Must Read: Taking Chances

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Taking Chances

Daisy switched absentmindely between the numerous station that DSTV offers, they didn’t catch her fancy anymore. The events of previous months gone by had dragged her head out of the clouds and align it with
reality. She realised albeit belatedly that the Life of the Kardasians for example were so different from the life of an average Nigerian
family. This was Africa, not America where everything goes, you don’t play by the movie rule here, everybody wasn’t so nice and people didn’t
fall in love with you, just because you harbored secret fantasy about
them or eventually agreed to marry them.


Everyone was up and doing, looking for a means to better their life, they didn’t have time to become love sick, theirs was a give and take drill, almost never a ‘happily ever
after’ affair.
‘…reality sting Daisy, this is not some Africa Magic s.hit’
Those were the words of Jide that night, words that ceaselessly
tormented her whenever she allowed her mind wander.
Daisy station search hit Africa Magic and she halted for a minute. A scene of some Nollywood actors having a beach party was showing.
Daisy rolled her eyes disgustingly, what planet were these guys from? She wondered angrily and switched off the Tele. Long ago, she would have been hooked. Not anymore.
With a sigh, she stood up and made for the door, a walk round the estate would do a refreshing work she thought.
The shriek of her phone halted her, it was vibrating noisily on the
dining.
‘forgot that’ she said and retraced her step.



Daisy didn’t have much
callers, just mama and Brenda. She mostly didn’t even remember she had a
phone except at night or times when she wanted to listen to music with
it.
‘Hello’ she said. Two guesses and you would know who was calling.
‘Dee what’s up’ the other end replied.
‘nothing’s new. locked in that’s what’s up’
‘Get a life girl. Jeez!’ Brenda said irritated.
Daisy sighed, she had no idea on how to accomplish that.
‘How’s Boston…’ Daisy was saying, she wasn’t in the mood for ‘get a
life’ tutorial from Brenda. she had unrelently made it a duty to tutor
her whenever she called. But then it was easy for Brenda to say, she had
families here, even had a life waiting for her whenever she decided to
come back home. What had she? It was best if they just ended the call
right not.
‘Don’t try to side track the issue here, how many times have i…’
‘oh, Bree, please don’t start okay. was on my way out when you called,
if you don’t have…’ Daisy was saying with, her raised voice.
‘oh yes! go on! shout at me! let me take the blame! come on! am the one
who gets the anger while that mothafu-Cka dude goes around tripping! Keep
shouting girl’ Brenda shouted angrily.




Daisy kept quite. That had touch a cord.
‘Am sorry Dee, but am pained to see my friend going through this, you
are nolonger Daisy the flower, you are a shadow of yourself, i dont know
if i can recognise you again. If you sound this way, then who knows
how…’
‘That’s okay, i don’t need pity you know!’ Daisy cut in. When would
people stop rubbing it in, yes she’d made a mistake, so what? Why should
they crucify her? Mama kept telling her to get closer to the family,
but she didn’t want to. why wont they still let her be!
‘I don’t need pity okay!’ she repeated almost shouting.
‘And pity you wont get! Fighting is what you are gonna do, so you better
get ready!’
Daisy shook her head bitterly, this wasn’t a thug of war, she simply
wasn’t like her, she couldn’t stand Jide, all she wanted to do was run
in his presence. Her broken heart couldn’t handle another rejection.
‘Are you there?’ Brenda called, Daisy had been silent.
‘Am here, but going out soon, you’ve ruined my mood already’ Daisy
replied exasperated.
‘I intend knocking you out of your inertia too’ Brenda said undeterred.
She had called for something else, but her friend’s mood was really
getting on her nerves.
‘How do you intend to do that, this is Nigeria you know, the men here are different’
‘Not the men exactly, but the environment, even the leverage ladies over there give! No! Its this beaten up, am-a-poor-trodden-defeated-piece-of-poo attitude you manifest in front of that man, that’s what different!’ Bree replied angrily, she felt like shaking Daisy out of her inertia.
‘Is this why you even called!’ Daisy shouted angrily wondering why she hadn’t cut the call already.
‘No! i called to inform you that am hitting Lagos next week!’ Brenda shouted back.
It slowly hit Daisy.
‘you are not kidding me’ she asked calmly.
‘I don’t kid, i deliver!’ Brenda shouted, still angry.
Daisy rendered a heart piercing scream, it was hard to imagine she had been the down beaten girl of minutes ago.
‘jeez Dee calm down!’ Brenda said, her anger subsided now.
‘oh you! Why didn’t you tell me!’ Daisy said, trying hard to contain her excitement.
‘forgotten how pathetic you were minutes ago?’
‘oh! Forgive my ‘patheticness’, like for real you’re gonna be in Nigeria!’ she asked, still excited.
‘real as hell, told you Africa calls’
‘And a lovely sound she made too!’ Daisy added.
‘So Girlfriend, get prepared to get your life back.’ Brenda said matter
of factly.
‘you are the life i need Bree, God i can’t wait!’.
‘Next Saturday and am touching down, so keep a date with me’
‘I definitely will!’ Daisy replied excited still.
‘get good life till i come’
‘i will!’ Daisy replied differently for the first time since she had
been hearing that phrase.
‘catch ya later then’ Brenda said and cut the call.
Daisy gave another bout of scream before slumping on a close settee.
Nobody can ever imagine what it meant for Bree to come around! A family
and a friend, that’s what she is. She would definitely get her life
back, Jide wasn’t gonna stop her, infact she would work on moving on and forgetting the one mistake she had made. Life wasn’t so cruel to her afterall and she wasn’t gonna be miserable.
‘Am coming home, coming home, tell the world…’she sang happily to J. cole song. For It expressed how she presently felt. All the heartache for five painful month locked in this marital sham, was gonna soon be over or atleast bearable. She smiled once more and sang on happily.