CHRIS

I arrived on Sunday night after 5 weeks away. I was so eager to call Elorm and announce my presence but decided to surprise her instead. I will head over to her place on Monday and wait there. This will be an opportunity to see her mother and assess her family briefly before taking any further steps.

I texted her .

‘’Elorm darling, I really hate to do this’’ I wrote

‘’what? You are scaring me’’ she texted.

‘’I have to extend my trip for three more days. To make it up to you, I have sent you a gift. Send me the location of your house’’ I wrote.

‘’why not the office?’’ she asked

‘’looking at the parcel origin, best decision will be to drop it at your house. Will somebody be at home to receive it?’’

‘’yess, my mother. Let me tell her to expect the delivery driver’s call. Can I get the driver’s number?’’ she asked and I froze.

‘’no, he has lots of numbers, I do not know which one he is using today. Send your mother’s instead’’

‘’alright. I hope you do not extend your trip again. I do not want parcels, I want to see you’’ she texted.

‘’I know, me too’’

She sent her mother’s contact and in no time I was in the house. I carried a bag of chocolates since that is Elorm’s favourite snack. As soon as her mother opened the gate, she looked confused.

‘’Good evening Mrs. Ameve, I am not the delivery driver. I am Chris, I do not know if Elorm has mentioned me’’ I greeted and explained.

‘’Oh Mr Chris, yes she has, come in. She is not home yet’’ she said.

‘’I know, I just wanted to surprise her so I cooked up the delivery story. I hope you do not mind if I wait for her’’

‘’Sure! no problem. Come on in. But won’t she recognise your car?’’ her mother asked.

‘’No, she has not seen this one. It is my sister’s,’’ I lied.

I drove the old Toyota Corolla, which I use when visiting new artisans to ensure they don’t overcharge me. I sat on one of the wooden chairs on the porch, the house felt like a home. Mrs. Ameve served me with juice and some of the tastiest cookies I have ever had. She then sat across me.

‘’You know, Elorm has mentioned your name a couple of times but she is quite secretive about her friends. Where are you from?’’ she asked and I gave her the details. She did well to hide her amazement.

What shocked me was her maiden name, Anyitsi. I had heard good things about that family. I have even worked with her brother four years ago on a government project, Selasi Anyitsi. What a small world! Mrs. Ameve was so poised and elegant.

The topic then switched to food and we spoke at length. My mother organised cooking lessons for my siblings and I in high school. To my parents, cooking is a life skill. So we can all cook a five course meal. We spoke about the difficulties in sourcing certain ingredients for some special meals in Ghana.

While we were busy chatting, Elorm opened the gate. She was confused for a moment. She did not know whether to hug me first or park the car. She saw her mother and decided to do the latter. She parked, closed the gate and tried to hide her emotions.

I figured she didn’t want to give her mother any ideas.

‘’Oh My God!, the last person I expected to see. What are you doing here? You lied about extending your trip!’’ she exclaimed as I got up and gave her a light hug.

‘’I came to see who is behind Dee’s Sweets and I like her already’’ I complimented and her mother smiled.

‘’so since you have seen your friend, you can’t greet’’ her mother scolded.

‘’Good evening Mama’’ she greeted quickly.

‘’Good evening, you are welcome. How was work?’’ her mother asked.

‘’It was fine’’ she answered. She had a wide grin on her face.

‘’Okay let me leave you with your visitor’’ her mother got up.

‘’Oh no, Mrs. Ameve, I am really enjoying our conversation. I can always talk to Elorm later but I have to leave. I only came to deliver her parcel’’ I said and handed her the bag of chocolates.

‘’Thank you!! But why? So soon?’’ Elorm exclaimed in a disappointed tone.

‘’Yes, traffic my dear. But I need to ask your mother for permission’’ I said

‘’What for young man?’’ she asked inquisitively.

‘’On Wednesday, I would like to take Elorm out, we will be going to Aburi. We will probably spend the day working on some contracts. I will personally pick her up and bring her home by 8 p.m I just wanted to ask for your permission’’  I said

‘’Elorm is a grown woman, she can decide for herself’’ her mother said.

‘’I know but she lives under your roof. I just wanted to show my face. I wanted to introduce myself so you know who your daughter is with and where she is, Mrs. Ameve. That is how I was taught’’ I added.

‘’Such a gentleman, your type is rare. I don’t think I have anything for her that day. It is fine with me if she is okay’’ Mrs. Ameve said as she got up. ‘’I have to go prepare dinner for my husband, he will be returning soon. Nice meeting you’’ she added and left.

As soon as her mother entered the house, Elorm turned to me.

‘’At least ask me first’’ she said

‘’I did, you agreed to our movie day on our first date. The only thing that has changed is the day.’’ I stated.

‘’And whose fault is that?’’ she hissed back.

‘’Once again, I apologise for extending my trip but I am here now’’ I said and held her hand. She pulled it back.

‘’Please this is a no PDA household till you marry. But I have to work on Wednesday’’ she complained.

‘’No you don’t, just ask for a personal day off. You have tomorrow which is Tuesday to finalise things’’ I said.

‘’Apart from emergencies, Gwen does not really like impromptu days off’’ she said.

‘’You think I didn’t figure that out, just ask, she will grant it. ‘’ I said.

‘’What did you say to her?’’ she asked.

‘’You mean what did I pay? All I can say is my credit card must be sore from all that swiping. No worries, you are worth every penny. I really have to rush. See you on Wednesday’’ I said.

I bade farewell to Mrs. Ameve and left.

WEDNESDAY

 ELORM

I spent the whole Monday night listening to Mama talk about how impressed she was with Chris’ manners. On Tuesday at midnight, she quietly slipped into my room and started praying for me. I pretended to be asleep as she placed her hand on my head. She asked for favour and divine protection. She prayed that if Chris is meant to be my husband, it should work out. Honestly, at this point, I need prayers for money, not a man. I even noticed she went to Worla’s room afterward to do the same.

Chris was right, Gwen approved my day off with no hesitation. She even did it with a smile which was new. On Wednesday, he was at my house at exactly 10 a.m. He was dressed very casually, wearing a dark blue T-shirt and gray joggers with slides. I wore a simple white shirt and jean shorts. My mother was happy to see him and even asked him to call her Auntie Dee like everyone else.

The drive to Aburi was nice, this was the first time Chris had driven me anywhere. We stopped and shopped for snacks.

‘’What about lunch?’’ I asked when we sat in the car, after buying some microwave popcorn, drinks and sweets.

‘’I made the chef prepare something. Don’t worry. I have it all planned. Just relax’’ he said.

We got to Aburi and it was a beautiful house, so clean and modern. It was a two storey with a large patio overlooking the valley. It has beautiful floor to ceiling windows and a lovely view of the mountain range at one side. He gave me a tour of the house. We were alone, apart from the security man at the main gate.

‘’Do you drive to Accra everyday?’’ I asked as I sank into his cozy couch.

‘’No, I come here to relax on weekends. I live in Ridge with my parents and sister on weekdays. It is closer to town, unless you want us to have our date there. This is my main house but it is quite far so it is more for hosting family and friends. I have another apartment in Dzorwulu but I am currently renting it out. I have plans to move in when I settle down’’ he said.

‘’nice, where is your chef?’’ I asked.

‘’I made him take the day off, we have the place to ourselves. Oh! I almost forgot! one more thing, the AC in the bedroom is not working so the technician will stop by and fix it. I hope you are okay with that?’’ he asked.

‘’That is alright’’ I said. My guard was still up, I shared my location with Nuerkie.

We wrote down the movies we wanted to watch, put them in bowl, shuffled and picked at random. It was fun, we had common interests and sometimes paused the movie to discuss the themes. These discussions calmed me down and I was having a great time. Time went so fast.

He got up to bring more drinks and this time sat closer to me. I noticed he was carrying a small box.

‘’This is what I actually bought for you from my travel’’ he said and handed it over. I opened it and carefully placed was a gorgeous gold dainty tennis bracelet.

‘’Oh this is so lovely. Thank you so much!’’ I exclaimed gleefully as he took it and placed it on my wrist. He wrapped his arms around me. This hug felt different, it was closer, warmer, it lingered. When we pulled back, he brought his face close to mine, his voice was low and steady

‘’I really really like you, you have no idea. And I want this to work’’ he said and inched closer. I was tongue-tied, I didn’t know what to say.

Before I uttered a word, he leaned in. His lips brushed mine gently at first. It was as if he was asking for consent before going further. If only he knew how long I have been waiting to kiss him. And he did not disappoint, he pulled me close and mummured “Can I kiss you?”. I nodded my head in agreement and we shared a passionate kiss. In the middle of the kiss, the front door flung opened, two men walked in interrupting us. I bowed my head trying to hide my face. It was the technicians.

‘’so sorry sir, the security man told us you were expecting us, we should have knocked’’ one of them pleaded. He was so apologetic.

‘’No worries Seth, I didn’t know you will come yourself. I thought you would send one of your guys’’ Chris said.

Seth? I raised my head and to my surprise. Of course it is Seth, Seth is one of Nana’s boys, he ran an AC company.

‘’Hi Seth’’ I greeted shyly.

‘’Oh Elorm, I didn’t even see you’’ he lied.

‘’You know each other?’’ Chris asked.

‘’Oh yes, university, mutual friends. Can we go fix the AC now? Nice seeing you Elorm’’ Seth said awkwardly, and Chris showed them to his room.

When Chris came back

‘’I hope seeing your friend is not a problem. If you are uncomfortable, I can tell him to come another time’’ Chris said.

‘’Oh no! it is fine. He is just friends with my ex’’ I said

‘’ Is that a good thing or a bad thing?’’ he asked.

‘’It is nothing, let us enjoy our movie’’ I said.

‘’We were enjoying something else but if you say so’’ he joked. He pulled me into his arms and held me as we continued the movie.

In about ninety minutes, Seth was done and left with the guy he came with. He had a mysterious grin as he walked out. He was definitely going to tell Nana. Who cares at this point?

As soon as he left, Chris got up and locked the door. He came and sat closer and paused the movie.

‘’ I am serious about what I said. I want this to work, I do not date for fun. If you have noticed, I like being honest. I am too grown to be playing games when it comes to feelings and relationships. I want to get married and have kids. So I am laying all my cards down now. And I can see my self doing life with you but we need to start from somewhere.  A relationship, I hate when people do not label things. It gets messy. I love you Elorm, I mean it. My Sunshine,  you will understand that name later. I believe a year or two is enough time to decide if we are getting married or not. I don’t know about you but I am not getting any younger. This is not to scare you or anything. You do not have to answer right away. Take your time and think about it. I want you to be my girlfriend.’’ he said.

‘’wow, this is a lot’’ I said trying to catch my breath.

‘’I know. That is why I said, take your time. Don’t force yourself to give me an answer right now. One thing I know for sure. I am not the only one with feelings cause that kiss said a lot unless…’’ he said.

‘’I love you too but I am scared. We talk a lot but this is the third time I am seeing you in person. And it is crazy to me but give me time to think, please’’ I pleaded.

‘’that is okay with me. Hey, you said you love me and that is a win’’ he said and pulled me closer for more kisses.

 We stopped and continued the movie with occasional cuddles and kisses. Now it was around 4 p.m and we were starving.

CHRIS

I really love this lady. She is almost perfect in every way. I stared at her as she set the table and I warmed the food the chef prepared. Apart from her caring nature and intelligence, that body is everything.

I walked and hugged her from behind, she smelt so good. She faced me and I lifted her gently to sit at the edge of the table.

‘’Watch the cutlery’’ she giggled and she teased me.

‘’Forget it,’’ I murmured. I planted kisses on her cheeks and neck. I unbuttoned the first two buttons of her shirt. I admired her lovely cleavage. I looked into her eyes as my hand reached for them.

‘’wait ‘’ she said as she reached for my hands to stop me. I sensed some hesitation.

‘’I am so sorry, I thought you wanted to. Don’t worry, I do not want you to feel coerced.’’ I stated.

‘’ I do but not now’’ she said.

‘’Are you a virgin?’’ I asked with surprise, cause that kissing and cuddling session was not so innocent.

‘’no, I am not, but the last guy I was with… I was blinded by all these intimate moments . Just like you, I want this to work. In addition, I want to abstain till I get married this time’’ she said.

‘’ouch, ermmmmm…. Like no sex, not even oral sex? Not even once to see how the engine is running?’’ I asked in a surprised tone.

‘’no, I am already feeling bad with all this kissing. I really love you and it will be nice to explore what we feel in a mature manner. In my case, abstaining this time is part of the process’’ she said

‘’Then we have a situation here. Sex is important to me, like really important. That is another level I connect with who I am with… It does not have to be now, it can be later but I don’t think I can wait till marriage. Honestly. I am not saying we should have sex like rabbits. Or every time we hang out but once in a while will be nice. Apart from all other factors, I will be more confident about my marital decision if I am sexually compatible with my fiancée or girlfriend.’’ I tried bargaining.

‘’ wow! there is more to marriage than sex Chris. Aren’t you a Christian too? you know it is a sin, right? Not to sound judgmental’’ she said

‘’I am but I know myself. The bible tells us not to lie. It will take some miracle not to have sex. Almost impossible if we are to be together. I feel the pent up sexual energy between us already. Madam, have you seen your body?’’ I joked to ease the tension.

‘’This is really difficult for me. I think we should talk to a pastor about this, we can talk to yours. I don’t mind’’ she said.

‘’ermmmmm. I have not been to church in two years. I am taking a break from it’’ I said.

‘’I know you pray, read the bible and all but you do not go to church?’’ she sounded frustrated.

‘’I used to but most churches liked me for my money. Anytime I want to get involved in anything. Oh Brother Chris, don’t worry. Just contribute, you will be fine. I was sick in the hospital. All the pastors worried about was how soon I can resume. Not for my health but to continue paying my tithe quickly. So religion is out for me. Right now, it is just me and my personal walk with God. I listen to some preaching online and I am good. I study my bible and pray to God. I  will definitely return to a church but this time, I am on a break. I am on church leave’’ I said. I saw the disappointment in her eyes.

‘’ I don’t know what to say. Those two are very important things to me. I was actually ready to agree to be your girlfriend at the end of the day. But right now, I don’t know’’ she said as she sank into one of the dining chairs.

‘’Same here too, I need time to reconcile my thoughts about church. You know something, let us eat’’ I said.

The air around the dining table was so dense, you could touch it if you tried. We both lost appetite and barely finished our meals. We tried to finish the movie but it was difficult to focus. I drove her back home. It was the longest forty minutes of our lives. Before I stepped out of the car to hand her over to her mother. She held my hand.

‘’So what is next?’’ she asked.

‘’I don’t know. Let us give it some time.’’ I said.

‘’We can still be friends!’’ she said gleefully.

‘’We did not start as friends Elorm. We had chemistry from the first day we met. That is rare to find. And I don’t usually kiss my friends or spend the whole day with them’’ I joked and she smiled.

‘’ I am sad’’ she said.

‘’me too my sunshine but let us give each other space. We can talk later to finalise things’’ I advised.

‘’Space? I don’t understand. I shouldn’t call or text you? For how long?’’ she asked

‘’Just give me a week, I need a week. I apologise but I told you I don’t like messy situations. We will meet up next week Wednesday and talk about it’’ I said.

Two days later

NANA

It is a Friday night and I do not feel like going out. Seth and Logo were on their way to my apartment so we can have a chill boys night. I sat behind my laptop, thinking of a gift to get for Elorm. I have to go big this time. I was engrossed in my activity that I did not see hear the boys walk in.

‘’What are you so busy doing?’’ Seth remarked. He noticed I was busy and walked to my desk.

‘’Just trying to surprise someone’’ I answered

‘’ What are you doing on the Fashionova website? Which babe’s cart are you clearing?’’ he asked

‘’Clear my Asos cart too eh’’ Logo chipped in.

‘’Elorm, I want to do something unforgettable for her.’’ I said. Seth burst into the most ridiculous laughter I have ever heard.

‘’Are you back together?’’ Logo asked confused.

‘’No, but I know after this. She will definitely pay attention. This is just the beginning. And what is cracking you up?’’ I said , looking at Seth as he dried the tears from his eyes after laughing too hard.

‘’Massa¹, close, close the website. Forget about her’’ he said as he closed the tab.

‘’What dey wrong you?’’ Logo asked, also feeling lost.

‘’I will not allow my boy to buy a dress for a woman. For another man to take it off,’’ he said.

‘’What the F? Seth come on. You know better not talk about Elorm like that’’ I warned.

‘’Yes, because what my eyes saw two days ago, na different story’’ Seth dramatised.

‘’Wetin happen?’’ Logo asked with glee.

‘’You know my VIP Client? Chris Riverson?’’ he asked

‘’yeah, why?’’ I asked

‘WEDNESDAY, I was scheduled to check that his house in Aburi. The house that makes me intensify my prayers anytime I go there. When I arrived, the security man at the gate told me to go ahead into the main house. You know, Mr Chris is usually there on weekends so  I didn’t knock. I  just opened the door gbayaaa₂. Ah! Hmmmm only to see him with some juicy looking babe on the couch kissing. I think the way I opened the door startled them so I probably interrupted something. If I had delayed my visit by just 15 minutes. I am sure I would have seen things I can not unsee. Who knows? I would lose such a correct client. The lady tried hiding her face with her hair, you can see she was shy. I apologised’’ he narrated

‘’what does that have to do with Elorm?’’ I asked

‘’wait, hold on. As soon as Chris mentioned my name. The lady in the couch raised her head and our eyes met. The lady was Elorm, your Elorm’’ he ended with a clap.

‘’nah stop playing’’ I said

‘’Nana, I know I like to fool but I never lie. When my boy was fixing the AC, I sneaked out of the bedroom to spy on them small. You know, for research purposes. The way they were cozy in that couch! he had held her in his arms and they were watching some romantic movie. Giggling, smiling, talking in low tones. Then two seconds biaa, he will kiss her forehead. In fact, forget the movie, they were the real romance to behold. That my client is a proper lover boy. I have seen Elorm and you chop love before, but this one, not going to lie. Masters of the game. What a romance! They made my throat come for love sef‘’ he exaggerated

‘’oh forget that man, still my boy Nana will go toe to toe. I see am before. Nana is even taller than him’’ Logo bragged.

‘’If he stands on his money, he is taller than all of us combined. But physically, he is not shorter than Elorm, I think they are the same height. Nana, I will not lie to you. Your madam is gone. You better use the money to clear Logo’s cart and I need new tires’’ Seth joked at the end.

‘’Ahiaa money’’ Logo said.

‘’this one di33, Logo, abeg I am not even close. Plus Elorm never bothered me about money that much.’’ I joked to mask my embarrassment.

”Ah well, forget Elorm. There are plenty fishes in the sea” Logo encouraged.

”Definitely, unless you are talking about catfish and kpanla³ because Elorm is different. You know like, you marry am” Seth said.

‘’Players still score even if there is a goalkeeper. Once she is not married yet, I can still get her. NOBODY ! I mean nobody knows her like I do. I am just not ready to apply pressure. Man has better things to do”. I exclaimed with confidence. But deep down, I am scared I have lost Elorm forever.

”That is boy!!” Logo encouraged and we high-fived each other. Seth just shrugged and shook his head in amazement.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

1. Will Elorm and Chris be able to reach a compromise?
2. Do you think Nana still has a chance since the Chris/Elorm ship is looking a bit rocky?

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LEXICONS

1. Massa – comes from “master” but in Ghanaian English (and Pidgin), it’s a very common way of addressing someone — especially a friend, peer, or even a stranger. It’s often used to get attention, express surprise, disagreement, or emphasis — similar to saying “my guy” or “bro.”
2. Gbayaa – a Ghanaian slang term (mostly from Ga or Pidgin contexts) used to describe someone who is too eager, showy, or overdoing things
3. Kpanla – type of fish popular in Ghanaian dishes — particularly fried or grilled.