EPISODE FOUR

Khalid had counted one to hundred, hoping that he could prevent himself from picking up the phone, but he hadn’t even gotten to fifty, when he decided to damn the consequences.

It had been at the tip of his tongue to invite her into his room for some coffee when they got back from the ice-cream place, but he knew it would have been obvious that he didn’t want to let her go.

Coffee, after ice-cream!

How a very casual date escalated to him thoroughly enjoying himself and desiring to remain in her presence was beyond him, but he knew that he had to see her again tomorrow, and wouldn’t sleep till he got an appointment.

Suddenly the trip that had been like a bad call, now felt like a blessing, just because a girl’s innocent smile was making his heart stop.

He told himself it was because he took her problem as a mission he wanted to attend to, and the soldier in him couldn’t turn down a challenge. In truth, he was falling for the girl, and must have been doing so since the moment he saw her back at the breakfast table, before she took all of his five toasts.

The audacity!

Now, all of it was a beautiful memory.

This could easily become a fling, and he didn’t want that. She was leaving in four days’ time and it would hurt too much to have to detach. He was still struggling with not being needed on the battlefield anymore, and suddenly he wanted this girl to need him.

“Lord should I call?”, he had prayed, when he couldn’t distract himself from the thought of her, and all the answer he got was his own smile.

It was amusing! Dramatic! Fast and ambitious, but he wanted to go on an actual date with her tomorrow. He picked up the phone and dialled her room number. He had followed her there just when they arrived and had crammed it.

“Hello!” Ekaette said, and Khalid sat, his legs feeling weak just from hearing her heavily accented English.

“What country are you from?” Khalid asked, realising that he did not know. How could they have spent the whole day together and know nothing of each other?

“Nigeria!” she said, and suddenly Khalid wanted to visit Nigeria. 

He shook his head to steady himself before he said the wrong thing, yet he still said too much, revealing more that he felt was right at the time. To what end, would it be to explore what he feared he was beginning to feel.

“Today is my best day in a long time, E-kathy. I had so much fun with you. It was truly beautiful.”

When she responded simply with silence, Khalid’s heart shook.

“I am sorry!” he said quickly, hoping she wouldn’t think he was coming on too strongly.

“Why are you sorry? I had a beautiful day too. Thank you for the treat.”

Khalid sighed in relief, and smiled at her honesty, yet it was so hilarious that she considered a meal at Mcdonalds a treat.

He could buy the entire restaurant for his ex, Elizabeth, yet, she was not going to say more than a cold ‘thank you’. She had been too entitled and it was stifling. Two years ago, when she had asked for an engagement ring before he was deployed to Iraq, Khalid politely ended things. If she felt disappointed, she didn’t show it, and had simply thanked him for not wasting more than a year.

Ekaette would never be so cold, Khalid thought, and then shook it off. Why was he comparing her to his ex, as though…

He couldn’t finish the thought.

A shower might have been better than this phone call. He didn’t even remember why he called. He probably had no reason. He had simply wanted to hear her voice.

Yesterday, he was a man without a purpose, today was like a dream. Ekaette became his friend and they had the best day, and now he wanted another day with her.

“Can we go out again tomorrow?” Khalid asked, hoping she wouldn’t turn him down.

“I am going out with the group tomorrow.”

“Where are you guys going?” Khalid asked, disappointed.

“The IMG World of Adventure.” Ekaette said, and added, “we will be there the whole day,” as though to imply that there was no room at all for a date with him.

“Alright!” Khalid said. 

“Maybe we could go somewhere, next tomorrow.” Ekaette said, and the fire in his heart burned again. 

“Maybe we could. Call me tomorrow night!” Khalid said, the call ended shortly after.

Just maybe he could still get a chance to know her better, he thought.

Next tomorrow!

————————————————————————————————————————–

Ekaette was one of the first people to get into the bus, excited that she was finally going on a tour with the group.

She also feared that if she slacked, she wouldn’t have the courage to go through with it and would have gone to knock on Khalid’s door for that date he had hinted at yesterday night.

Debola had teased her non-stop. 

“A man asks for a date only when he finds a woman attractive”, she had said, but Ekaette wondered how he found her attractive upon hearing her story. Her life was a mess, even to her.

She needed to put Khalid out of her mind, Ekaette chided herself. She would enjoy this trip as though she hadn’t met him.

He was becoming unforgettable, sneaking into her mind when she should be spending time in her group, making friends, and meeting men.

As though her thought summoned him, one of the guys she met on the plane, who had said she was beautiful when she moved past him, walked up to her.

“Is this seat taken? If not, I would like to…”

Khalid didn’t let him finish, he rushed to the chair next to her.  Ekaette was so shocked to see him, but said nothing till the other guy walked away.

“How come you are here?”

Khalid smiled, steadying his breath. When he saw the other guy approaching Ekaette, he had literally raced to sit down. Now, he was struggling to catch his breath.

Damn the explosion! It had turned him into an invalid, yet he couldn’t even feel so bad. He was simply grateful to the tour guide in charge of Ekaette’s group who had graciously sold him the ticket belonging to someone else who fell sick and couldn’t join the trip.

“The day after tomorrow is too far away,” was all he said, and though his response excited Ekaette, it unsettled her as well.

“What are you saying, Khalid?” Her question carried extra meaning, and he got it, but instead of addressing it Khalid patted her thighs.

“Let’s not worry about that, we will live in this moment and enjoy ourselves. Trust me!” he said, and she made up her mind to do just that.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

The IMG World of Adventure was really another world.

Ekaette was in awe of the technology that pulled such an amazing feat. 

The highlight of Khalid’s day was taking pictures of her at almost every point. She had screamed when she saw Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, and had quickly rushed to greet them, or at least, the actors who wore their costumes.

“I can’t wait to post this on Instagram. Were they really the ones?” Ekaette had asked genuinely, when he showed her the beautiful picture he captured of her with the trio. Khalid had laughed, not answering; he wanted her to continue to live in the fantasy. 

“You laugh a lot!” Ekaette accused, smiling at how her ignorance must look.

I laugh with you. 

Khalid wanted to say, but bit the words back. It would be too much pressure for both of them to start examining the implication of such words.

He regretted that she wasn’t simply a girl he met at a restaurant in America, someone who lived and worked in his country. It wouldn’t have mattered that they just met earlier this week, he would have considered a relationship with her.

Being with Ekaette, he found that he missed having a girlfriend, someone to fret over, fight with, and kiss ‘good night’.

He who finds a wife, finds a good thing.

Khalid shrugged off the scripture as he remembered it, thinking that something was definitely wrong with him.

Wife?

They got on a ride on the Spider Man swing and Ekaette screamed, literally shouting her lungs out. Khalid laughed again, amused by her excitement. If he was an average man, with the shock in his system and the injury his body still suffered, he shouldn’t be on a swing like this. He wasn’t average, he was a man who had survived several explosions, save the last one. He could take a chance to enjoy himself with the lady he liked.

Khalid had grown up in communities where he regularly visited amusement parks. Despite this place being awesome, the games weren’t even as daring as the ones in America and Paris. However, having Ekaette press close to him, holding his hands, was fast becoming the best ride of his life.

As they came out of the Spider man room, still holding hands, Debola and some friends came in. Ekaette was embarrassed, she quickly dropped Khalid’s hand. Debola smiled knowingly and pulled Ekaette aside.

“For someone who claims to have never had a boyfriend, you swing fast. Khalid yesterday, handsome Oyinbo today.” Debola said.

Ekaette pulled away. “Lower your voice, they are the same person. That is Khalid.”

“Oh!” Debola said, and smiled knowingly, even as her group of friends came to pull her away.

Ekaette blushed, she hoped Khalid hadn’t heard any of that.

“Why did you let go of my hand?” Khalid asked, and held her again.

She glanced at their hands intertwined and looked away. Holding him was making her heart beat fast.

“Are you shy to be seen with a handsome Oyibo?” Khalid’s question busted the tension she was feeling.

“You shouldn’t have heard that!” Ekaette laughed shyly.

“I am glad I did.” Khalid said, and pulled her closer to him as they turned to a dark corner.

“At least, now I know that this thing brewing inside me is not one sided.” Khalid said.

“Eh God!” Ekaette exclaimed softly.

It was easier to hold his hand before now that he had opened up the real state of their hearts.

“Khalid this is insane! We literally just met.”

He pulled her closer, their heads almost touching. She feared that he was going to kiss her and she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“I am insane.” Khalid confessed and pulled away, dropping his hand into his pocket. 

“Do you want some hot dog snacks?” he asked, by way of changing the topic. Though Ekaette wasn’t sure she could eat anything right now, the thought of eating that excited her.

“Yes, I want one.”  She said with a smile.

That smile had been Khalid’s undoing, he knew at that moment that he wanted her in his arms, but he didn’t pull her into a hug.

Instead, he took her hands again and they strolled to get pastries

—————————————————————————————————————————-

One hour later

Khalid was getting tired, but Ekaette’s excitement kept fueling him, so when she said she wanted to go for the 3D animated ride, he hadn’t protested.

They had got on into the box with six other people, but they held hands.

As soon as the ride began, Khalid knew that he should have sat this one out. 

The avengers were at war with aliens, and it took him out of the ride into another war.

Khalid stilled, closing his eyes. He tried to shut out the images of explosions that now flooded his memories.

Ekaette was distracted by his breathing, because she knew exactly when it changed. As soon as the bomb exploded to defeat the aliens, Khalid began to wheeze.

“Are you with your inhaler?” she asked him, scared. He didn’t answer as he struggled through the rest of the ride.

As soon as the ride ended, she ran out to get one of the officials at the park, shouting “emergency!”, and they came quickly to get Khalid.

People were gathering now, some of those on the ride with them couldn’t understand what had triggered whatever happened to him. 

Ekaette wondered too, but was more concerned about getting him an inhaler rather than analysing the situation.

As they took him away, Khalid felt a hot rush of embarrassment. His life was truly ruined, he thought, if he could not even successfully go out on a date with a girl he liked without coming apart.

In between, he said, “Please, don’t come with me!” and though Ekaette would have preferred otherwise, she knew to respect his privacy.

“Is this your husband or boyfriend?” the official who had earlier seen them holding hands asked, and Ekaette shook her head, embarrassed.

“In that case, please do as he says, thanks,” the official said as he and another man helped Khalid into the wheel chair and took him away.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Two Days Later

It didn’t make sense to him that he had stayed away from the one person that gave him reasons to laugh in a while, but Khalid was too embarrassed to look for her.

He had rejected her like a coward because he was afraid. Everything about his friendship with Ekaette moved too fast, it all seemed impossible and unrealistic.

Khalid gave up on finding the courage to confront her. To what end would fixing things be since she was leaving Dubai soon? He would try to forget her, it was bound to happen with time anyway. Yet, she was on his mind and that made her absence like an open wound that needed healing and closure.

The thought of closure was what finally brought him to Ekaette’s door, which he had knocked on endlessly, but no one answered.

His heart broke a bit, wondering if he was too late, and she had gone back to Nigeria already. He didn’t have her phone number, didn’t know her surname, her social media details, nor where she worked. Finding her would be impossible.

Sadly, he walked away, towards the elevator, which opened before he could press the ‘open’ button. 

Ekaette came out with a pack of what looked like street food, and he immediately remembered her tears and tale of how she had no money to spend on this trip. Yet, she paid for his inhaler when he ran out of it on Monday. 

He should have taken over caring for her, giving her a memorable vacation, even if that was all he could ever do for her. All he did was to recoil into his shell, messing everything up.

They stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was only a few seconds. Ekaette waved as a way of greeting and walked past him. Her act of ignoring him felt like a slap, and it stung as one. He couldn’t let her go, Khalid held her hand to pull her back to him, and though she shrugged to be free of him, he held on strongly.

“I am sorry.” Khalid said, but Ekaette only stared at him.

“Please say something,” Khalid pleaded.

“How is your health?” Ekaette asked, and Khalid closed his eyes in embarrassment. 

Ekaette pulled her hand from his.

“You look fine, I am glad. Please excuse me, I need to go eat my dinner.”

Khalid knew that if he let her go, that would be the end of their friendship and he couldn’t bear thinking of that possibility. As she turned to go, he grabbed her hand again, but she lost her balance and the food pack fell, its content spilling.

Ekaette gasped, obviously embarrassed, but it was Khalid who wished he could disappear, or rewind time.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

All that Ekaette could afford daily on the trip, till she left back for Nigeria, was a side of french fries, with no chicken or drinks. The hotel provided them with water so she didn’t have to bother herself with that.

She had been determined to pretend that she did not meet Khalid on this trip, and was surviving, counting down till the last day, when she would eventually go back to Nigeria; a place where a bag of garri, a full pack of noodles, and some tubers of yam, sweet potatoes, and a container of beans awaited her till salary was paid at the end of the month. There, she could enjoy some semblance of normalcy .

What she hadn’t factor into the plan was Khalid coming back to apologise. She didn’t need his apologies, didn’t want it. She had hoped not to see him again, but as  the elevator opened and she saw him, he took her breath away. Now, the suffering continues, because she then realised that at every waking hour of the last forty eight hours, she had been secretly hoping that he would come back looking for her.

Now that he was here, the heavy cloak of shame followed him to torment her. Even though he knew her story, she still did not want him to see her like that, with a pack of fries and no chicken. She didn’t need his pity, for that was what she saw in his eyes as soon as the food poured. She could help it, those tears filled her eyes.

Khalid was about to bend to pack the spilled food, but Ekaette quickly met him mid way, holding him up. She remembered the episode that happened the last time he bent to pick up something in the lobby.

“I will clean this, don’t worry. Please go,” Ekaette said, trying to avoid Khalid’s gaze. He held her gaze briefly, watching the tears that she hoped would not drop. Still holding her hand, Khalid called out to the janitor who was at the other end of the lobby, and she came very swiftly. She looked at the mess and nodded, implying that she would take care of it before the request was even made.

Khalid nodded his appreciation and pulled out a 100 dirham note as a tip for the woman who smiled very beautifully. Even in the middle of the mess, Ekaette couldn’t help wishing that money was hers instead. She shook the thought off, and tried slipping her hands from Khalid. He wasn’t willing to let her go and she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the janitor.

As soon as they entered the elevator, Ekaette made an attempt to pull her hands out of his again, but Khalid held on.

“You are not getting rid of me, E-kathy. I am taking you out for dinner.”

Ekaette looked away. “I don’t want your charity, Khalid. Don’t take me anywhere.”

“Don’t make this difficult, E-kathy. I need this, I want to be with you. Please!”

“What does that even mean? You are confused, and I won’t allow you drag me into your confusion. I will get myself another dinner, but not with you.” Ekaette said, and forcefully pulled her hand out of his, but because he didn’t struggle to hold on to her this time, it threw her off balance and she almost fell. Khalid swung fast and caught her, and she staggered into his arms.

Ekaette sighed and pulled out of his arms, just as the elevator opened. She stepped out of the elevator, refusing to look back. She headed straight into the streets of Dubai with no destination in mind.

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Dear Reader, 

Thank you for coming to read another episode of “Love on Toast” 

Would “E-Kathy” be able to forgive Khalid after ignoring her for two days?  Is she overreacting by refusing to accept the apologies of Khalid after he returns, begging?

What are your thoughts? Kindly share with us.