Spice Rack: Cinnamon

PREFACE
Spice Rack is a story series prepared with a mixture of six spicy characters – Cinnamon (Sin), Chili (Lilian), Cumin (Morayo), Cassia, Curry (Ray) and Celery (Lera). Although the persons on the cover picture are real, the stories are in no way about them. Spice rack is a work of fiction and bares no resemblance to persons either living or dead. I hope you enjoy reading each serving as much as I enjoyed cooking them up. Feel free to participate. Leave a comment or share an opinion
- Sketch.

Cinnamon
Four days to D-day, yeay!
Sin was looking forward to the break. She had been pushing herself to accomplish more than she knew was humanly possible these past weeks as a way of absolution since her company lost the Sawyer account. She somehow felt it was her fault because she knew that if she had not broken things off with the famous Sawyer grandson, her company would not only still have the account but by now, she would have been a constant on all the popular gossip columns.
Imagining how the rest of the gang would react to her ‘trending’ caused her to laugh out loud. She would not look bad in the papers though; being light complexioned, heavy chested with subtle curves that ended beneath an oval face crowned with a neat thick and long nappy hair would definitely warrant a second look. Standing at 5’8, she was the tallest of her ‘sistaz’ and the only one with unnaturally straight teeth thanks to years of braces therapy. She was not done with the bloody thing though; as she still wore a retainer to bed but obviously not when she had company. She sighed. It was not like she had had company in a long time.
She eyed the decorative brush on the wall bracket in the corner away from her desk and considered using it to dust her lady parts. That she was not getting any action did not mean it had to be all cobwebey and forsaken.

She checked her wristwatch "aha!" It was 4:30pm closing time her favorite hour of the day! Packing up her bags, she had begun to log out of her system when she looked up, caught a glimpse of him standing in an office facing her's and felt a wicked pang of regret.
Olise Sawyer.
Her pulse quickened. It felt like her racing heart would push past the walls of her chest, pop out of her body and explode right in her face. Ruining her makeup, nice office shirt and all that “What is he doing here?”
She watched as a female resembling a plastic doll complete with artificial hair, drawn on brows and ridiculously high heels came out from within the office he was in, wrapped her manicured fingers around him and swished her hair this way and that."Obanje" Sin did not realise she had hissed out the word until a colleague gave her a questioning look.
Although she knew they could not tell she was watching, she leaned away from her desk and hid her very unmanicured fingers under her desk. She tried not to strain her neck in a bid to codedly watch him.
Apparently, the girl had his undivided attention. It was because of people like her that she had turned down his advances. Olise belonged to the world of the rich and famous, with celebrity friends and colleagues who spent weekends in places with really expensive vowels in their names. Their girlfriends brought weaves that were 1million naira ‘only’ and brought their accessories straight off the runway.
While she was a regular girl with an average monthly pay that just about covered her expenses, he was a walking fantasy.
With an air of old money, a charming personality, the height and build of an athlete, skin the color of warm dark chocolate and lips that ah.
She kissed him.
Just once, right there in the office.
Kissing people she hardly knew was something she never did but did not regret at all.

She was working late that day, it was the first time she met him. Although she had no idea who he was, because of the way her boss was all over him she assumed he was an important client and was extra nice and courteous to him whatever that meant.
He turned out to be an interesting and engaging person to talk to. Well the fact that he was killer gorgeous as well might have made it difficult to find something wrong with him.
By the time he turned down her bosses offer for lunch and opted to stay with her instead, she was ready to move in with him and have his babies.
He sat by her desk all day and insisted on waiting till she was done so he could drop her at her place initially but settled for her bus stop.
Whatever it was they begun to have came to an end when they left the office complex and got to the car park and were ushered into his vehicle by a driver who had been waiting all day.
She stupidly spent the rest of the night googling him and came to the conclusion that the both of them would never work.
The dude had a wiki page!!
That was several weeks ago. From what she read in the papers, he had since moved on and forgotten about the nappy haired assistant he met once upon a time.

If that were true, what was he doing here?
Okay considering the fact there were like 10 other offices, a movie theater and a couple of eateries in the complex there was a possibility that he might not have come for her but still there were other places to go in Lagos, this was her building!
She cursed the architect/designer for making most of the offices partially see through, the complex was supposed to be a green building with energy saving and all that rubbish but today she was not feeling ecofriendly.
Holding her breath, she turned off the computer, picked up her purse and tried not to think of their earth shattering stolen kiss while she headed out of the building praying first that he would not spot her sneaking away and that the fact that he was here was a coincidence.
Sin was hardworking, happily single and believed she deserved a break. She was really looking forward to Saturday with all its multiple possibilities and was so not in the mood to let any man, whether gorgeous, sexy or rich ruin her mojo.

Untitled One

For a couple of seconds, it seemed like they were the only things in existence. She squeezed her fist and whispered anxiously “will I see you again?” letting out a sigh, she did not expect a response because she already knew what it was going to be. She was confident though because no matter which way the tides turned, she knew, they would eventually be within reach if only for brief interludes.
For now, she just had to let go.

It was not an easy task, letting go never is.
She worked really hard to get to this point, she could hold on, it would not make her happy but since there was no way to let go and hold on at the same time, it was better to let go.
Everything that had transpired in life had led her to this point.
Time had nurtured her she had grown… evolved
She was however grateful for the experience, the time it took to get there and the amazing skills she picked up along the way.
She would survive.
With an air of finality, she let go of her ATM card and smiled at the cashier. “ I am ready, go on with the transaction.”
With a wiggle, a shove and some punching, the deed was done. She was alone once more. Without the comforting company of her hard earned Naira's to call her own. Grabbing her groceries with one hand, she solemnly returned her ATM card to her purse and headed towards the exit.

The end

Dear Maya

January, 2016.

It’s in the sway of my hips, the strength of my beliefs and the curve of my tolerance.
I am woman, hear me roar.

Dear Maya,
It seems like yesterday I got that call from my mum informing me of your passing. She called too late, I was grieving already, her message was no news.
A few weeks before, I had reviewed my bucket list and figured that in about 18 months from that day, my dream of sitting in your presence and listening to one of your lectures would be fulfilled.

I guess life had a more elaborate final plan for you.

Last night I was at the bus stop
It was really late and I was freezing.
I noticed a cluster of men up front. I was frightened till I remembered who I am. I smiled.

I guess they were more afraid of me than I was of them.

Hey Maya! How is the afterlife? I have been thinking of you all day and reminiscing;
do you remember the first time we crossed paths?
it was a Tyler Perry movie. I was touched by words of the poem in the wedding scene it was "in and out of time".
I rewound the movie for a second listen and then a third. I wanted more. More of the poetry, the prose oh and the recipes! The way you make chicken though, finger licking good!

I guess it was love at first touch.

Lately, I’ve been thinking of the color black and my, it suits me.
as a color, it is warm, it is rich, it is filled with so much potential and then it is more.
Black is the quality of a rich fertile land. It is the color of my beautiful skin and the history of my culture.
I don’t understand why people are so eager to trade.

I guess the grass seems greener on the other side.

I don’t know your position on this matter but still I’d like to talk about it okay?
I read in the papers today that children should be allowed to change their gender before they are 16.
In other words, they believe these kids are old enough to understand and make life changing decisions.
Has it occurred to them that once it is accepted that any kid is of age to make decisions, a predator who can prove a child made the rational decision to be molested, abused or humiliated for money becomes faultless?
A few pages away in the same newspaper, there was a campaign by a cosmetic company urging customers to love their bodies and be proud of who they are. They claimed our bodies are precious.
Liars!!
Why bother loving myself when with enough money, I can change the way I look, function or am perceived.
I grew up knowing effeminate males and masculine females who to date are loved and respected not because they are "different" but for their individuality, charisma and values.
They did not have to hack off their penis or breasts to ensure long life and prosperity. Rather, they accepted their "faults", made it work for them and danced to the music that is life.

I guess the rest of the world is now deaf to that sound.


Maya dear, maybe it's for the best that you are gone. I can't believe its 2 years already.
How is the reception where you are? Have you viewed the earth's latest selfie?
What do you make of our rapidly changing mentality, climate and values?
What drives our traditions today, do you know? Does religion still exist?
Are morality, logical thinking and human pride now based on popular demand?

I guess immediate gratification rates higher than future reward.

If there was a way you could write back, these are the things I'd like to know:
How long do we have till our world implodes? After economic success, what next?
How long would we wander around in this haze of confusion? When would the common good prevail?
I’d tell you something that makes me smile; you added richness to my color.
You were bold, brave and the most beautiful black I've loved.

I guess it’s time to go

Cheers!

In case of emergency

Hello boys and girls, children and parents and the rest of us who live in our shells.
Welcome to my class.
Today we’d be looking at Murphy’s Law (which happens to be very similar to “being worried from the village”) and how I dealt with it when it appeared the logical thing to do was give up and write to dear John.

According to the phrasing of Edward A. Murphy, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
It could be interpreted in layman's terms as "When shit is bound to happen, it happens in the shittiest of ways."

It takes a typical female between 20 to 45 minutes to wake up, get up from bed, spend quality time in the bathroom (empty bowels, brush tooth, obsess over anatomical flaws and have a shower while pondering over outcomes of issues she cannot necessarily influence), get dressed and be ready for the day.
On average I am able to do all that (including blow a kiss at my reflection #self love before leaving the house) in about 15 minutes.
As a result of this I have time for life’s little pleasures like savoring a warm cup of something while munching on something else, scrolling through my phone and catching up with the news updates, social media and any text messages that might have wandered in while I was away.
Today was business as usual until my flat mate heard me switch on the heater and decided to scurry into the bathroom when my back was turned.

Initially I was like no problem, he’s a guy. Guys don’t have much to do in the bathroom.
In no time he’d be out.

*

*

*

I thought I could no longer tell time when I caught a glimpse of my wall clock and the hands were indicating 20 minutes had elapsed since I made a first attempt to have a bath.
To be sure I was reading correctly, I checked the time on my mobile phone and pc as well.
I marched to the bathroom door and twisted the handle.
It was locked.

What on earth is he doing in there?

I listened for sounds of distress, notes of a song, the whirr of a clipper... anything that would explain what he was doing in the bathroom for over 20 minutes.

Nothing.

I was not in a good mood.
I considered throwing on clean clothes, splashing on perfume and bouncing out like a boss but my toothbrush was being held captive in the bathroom along with my freedom to bath.

Not having a shower before leaving the house was a small thing but going out without cleaning my mouth is a crime.

He eventually came out and had the audacity to hum happily as he padded to his room.
I had an abbreviated routine and dashed out of the house in a bid to catch the bus.

I saw the bus!

I ran towards the bus stop and watched in horror as it pulled away.
The next one was due in 15 minutes.

I noticed further up the road, the lights had turned red. I figured if I ran like the wind, I would catch up with the bus at the next stop so run I did!
Just as I was getting close enough to signal for the bus to wait, the lights turned red and off it went.
When it happened a second time I gave up and let the bus go.

I was sweating, my ears were ringing and I was out of breath.

My phone beeped.
It was a reminder that I was late. This was turning out to be a very shitty day.
When I got off the bus I eventually caught, I was welcomed by downpour that began as drizzle.
I screamed in annoyance.
I was like “seriously? Really??” I realized then that if I let it, today was going to be a horrible – horrible day.

I stopped walking briskly and took to a leisurely stroll; noticing people, things and the life around me.
Like a sign, I spotted a friend I had not seen in ages. We chatted for a bit and parted ways.
Finally, I was at my destination.
Turned out I was not the only one late.

The high point of the day was going to the laboratory and finding out we were going to be running tests on samples of shit (faeces).
I laughed at the irony.

If I did not choose to dwell on positivity, the rest of my day could have been one misfortune after the other because I believed that because things were going wrong, it was only going to get worse.
This piece is basically a note to self that for every Murphy’s Law, there is a Charlie’s Law, which states; everything turns out right… when you let it.
It is a matter of choice.

Peace!

*ps:
Charlie's Law is from a book by Charles H. Ware titled Murphy's Law Repealed! it includes the following chapters
1. Murphy's Law Repealed!
2. If You Need Something, It Will Come to You
3. When Faced with a Difficult Task, Start
4. Just When You Think You've Run Out of Time, You're Done
5. If at First You Don't Succeed, Relax and You Will
6. You Are the Person You'd Like to Become
7. Everything You Do That Comes From Love, Works
8. When Life Seems Overwhelming, Do Less
9. If You Reach the End of Your Rope, Let Go and Fly
10. When You Choose Peace, You Get Peace
11. Live Each Day as If It Were Your First
12. When You Let Go, You Feel Joy