COLORS OF THE RAINBOW --by Rose

"Wake up, wake up for prayers children," mother hurriedly pushed us out of our beds. It was dawn and we had been woken for the morning prayers. The moon shone brightly, still beautiful moon, I thought. Marsha Allah, praise Allah creator of the universe, I came out of our beehive-shaped tent, and felt the sands of the desert on my feet, so icy. The desert was nature's irony; hot and discomforting in the day and cold as the arctic at night. I had to find a place to ease my bowels. I was a bit scared of wandering alone and getting lost in this desert. That would've been quick death due to extreme heat, thirst or some wild animal attack. But I had to go alone, I loved independence and adventure besides, my other sisters were praying. I was very strong willed. That's why father was anxious to marry me off. He was quite disappointed in me and would say, "Kai Nana a good Muslim girl should always be submissive," but I defied him at every point mainly because I got the exposure I needed. I wasn't allowed to attend the university, only an Arabic school in Tukur, a nearby village but fortnightly, some white women visited our region and I got to know that they were from America working in par with the United Nations Organization. I was curious about them. I even made friends with a girl. Her name was Lysette. She gave me lots of books and a cell phone to communicate with her from time to time, this enabled me to gain access to information that I could never gain here.

You may wonder what we are doing in a desert. We are Fulbe; the Fulanis like many know us, we are not nomadic but merely came here to carry out our tradition which I knew nothing of. My friends where quite surprised because all Fulbe girls passed through this rite after their first menses. Well I didn't, I was close to 19. I wonder why I missed. Well tonight I would be present.

I found a spot close to a little bush to ease up. I quickly dug a hole with my fingers, and squat gently over it. I was relaxed, my eyes closed as I inhaled early morning desert dust. Everywhere was quiet, so still. Two minutes later, I heard footsteps. I wanted running as I had just finished, instead I lay flat on the desert sands, the two figures passed. One clearly was a man. I couldn’t see the other well as it was covered with a long garment.

I got up quickly, in a bid to return to the camp, but I changed my mind. What will two people go out of camp for? Definitely not nature's call, I crawled back slowly trying to find their location. What I heard shocked me; moans from a woman who definitely was on heat while the man begged her to lower her voice. "Kishiru mana," he will interject amidst his thrusting. They both grunted like pigs. I had to see them, who could commit this folly in the bush? "Aaaaah that was so nice. Tomorrow, same time same place," the woman said sweetly and I froze where I was standing, I could swear that was my mother's voice with a strange man. I was confused, how could mother commit this crime, knowing it is punishable by death? "I see you where not cut, I can tell why you enjoyed me," the stranger answered. My mother replied him, "when I saw the horrors unleashed upon my sisters I ran away from home and I vowed that my only daughter, Nana Pullo would not suffer such fate." I then understood what the ceremony was about; female genital mutilation, I read it in books, I saw the pictures in magazines. And I began to imagine such pain that those little girls would endure this night. I had to do something, there must be a way. "No my love let's make it tonight, during the Festival of Cutting, we would be here," the man suggested. There was something about his voice, I ignored it as I felt a sharp sting on my ankle, I quickly held down my urge to scream. The snake was fast! I had to head back to camp.

"Sanjana, get me the healing calabash," I shouted to my half sister, she rushed as she saw how my leg bled. "Bring the knife and that calf rope there." She quickly tied the rope round my angle and tore my skin open, cleaning the blood with a piece of cloth. "Where have you been, you didn't show up for prayers" Sanjana inquired, she was my closest half sibling, the rest were trouble.  I told her I went to ease myself but she was not quite satisfied, I ignored her as I had to find out who that man was.

The day broke out and we carried out our usual activities. Father and the boys had taken the cattle for pasture, we the girls just helped clean the house and milk the female cows. "Nana pullo!" Mother called out, she had discovered her healing calabash had been tampered with and she hit me, "how many times do I have to leave instructions, do not touch this calabash. It contains some poisonous herbs." I began to sob to divert her attention from my ankle. This made her feel guilty a bit, as her stern features softened. "Come child, very soon I will marry you off. You give me too much worry."

The bright and merciless yellow sun gradually receded to an orange color, the festival was about to begin, the center of the camp was marked as were the young girls would dance and be presented gifts, after which they would be led to a house for the cutting.

I shivered as I imagined such pain, two hands holding you down and a knife glistening in the dark night, cutting a woman parts into pieces. I had to do something even at the risk of banishment, then I remembered my American friend Lysette surely she could help.

The young girls had been decorated with henna designs on the feet and arms, some wore nose rings and other necklaces. It was a beautiful sight that awaited a very tragic end at the cutting. After the call, I thought of how to distract the cutting, Lysette had told me to find something to divert their attention while she journeyed from the city there. Suddenly an idea came to me, but how could I expose my mother's infidelity which could lead to her death just to protect some girls from a tradition that might fail to end? I had to make another call to Lysette to explain the situation of things. She had a good strategy one that would separate us from our family forever, mother and I would be taken to live in The United States but she would resent me all her life. I had to find another way, it was getting dark and it was time for the lovers to meet, I saw mother adjust her hijab and hurriedly walked away from the camp. "Sanjana," I called out, I forgot my shoes at that spot at the little bush could you go pick it up for me?...she hesitated but said she'd go later, I shook my head and convinced her I had no other shoe to wear for the night.

"Alright I would go with Hussain." She hurried off to find our brother Hussain, they quickly ran towards the little bush. I heaved a sigh of relief as the guilt of exposing my own mother was heavy.

The festival had begun; a big bonfire was built with hay as the smoke filled the sky. The young girls were presented with calabashes and the Fulbe dance begun. "Fulani Fulani arara be," they sang and chorused, as they wriggled their bellies while the older women made ululations, all of a sudden we heard a sharp cry. As we followed the direction of the voice, we saw Hussain grabbing Mallam Yazid, I was quite shocked as he was father's cousin. Mother was already pleading, kneeling and wailing, "woyo, dan Allah...dan Allah!" The festival of cutting definitely would not hold. "I’m sorry Nana, have your shoes," Sanjana said feeling guilty, I thanked her and moved to find my phone. Where was Lysette? Young men had already lighted torches with fire to set mother ablaze for adultery before the eldest man moved to stop them till further investigation was carried out.

We all retired to our tents, silence hung over ours, as father had not uttered a word concerning mother's case, we were all asked to return back to the village, the festival of cutting would hold the coming year, but for now with my little efforts I helped prevent Female Genital Mutilation. With the help of the UN through Lysette, some of the young girls were sure to escape this ugly fate. Tonight while others sobbed for mother, I slept smiling for I had averted something worse for the girl child. I preserved their colors of happiness given to them by the rainbow.

THE EXPERIMENT 2 --by Nickz

(Image source: www.youtube.com)

Hello dear reader, this is a continuation of the EXPERIMENT 1. It makes more sense after reading the first part. Do have an enjoyable time!

Present Day…

Out of an excess of caution, they each picked gas masks and got kitted, as if they expected some sort of foul gas to go off in the process. They’ve heard of several disastrous outcomes from similar projects in times past and so, all available caution was used, though they were almost sure none of such would occur.  Dr. Natalia was more intelligent than Dr. Ayinka had imagined. Her creative ideas and series of sleepless nights, joint with what he and Mr. Hook added had brought the project to this stage. They were ready to initiate the synthesized fluid into the first twenty models.

Since that morning the moment after his presentation when Dr. Ayinka had received the call from Prof Lukas to be part of the research team, his life and career had taken a different course. He had met the Prof the following morning in his executive office for further job description but what awaited him was something different. There was a deal on the table, he could either take or leave it. The Prof was not a man to mince words. He had said it out the way it was, owing no apology. "I have a private project I’m running in an underground facility, south of the province. It’s a multi-million dollar project. Just like yours, it will change the world for good. When we drive away evil, isn’t it good we have?" He continued. "I call it Project LIFE. I have employed scores of qualified scientists down there and they’re working day and night to produce results. If you help me complete my project, I’ll give you all the support you need to execute yours." The professor had taken another sip of his brewing coffee and waited for the perplexed doctor to make a choice. As discomforting as it had sounded, he couldn’t have travelled all the way to Bratislava to achieve nothing so he made a deal. "Very well then, let’s go for a drive." The old man was impressed.

At first when they had gotten to the site, Dr Ayinka thought it was a dilapidated building damaged by fire, not until the Prof had entered inside, pressed a hidden button on a wall and entered a security code. Immediately, the floor before them opened and a stairway was visible. The Prof had smiled at the surprised expression on his face as they stepped down several feet. "This is my playground. You won’t believe how long it took to make this a reality. Come this way let me show you something." The place was as busy as any major laboratory he had been to.  When they walked past his busy workers who were scattered at various units dressed up in surgical masks, gloves and coats, they bowed their heads to acknowledge the Prof. He barely looked like he noticed them. "Each month, I pay these men the kind of money they’d never see in a year. The project is that sensitive. It’s bigger than money, it’s bigger than power, it’s life itself. The future will ever remain indebted to us when we launch this project." Dr. Ayinka was astonished at the complexity and the level of equipment in the bioengineering lab. 

Prof Lukas had walked into another section, more private than others. It was lined with multiple columns of model humans suspended by intricate connection of hoses and steel frames. The door had closed behind them as they got in. Dr. Ayinka had felt a wave of discomfort and suspicion rising inside him. "Professor Lukas, this looks more like a bioengineering laboratory. I’m sorry, my field is Botany." The professor had given him a brief look with amusement on his face and chuckled. Then suddenly, his voice and composure went grim. "Once upon a time, a certain man got into the university to study medicine. Today, he’s a hero, one of the world’s most celebrated physicists. His name is Galileo. I don’t need a Botanist; this project needs the best of creative and motivated minds on it. This is your chance to make the world see the genius in you. Everybody in this building, right now, holds the key to a new tomorrow."

"What role am I expected to play then?" he had asked, still not quite sure of where the old man was heading. "That’s the first question you’ve asked so far. Now would you please come with me? There’s someone you should meet."

They had walked into an enclosed office area where they met a familiar lady. As if she was expecting their arrival, she rose and received them politely. "It’s a pleasure meeting you again Dr. A-yin-ker." He had reached out to her extended hand and grabbed it in a handshake. She was Dr. Natalia. "I believe you’ve met Dr. Natalia. She’s an expert in Microbiology, the only graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with an honorary award from the White House. Impressive right? I’m sure you two will have a good time getting acquainted." That was all the professor said before leaving. The female doctor had given him a reassuring smile before presenting to him a rundown on what he needed to know.

As much as he could understand, it was a project that was similar to his, but the end user organism was the homo sapiens. They were to study a certain hormone in the body; adrenaline, and afterwards synthesize it, add more characteristics to its natural form and if the accuracy level was right, initiate it into the organism. The speed, strength, and other abilities of this new creature would only be imaginable, a perfect soldier for the military, an unbeatable weapon of destruction—good destruction. That’s how he ended up with Dr. Natalia on the classified project. The technologist from Singapore was later introduced to the two-man group at 80 percent completion. His role was only required then.

Today, they were about to induce the fluid into a set of biologically developed humans. These humans were not the regular kind of humans. They looked more like the fallen angels of biblical times. Their sizes were massive, their bone densities enriched with high levels of calcium and phosphorus. After the initiation, the scientists would observe their reactions and interactions with one another. They would also observe their senses, vitals, ability to obey commands and sense of judgment before putting them to the ultimate test. The twenty models were all sealed in separate cylinders enclosed by a see-through mother structure where they could receive nutrition and pass out wastes through series of computerized hoses. Everything was remotely operated and the three watched from a wide polycarbonate glass window, a composite material which had enough strength to withstand impact, just in case things didn’t get punchy.

The whole building was installed with cameras and everything monitored by the great Lukas from afar. He was the one to give the go gunshot. "Prof, we’re ready to proceed," Dr. Natalia spoke into the receiver. "Proceed then. I have faith in you all." That was all they required to press the green button which the female doctor had in hand. Casting a quick glance of affirmation at her colleagues, she pressed her thumb on the remote control device and the fluid was released into the models.

To be continued…

*****

THE PHOTOGRAPHER 2 --by Rose

(Image source: gettyimages.com)

"Lemme see that," Nadina grabbed the card from her friend. "Girls, your seat belts," Duncan ignited the engine, wandering why his wife to be was so interested in the stranger. "Darling don't you think it’s wrong to take that from Udy?" Well, by all means it was wrong, thought Udy. Her friend was really getting on her nerves like, what was it really? Back in school Nadina had always gotten hit by the sexiest guys, she felt jealous yea but it wasn't this obvious, "Ok, love, have it back." Nadina was a little bit thrilled by what she saw on the card, the stranger was obviously rich, I mean who would keep an office in such an expensive part of town? Well, Udy was quite lucky. 

The drive back home was quiet, it was a long day and the girls had only achieved one thing; buying the wedding gown and other accessories. Duncan was a bit too quiet; he noticed how Udy stared at the stranger's complimentary card. He was a bit bothered, maybe jealous. Well she always gave him full attention even as friends, but today she barely noticed him, "So are you gonna call him?" He asked, she didn't reply. She kept on staring at the card. "Hello Udy?" He brought the car to a sudden stop and she screamed, they all burst out laughing, "What was that for?" Udy looked surprised, she had been so much engrossed in her thoughts, also imagining when she was gonna get married. It’s been long she even dated any man, and now this man came from nowhere and he looked like he was the one. "Well, definitely amma call him. He's hot." She laughed, Okay, now what? She saw the worried look on his face, and added "I will be careful," at least he cared for her which was her only consolation with Duncan, he cared not loved, his heart belonged to Nadina, and it still hurt her but that was life anyway.

She stepped down from the car and waved goodbye to the lovebirds, phew she sighed, it was gonna be a hell of a night for her. First of all she would take a cold shower, eat some fruits and sleep.

So his name was Bode Thomas, Yoruba guy, she mused. Well, they were usually hot, this one too. That name rang a bell. There was only one popular Nigerian with that name. Oh my god! Could it be him? The famous photographer with numerous awards for his works? Well she would find out later. But tonight, "I’m gonna love you, tonight." she sang as she undressed.

Her phone began to vibrate loudly, "choi this kind china phone, disgrace o." She saw the caller. She was in no mood to argue so she ignored the caller—her mother, a pain in her ass literally. The woman never ceased to amaze her, always comparing her with Nadina, now she was getting married it got worse, how could her own mother be like that? "You are no good, why can't you be like Nadie," her mother would always tell her. How could her daughter not be smart, have a rich guy, get married? Well she was done with that for now.

The shower was one of the places she enjoyed most; trickles of water poured on her already damp skin while she stood there silently, allowing the water to wash away her heartache. Tonight she was gonna let everything go, everything! Maybe she was not good enough. From time being, people always preferred Nadina to her; she was an angel! So pretty and intelligent, she was the opposite. She let the water take it away; thank god she was getting married at least that would sever their friendship. She heard her phone ring again. Damn! She swore, who calls at midnight? She quickly dried herself and checked her doors and windows, they were all locked. Back to the phone then, she saw the text, "Naughty girl, remember we are going to the photographer tomorrow. Bye!"

She shook her head slowly, crazy world, goodnight!

  "Wake up darling, rise and shine!" Nadina screamed at the sleeping Udeme. "You forgot I have the spare key," Nadina said looking at her startled face. "I’m not going out today, I don't feel too well," she tried to tap out.  "Yes you are and we are leaving. Hurry!" She knew all of her friend's tricks. She left for the kitchen to help herself with some fruits, damn! The fridge was well stocked, uhmm! "Apples, or carrots?" Apples it is, she picked red apples. She heard her friend sing in the shower, a love song indeed. That reminded her about the stranger, she was curious since she had laid eyes on that man, she was never the same. That was a bad thing! Her wedding was in a months time. Well, a little flirting wouldn't hurt, but what if her friend found out? Well, she saw how important this man was to Udy, but who cared? He may have gotten close to Udy just to get closer to her. Yea, she knew guys, many guys if not all got closer to her through Udy. Poor girl, she was no match for her. Nadie beauty queen, she praised. No man had ever resisted her and she was sure this Bode guy wouldn't either. So she had to find that card get the number and call the dude!

"Uhmm what’re you looking for?" Udy asked puzzled. "I kept my ATM card somewhere near this drawer, can't find it." Her friend said while searching. She wasn't surprised, Nadie was a very careless person. "Search well o, madam cash, Give me twenty minutes to dress up, and twenty for makeup." "What the hell?" Nadie screamed as she threw a pillow at Udy. Now she was gone, she had to find that card. "Where are you, cardie cardie," she remembered the bag! Yea, she searched it over but it wasn't there. She looked around carefully and saw something placed over a novel, "hello baby!" She held out her phone and copied the number, why would she keep this card again? She didn't want Udy to see this guy and probably get to be in a relationship with him, well "Bode is mine for now," she said as she tore the card into pieces. 

THE PERFECT BREAK UP --by Rose

Putting an end to any kind of relationship, beautiful or ugly may not always be pleasant. Most times, break ups tend to get messy. The manner in which you break up matters a lot because it speaks so much of your personality and would determine the kind of relationship you will have with your ex afterwards. It’s very important to handle it with extra care so as to reduce the amount of hurt you partner may be feeling. Breaking up with someone could batter their ego, self esteem, you have to be very kind and gentle with your words. There’re certain tips on how to carry out a perfect break up:

1.      Be very sure your relationship has reached its melting point. Be sure you won't go back running to him or her. What are the main reasons you wonna break up? Talk to your partner about it first of all, do it again, do it again but if your partner cannot amend, you have every right to move on.

2.      Do not be afraid or pitiful towards the person. It’s your happiness we’re talking about. Stop sending signals like silent treatment, avoiding the person, not picking calls and all those funny signs. Grow up! Be vocal.

3.      When you are about to break up with someone, never try it over the phone or texting or any social media platform. It is a mark of total disregard and disrespect to someone you once loved. Don't call to break up, or send text messages through your Facebook or Watsapp. That’s pure cowardice. You need to set up a meeting, be like, “hello can we meet here?” Don't add that ridiculous line, “there's something important I wonna tell you” and don't sound so cold, you are not a coward.

4.      Never invite the person to your house or go to theirs to break up. Don't go to any private place, anything could happen. What if a fight breaks out because your partner does not agree with the break up and in the process you injure or kill the person or get raped as payback to save their bruised ego? Go to a beautiful park or any other outdoor location. Do your thing low key and don't be so loud.

5.      Never send your friends to break up on your partner on your behalf. That’s extremely childish. When you approached your partner, did you send them or you went there yourself? It also shows how unimportant they were to you. You have to do this yourself.

6.      While breaking up, as earlier said, be gentle with your words. When you’re done, do not be in a rush to abandon the person there. Hang around for few minutes before you take off. Decide there whether you guys would still be friends or you will relate with each other on a very formal manner. Well if your man or woman never treated you well, please block them from your life to seal that vacuum of pain.

7.      Your decision to keep each other on your social media platforms is again personal but I wouldn't advise you to keep them as it could hurt more and make you develop hate towards this person. It takes a very mature mind to still be friends with your ex, after all it wasn't a marriage.

8.      After the break up, don't go about telling people your reasons. Do not post it on social media, do not wash the dirty linens of your ex outside no matter how bad they were, you once loved them. Do not spread rumours about your partner because they just broke up with you. Think like you're grown.

9.      You may return each other’s pictures after the break up. It eases heart break especially those ones you stood together.  You can keep it however for memories sake, that is, if your heart is made of stone.

People break up for different reasons but be careful who you break up with and why you are breaking up and how you going about it.

You got a different opinion? Please share.

LOVERBOY 3 --by Nickz

(Image source: screen capture from "street dance")

Hello dear reader, this publication is a sequel to LOVERBOY 1 & 2. We hope you enjoy the story.

“Girls, K-swag asked me out!” Adesua announced to her roomies as she threw her handbag on the mattress and spread her hands excitedly like she was expecting a hug for wining a Grammy. She could see the oval shapes of wow on their faces. Eki was the first to speak. “For real? How did you do it? Babe I de feel your levels o!” She didn’t hesitate to tell them everything. She had made one thing clear in the process; there was no love involved, it was just a means to an end game. The celebrity life is all she had always wanted. Though she had agreed to go on a date with Kelly, she wouldn’t make it that easy for him. That was why she deceived her roomies just to make her plans work. “Girls, you know the best part of the whole thing? He said you two can come along! The guy’s really crazy about spending. I can’t wait for Saturday o!” The oval shapes of ‘wow’ on Eki and Aimiuwu’s faces changed to a complete O shape of amazement. They couldn’t believe the news. This was like free tickets to an end of year Basketmouth show in Sheraton Hotels. When they all absorbed the news, all they could wish for was the arrival of Saturday.

Kelly’s silver Honda pulled up in front of Adesua’s apartment. He was ready for the 150km trip to Banana Resort in Calabarr with her. It was in a neighbouring state and it would take about two hours to reach their destination. That’s why he came by 9am to pick up his date, they had to come back the same day. He really hoped the young lady would be ready on time. He didn’t bother to drop from his car to check her inside. He just gave her a call and she picked on the first ring. “Dearie, sorry, we’re almost done. I can see your car outside. Just give us five more minutes. Thanks darling.” Kelly was a little bemused. What did she mean by “we”?  What was she up to? Kelly got the answer to his questions when he saw three angelic ladies stepping out of the door, all with handbags and glittering accessories. They looked really hot but Adesua still beat them all. So this was her plan? He chuckled in amusement and promised not to show any surprise at the unexpected development. These carnivores were out to devour his account.

“Good morning K!” they said one after the other as they got in. Adesua took the front seat, leaning over to give Kelly a hug. She saw a tiny look of surprise on his face and she winked at him in a way that silently said, “I know this wasn’t the plan but don’t worry.”

The ride to the resort was more enjoyable than he had thought. In addition to the cool tracks from Tu-baba’s Ascension album, the girls didn’t stop to chatter and comment on anything of interest they saw. In roughly two hours time, they were at the resort.

The entrance to the resort was a long asphalt driveway lined and beautified with well trimmed miscellaneous flowers on both sides, all combining to give a serene and tranquil view. Everything about the environment was so fascinating as they alighted and commenced their tour; the well sculptured cultural monuments, the high rise fountain that sprouted like series of volcanoes, the massive and inviting six feet swimming pool, the shopping malls, the cable cars, the amusement parks, the canoe hire tour, and all were simply indescribable. The girls were all enthusiastic they wanted to take selfies at almost every section they got to. Kelly was impressed. He was the man of the moment. He was glad they were all having a good time.

After a couple of fun activities including horse riding and swimming, they realized how time was fast running. It was already four thirty pm. The girls were all hungry and Kelly was happy to be their host. There were series of cafeterias of different categories with different varieties. Adesua had a strong affinity for expensive things and so she urged Kelly to go for the VIP cafeteria, which he did gladly. The four orders arrived at their table in few minutes. The richness of the meal could have made a poor man salivate and curse poverty. They all dived into their sumptuous plates, pulling every piece of flesh from the chicken lapses, chatting excitedly in the process. They had also ordered two bottles of red wine and some fruit salad.

Kelly was about starting his own meal when he recalled something. “Oh, my drugs!” The ladies looked up at him in concern. “What drugs sweetie?” Adesua asked affectionately. “I take my gastric medication before every meal. I think I left them in the car.” The three ladies urged him to go for it while they continued their meal. “Just a minute ladies.” He excused himself and headed for the car at the parking lot. As if the ladies were waiting for his exit, they immediately opened their gossip chambers. “This guy is really crazy about you o! See as we just de chop for him head!” Eki started. Adesua smiled, pleased that she’s the reason for the season, sorry, jolliness. “He has not started o. You know me now, Ade Hot, the number one babe on campus. Before he sees the promise land, my whole wardrobe would be transformed. Babes make una enjoy jor! Maga don pay.” The two friends cheered her excitedly, calling her all the sweet names they could.

Kelly was already speeding out of the Banana Resort before one could count to twenty. There was nothing like gastric medication. That was the plan; to leave Adesua in the strange place and return to campus, which was at least two hours away. It became more exciting when he found out the two roommates were tagged too. He knew it was an outright attempt to cook his goose, as far as the date was concerned. She really wanted to make another fool of him, just like the previous time. There was no iota of change in her. For all he knew, she deserved the punishment, they all deserved it.

It was ten minutes since Kelly left for his medication and was not yet back. His meal and wallet was on the table. Maybe he’s in trouble or something, Adesua thought. She dialed his number but it was switched off. “What could have happened? Do you think he’s okay?” Aimiuwu expressed her worry. Let’s get to the car and see if everything’s fine.” Adesua suggested but as they were almost leaving, they were interspersed by the arrival of the waiter. “Excuse me ladies. Aren’t we forgetting something? Here’s the bill.” She had completely forgotten the meal was not paid for. Why was Kelly not back to handle this? “Sorry about that, I thought the person we came with had settled the bill. He left to get something from the car, should be here soon.” The waiter stretched out the bill to Adesua and she received the small piece of paper. The figures on the paper were nothing compared to its size! “Twelve thousand, six hundred naira!” She exclaimed. Just then, she remembered Kelly’s wallet on the table. That was such a relief. She rushed for it and opened. The wallet could have been completely empty if not for a piece of paper with a note on it. she slowly opened the note and it read:

“It was a fun day I guess; the swimming and all the tour. I just felt you should take care of the food bills and when you’re done, I wish you a safe trip back to campus. Next time, you’ll learn to treat people like humans. Say me hi to your roomies.”

When Aimiuwu saw the discomposed expression on Adesua’s face, she rushed over to read the content of the note in her hand, same with Eki. Their blood ran cold. The waitress was waiting for her money. It was getting dark. The trip home was far. They couldn’t afford a hotel to sleep over. Something had to be done but she had no idea what should be. Adesua knew the whole campus was going to hear of this evil masterminded by Kelly. She understood why Kelly acted so nice and forgiving. It was a revenge mission. She’d be the subject of mockery and scorn this semester and beyond. It was all too much to bear. Eki turned to Adesua and asked in an unhappy tone, “You brought us here to shame us abi? Thank you very much!” She stormed out of the cafeteria and Aimiuwu followed her.

The End

*****

THE PHOTOGRAPHER 1 --by Rose

(Image source: www.gettyimages.com)

 “Hurry we’re late,” she yelled at her b­estie. The wedding preparations had just­ begun and the date was very close, gosh! What was she thinking. Nadina Patrick ­Essien was a typical sanguine; loud and f­riendly, extremely emotional and this endeared many people towards her. Since ch­ildhood, Nadina was treated specially fro­m other kids due to her charisma, this ­attracted envy even from her own friends­. She was extremely pretty and intellige­nt, with a bubbling social life, one could hardly imagine how a Law student combined clu­bbing and school.

“You see what I warned you about? We sho­uld have started earlier.” Udeme complained as she struggled with the tight fitt­ing pencil jeans trouser. Her friend Nadina was almost the opposite of her; while Nadina was carefree, Udeme was very careful and planned everything she wanted doing. She sh­ook her head as she stared at the mirror; she was going to be the maid of honor. Nadina had fallen deeply in love with h­er friend Duncan Ette. She remembered in­troducing them on one birthday party, which was her mistake. Sh­e didn’t expect their friendship to bloo­m the way it did. Nadina always took everything; her friends, her attention and the way ­people flocked around her, calling her Nadie lo­vingly. She finally took Dunca­n’s heart.

Duncan was every girls dream, he was rich and hardworking, even while ­in the University He had his own busines­s, although it was on the small scale, it got ­bigger after being merged with his father’s company. This made his progress expl­osive. He was average in height, dark wit­h features so lovely; his eyes were shape­d like almonds, giving him a seductive look­, in addition to his well chiseled nose and attract­ive lips and a muscled frame. Duncan wa­s for the kills! But he used to be her best friend­. Unlike before, he no ­longer spent time with her, neither did he take her on­ dates nor call her daily as he used to. She had fallen in l­ove with him and he used to call her “b­aby” before he started dating Nadina. May­be she should have opened up to him abou­t her feelings. “And what is going on through your mind?” Nadina asked an absent minded Udeme. Her friend had been actin­g strange since this wedding thing; she ­had become withdrawn and sad. Well she had to be, as she would miss her b­estie once the wedding was over, Nadia thought. Duncan was the love of her life, she was ­extremely lucky to have him, thanks to U­D who introduced them! Duncan had change­d her life; from holiday trips to Dubai ­to expensive gifts, even paying her fees. He worshipped her, she was his Angel; that was what he called her.

The trip to the boutique was slow an­d quiet, each lady to her thought. They ­had three place to visit; first the bout­ique, the caterers shop and the photogra­pher’s. Visiting the boutique was quite thrillin­g. Bee’s House was the biggest weddi­ng boutique in the country. “Let’s do th­is,” Nadina yelled excitedly as she stepped out of ­the car, “You no go calm down? No fall o.” UD ­exclaimed, and shook her head. “Yeye girl­,” she added jokingly. They spent over one hour in the boutique­ as Nadina kept having problems making up her mind. “I ­want this one, no, wait! That’s better!" She kep­t on. UD had actually gotten tired of wai­ting for the Queen of England to choose a dress for the royal ball. She strolled­ to a nearby fast food joint, picked t­he menu, well well, She was in the mood ­for something chill due to the sunny we­ather. She beckoned on the waitress, “I need ic­e cream,” she requested.  “What flavor do you want? We h­ave strawberry, blueberry, ginger horse, v­anilla...” “Oh just bring whatever,” she­ interrupted the waitress with a wave. She was tired and needed to save­ her strength for the rest of the shoppi­ng.

That sadness returned, she was fille­d with envy but she pushed it aside. She­ had heard of besties betraying themselv­es, she could never bring herself to hur­t Nadina, no. If Duncan was ever hers, t­hen it would have happened. For now, she was going to enjoy her ice ­cream with all serenity. Her phone rang and pushed her out of her­ thoughts. “Give me twenty minutes, yes..­.OK.” As she looked up, there was a male stranger befo­re her, looking at her with a smile. My my! Her mind exclaimed. If Duncan was considered h­andsome then this man in front of her wa­s the god of handsomeness himself. “He­llo UD, are you there?” Nadina was still on the other end of the phone. “Hello Princess,” the Adonis greeted. “C­an I help you?” She asked curiously. Yes you can, he thought; ­ I could kiss your pretty lips. He was d­rawn by her beauty, that angelic aura th­at surrounded her, he knew a beauty when­ he saw one, after all he was an artist. “It appears your ice cream is running out. Can I get you another?” He rep­lied cordially. “Hmmm­, I don’t talk to strangers,” she replied and­ made her way to leave but she was to­o late. He cornered her and they stood l­ooking deeply into each other’s eyes. Th­ey must have roused attention in the res­taurant. Too late! Jeez was he gonna kis­s me? Udeme thought. Duncan an­d Nadina walked in looking shocked as th­ey saw the fearful look in her eyes. “E­xcuse me? Is he disturbing you?” Duncan ­asked looking the stranger up and down. Who w­as he, hovering over Udeme? Duncan thought. He studied him some more, the man was way too fly, he felt threatened. “I’m sorry, noth­ing’s wrong. He’s just a new friend I me­t. See?” She hugged the stranger lovingly­, “Oh, you mean it? Alright.” Duncan backed out. “I’m in love wi­th your friend,” the stranger smiled as ­he shook Duncan’s hand, Udeme blushed sh­yly. The stranger winked at her.

All this while, N­adina felt lost, she just stood there st­aring at the most sexy man ever! She fel­t weird. He somehow looked familiar. She felt jealous this once for her fri­end UD. She, Nadina always got the attention, aft­er all she was light skinned and prettier­ with a sexier figure. She smiled as the stranger took her hand in his and kissed it. “Y­ou’re such an angel,” the stranger remark­ed and found UD staring jealously. He winked again. Duncan actually felt je­alous of this man, complimenting his fri­ends like that. "Have my card, my love. Pl­ease make sure you call me,” he stretche­d out his card to Udeme, kissed her f­ore head and left. For the first time i­n her life, a man wanted her for her, and­ not as a means to get her friend.

*****

THE EXPERIMENT --by Nickz

(Image source: www.youtube.com)

Present Day. . .

The inscription was in legible black fonts: NO ENTRY. AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY. In the whole facility, only Dr.Wale Ayinka, Dr. Natalia Brian and a technologist from Singapore, Mr. Antonio Hooke had access to the forbidden chambers. Only the three researchers understood what was happening behind those steel doors, and of course, the great one too who monitored everything from a distance. The three researchers were very concerned about the outcome of their series of experiments.  They had reached the peak of their findings, what was left was the application. Dr. Ayinka was excited and scared.  It was the first of its kind. He had been working with the research team for a month and had been transferred to the Vital Research Department where they handled a classified project. They called it “Project LIFE”. There was a ten percent probability of error but it could be taken care of. They had prepared to shutdown the project if it gave any hiccup.  With heart in the throat, Dr. Natalia entered the combination and the steel door opened. They were prepared for whatever would be.

Five Months Ago. . .

Dr. Ayinka was a renowned Botanist in the University Research Unit, the only African with the BAEET Award, an award of excellence for outstanding biological engineering and botanical researches that benefitted society. He had discovered an embroic variation in the seed pod of opuntia ficusindica, what is commonly known as cactus. Under close experiments and monitoring, he had found out something that may shake the world; a self-nourishing plant could actually exist. With such possibility, men could inhabit deserts and be sure of nutrition. Plants would grow with little or no water and sunlight and still yield sufficiently. The world would be another paradise that would barely require cultivation toils. If the element could be extracted and properly understood, it could be synthesized and initiated into other plants.

Dr. Ayinka was so excited about his discovery and was desperate to make the world see but his institution was very limited financially. He needed capable sponsors. That’s why he had consistently requested for an appointment with Prof. Tambewa, the Minister of Agriculture. A response letter came one month later inviting him for a thirty minutes interaction with the Minister. He would never forget the “are you nuts?”expression on the Minister’s face. “Look Dr. Ayinka, before I got to this level, I was a researcher like you. These kinds of projects are not realistic. I admire your zeal but we live in a scientific world not Disney world.” He had left the Professor’s office a little downcast but not enough to be shattered. The vision was big and the passion was strong.

Two Months Ago. . .

A letter addressed to Dr. Ayinka arrived at his office in the university. It was posted from the Headquarters of International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT), Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. They were interested in his research and were inviting him over for a presentation. It was a reply to one of his long shot applications and it came like a miracle. The ambitious scientist was ready to make the world hear him.

One Month Ago. . .

Adam Filip, a tall and well dressed gentleman in his mid forties introduced himself to Dr. Ayinka as he received him at the Bratislava International Airport. He was a staff in the logistics unit of the IAPT. “Welcome Dr. Eye-in ker. We’re pleased to have you with us.” He admired their infrastructures and terrains, even though he had seen better in Abuja. “Thanks Mr. Filip, the honour is mine. The name is Dr.  ‘A-yin-ka’”

The research facility was like someplace he could only imagine. The massive glass paned-structure was an architectural feat. He had enjoyed a long and refreshing sleep and now, was led by Mr. Filip through the facility to meet someone for appropriate reception and introduction. He was ushered into a twenty person conference room where he could see only one man seated at the end of the table. His chair was pivoted so that he was backing the table. “That’s the big boss, Professor Pavol Lukas. He’s the Head of Operations.” Mr. Filip told the Doctor. Afterwards, he further added in a whisper, “Hey, be careful. They call him Zeus, he’s like a god; he sees and hears everything here. Goodluck.” With that, he exited, leaving the two in the room.

Like a man on impulse, the Prof made a swift rotation of his seat and faced Dr. Ayinka, doing his best to put on smile which did little to hide his regular stern and acrimonious disposition. He motioned for the doctor to have a seat. “When I first read you proposal, I asked myself one question. Why would you want to bring such a potential scientific breakthrough to us here but I found the answers myself. I did some investigations and I realized your government is more concerned about fighting corruption and importation. The statistics of scientific research in your country is really tragic and so, it becomes logically clear to me why you need us.” Dr. Ayinka was impressed by such preamble. He was just saved the excessive explanations. “Well said, Professor.” He waited for the elderly man to continue, which he did. He was given more briefings on the standards and visions of the association, ongoing researches in the facility, and so on. After the lengthy talks, the Prof concluded their session. Dr. Ayinka rose and started leaving but the Professor called him back. “Dr. Ayinker,” he turned and listened. The old man continued in a casual tone. “You may hear people say a lot of things about me here. It’s mostly false. I’m mortal like you.” He nodded in comprehension and left the room.

 The night seemed to have been shortened as a result of the late finishing touches he had to make. It was already thirty minutes to his presentation. Standing by the mirror, he appreciated his traditional tunic and red round hat. He really represented Nigeria.

The twenty person conference room was filled with intellects bearing resounding professional pedigrees. It was up to Dr. Ayinka to convince these reputable gentlemen and ladies on the viability of his proposition. He was optimistic as he commenced. Professor Pavol Lukas was at the head of the table like yesterday, looking nonchalant like a high court judge. The hall was dead silent except for his floating voice. His introduction was intellectual; he proceeded to problem statement before dropping the findings of his research and the potentials it bore. The first question came from a lady whom he got to know as Dr. Natalia. “Dr. Eyinker, during your embroic assessment of opuntia ficusindica, what part of this embryo bears the resistive adaptability features of the cactus specie?”

“Like I had said, we don’t have all the answers yet but the good news is that, through several elimination experiments, we’ve narrowed down the possible region to the precursor tissues. These tissues have complex structures and with the right technology, we can speed up analysis on the sequence. The result will provide the answers we need.” Two more questions followed which he answered adequately. “Ladies and gentlemen, any more questions?” The confident doctor asked. Dr. Natalia raised her hand again but this time, with a little shyness like a high school girl. She cleared her throat and proceeded. “Errm, Dr. Ayinker, it’s more of a personal question. Your outfit is really cool. Can we take a shot?”

Few hours later, while in his hotel room, he received a direct call from Prof. Lukas. “We think your proposal is buoyant. We’d love to have you with us. Consider yourself part of the IAPT research team. Accept my congratulations!”

Present Day. . .

Dr. Natalia walked in first through the steel doors, followed by Dr. Ayinka and the technologist. They were about to test run their experiment with an organic specie.

. . . To be continued

*****

DARK SKINNED VS LIGHT SKINNED LADIES --by Rose

(Image source: fuckyeahdarkgirls.com)

The controversy surrounding skin colour did not originate today. It’s one of the offsprings of colonialism. When the Europeans left their lands in search of markets for their products, they came across dark skinned Indians and Arabs, but they were not really "scared" of their skin tone because they were mostly brown skinned. Further exploration led them to Africa and they discovered a sea of dark skinned people hence the term "negro".

Dark skin became something to be abhorred, something that brought bad luck. Little wonder the devil is always represented in black themes. Even before the advent of the Europeans, from books like "Sociology of the Ibibio" (E.E.Ekong, 1989), light skinned Africans were uses preferably as servants to deities especially water deities.

Skin colour became recognized as a form of physical endowment in the Colonial régime as well as the slave trade eras. The Britons preferred lighter skinned Africans to dark ones because their skin tone had semblance with theirs, hence more beautiful. Lighter skinned slaves were given slight preferential treatment to dark ones. What later elevated the issue was the exposure of African men to Caucasian women, the exact representation of the "mammy water"; blond hair, blue or green eyes and beautiful fair skin. All these brought about marked preferences of light skinned women to dark skinned women. Obviously, the standard of beauty is fair skin, they thought.

In beauty pageantry, sometimes an undeserving contestant might emerge winner due to skin colour. This has made things very difficult for women, especially growing girls. They become plagued by skin colour issues and sometimes develop low "skin" esteem.

One of the major reasons dark women bleach is to be accepted and also seen as pretty by men, they also want to be attractive as fair skin is “highly attractive”. What's worse is the role the media has played in all these. Very often, most front pages of popular magazines, billboards and other advertisement outlet are graced with light skinned ladies. Why do majority of Indian female actresses or artiste have light skin when we also have dark skinned and talented dark Indian women?

Men have varied tastes; some may like their women dark, some yellow, but from research, a huge population of men prefers fair skinned girls. To see that skin discrimination is real, why say things like "black is beautiful"? It’s like trying to convince people that although black is not that attractive, it is still beautiful in some way. Why make black skin so different from other shades?

Many women have even made extra effort to divide themselves into camps on social media; light skinned girls.com and dark skinned girls.com. Others do not want to be identified as being "dark". Sometimes if you describe a girl as being dark, she feels insulted and may try to explain her skin shade. What's funny is this new term, "chocolate ". People do not want to identify with dark skin. Why categorize it; chocolate, deep brown? And so on...

It gets worse in Western societies with much racism. I watched a program once on BET (Black Entertainment Television) and a dark skinned woman was crying. She had passed through hell, from snubs to rudeness at job interviews. I felt her pain but that's the world for you. Skin colour should not be used as a yardstick to measure talent or character.

Due to the attention given to fair skinned girls, dark women develop attitude towards them, evident on internet fights, where fair girls are described as "pale and sickly" and the dark ones as "crude oil or shit skin". It’s really a sad situation.

If you ask women, which skin is prettier? They ultimately defend their skin colour, the dark ones claim, their skin covers their ugliness (whatever that means), that it is original and can't be bought in the market hence the true representation of natural beauty. They’ll also add that it doesn't age as fast as fair skin. Fair women on the other hand, list numbers of celebrities who are fair and describe how beautiful they are. Only few women acknowledge the skin colour of others. Some women go as far as trying to bleach their babies to look light skinned.

A celebrity like Lupita Nyongo recalls her struggles with loving and accepting her skin colour while some like Jidenna the Classic man expresses the threats his light skinned nature poses to him anytime he visits Africa.

Well, it’s left for men to choose; Which girl is prettier? Okay, let me rephrase it; Chocolate or Ice cream, which do you prefer?

To the women, light or dark skinned, be proud of who you are. Let the inner beauty be your concern, let your dreams and goals for the future be your thoughts always and not something as shallow as skin colour. Show yourself some love; eat well, exercise, rest and nourish that beautiful skin you’ve got!

The society should present opportunities to people equally with no bias of skin colour, it will definitely take a while for this to be achieved but remember a journey of a thousand miles always begins with a step. 

WHEN DADDY RUNS AWAY--by Slick

(Image source: gettyimages.com)

“Mummy! Mummy!! Mummy!!! Where is Daddy?” Simon asked his mother.

He and his mother had been waiting at the bus station for over an hour since their landlord had thrown them out of the 3 bedroom flat they had occupied for close to a year without paying the rent.

Daddy and Mummy had not been in good terms and mostly went to bed holding grudges against each other. It was mainly because Mummy was earning more than Daddy and was taking care of the bills in the home while Daddy had been jobless for years and had bluntly refused to do anything about it. In all these, he never appreciated the good things his wife did to keep the family together.

“Where did you get the money that you used in preparing this meal?”

“What kind of question is that na? Can’t I cook for my family again?” Mummy would reply.

“I do not want to feed from the proceeds of fornication o.”

This was an example of the kind of arguments that Mr and Mrs Ajayi consistently had. It was not the first time a landlord would serve them a quit notice. One could compare them to nomads moving from place to place. In fact, this was the third rented apartment they were sent packing from.

Mr Ajayi was a source of tears in the family as he owed debts to everyone in any neighbourhood they lived in. He sometimes went as far as obtaining money from people by tricks. It usually ended up with angry people or the police knocking at the door asking for payments of what he owed. As usual, Mrs Ajayi would always rise to the occasion and settle the bills. Once, he was arrested at his workplace for a case of fraud and taking company loans without refunding them. His wife went through thick and thin to ensure that he did not end up in jail and yet, he repaid her and the children with more disgrace and sorrow.

“Simon, let us go. Your Daddy has run away.” She replied.

“Run away ke?. Let us call brother Tim and tell him o.”

“We will my dear, we will.”

Timothy was Simon’s elder brother whom was studying in the University. He was in his third year, studying Banking and Finance. He had been the only one man enough to confront his father’s disgraceful actions. But now he was too far away in Akure facing his academic pursuits. Hs mother had sold stones and taken loans to see him through the University and it was his dream to make her proud. How was he going to take the news of his family’s eviction and the sudden disappearance of his father?

Mrs Ajayi felt she had had enough. She could not bear another journey of disgrace. It was God’s answer to her midnight tears and grumbles. She always kept a bright smile in public but this cancer of a husband was eating her soul away in bits. She would do anything for her children to be successful but not this infidel. Women were to be submissive to their husbands but not to one that could not take care of their homes.

It has been six years since Daddy ran away from home and is yet to return. He calls his children over the phone once in a blue moon to meet at designated points to say horrible things about their mother, but they are grown and can tell that all he does is tell lies. He looks older than he is because he has not been feeding well and has no one to take care of him. He feels he has peace of mind but one can spell torment from the wrinkles on his forehead. What could have happened if he did not run away?

Many children have had to grow up without Daddy being around. They celebrate birthdays and holidays with Daddy living somewhere like a juvenile at age forty plus, simply because he has refused to shoulder responsibilities that come with being the head of the home. They all have different tales of how irresponsible Daddy was. These children good or bad eventually become a product of the actions taken by Daddy.

Ask yourself, what kind of Daddy shall I be? Would I run away from home? Or Would I be a pillar for those that need me?

Don’t be a runaway fool!