Chapter 3: Thoughts & Questions.

chapter 3: Thoughts & Questions.

I dropped her off at her place, she lived with her parents, "I bet her parents don't know that she has a boyfriend,'' I reasoned to myself.

"Well mister nice guy, thank you for going out of your way just to accompany me home, I'm home and safe thanks to you," she said jokingly as she was undoing the bun, letting her natural silky hair fall down her shoulder.

I cleared my throat, "so um ... I'm gonna get going now,'' I snapped out of my contemplation of her beauty for a second. "Tell your parents I said hi," I added while leaning forward to give her a goodnight kiss on her cheek, and she counter blocked with a hug. Smooth. Classic friendzonery.

"It was nice running into you," she said. Putting me back into the friend zone, but I didn't mind because her hug was tight enough for me to smell her perfume one last time that evening.

"Same here," I replied. "We should hang out sometimes. I missed the good old days, don't you?" she asked.

"I agree. Only if your boyfriend is not a psycho HA," We chuckled.

"HA-HA-HA very funny Dan. Anyways I'll text you one of these days if I'm not too busy. Have yourself a goodnight. Oh, and text me to let me know you got home safe."

"ight goodnight Tiya," I replied as we parted.

I hopped on the bus and went straight home.

When I arrived, I went straight to my bedroom and laid on my back staring at the ceiling, "man she got even prettier, could it be that I'm in love?" I thought to myself "... nah that can't be, that's too early... but then again... what if I was actually in love?... But she has a boyfriend ... a freaking boyfriend...YOOO I'm tripping right now. Snap out of it Dan."

I knew Tiya for a while now, but seeing her today got me confused; maybe I've always loved her... ok I've always liked her, but there's this one thing, like a pain in the...

well the fact that she's seeing someone now was really bothering me.

My feelings for Tiya were growing, the same feelings that I once had back in high school for her.

The only difference this time was, we were both grown now and best of all... I'm a Christian now, and it was all thanks to her.

She would always invite me to her church whenever I would holler at her for a date in grade 11 and I would always come up with some stupid excuse not to go, but she kept curving me and strategically telling me, "Dan if you want to see me on the weekends for a date, you know where to find me," she would say: "just come to church it's simple. The food is free, and you don't need to spend any money on good food"

as you probably guessed it, she was talking about the food of the spirit, (the word).

Yes, I had become a Christian, well at least that's what I believed until this afternoon when I saw her again and it was bothering me.

I was coming from a service at church too, thinking about how powerful the sermon was to thinking about how gorgeous Tiya was.

From contemplating God's awesomeness to catching feelings... yes feelings... was this feeling, real love? Or was it lust? ... I asked myself that question to which I didn't want to know the answer, while texting Tiya.

"I'm not a kid anymore, who do they think I am? I swear African parents need to get with the program, like seriously man. How can you make such a decision and NOT even let me know until NOW? Ugh I should have moved on my own if I knew this was going to happen," Tiya mumbled in her room while wearing her baby blue pajamas with red hearts on it.

"Who are you mumbling at in there young lady?" her mom replied with a thick African accent.

She overheard her through the thin walls that separated Tiya's bedroom and the living room. She opened Tiya's room.

"MOM, do you mind? I'm half naked here," I exclaimed as she stepped into my room, without even knocking.

Typical African parent.

"Can I have some privacy? I didn't even say n... " she interrupted while I was begging for my privacy.

"Shut up your mouth, did you see the time?" she asked.

"But Ma, I just came from work," I replied politely as I closed the door behind her, leaving me and her in my small room as she continued to talk to me, but this time in a foreign language called Swahili.

"What are you even saying mother, you know I don't understand Kiswahili," I said, sitting down on my bed checking my Facebook timeline.

"I said I will tell your father to find you a husband in his village," she said with a serious look on her face.

"Eww mom no," we both laugh. "What does this have to do with anything mom, haha," I added as she grabbed the towel and wiped water that was dripping on my forehead from the shower I took not too long ago.

"You are a fine young lady now, and I am proud of you. Soon, I will need those grandchildren Tiya".

"Mother not this conversation again, I will get married when I feel ready... and with someone that I love not from your village thank you," I cut her off.

''Are you sure you don't want someone from the village? They know how to hunt and chase chicken," we laugh some more.

"Mom, I'm not marrying a goat chaser," I giggled.

This woman is a joker, she always found a way to make me smile even when I was upset, but what could you do?

That's mom, I loved her, and our relationship was like that of best friends, except I couldn't make stupid jokes around her out of respect.

I didn't hide anything from her. I told her everything that was going on in my life... well kind of...

Oh please!

Like you would tell your African parents that you have a boyfriend and not expect them to make a scene or have you bring him to the house next week for a wedding.

Yeah right...

I love my parents even though my dad was stubborn, and we always bump heads. Whatever he says goes, it's his way or his way, no highways, no other ways, no nothing. My mother was the only one who could get through him. Sometimes I wondered how they even met. I've never seen him show affection towards my mother, not even a kiss in front of me, but I knew they love each other in their own weird way.

"Oh, by the way mom you remember Dan, right?" I asked.

"Yes dear, the boy who use to call you here and hang up whenever your father answers the phone?" she replied reminiscing my high school days

"yesss that's him!" we both burst out laughing. "What about him?" she asked.

"I ran into him today after work. He says hi." I replied.

"Oh, that is nice... ok dear time for bed, I am very pleased with you, I was just talking with your father about how proud of you we are. Especially because you have never given us headaches about boys. You are honoring us, your parents by doing so. No boyfriends until you finish your university ok dear?" she said leaning toward me with a kiss on the forehead, leaving me no words to reply, as she left my room.

"Way to go mom, now I feel like a hypocrite," I thought to myself.

I was still angry at the fact that they did not consult me or even tell me in advance about such an important decision.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

I picked up my phone as it vibrated.

It was an incoming text message that read:

hey, I just got home safe, hope you passed my greetings, have a good night

TIME RECEIVED 11:23 PM

"Oh, It's Dan, he actually texted, this guy man haha. People do change," I thought to myself while replying with"

Oh hey, ya I passed on your greetings Mr. change man lol, have a goodnight XOXO

I got up and turned my lights off. I laid under my covers and closed my eyes shut, until another notification made me jolt.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

"c'mon on, I'm not texting you at this time Dan," I sighed.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ Buzz...

"oh, it's an incoming call... who could that be? Urgh it's him... this guy's returning my call at this time now eh? Whatever..."