by Boadi, Lilly
“Is that true? Who is he?” asked Kiara.
“Alex. Alexander Holmes.”
“Is he a white man?” asked Kiara immediately.
“Oh, no! You know I don’t fancy white men. He’s of our nationality as well,” said Haida.
“Since when did you become a racist?” Kiara teased. “Anyway, he’s got such a nice white man’s name.”
“According to him he was named after an American family friend,” explained Haida.
“Are you going out with him?”
“No, not really but we are sort of dating. We started hanging out together last month.”
“Haida, are you sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Are you sure you are ready for another relationship?”
“Kiara, I didn’t say I was going out with him! We’re only dating not courting.”
“I know. But it is one step at a time. Soon, he would propose courtship and what would you say?”
Haida walked over to the couch and relaxed herself in it. “If he remains this gentle and loving, I would not think twice about saying yes,” said Haida, crossing her legs.
“Haida, don’t you think you are being fast about this? Remember you have not formally broken up with Mellis, and even if you guys are no more, it’s too early to jump into another relationship,” said Kiara, quite upset.
“Kiara,” said Haida softly. “I’ve suffered so much pain not long ago, and this gentleman comes my way and injects so much happiness into my life. Had it been you, wouldn’t you have seen him as an angel from God who has come to heal those painful wounds?”
“Haida, every woman who is broken-hearted is vulnerable, and for that matter, any man can take advantage of that condition and have his way with her if she isn’t careful. Have you soon forgotten about my episodes? Haida I don’t want you to end up like me!” Kiara was disconcerted.
Haida uncrossed her legs. “Kiara! Hello?! Why are you getting so emotional about this? You are going too far!”
“No, I am not Haida. You know I know what I’m talking about.”
“Kiara, this guy definitely isn’t like Jeff or Benjy or Rafael or Chad; not even Mellis!” Haida slopped.“He doesn’t need my money for anything because he is ridiculously rich, nor my body for anything for he is very impruient!” Haida pointed out, “Look, this guy told me all about himself, including past relationships. Kiara he told me all that without me even asking, and I don’t think he is in to pull a fast one on me. Do men with bad intentions about women get to tell them all about their past affairs, even without being asked?” asked Haida, and Kiara took it as a rhetorical question, so not to respond. “He’s never made any attempt even to touch me amourously, even when we started dating. He is a real friend and we talk often about ourselves, our families, academics and stuff like that. He has never made a pass on me intimately, not even once!” said Haida defensively.
“He really must be a gentleman then,” said Kiara.
“Yes, he is…”
“But don’t you think it is only because you guys have just started? Maybe he is going about things slowly,” said Kiara.
“Let’s just watch. If I see any changes to that effect, I would advice myself otherwise. You must only have trust in me that I am not going to repeat past mistakes.”
“I hear you…” Kiara sighed. “I only hope you take care…”
“I will. You know I will,” said Haida. “Anyway, how is Christmas in Ghana?”
“Nothing new!Just as it always is.”
“What of Chad? Are there any changes, or you guys are still unsteady?”
“Same old story,” said Kiara, sighing. “I think I haven’t told you this. Did you know that he was working with Jude Hansen and Associates again?”
“No, you never told me! How did you know?” asked Haida, astonished.
“He was at the Accountancy Week Conference?!? You saw him didn’t you??”
“Yes – when he helped me with my car, I was shocked!”
“Exactly! I was surprised because I thought he was still working in that shopping mall. It was when I questioned his presence there that I got to know he was working with the company on three-month probation of a sort. I think this idea is so that the company will know if he would not steal again,” Kiara scorned.
“But…since when?”
“At that time, he told me he was in his last week and in fact, that earned him a part in the celebration at that moment. He said he wasn’t working there thenceforth, until the board resorted in making him a permanent staff, and that would be early next year.”
“Really?” Haida was skeptical.
“That was what he said,” said Kiara vaguely.
“Could he have known Mellis was my boyfriend?”
“I don’t know. He never mentioned anything about him the few times I saw him. Why do you ask?”
“You are asking why? You know they are no different from each other! They could have been friends for all we know, and Chad might have reinforced that he cheated on me – you know he is not my fan, neither the other way round!” snapped Haida. Kiara only sighed to that.
They chatted further about work and family and ended the conversation in a sweet manner, with Haida, promising another call very soon.
Mellis was bemused about marriage to Kelly, not knowing what was going on with Haida. He found it difficult to make any reasonable conclusions. So, he couldn’t give his mom a definite answer to her notion, but promised to give it a further thought and respond to her very soon. This, however, didn’t appease Mrs. Hansen, who expressed clear disappointment and anger. Kelly didn’t take it lightly either, when Mrs. Hansen informed her about his indecisiveness. But the old woman assured her there was no need for any worries – she promised to work things out for her. To her, the next time she talked about their marriage to Mellis, it was going to be a command and not a discussion.
Mellis came down to the country and told Chad about his mother’s proposal. “I’ve been telling you if you still love Haida, then don’t talk about marriage to Kelly,” said Chad.
“What do I do now, huh? Haida is away and may come back after a year. I have no idea even if she still loves me. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her to know what she’s thinking or feeling, nor to convince her to be with me again. I just have no knowledge about how her life is going for her right now! So, what possibly is there to depend on and make a decision against Kelly?” asked Mellis dejectedly.
“Love! Love should be your basis,” said Chad calmly.
“What if she has stopped loving me a long time ago?”
“You can find all the answers when she comes back.”
“What?! What are you trying to say really? That I should wait until she comes back before deciding whether I should marry Kelly or not?!” Mellis was astounded.
“Is one year too long a time for you to wait for your loved one? Can’t you do this for Haida?” asked Chad.
“You know I would be doing it for myself and not her, because I’m not even sure about her feelings for me!”
“Alright, then do it for yourself.”
“What do I tell Kelly and my mom, then?”
“Tell them you are not ready for marriage now; at least, not for the next twelve months. But never make the mistake of telling Kelly you will marry her after a year.”
“You know how risky this is?”
“Love is full of risks, but it is worth taking the risks,” said Chad, exhausting Mellis of his fears.
Mellis sighed, “If it doesn’t go well, you will pay with your head?” said Mellis amusingly.
“And if it does, what would be my reward?” asked Chad with a grin.
“The best reward I could give you then would be to make you my best man during our wedding.”
“Which one – is it Mellis and Kelly’s or Mellis and Haida’s?” asked Chad, giggling.
“The latter,” said Mellis, giggling too.
“Keep your promise man, be
cause that is going to be a reality!” said Chad, putting more confidence in his friend. “But, I am going to make mine a reality very soon, maybe even before you do,” he said.
Days later, Chad visited Kiara with a bunch of presents. “Who are these for?” asked Kiara when Chad almost whacked the bags, full of items, onto the center table. “Yours!” he said with excitement. “Your New Year’s present.” Kiara gave him a doubtful stare and checked through the bags one at a time. Almost every accessory a woman would need in the world was present – shoes, cosmetics, dresses, lingerie, pants, jewelry, liquorices, you name them! “Where are all these from? Where did you get them?” stammered Kiara, finding it astonishing how Chad could obtain all those expensive items.
“I bought them for you. To show you how much I truly love you,” said Chad softly, but Kiara wasn’t the least bit excited.
“From which woman’s purse did you get all these to throw dust in my eyes?! Do you think I am a fool?!” snapped Kiara.
“Kiara, my love, these aren’t from any woman’s fortune. I used my own money to buy these just for you, to prove my love for you,” said Chad softly.
“You want me to believe that meager income you earn from that shopping mall is so much enough to buy all these things?! For Christ’s sake, these items are worth tens of millions!” Kiara burst.
“I know Kiara. Let me explain….”
“How are you going to explain this now? What sweet lies have you cooked up to give to me this time huh?!” shouted Kiara. Just then, she heard her name outside.
“Listen Kiara…” said Chad, but before he could end his statement, Kiara had picked up a CD from the center table and took off outside. Chad sat on the sofa, looking dazed. He was thinking about how he was going to explain himself to her when his phone rang, “Nancy, what is it?” he said neutrally. “Don’t worry, the items are great…of course she liked them. I’ll reward you immensely. Tell me, what do you want?” he asked, grinning. “Lunch?!” he exclaimed and laughed richly. “Really…I’ll do anything you want then. Hey, thanks again…right…bye,” said Chad chuckling, as he turned his cell phone ringer off.
“Oh, so, it is Nancy!” he turned immediately and saw Kiara at the door. “Tell her I appreciate the gifts. They are really classy,” said Kiara calmly, walking towards him. “But I don’t need them!” she snapped and hurled the bags on him. “Take them away Chad! Get this filthy garbage out of my house!” she shouted, beating him with the bags.
“Kiara stop! Let me explain! It’s not as you are thinking!” shouted Chad, trying to seize her. He caught her arms and she wriggled away.
“Explain what?!” she snapped, tired from the fight and breathing hard.
“Nancy is my secretary,” he said softly.
“Oh, you now have a secretary as a common clerk, right?!” she shouted.
“Not as a common clerk, but as an assistant manager at JHA!”
“When did they re-hire you permanently? Before the due time? Tell me JHA isn’t a high-profiled one and that they do things out of the blue. Tell me!” she shouted angrily.
“Kiara, please listen,” he said softly. “I lied when I said I was on probation over there. I’ve been working there for the past…almost a year now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth? So you could continue your affair with that Nancy behind my back?!”
“Kiara, I’m not having any affair with her,” he was getting worried.
“Oh, you think I didn’t hear all you were saying to her on the phone right now?”
“Kiara, I only sought her assistance in buying these items, because she is a woman.”
“Oh, yes! She is the only woman who could assist you in that, right?!” she yelled in his face.
Kiara…she is my secretary. She’s the only classy one close enough to ask this favor from. It’s nothing more. I wanted to get you the best of these items as you deserve, and being a woman of your type, I knew she could tastefully choose these items…” he talked away softly. Kiara glared at him, wondering if she should believe him. “Why did you lie about your job, then?” she asked.
“To surprise you. I only lied because I wanted you to see me successful all of a sudden. So that I could secretly establish my finances just to buy you these luxuries to prove my love for you.”
“Love isn’t proven with money or material things, but faithfulness!” she snapped.
“Yes, but love is giving, my dear Kiara. What is more, I know you think I’m only after your money and I want to prove to you that it is not true.”
“Are you telling me you’ve never been after my money?!”
Chad felt uneasy and guilty, not knowing what to say. Actually he felt bad having to confess the truth to her, “Kiara, love, let the past go. What matters is now…”
“You are not answering my question Chad!” she interrupted.
Chad was apt and was blushing with guilt. “Kiara, I admit I took things for granted, but it wasn’t like I was only after your money,” he said softly and sincerely. “I realize I love you. I was a fool to take you for granted and I realize my mistake, but I do love you,” he whispered sincerely as he gazed humbly into her eyes.
Kiara was confused. She sat slowly and looked away. Chad got closer to her and took her hand. “You can ask Mellis about this if you don’t believe me,” she glanced at him in surprise at the mention of Mellis, and Chad understood her look. “Mellis is my good friend and he knows all about this. He has been a good friend since old school days. I attended the same senior secondary with him, and he knows me well and knows how I feel about you.”
“You know Mellis from your old school days?” that shocked Kiara immensely.
“Yes. In fact, he is the one who assisted me in getting a job at the company again, and he made me his assistant,” explained Chad.
“Why did you keep all this from me? And Mellis, why didn’t he say anything about this to… to even Haida?” stammered Kiara, with a shade of upset in her tone.
“Like I said, I wanted to surprise you, so I asked him not to say anything about this to either of you; not even the fact of our close friendship. If Haida knew, then you would also know,” he explained softly.
‘Overwhelming!’ thought Kiara. She was confused the more and didn’t know what to believe.
“Believe me Kiara. I do love you and want you by my side forever,” he said sweetly. “I’ve realized what a wonderful woman you are and what a fool I’ve been all this time not to have realized it. I’m really sorry for my folly. Please, forgive me and let’s start anew in a more loving and sincere way.”
As he talked, she stared into his eyes. His words sunk deep down inside her heart and it told her he was sincere. But yet, her mind believed totally the opposite. She didn’t say anything to him. It was obvious she was befuddled about his sudden change of attitude and he didn’t want to push her into believing him. He resigned to give her time to bring herself to believe him. Only time would tell, and he believed that would be in his favour. Chad took both Kiara’s hands into his and looked deeply into her eyes. “I want you to think about what I’ve just said. I will not push you to believe me and be with me, only let me know if you decide otherwise,” he said and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. “I love you,” he whispered and then kissed the back of her hand. Then, he stood on his feet, stared lovingly at her for a while and left. Kiara sat in a dream until she smelled something burning in the kitchen.
Two weeks later, Haida called Kiara and the latter didn’t waste any time telling her about Chad and Mellis. “Why didn’t you call me immediately to tell me about this Kiara?” Haida was offended.
“I was still confused about all that he told me. Practically, I wanted to find things out for myself before I told you about it,” explained Kiara.
“And how had you planned to find out the truth?”
“I was thinking of talking to Mellis, but I haven’t gotten the time to meet with him.”
“For God’s sake, which man will lie aga
inst his friend, especially to his girlfriend, Kiara?! They keep defending each other! Please, never think you will hear anything honest from him! You had better find other means to get to know the truth!” said Haida.
“But, how?”
“Any other way besides talking to Mellis!” snapped Haida. “Kiara,” she lowered her voice, “don’t let these jerks play tricks on us. Knowing they are friends and for that long only confirms what a jerk Mellis really is. They are the same! Please don’t allow yourself to be fooled. You have enough evidence to believe Chad’s only feigning, and that is the fact that he is a friend of Mellis’! They are liars and jerks!” snapped Haida once more. It was obvious she was being personal about the whole issue, yet Kiara couldn’t neglect the fact that she might be right.
“Anyway, how is it going with your angel boy?” asked Kiara, changing the subject.
“Yes, my angel boy. He is well. Guess what? He proposed a relationship couple of days ago,” said Haida delightfully.
“Oh, really? Anyway, I saw that coming very soon. So, what did you tell him?”
“The usual, to give me time to think about it.”
“And do you intend to say ‘yes’?”
“Probably. Besides, I have no reason not to.”
Haida was going to say no to Alex, knowing she was still in love with Mellis. What is more, she wasn’t the least ready for another relationship, at least, not for now. But, what Kiara had just told her was a great compelling factor to say yes to him. Mellis definitely wasn’t somebody to consider getting back with. He was a real jerk, just like Chad! The thought that the two of them were friends was unbearable. It told her who Mellis really was – a liar, a cheat and a bastard! Oh, but how pathetic that she loved such a man. She’d do anything to make sure it worked between Alex and her so that she could get rid of that love inside her for Mellis. No wonder he didn’t even take another step to reconcile with her. Chad might have told him to forget about her and might have painted her like a thrush in Mellis’ sight. Or that Mellis might have made him know how she was only his little puppet he was playing around with, and that he wasn’t the least serious about her. Oh, how they might have laughed at her and made a toast to their lousy arrogant acts. How Mellis might have intrigued Chad with the news that he got to sleep with her! Many other irritating thoughts ran through her mind, all drawing to the point that they must have made her some object of ridicule! She was extremely annoyed, at that moment, and she hated Mellis with all her being. Never was she going to think about him again. All the nice times they had together was a sham and unworthy of reminiscing. Mellis was a lousy piece of scamp, just like Chad! She wasn’t going to see his face again; never again in her life! If her people, especially the vicar, asked what was going on between them, she would tell everyone the truth and make them know what a real scalawag he was. So, it happened that the next time she saw Alex, she responded affirmatively to his proposal and they started going out.
