All rights reserved.



1.

The first time I saw her, she was with another man. She had her head on his shoulder and he was saying something to her that made her laugh. I was sitting too far away to hear the sound of it but I imagined it sounded like the glorious bells that welcomed saints into heaven. I remember thinking: that is the luckiest man alive! Her teeth flashed brilliantly in the sunlight and she had her head tilted at a demure angle as she paid attention to him. If there had been an explosion to end the world in that moment, that boy wouldn’t have known it. He would have been totally oblivious to every external force because she was there with him to engulf him in an alternate universe.

I do not know what cosmic energy led me to break my focus from the book I had been reading, I forget what book that was but I know it had been important at the time. I had been sitting in the sculpture garden at the department of Fine Arts to take a breather between lectures because I didn’t want to go back to the hostel and risk losing track of the time. My own department was just across from it. So, I had been sitting there, completely absorbed in a world of fiction, for over an hour before I felt it. The energy. It is difficult to explain the force or feeling. There are people who would tell you that they can sense when there is a snake in the room even when they don’t see it. There are people who can sense the presence of a ghost. It’s the energy. That was exactly the sort of instinctive sensation that roused me in that moment when I looked up to see her sitting on one of the benches in the periphery. I was deeply affected in that very instant. I lost all interest in everything else. It was all a big blur. Except for her.

Then, suddenly, she raised her head and looked in my direction. It was as if she had heard the million voices in my heart, in perfect alignment, conjuring up a symphony to celebrate the vision my eyes beheld. Of course, I knew she wasn’t looking at me but still…my palms became sweaty and I couldn’t tame the butterflies fluttering about wildly in my belly. I looked at her and prayed she would see me. I waited, stupidly, for some sort of acknowledgement. Perhaps a smile. A nod. Anything.

I got nothing. Instead, she turned back to her beau and pulled him to his feet. They were leaving! For some reason I felt a rush of panic. I wanted them to stay. The longer they stayed the more I could find out about this girl. I could commit her face to memory and dream about it at night. I couldn’t just allow her to disappear back into the crowd. I needed a clue. Bread crumbs to find my way back to her. I had to do something.

The first thing I had thought to do was to scream as loud and agonizingly as I could until they were compelled to find out what the matter was. But I didn’t have a follow up for that and I would have just looked like a retard with a resultant Scarlett letter warning everyone to keep their distance. I did not scream. I did the second thing that came to mind - I stole her phone. Don’t judge me! All is fair in love and war. I decided to charge into them entirely by accident and pick her pocket in the process.

“Guy you dey madt?! Are you high, didn’t you see us? Why would you just run into us like that?”

Dude was showing off, and why wouldn’t he? He wanted to show her he was a tough guy. But I had expected a strong reaction.

“I am so sorry!”

I immediately crouched to help gather the content of the bag which had been spilt all over the floor. Typical girly stuff – lipstick, mascara, powder, as well as stationery and a half eaten sachet of peanuts. And there was the phone!

Heaven was smiling on me this time because her phone was identical with mine. I didn’t have to be the bad guy after all. Instead of stealing her phone and starting off this relationship a thief, I could get away with being guilty of nothing more than an honest mistake. I knocked over my bag, strewing its content to cause further commotion and then deftly turned off my phone and switched it for hers.

“I am so very sorry” I said again as I handed her the bag. Content collected and secured.

“Yeah, it’s alright” she said in voice that made me want to weep. I wanted to follow her around like the little lamb followed Mary – everywhere she went, the lamb was sure to go. I dared to look into her eyes, even in the presence of muscleman, and I knew that this shady mission would be worth it regardless of the outcome. I smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. In fact, she seemed slightly discomforted by my boldness. But that didn’t worry me, I had my bread crumb.

I didn’t bother going back for any classes. I went straight back to my hostel room and went to work on a plan.

RaggedyAnn:

All rights reserved.



1.

The first time I saw her, she was with another man. She had her head on his shoulder and he was saying something to her that made her laugh. I was sitting too far away to hear the sound of it but I imagined it sounded like the glorious bells that welcomed saints into heaven. I remember thinking: that is the luckiest man alive! Her teeth flashed brilliantly in the sunlight and she had her head tilted in a demure angle as she paid attention to him. If there had been an explosion to end the world in that moment, that boy wouldn’t have known it. He would have been totally oblivious to every external force because she was there with him to engulf him within an alternate universe.

I do not know what cosmic energy led me to break my focus from the book I had been reading, I forget what book that was but I know it was important at the time. I had been sitting in the sculpture garden at the department of Fine Arts to take a breather between lectures because I didn’t want to go back to the hostel and risk losing track of the time. My own department was just across from it. So, I had been sitting there, completely absorbed in a world of fiction, for over an hour before I felt it. The energy. It is difficult to explain the force or feeling. There are people who would tell you that they can sense when there is a snake in the room even when they don’t see it. There are people who can sense the presence of a ghost. It’s the energy. That was exactly the sort of instinctive sensation that roused me in that moment when I looked up to see her sitting on one of the benches in the periphery. I was deeply affected in that very instant. I lost all interest in everything else. It was all a big blur. Except for her.

Then, suddenly, she raised her head and looked in my direction. It was as if she had heard the million voices in my heart, in perfect alignment, conjuring up a symphony to celebrate the vision my eyes beheld. Of course, I knew she wasn’t looking at me but still…my palms became sweaty and I couldn’t tame the butterflies fluttering about wildly in my belly. I looked at her and prayed she would see me. I waited, stupidly, for some sort of acknowledgement. Perhaps a smile. A nod. Anything.

I got nothing. Instead, she turned back to her beau and pulled him to his feet. They were leaving! For some reason I felt a rush of panic. I wanted them to stay. The longer they stayed the more I could find out about this girl. I could commit her face to memory and dream about it at night. I couldn’t just allow her to disappear back into the crowd. I needed a clue. Bread crumbs to find my way back to her. I had to do something.

The first thing I had thought to do was to scream as loud and agonizingly as I could until they were compelled to find out what the matter was. But I didn’t have a follow up for that and I would have just looked like a retard with a resultant Scarlett letter warning everyone to keep their distance. I did not scream. I did the second thing that came to mind - I stole her phone. Don’t judge me! All is fair in love and war. I decided to charge into them entirely by accident and pick her pocket in the process.

“Guy you dey madt?! Are you high, didn’t you see us? Why would you just run into us like that?”

Dude was showing off, and why wouldn’t he? He wanted to show her he was a tough guy. But I had expected a strong reaction.

“I am so sorry!”

I immediately crouched to help gather the content of the bag which had been spilt all over the floor. Typical girly stuff – lipstick, mascara, powder, as well as stationery and a half eaten sachet of peanuts. And there was the phone!

Heaven was smiling on me this time because her phone was identical with mine. I didn’t have to be the bad guy after all. Instead of stealing her phone and starting off this relationship a thief, I could get away with being guilty of nothing more than an honest mistake. I knocked over my bag, strewing its content to cause further commotion and then deftly turned off my phone and switched it for hers.

“I am so very sorry” I said again as I handed her bag. Content collected and secured.

“Yeah, it’s alright” she said in voice that made me want to weep. I wanted to follow her around like the little lamb followed Mary – everywhere she went, the lamb was sure to go. I dared to look into her eyes, even in the presence of muscleman, and I knew that this shady mission would be worth it regardless of the outcome. I smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. In fact, she seemed slightly discomforted by my boldness. But that didn’t worry me, I had my bread crumb.

I didn’t bother going back for any classes. I went straight back to my hostel room and went to work on a plan.

WOW!!!! Wowxxx. Mehn, I'm loving it... Waiting in anticipation for the next chapter... Well done you! I'm intrigued. :-)

LadyAnn:


WOW!!!! Wowxxx. Mehn, I'm loving it... Waiting in anticipation for the next chapter... Well done you! I'm intrigued. :-)

Thanks!!! I appreciate your commendation.

Second chapter coming up.

The issue is that you guys don't bother completing stories

Op come update na, nice story