How to win my heart.

“…Buy me a book shelf and store it up with great books, you’d win my heart till time ever lapses”. I told him.

“You read?” A frown creased his brows.

“My brain isn’t caked with mud–You know”.

Flash Fiction: Keepsake.

“Dami!” Professor Dele yelled. It was her turn to present. She was quick to channel herself back to the class. She’d been staring at the ring that she was given by someone whose name she doesn’t even know. She picked the ring as she rose to present her Creative Writing assignment on mystery. 

“On this day, a year ago. We were strangers. We listened to others without speaking to each other, on how to get to our destination. The conflict arose like a storm. Akoda witnessed a new beginning. Where chaos was a blessing in disguise. There was a problem at car park. I watched as a young man helped with my bag, which left me a bit confused. I followed him closely as he signaled to me. Not knowing that, there was already an escape plan. We rode off with another cab which was parked far away from the park. The driver was very smart and he took his chances. We laughed at the park’s cab drivers who were at each other’s neck over who was the next to “load”. It was the quickest transition I’ve ever witnessed. It was like we were on a mission. There was something about the man I followed. First, I noticed the dimple..hmm..next, it was the cap that gave out a totally different look. It didn’t take me minutes to assume he was an Ibo man. Within minutes, his jovial nature attracted me. I fell in love…”

Damilola’s attention was diverted. She noticed the figure of a man lurking behind the classroom’s window. She stepped away from the podium. The students stared at her in astonishment. Like he wasn’t bothered, Professor Dele returned his gaze to the term paper he was holding while she presented earlier. She was just standing there, turning this way, and that way, with a bewildered look on her face. The man smiled at her.

“He is here…” she announced. This time, the Professor raised his head.

“Damilola is your mystery man… my son!” exclaimed the Professor.

Flash Fiction: What!

Beep. It was her phone. She stretched her hands towards the lamp stand. Nothing. The gold-plated Samsung S7 was nowhere to be found. Beep. She gently removed her eye mask.

“Where could I have kept it” She muttered.

Panic crept in. She lifted the duvet. She rose from the bed. She heard a faint sound. She turned to see where it came from. It was from Vince. She had stepped on her cat’s leg. She bent to touch him swiftly. Beep. A light shone under the bed. Dolapo picked her phone. It was 3:03 am.

The notification bar displayed six missed calls and an instavoice voicemail. One anonymous call and the others from her neighbour, Fiyin. A respectable young man. She thought of a thousand things that could have made him call. She unlocked her phone…

The voicemail read:
“Help! My apartment has been invaded by rats.”

A dull pain.

Strangers. One mutual friend. Introduction. We texted. We talked. We called. We played. We laughed. We cried. We shared thoughts. We argued. We got angry at each other. We forgave one another. We listened to each other. We prayed. We taught each other. We made plans. He softened. She ached. She hoped for a different turnout. He fell in love. She fell for another. The drift. We lost it. The friendship is gone. Strangers. All these we did, right here… We never went beyond the universe of our phones. She missed her friend.