Burning Emotion

Okay so a couple of days ago I went to see Daley, an R&B-ish singer, live in Manchester and he was AH-MAH-ZING I must say! (Download his mix tape “Those Who Wait” for free and give him a chance.)

Anyways, his lyrics always ring so true to me but this inspired me to write a short story:

“We spend emotion, it’s the currency that we burn to get love in return.”

I don’t really know what it’s about yet tbh but read on and we’d both find out soon enough!

Angela was 16 when she met Chris, the dashing young entrepreneur. It all started at her father’s office, he was the CEO of a multinational company based in Abuja. She stopped by everyday after school to bring him lunch and tell him all about her day, they were close like that. Her mother passed away when she was 12. Cancer. Devastating to their entire family. Her dad had always been her whole life, and she was his.

His smell hit her first, that heady feeling you get from a mixture of cologne and cigarettes caused her to turn around, wondering where it came from. Next she heard the footsteps on the hardwood floor, they were brisk, long strides, like an army official. She did love men in uniform. She was already fantasising about what he would look like. Her dad was speaking, saying something about a meeting and getting home a bit later from work tonight but she wasn’t really listening. It was then she saw him as he entered her father’s office. Tall, dark and looking so goddam sharp in his tailored suit. Yea, no. Men in suits were far more dashing than men in uniform. Fixated on his face, she didn’t even notice her father introduce them. “Angela, this is Chris, the newest member of my team. He’s just graduated from University of Jos, he might have some tips for your application. I have to get to that meeting now but I’d see you at home.”

Chris was just one of those people. He had the good looks, the good grades and could persuade just about anyone to do what he wanted with his devilishly silky voice. Chasing girls had always been one of his favourite pastimes but he was growing bored of the current repertoire of girls. There was something about his boss’ daughter though, the uniform-clad girl couldn’t be any more than 18 but her body had the features of a Venetian goddess. He had seen her come in everyday at the same time for the last week and couldn’t get her out of his mind. He put on his most charming voice “Hi Angela, it’s such a pleasure to meet you” staring into her deep brown eyes. She was flustered he could tell by the way she blinked continuously when she shook his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you too Chris.”

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Get out of bed Chris, you’re going to be late.” He loved it when she got all serious and impatient. It was July and the schools had broken up for summer, Angela was free all the time hence the late night/early morning Skype calls, but he still had to work tirelessly. “What’s the point of dating the oga’s daughter if I can’t stroll into work whenever I feel like?” he said in his sleep-thick voice. “The point is that the ‘Oga’ does not know that you’re dating his daughter.” She always tried to say this with as much nonchalance as possible but he could hear the iota of doubt and insecurity that crept into her voice every time.

It had been Chris’ idea to keep the relationship a secret, her father would never approve of his precious angel dating a serial womanizer like him but the secrecy always made Angela feel sick. She hated lying to her dad, he was after all, her everything. If she were to know then, what she did now, she would never have agreed to the terms of this arrangement.