It was a rainy day in my hometown, Monrovia, Liberia. The rain was so heavy that the chickens made their way inside and refused to come out for the day. Every Liberian knows that when this happens, it indicates an all-day rain.
When it is pouring like that, everyone wants to eat a spicy meal and curl up under his/her blanket with a special someone to touch and hold. You know what I mean. Naughty group of people.
I wasn’t different. Okay, not true. I have never been a fan of rainy days, but it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to touch and hold now, would it? At that time, I had a boyfriend who, like every person in Liberia, was making calls to their significant other. He wanted me over.
No way was I leaving my home to get caught in heavy rain just to make a guy happy. And absolutely no way on earth he would come over to my grandparents’ house because it was raining and he wanted to touch.
There was no touching in Grandma’s house. I knew better.
But this guy, oh dear, he was a sweet talker. He could get me to do almost anything I didn’t want to do. Almost. I said I was in love. I didn’t say I was stupid. We can safely say he was a bad, yet good influence on me.
Oh, the things he convinced me to do are forever etched in my mind. I wonder where in the world is he right now. Anyway, let’s get back to the story.
He was a bad influence because he had the power to get me to do the things I wasn’t keen on doing. I was stubborn because I knew I always had to put up a fight with him, so he didn’t always get his way. But good because he was a decent guy, and his influences were always from the purest of hearts.
Well, he just was a crazy guy, but I guess that was what attracted me to him… and the many other good qualities he had, like smart, handsome, sweet, nonjudgmental, supportive, and crazy. I had a thing for crazy. Wait…. Did I say had? Well, back to the story.
The guy was great, and I was in love with him. Oh, the things we will do for love… and cute men. My grandma should have warned me. I could have listened, or not.
Like every other time, I gave into his deep, sultry, and the sexy voice he would use on me when he wanted to turn my world upside down and get his way. “Nalik….” he would say when all else didn’t work. Just the way he said my name brought down my defenses, and it made me rethink my earlier position on issues.
I needed to lie in bed and read a book without being disturbed on such a good day. Why didn’t he let me have my fun all alone? I had convinced him to grab a novel to read. Better still, watch TV. No, he wasn’t keen on being alone with a book. The only book he wanted to read was me. Well, I couldn’t blame the guy. I have always been an interesting catch. Have you seen me?
Besides, I couldn’t blame him for wanting some magic on a day that the clouds were pouring down hard on the earth. Everyone wanted fun on such a dreadful day.
“Okay…. I am coming,” I reluctantly agreed to get out of bed, wondering what I was going to wear. I shuffled through my lingerie drawer to find something sexy. Don’t make that face. I wasn’t about to just wear anything. If I must get into the rain, it better be for something awesome. Appearance, baby, appearance.
I laid my lingerie on my bed and stared at it, satisfied with my choice. Don’t wait for me to describe that for you. It is not happening. I grabbed a pair of jeans and laid them on the bed with a green V-neck chiffon blouse I was so fond of.
Satisfied with my choice, I entered the shower and grabbed my DIY body scrub, the one that makes my skin glow and feel so smooth every time. Again, I wasn’t playing. Then, after, I added my DIY body oil I love so much, and one that I had been making for my entire family to keep us all looking like we don’t age while smelling like a million bucks. I applied my natural deodorant that smells better than any store-bought brand. Trust me, people ask what perfume I’m wearing when it’s just my deodorant smelling heavenly. And the final touch… my DIY hair perfume.
Whew. That hair perfume is dangerous. The way it made him lose his mind? Let’s just say the rain wasn’t the only thing that was about to pour down that day.
GET ALL THE RECIPES HERE!
When I was ready, I stepped out of my house and headed to my boyfriend’s house. I met him having a conversation with an elderly man. I assumed that the man stopped by without calling. There was no way he would call the man when he knew I was on my way. The guy eagerly rushed me out of my house. I knew he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone about anything else. Who wants to talk to an old man when they have a beautiful woman waiting? But I guess some visits are important.
His neighborhood, a crowded one, was loud, and one could hear the sound of people speaking in the next house.
I hated it there because there was no privacy, but I also loved it because I could eavesdrop on people’s conversations and laugh myself out.
There was always some level of drama going on in there, and I must tell you that I love drama. It always makes my day.
I went into his room to leave him and the old man with their conversation. I put my brown leather bag on the chair in his room, and sat by the window to watch the raindrops fall on the sand from the zinc.
There is something about the way the sand spills in the air when the water drops that seems to calm me. It made me thoughtful. I love to think.
My feet curled together, my eyes transfixed on the water falling from the zinc to the ground, I heard something interesting.
“Stop it,” a lady’s voice echoes softly but loud enough for me to hear. “I can’t do this. You said you would leave your wife, but you haven’t left her yet. Go to your wife. Leave me alone!” Oh, really. I thought to myself.
Someone is cheating. I can’t wait until the wife comes here. Can someone give me her phone number so I can call her to see this drama unfold? I ruminated even though I would never do that. But just thinking about doing it felt like so much fun.
“I will leave her… soon. I need to find the right time to tell her about us. I can’t just say it out of the blue,” he responded, and I quickly heard a tap on his hands.
“Ouch!” he raised his voice playfully, I guess, feeling the slap on his hands to back off. I also assumed, in my creative mind, that he tried to kiss her and got the slap instead of the kiss he was hoping for. Watch where your mouth goes, cheater! I told myself, happy for her.
Then I heard a little struggle, so I speculated that the guy was like my boyfriend, who couldn’t take the first no for an answer and would always try again. I hated them sometimes. I rolled my eyes at the situation.
“You know how much I want you. I won’t be long, I promise. Don’t do this to me. I will be quick,” he pleaded with desperation in his voice. I just love the tone of a guy’s voice when he is begging for sex. It is something out of this world. She hesitated, but replied in a girlish, yet innocent tone. “My husband is already suspicious. Leave me alone,” she backed away. “He won’t find out if we don’t tell him,” the man coerced her.
“No, I can’t do it,” she protested, putting up a fight against her inner demons to let it happen. “You know I love you, and I know you love me too. Don’t you love me too? I told you I would leave my wife for you. Why are you not giving us a chance?” he questioned her with an emotional blackmail in his tone, which seemed like an attempt to kiss her at the same time. I could tell from the way her next words came out of her mouth.
You know that tone your voice turns into when you have been kissed passionately and want it desperately, even though you are fighting to stop the kiss from happening again? That is what I am talking about. It takes so much willpower to get your way in such a situation. It sucks to be her.
“You need to leave your wife first,” she quickly spurted the words out after that quick peck. Smart girl.
“I will leave her after today, but in the meantime, let me show you how much I love you, my po…ku…nush. He attempted again to break the defenses she was fighting so hard to build and keep strong. Leave her after this? Yeah, right. As if she would fall for that. Pokunush? For non-Liberian readers, it’s a word of endearment. Who uses Pokunush anymore?
“Yeah….. but you have to promise me you would leave her.” She agreed, with a girlish tone, giving in to his pleas. “I will,” he answered with a smile in his voice, and the next thing I heard was loud pecks getting everywhere. I couldn’t imagine where. I refused to let my mind wander that far.
I wasn’t interested in hearing all that. But, really? Did she cave into his words? I guess the pokunush worked. I blew a frustrated puff out of my mouth and rolled my eyes around, angry that she allowed the man to convince her to stay.
There was no way that man was leaving his wife for her. She was just another stupid woman who thought that because a man wanted to sleep with her meant he was interested in taking her emotional and financial burden for the rest of his life. I wore a massive frown and rolled my eyes, happy the show was ending, and I could hear my boyfriend bidding the old man goodbye from outside.
I should have left them alone and focused on my show that was about to start, but I was nosy and I like to hear people’s stories. I had to do something. She needed to know how much she sucked. They both sucked. Before I could think about it, I shouted through my boyfriend’s window for them to hear.
“Really? You let that cheating bastard convince you, like the fool you are, that he would leave his wife for you? Are you kidding me? And don’t you have a husband? I am telling your husband right now!” I shouted out like a kid telling on her sibling.
In seconds, I heard the door open so fast and saw the lady whom I knew very well running outside with her clothes halfway on her. A gigantic smile plastered on my face, but it wasn’t enough. The way she sprinted outside was so hilarious that I laughed my heart out. If I didn’t get anything that day, just her scary look was enough to make my day all right. The cheating man put his head out of the window to see who I was, but I pulled my head back in so he wouldn’t see me. I didn’t want to be the witness in any drama. I prefer to be out of the drama, not a part of it. My talent for narrative wasn’t meant for courthouses. Besides, not knowing who I was was a mystery I was bent on letting them both struggle with so they could stay away from each other, thinking someone knew their secret.
When I turned around, I saw my boyfriend staring at me with a confused look on his face, wondering who I was shouting at.
But that wasn’t the story here. The story was that birthday suit he wore that got me to bite my lips and gawk at him, savoring the moment for a very long time. I swear, I thought about it for a long time.
Maybe even now, but that is not what I am saying here. Don’t you dare insinuate I was just thinking about my long-time boyfriend when I was writing this. Don’t say it…..
But if he’s stalking my page somewhere in the world right now, hiiiiiiiii.
Do you want to try the same recipes I used that rainy day?
- DIY Body Scrub → Here
- DIY Body Oil → Here
- Homemade Deodorant → Here
- Hair Perfume Spray → Here
P.S.: If you love wild, real-life storytelling like this, you’ll enjoy my novels too. They’re packed with the same messy, funny, unforgettable moments. Check them out → here
