BURNT OUT III

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Home was a two bedroom self-contained apartment built as a boys’ quarters to a five bedroom house plan. The apartment had no built-in kitchen so the girls in a moment of ingenuity divided an extra room which was to serve as either the kitchen or the living room into two. Therefore, the supposedly 3-room apartment is now a 4-room apartment with a toilet and bath. Two of the rooms serve as a kitchen and living room respectively. Miriam, her roommate had heard it was being rented out and asked if she was interested in sharing and splitting cost. It had seemed a good idea at the time when she thought her job was just around the corner. She hated the extra responsibility it placed on her parents but her parents were being such good sports about the whole thing. Talk about supportive parenting.

As soon as Esther got home, she headed for the shower and decided to take a nap. By now it was already 3:30pm so she planned on napping for an hour and a half. When she woke up however, it was almost six pm and she saw that she had missed her parents and George’s calls. She called her parents back and reassured them that everything was okay and that she was just sleeping when her phone rung. Then she called George and asked how he was doing for the evening. When she asked him what he had eaten, he said he ate kenkey in the morning and was about to eat some gari soakings for supper. She grew silent on the line for some time contemplating the best strategy to use to tell George to come home and eat with his easily bruised ego. What galls her most is the fact that he lives just at Coastal, another suburb along the Spintex Road, not really far from where she stays by much. She goes to his place anytime she feels like it, to eat but George will behave like it was an imposition of some sort when the tables are turned. “I thought you would be coming to my place this evening. What are you doing in the house anyway? Come visit. I miss you.” She said, making it her need and not his.

“Besides, we have left over jollof rice in the fridge and Miriam isn’t home yet so the place is kind of lonely.” “Nana, so after all this time, you really think I don’t know when you are being patronizing?” he asked.

“Sorry. It was either that or me getting angry and picking a fight with you over how childish you can act sometimes. I chose the former.” She replied.

“Well, thank you for your restraint.” He said, almost sarcastically.

“You’re welcome.” She replied sweetly, pretending she didn’t catch the sarcasm.

When George finally got there, she served the said jollof rice and they sat down to eat from the same plate. He recounted his day of job-searching and one particular opportunity that may be looking up. She in turn recounted hers, making him almost choke on his food with laughter when she did her best imitation of the prophet quoting “Plophet Jelemiah”.

They stretched out on the carpeted living room floor after meals. Lying in each other’s arms, they watched Enchanted from her laptop for about the hundredth time.

“You will kill me with this movie oh, Nana. Please lets watch something different.” He said.

“No, I like this one.” As she said this, she spared a look his way and saw how tortured he looked.

“Hahaha, okay, lets watch something else but no Spartacus.”

“Okay, how about a comedy? The Big Bang Theory?” she agreed with the suggestion and they settled in for the treat that was Sheldon’s weirdness.

“So how many suitors did you get today?” he asked.

“Hey! Why are you asking me? You are the one with some girl bi standing behind you. But now that you ask, let me see…………there was a Kwasi, a Kojo, a Kobby, a Kwaku, a Yaw, ah, and a Fiifi. I’ve been busy.”

“No Kwame? Bummer!” He said while making a mockery of smacking his forehead.

“You must be losing your touch babe.” He teased.

“Hahaha! No way. The Kwame, that would be you.”

“And do all these enamored guys know you bite your nails? I bet if they knew, they wouldn’t be that in-love with you.”

“Yeah, Kwame knows and he still loves me to bits. I’m the luckiest girl on the block.”

“Yeah, you bet he does.”

“And I haven’t bitten my nails in weeks. I quit.”

“Hahaha! Okay. Remind me to give you an award when you make a month.” Studying the fingernails in question she said, “I think they are growing in now. Maybe we should be putting chloroquine on them as a deterrent.”

“I have a better idea. Chicken or dog shit will be better.”

“You are cruel.” She laughed.

While they were at it, Miriam came home from work. “Hey, guys, good evening.” “Good evening, welcome.” They replied simultaneously. Miriam asked what they were watching and when she was told, she asked if it was a different episode from the one they’d already watched.

“Naah, the same old one.” Esther answered.

“Don’t you guys ever get tired of watching the same thing over and over?”

“It’s not about what we watch. It’s about the company.” George replied.

“Well, I’m going to bed. Too tired to sit and chat. Romeo, you be good to Juliet, you hear? Night, guys!”

“Night.” They responded. About thirty minutes later, by now it was almost 11pm, George asked Esther if she thought her roommate would mind if he spent the night. “Let’s not find out.” “This is where I say a polite goodbye and you give me a goodnight kiss and everyone is happy right?” he asked. “You betcha.” “Think I better be on my way then. Goodnight babe.”

They kissed each other goodnight and Esther accompanied him to the roadside for him to pick a bus home. They held hands comfortably as they waited for a bus and when one finally pulled up, they said their goodbyes.

“Call me when you get home. Not tomorrow or sometime after. The minute you get home babe because I’ll be waiting and worrying if you got home safe, so call me.” She emphasized. With George, she had to.  “Love you.” One said. “I love you.” The other replied.       

  

Hope you love reading them as much as I love writing them.

         *****************HAPPY NEW YEAR******************