hear from her, at least for a while. “There was a monster who lived on Ugboma hill, a long …
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