The times.....

Hello fellow bloggers, how have you all been doing? Sorry I have not been on your blogs lately, but I will catch up on all that has been going on in the next couple of days! Well, I was on a little break in Africa...I have always wanted to say that, (the way the Americans do, like Africa was a country or something!)yeah, I was in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria, West-Africa(this is how I describe where I have been to my my friends here, just trying to get them all, ehhhh, somewhat educated about Africa being a continent, I think it is working though, cos they no longer ask me about "swahili")anyway, I am gonna give you all the gist on what I've been up to.

The places:

Warri was still the same, the major problem being the fact that there is no fucking light. My mum was on "generator strike", she was protesting against the fact that after spending so much money repairing, fixing, praying and talking to the damn thing, the stupid thing was still "misbehaving" so she decided she was not going to fix it anymore....it felt like she had "beef" with her generator. I swear, their relationship was almost "human". Anyway, so due to her "strike", we had decided to enjoy our "romantic relationship" (thats what my mum says about the situation since we now have all sorts of shapes and sizes of candles all over the house) with NEPA or whatever the damn shit is called. Apart from that, Warri was still the same although some new joints had suddenly sprung up, went to an outside place called "OXYGEN", they had life band, was really a cool place and my childhood friends were as great as ever. I never pay a damn thing in that town, my guys always foot the bill even though I always feel like I am the one that is supposed to, but everybody always tells me the same thing "wetin dey do you? how you go come warri and we no go fit take you out? abeg, go siddon jare!"

Lagos was ehhhhh, okay, the truth is I have never liked that city, always hated the place cos of traumatic boarding house memories. I am still trying to stop throwing up anytime I see that "welcome to Lagos" sign. Anyway, met up with some old and new friends, went out a bit...ehen, so I was at SWE bar, where I bought a bottle of wine, (the name is "two oceans" a South African wine, any regular white wine drinker would know that is one of the cheapest you can get anywhere in Europe), so according to my calculations, the damn thing should not cost more than 1,500 naira, and believe me, i really put "jara" on top, anyway, I paid 4,500(okay, not me personally, but the kind gentleman I was with) for the damn thing. Four times the bloody price! and no one should tell me I am paying for the atmosphere cos the place was hot, full of people eating and drinking red bull(what's up with the "red bull" drinking in that country? especially the ladies, abeg, stick to your normal "malt", red bull is not "classier")and dancing to all the latest naija jams, everybody all snobbish as well...which is just hilarous!!!, what the fuck do you have an attitude for when you are doing the "yahooze"? heheheheheh, damn, that was really some funny shit....

The dreams

So much to do
So much to say
Oh if only someone would give me a chance!

I always feel like I am being "wasted" anytime I am in that country, I always have so many ideas and suggestions and they just twirl round and round in my head until I feel like I am about to explode! Well, well, one can only do what we can. At least I managed to stop an agbada wearing man with all his aides from jumping the queue at the airport. That's a start, no?

Blood, fire, love
love, fire, veins
Understanding......

Understanding that the blood in my veins will always be as fiery as ever...my heart will always long for those things that only dreams are made of....and there is nothing I can do about it. Except be myself. That's about it.

The poem
On a monday morning,you held me tight
and made me promise never to ask for more
If there was ever a time so right
that morning would have been perfect to say forevermore
But I shut my eyes and willed my heart not to fight
for things that you could not give anymore
So on a monday morning, I held you tight
and made a promise to let you go...forevermore.


The short story

Five years, that's what he had said, that's what she heard. Five years. She walked slowly to the window and looked down at the sprawling city beneath her. It was the same room and not much had changed it seemed, except her. Her hair was much longer now and a different colour. Her glasses were long gone, replaced with contacts. She stood in front of the mirror and adjusted her skirt, for the third time. She was nervous for it all to begin. Her new life, without excuses and fear, she would start a new life and have the home she had always wanted...only if he shows...only if he remembers...what if it had been a joke? what if, he had said it without meaning a word of it? but she knew what he had said, she remembered it...he had said it in this room, on this bed. It was five years ago, she was thirty-five then and had short hair and red glasses. She had met him like she met all her men those days, in a bar or club....drunk and high, it was not long before they left the bar they had drank in and ended up here...in this hotel, for two weeks. They had done nothing but make love, eat and listen to music. They danced in the nights and talked for hours about themselves. It was he, she knew. She had known even before his hand had reached across the table that night at the bar. She had known the minute he walked to her table and asked if he could sit with her and she had known these five years of endless waiting.

She remembered that night, when it had all ended as abruptly as it had begun.He took the call in the bathroom and when he came out, she was already dressed, in her new pair of jeans and white t shirt, bought from the little shop in the hotel. She sat by the edge of the bed, smoking.

"What are you doing in five years time?"

"What?"

"What are you doing in five years time?"

"No fucking clue. I don't know what i'll be doing tomorrow...how the fuck should I know what I'll be doing in five years?"

"Be here. Be here, in five years. The date will be the 26th of April 2008, be here and I'll be here"

"You are fucking kidding right?"

"Please, be here, please. 2008. 26th of April. Please"

"But five fucking years? what the hell does anybody need five years for?"

"I can't explain, just be here"

and he had left her life. Just like that. He had walked out of the hotel room and she had never heard or seen him again. He could be dead for all she knew, he could be dead, in a ditch somewhere....he could be blind....he could be married...somewhere....she was a fool, coming here, like this. They had both been high that morning, maybe he never said that...maybe he had said another date and she had missed it...maybe....

Her heart was beating now, and it took her a while to walk the short distance to the door. She opened it....

"Did we have a password or something? you sure took your time opening the door!"

She did not faint, but she fell into his arms like her legs had given out...perhaps it was the relief of finally seeing him there, perhaps it was his curly hair which now had grey tones on them, perhaps it was his beautiful lips that were still as pink as she remembered them, perhaps it was the the single white rose he held....whatever it was, her legs gave out and she was in his arms....and it felt exactly like she knew it would.