" Weeping  may  endure  the  night  but joy comes in the morning.”  -Psalm 30:5. -------- I dropped my chop sticks and pushed away from the table. Somehow, I didn’t want to engage in that conversation. An overpowering desire to run far away from Brad suddenly rushed over me. "You don't owe me any explanation,  Brad. It's none of my business." I pointed out with a slight frown creasing my brow. “I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and sat back. "No need." I said shrugging my shoulders, "Actually, I really must head home now. About the bill. How much is this ..." “Bill is on me Dapper." He interjected with a grin. "Can I give you a ride home?” I shook my head and got up as my stomach began to emit a strange and new rhythm. I gently tapped it to quieten it; “Thank you, but I can find my way home and I'm guessing you don’t need me for the costume affair?"

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.” ―  Frank Zappa ___________________ Brad ignored me and grabbing my hand, he pulled me towards a vacant table. Pulling out a chair he mouthed "please" at me.  I was furious. Scratch that, livid is a better word; "I asked you a question. What are we doing here?"  Just then a waitress dashed over with a thick menu and welcoming smile.  Brad waved her off with a quick “Just a moment, thanks,” before turning to me. She hurriedly placed the menu on the table and walked away without a word.

" Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness"  James Thurber ****** Who could have told Brad about my love for fashion designs? Something was definitely off. “Do you like Chinese?” Chinese? I snapped out of my thoughts and tried to figure out what the man was talking about. What has my feelings for the Chinese got to do with anything? "Does it matter?" He laughed lightly and turned on the Ac of his car before driving off. The cool air calmed my rattled  and skeptical nerves but my stomach was beginning to hurt from the self imposed fast. “You mentioned you were hungry so I was thinking we could get some Chinese food before going to pick up the costumes.” My frown deepened as I re-arranged my backpack at my feet. Mr. Brad had obviously fallen under the category of people who presumed that I was a naïve teenager or a dumb girl.  I used to blame my petite looks or blank face for that misconception but I was no longer petite as was confi...

  “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ― Plato ******* “ Miss Dapper! He sounded excited like we were old friends; "Sorry for keeping you waiting. Yes, I wanted to inform you that we would be picking up the costumes together. I hope you don’t mind?" Wait! What? This must be a joke , I thought with indignation. Mabel must have hit his head too hard against the wall during their make out session because there was no way I was going anywhere nor picking costumes or anything with the man. “I think you are confusing me with someone else sir. I am not in the logistics unit. I am a dancer." I explained firmly. “I know who you are.” He said and took a step in my direction. "Sir it’s late and I am supposed to be at home at this moment ...” His smile widened and he nodded as if in agreement with me; "Allow me to apologise for the short notice." He explained camly; "actually...

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are" Chinese Proverb ********** She let out a low scream and scrambled up while attempting to cover her exposed skin with shaky hands. She was a mess and I had never seen her as disoriented as she was at that moment. She spurn away from the direction of the door, not once looking at me. Brad acting the gentleman stepped in front of her, obviously trying to shield her almost nude state from whoever had entered the room. He mustered some courage and looked in my direction. I could see relief wash over him as his eyes met mine. I fought the overwhelming feeling of disgust rushing through me as they toppled down the pedestal I had placed them on. “You asked for me... Sir?” I tried to conceal my emotion but as always, I failed because my tone gave away my disgust. “Oh, yes! Yes. Ermm, can you give us a minute? Thank you.” He stuttered, still shaken by my sudden appearance and discovery of their folly. Will a min...

  “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”  – Martin Luther King Jr. ***** I watched as he walked over with a wide smile on his face. The man had never said a word to me ever since I joined the troupe. That he knew my name came as a huge surprise. "Is your name Dapper?" His voice was deep. Very deep. He was obviously one of the lifters and definitely the one all the girls were crushing on. They claimed he had Abs to die for. I think they nicknamed him muscles or something. "Who's asking?" I queried while balancing my backpack on one shoulder "What sort of name is Dapper?" He asked on a short laugh. His question threw me off. I could not believe that this guy stopped me from going home because of a stupid conversation! I was hungry but instantly, I became angry.

“ Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” ― Mark Twain ****** For a clearer picture, I will tell you more about Mabel and Brad and how my dilemma started. Mabel was once the most sought after lady in our community especially due to her history of leading our local team to victory at the popular Calabar carnival. She also won an individual award as the queen of the carnival. Eventually, she found love with a wealthy international businessman. Their wedding was flamboyant and almost a celebrity wedding. They relocated to the city but a year later, they returned home when her husband won the Local Government Chairmanship election. But, before the Chairman, there was Brad. Not Brad Pitt ofcourse, but our very own tall, dark and handsome local general business investor. Brad was in the same troupe with Mabel back in the days. As expected, he started a small troupe tagged the Achievers but had no financial strength to achieve any victories with his grou...

  previously “We forget to live today when we keep fretting about tomorrow” Nikky ************** “Again! From the top!" Mabel shrieked. Exhausted was an understatement. Beads of perspiration ran down my face and underarms as I tried to catch my breath. The AC unit was obviously overworked as it was now making a weeping sound and spewing hot air at us. Two weeks ago, if anyone had revealed to me that dancing and prepping for the Christmas carnival would end up becoming a torture chamber, maybe I would have fled instead of jumping with glee at being accepted as their last member. "IRENE! Get your butt off the floor. I don’t have all day!" Mabel yelled out, snapping me back to reality.

I pulled my knees up to my jaw as I tried to coil myself into a ball. The jagged edges of the building I had fled into grazed my skin. My off the shoulder top clung to me like a second skin, soaked by the sweat trickling down my back. Goose bumps formed on my body as the chill of the night breeze mercilessly seeped into my pores. Concealed by the darkness and enveloped by the stench of the swamp and general refuse dump, I hurdled lower, finding peace in the rhythm of my heart hammering in my ears as I calculated my next move. Suddenly, my knees felt damp and I looked down as my denim soaked up more moist. It was then I realized I had been crying. Swiping at the silent tears streaming down my face with quivering fingers I stifled the choking sound that threatened to escape from my throat as I felt the smear of something I could swear was excreta on my face. My skin crawled and my stomach lurched with revulsion as I tried to hold down my lunch from earlier. More tears blinded me and my b...