UNCHARTED

  

 "I love you... I would like to marry you someday ," Yalley whispered to Sarah as they sat together at the back of the midnight bus that was conveying them both back to Campus. Of course Sarah sat there stunned by this sudden confession from Yalley.

"This is ...so... sudden," Sarah stuttered.
"Not to me... I've wanted to say that since the very first day I met you.. I just didn't want to (gestures like a mad person) come off like a crazy person " Yalley mumbled as they both laughed at the thought.
"Can I think about it and tell you tomorrow? "
 "Sure," Yalley answered.
"And you won't take it badly if my answer is 'no' right? " Sarah enquired with concern spread across her smooth oval face.
"naaa, " Yalley responded cooly with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Silence then crept into their midst as the bus glided along the Accra streets. Sitting beside her, Yalley contemplated the concept of Suspense and how difficult it was to wait on something or someone in his case, uncertain as to how things will turn out.

 "Love is a shout into a void in space, a shapeless cacophony orbiting in gravitationless space, " he recalled a quote from of one his favourite authors when he was asked to give his opinion on the concept of love. He shrugged and hoped fervently that this love he felt in his heart for Adatsi Akwetey Sarah was not one that was bound to orbit in any form of space except the one in Sarah's heart.

The bus soon arrived on their campus and all the weary travellers alighted . Before he and Sarah parted ways, anxiety had pushed him to ask again if Sarah couldn't really give him a reply ...
"Yalley Jackson Ezra," Sarah remarked while looking him straight in his deep brown eyes.
"How long have we known each other? " she inquired.
"Since we were six, " he replied.
"And have you not confessed to me tonight that you have loved me since the very first day my parents had moved next door to your house.... The very day you saw me first? "
"Yes... but what has that to do with anything? "
"well... we're both 25 now... that's 19 years you've secretly loved me... my point is you've waited all those years just to tell me you love me... What's one more day of waiting? " She giggled and ran off to join a group of her hostel mates to their hostel.
Yalley couldn't help but giggle himself as he watched the girl of his dreams walk away.

"What's one more day of waiting? " the philosophical question he pondered in his tired mind as sleep quietly came to filch his consciousness from him.
"One... more.... da.... " 😴
   
    ****Some Kodjo hoho years ago***
  When Jacob Addy Yalley, Ezra's father,  was a young man of about 24 years, he had fallen deeply in love with the woman who was going to become Ezra's mother and her, with him.  Her name was Mawuena Afi Quofie (pronounced kwoooofi and Ena was what everyone who knew her called her) . Of course this match became a great source of grief to Ena's father till the day he joined the silent ones.

 The father in question believed and protested vehemently that her daughter could have done a lot better than a 'Jacob Addy Yalley' or all the Addy Yalleys in the world. He went about disputing the match between the lovers the usual ways most 'concerned' fathers did. He stopped talking to his daughter directly and turned his wife into an unwilling linguist. Every sentence he ever spoke from then began with a " woman, let your daughter hear and understand " which were also usually followed with a lot of proverbs.

When that had not deterred his daughter, he had proceeded to take matters into his own hands by enticing his great German shepherd to give Jacob a 100 metres sprint exercise every time he trespassed in his home.

When that course of action too failed, he adopted a more abrasive measure one afternoon when he had called a family meeting. At the meeting, he made it clear that if Ena married Jacob, she should count herself as one without a father and that if she ever heard that he was dead, she should find a good drinking spot with that good-for-nothing lover of hers so they could jubilate. Nobody quite knew why Ena's father hated Jacob so. Adorley, Ena's aunt, on one of her visits to the family had posited to her sister that perhaps Jacob and Ena's father were rivals in a love triangle in the past life and this had made her laugh heartily at a very serious matter.

 It was only after Jacob had approached him with the pastor of his church and some elderly members of Ena's church did Ena's father finally give up his stance but even that was not without a clause as he seeing that Jacob at that time was in between jobs,  made it clear that although he was agreeing to the match, no ceremonies could be performed unless Jacob had bought a house in the next six months.

 The people present had protested but finally gave in taking solace in the fact that "half a loaf is better than none."
Consequently, Jacob had been left with the ultimatum of buying a house in six months although he had some challenges paying rent for the one he currently occupied. But as fate would have it, he was able to come up with the money to buy the house through support and donations he received from friends and family. Even his acerbic landlord chipped in by postponing to collect rent for all the six months Jacob was allowed to come up with the money. Jacob Addy Yalley did buy the house and got married to Ena who blessed their marriage by giving birth to their only child Ezra Yalley.

 When Ezra was only six years old, the Akweteys moved in next door with their daughter Sarah. Naturally, the two children became playmates. Growing up, Sarah was a tomboy who spotted football jerseys and Kicks every chance she got. She played football with the boys and was even picked ahead of Ezra in some of their games because... Well, because Ezra sucked at any form of physical sport. But Sarah was really good and made it clear to any team that wanted to pick her that she came as a combo package with Ezra attached and so although Ezra sucked, he always got to play. It was when they got to adolescence and were in SHS that Sarah metarmophosed into a girl overnight. She wore dresses and stopped fighting with boys... even though she could kick any guy's ass any given day.

Yalley had developed a major crush then but had not had the courage to approach her afraid of what it might do to their friendship. By the time they got to the university ,Sarah Akwetey looked like she lived on the cover of a fashion magazine and men were vying for her time and affection. Yalley's feelings had gotten more stronger then and one evening when Sarah and he were were supposed to meet up, he had planned to propose love to her but she had turned up with a one Simon Goka whose body bore no physical blemishes whatsoever .

Yalley had feigned happiness for the couple for the 3-years they dated during their degree program. One day however, Sarah had called to tell Yalley She and Simon had broken up. Yalley had asked why but she was a closed book. Yalley had taken it for nothing if not a sign from God that he and Sarah were supposed to be together when they had both been admitted to the University of Ghana for their graduate studies.

  ****Now****
   The sunlight brushed gently against Yalley's face as he gently opened his eyes. He groped about for his phone to check what time it was... and then, there was a message notification... a text message from Sarah..... his heart skipped a beat...

Owusu Frimpong Michael ©