“Should I go to the mall and hope she shows up? What if she doesn’t? I don’t think she’ll even do it” Siisi thought, as his faculties battled, trying to find a solution to his dilemma.

He lay on his bed staring at the white Plaster of Paris ceiling from which the mini-chandelier hang. He thought repeatedly about his misfortune or folly – whichever best described that je ne sais quoi which seemed to show no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. “And we had a wonderful time yesterday too oo…” he lamented, steupsed and shut his eye lids.

Agyeiwaa caught her mind drifting to the day’s activities particularly her encounter with Siisi, and wondered why that had preoccupied her thoughts. Even the crazy friends she had met up with at the mall and the ensuing fun they had was just not enough to push out the thoughts of Siisi.

Alex, her fiancé, with whom she had just gotten off the phone with and the quasi-love quarrel they just had could not do the trick. “What is it about this guy that I can’t seem to get out of my mind? Is he a leech?” she smiled afterwards. She didn’t like him that, she knew.

On her birthday last year, Alex surprised her when he showed up at her house in his matte-black Chevrolet Cruze and blindfolded her, and driven her to an unknown location where her closest friends shouted ‘SURPRISE’ when the blindfold was taken off. Tina, unfortunately, could not attend as she was out of town on an assurance engagement. When Alex called to discuss the plan with her, she quickly placed calls to Agyeiwaa’s friends whom she knew, and asked for strict confidentiality. She wished above all things she held sacred to be there that day and join in the celebration.

Just as she had predicted to Alex, Agyeiwaa nearly choked on the champagne she had sipped as she looked to her right and found her man bent on one knee holding a small red velvet box displaying a ring, wearing a sheepish grin. She knew the words that followed such Hollywood-esque moments, but pre-empted them. “Yes! Yes! Yes!...I will marry you, Alex” she joyously said amidst the cheers from the other guests as she stretched her left ring finger for Alex to do the needful. She sprung into his warm embrace when he got up.

It’s been sixteen months since then and little has been said about the subject as Alex keeps avoiding it for reasons unbeknown to her. Many times she had complained about his lack of interest in the subject but they have all been met with tightness of schedule and recent financial constraints as reasons – yet, he bought a new 2014 Hyundai Elantra this year and it baffled her each time he proffered the latter as a reason. But he remains the love of her life. She knows he’ll come around at the right time.

“So what is it about Siisi that makes it difficult for me to push him out of my mind?” she wondered as she also retired to bed.

Siisi sluggishly dragged himself to the kitchen as he contemplated whether or not he should attend church service that day. His decision was even made easier as he plugged in the kettle and realized it had developed a fault – the orange light did not appear on the switch of the kettle. He considered that an excuse to lie down again. So he considered it strange that he found himself in the washroom brushing his teeth whilst he had planned to go back to the bedroom. “Maybe, I’m supposed to be in church”, he shrugged as he thought. He turned on the tap and realized the water was not cold after all.

He showed up in church dazzling in the burgundy Chocolate African caftan his sister had given him as a birthday present, over a pair of khaki trousers and a brown pair of Louis Vuitton leather slippers. He wore his dark Ray-Ban shades to compliment his look, while the Burberry Sport cologne accentuated it. His pastor even stole glances and he understood.

Church was lit that Sunday. The sermon was on-point, cutting like a double-edged sword, with Siisi occasionally nodding in agreement with all that was being said. And for some inexplicable reasons, Siisi who even hardly did the two-step dance, rose from his seat and danced like King David in his courts, without a care in this world – except that he was not considered ‘insane’ as everyone around him was engaged in that same activity after the offering had been collected. He was drenched in sweat afterwards and decided to use the restroom. He looked himself in the mirror and smiled. He indeed was glad when the Holy Spirit said to him: “Siisi, let us go into the House of the Lord”.

He returned to the auditorium just when the secretary was just about concluding the reading of the announcements and caught the part that asked the church’s budget committee members to wait for a short meeting after service and he frowned. “Short’ did not assume its literal meaning when it came to these kinds of meetings. He was yet to attend a Budget Committee meeting that even lasted an hour since his joining the committee some three years ago when he returned from UK.

He looked at his brown Hublot wristwatch and figgered he would miss the London derby where his favourite Arsenal F.C. would play arch-rivals Tottenham – at least the first half if he was lucky.
He lifted his head and saw some people standing – first time visitors to the church. He scanned the room to see all of them and pinched himself to check whether or not he was dreaming when he saw Patricia amongst them. Shocked, he looked up and muttered ‘Thank You’ to the wind.

When the church secretary asked people who were sitting around these visitors to give them warm embraces, he was jealous when a young, single man sprung to his feet and opened wide his hands to give her a long hug. He frowned.

“Am I not the world’s luckiest guy?” Siisi said with a grin when he went to her when service closed and took her into his bosom.
She inhaled his sweet, sensual fragrance and laughed at his rhetorical question. “I thought to surprise you by showing up at church today.”
Wearing a confused look on his face, he asked: “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That this is my church…”
“Oh…you mentioned yesterday.”
“I did? ... I hardly do that, but I’m extremely glad I did.”

He looked beyond Patricia and saw Mrs. Antwi, the vice chairperson of the budget committee signaling him and pointing to her watch.

“Shoot…I have a ‘short’ meeting to attend right now and my presence is required. 6:30 pm at the mall?”

She nodded and handed him her phone for his number. They both smiled. “Just in case I have to cancel”, she said just after he had given her the phone. They both laughed. “I hope not.”
His phone rang. “I have yours now.”
“I haven’t called you yet oo…”
Siisi looked confused. “So who’s this?”
“Maybe one of your numerous ladies”, she answered.

He looked at her, and flashed the white set of teeth again whilst answering the call. She melted.
“Hello…”
“Hello”, the female voice responded. ”Is this Mr. Siisi Grant?”
“Yes…. What can I do you for?” He played with words, to which Patricia smiled.
“I’m afraid you have to come to the Lister Hospital right away”, the nurse replied.

To be continued

The writer is a chartered accountant and a freelance writer. He can be contacted at pkbwilliams@yahoo.co.uk.