Art By Sarps

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

She fixed her eyes on his contact for as long as she could remember. Everything in her wanted to hit the call button, but she couldn’t. She was frozen. Her thoughts, memories, feelings held her fingers hostage. His voice, loud and clear, requesting for her to think about his request rang loudly in her ear daily. She didn’t know what she wanted. Oh, she did but didn’t know if she was ready to make the sacrifices involved. What should she do?

***

Zapt is a young and stunningly beautiful lady. Oh yes, stunningly beautiful! She turned heads wherever she went; it was almost as if people were programmed to look in whatever direction she moved. She had just graduated from Curt University and was heavily involved in social and charity work. She loved to offer her skills, knowledge, and even money to whatever she found impactful. It was sort of a magnetic pull for her.

And that’s how they met. Zapt volunteered, as usual, to help with a program that promoted ensuring student security and safety in African Universities. He was the brain behind it. His life in the university was a terrible one. Moving around, one had to be as slick as ever as though it was during the second world war.

On their way to lectures one day, he slipped and fell, causing chaos and panic, which sent the bullets of the security men flying their way. Unfortunately, his best friend was hit. He managed to get him to the hospital, but it was too late. He regretted not going to university in the UK like his parents suggested. He swore to protect anyone who went to an African university. And that’s how “SaveUs” was born.

She laughed at him daily at the wack name, wondering if that was his best shot.

He, like many, was enchanted by her outer beauty and even more by her intelligence and brilliant self. She was wittingly humorous too! And that’s what he fell in love with. She could calm every situation with a joke, regardless of the level of intensity.

He had recently completed his Master’s degree in security at Sys University. However, his interest lay in the field of academia. Yaki was tall with well-built muscles in the right places. He also had the power to get a lady drooling, especially when he spoke with his crisp Brit accent. And He was aware of this.

Yet, Zapt seemed unbothered nor moved by his charm, which was enough to get him interested in who she was. He approached her after his speech to the volunteers, and that was the beginning of the imminent heartbreaks.

They didn’t seem to get enough of one another. They spent literally every second together, watching movies, trying out new eateries, talking or working on SaveUs. They only departed at night when each returned to their own beds.

Everyone could see what was growing between them except Zapt and Yaki. How could they miss it? Zapt, after a series of heartbreaks, said never to get sexually intimate with anyone before marriage. Yaki wore a purity ring to keep him in check; he promised God to stay pure.

“Oh, you’re Christian..?”, Zapt asked Yaki. After the collapse of her parents’ business empire and, later, their lives, she denounced God. She didn’t understand how and why He let all that happen.

“Of course, I am! I don’t know where I’d be now if it wasn’t for God. All I am is because of Him. I love Him”, Yaki responded.

Zapt’s face dropped but managed to hide it from him. She wasn’t ready to have that discussion. They continued building their friendship…a fortress for them both. The bond they had was one of the strongest anyone around them had ever seen. They discussed everything, from work to family to boys to girls to their dreams and goals, and the list was unending. They were the envied “couple” wherever they went.

She saw him right outside the door, one hand raised just about to knock. He looked breathtakingly handsome. Nope, beautiful, actually. She was awestruck this time.

After more than a year, Yaki acknowledged his feelings and decided to shoot his shot. After all, she was single. Their friendship anniversary was just around the corner, two weeks to 08/08. What better day than that!?

As usual, Zapt started sharing plans of what she had in mind for their second anniversary. He took note of each of them to infiltrate each step with clues and hints to his proposal. He had to be careful, though, because she hates attention being drawn to her.

He sent her an outfit and a note: “I’ll pick you up at 8 o’clock”. She couldn’t stop smiling; it was one of Donna’s dinner dresses. She loved it and mentioned it while they were watching Suits together. There was one question she wanted to ask him, “How did you manage to pull this off?”

At exactly 8pm, she heard his car pull up into the driveway. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and headed for the door. She saw him right outside the door, one hand raised just about to knock. He looked breathtakingly handsome. Nope, beautiful, actually. She was awestruck this time.

After a minute of gaping at her, he collected himself. Then said, “Zee, you’re rocking this dress better than Donna herself. She should see this!” as he handed her a bundle of tulips, her favorite flower. She laughed while hugging him, and they headed for the car.

Hating not knowing the plan, her first question was, “where are we headed?”. Yaki laughed and told her to allow him to chauffeur her around. She frowned, but it soon dissipated as her favorite song, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, blasted through the stereos. She sang her lungs out.

Yaki was impressed with his plans when he noticed the wide smile that formed on her face as he pulled into the parking lot of “Peckles”. He had spotted it about a month ago and knew she’d love it. Aside from its serenity, the old skool feel it had was a plus. And it was a local restaurant. Zapt was his Ghanaian beauty who would choose indigenous delicacies any day.

He planned to propose after their main meal, during dessert. However, he dropped hints throughout, hoping she’d pick them up.

He watched her as she gently devoured all her nkatie cake. Then she moved on to the assorted fruits to crown it all.

As she ate her fruits, he brought it up.

“Zee, it’s been two years since we met, two amazing years. Full of ups and downs, tears and laughter, growth and stagnation. I’ve grown to appreciate you so much over the years, as my best friend, pillar, my everything. You pick me up each time I fall, you support all I invest in like it is yours. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, especially after losing my best friend, Karan. You are awesome. I’ll be blessed to have you forever in my life as my wife one day. You’d have to at least date me for a while to agree to be my wife, so will you be my girlfriend?”

She gasped as he finished! She almost said yes, but just then, she remembered their different religious values, which almost always brought arguments when it came up. She hated to do this, but she had to ask. “Kay, you know I’m not Christian like you are, and we have different values and beliefs. How are we going to get past that? I’m not ready to change, neither are you. So what’s going to happen?”

“Oh I know that. I thought it through and I’m willing to do this with you regardless of our separate beliefs. I’m in love with you and I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you. So what do you say?”

“Kay, I love you also… But I’m not sure. I’ve seen homes break because of differences in beliefs, differences in ideas. I don’t know if I’d want to risk it. Besides, your belief says “do not be unequally yoked”, or you no longer believe it?”

After a series of questions and back and forth, she asked him to take her home. It was the longest 30 mins of her life… The definition of awkward.

She was to call him by Friday with a final decision; that gave her 3 days to figure it out. Each day, she wanted to hit the call button to let him know how she felt…

***

It is Friday, and she’s been staring at his contact for over an hour, recollecting their memories together. Convert to a Christian? Be unequally yoked? It’s a tough call….

Before she could make up her mind, her phone rang, startling her and rudely interrupting her daydream. “We found your contact listed as an emergency contact in a patient’s wallet, Yaki. He was involved in an accident and was rushed to the Blue Clover hospital.” 

She had no idea how but she was in the hospital, a 45- min drive from her home in the next 15 minutes. He was stable when she found him, but still unconscious. She sat by his side hoping and praying he won’t be taken away from her also.

“Oh wait! Did I just pray?”, She exclaimed when she caught herself. Yaki smiled, still unconscious. “Did he hear me?”

She waited…

P.S:

• Nkatie Cake: Peanut Cake

• Suits – An American Legal Drama Television Series

 

Heya, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read! This is an old story I wrote a couple of years ago – just thought to share it again. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, do leave a comment below! God bless you!