THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND BUTTERFLIES

Our Uber ride arrived a few minutes later, it was a lady on the wheel. She saw me and immediately called me African Queen. My head nearly burst in feathers from the flattery she showered on us. You know if an African woman says you are beautiful, it means you are spectacularly stunning that day. Imagine if Hussein saw me. His jaw probably hit the floor. We headed to his house first to pick him up before we zoomed to Victoria Island where the show was happening in the next three hours. With the traffic included, we should be there with one hour left to settle and take pictures. Hussein lived in an estate similar to ours, the main gate opened to the road sandwiched with similar looking duplexes. He lived in one with his brother and his two nephews. The kind woman parked as I had instructed. I didn't wait for the car to roar to the end before I clicked the door open. Nikki decided to stay behind, watching me go with a teasing knowing look. I knew she was talking about me to the drive

Romeo. Real life Romeo. In front of me. I swallowed like a rock the size of my head was forcing through my throat. He was made of lava or maybe lava was made of him, I don't know– no one knows. My eyes scanned him head to toe like a machine detecting metal. He wore a skin tight burning red turtleneck shirt that hugged his slender frame and tucked that into one shiny scarlet leather pants and paired with Balenciaga platform boots. And the worst of all…his locs were dyed blood red.It was Valentine's Day, I knew that but this guy already looked drop dead gorgeous when he rocked his plain black locs and used a lip balm on his pink lips. How can they do this to us? To me? To my poor heart? That red pumping thing stopped pumping for a solid minute, I must say. His light brown skin complemented his whole scarlet package too well; they could be woven together and we would never know.I swallowed again, that damn rock wasn't moving anywhere. "Hi," he said. His smile, as usual, made his g

Three years agoIt didn't matter if I died, my dad wasn't coming home. The sky was pink with dawn, misted with chilly dews still falling onto my window pane. My vision was blurry for two reasons, the foggy window and my foggy eyes. The fever had pooled hot tears in my eyes till it overflowed, creating a path along my burning cheeks to my heavy jaw onto the oversized sweater I had curled my tiny frame into. Steady wisps of breeze escaped into the room from the one inch space I made at the edge of the window frame. The harmattan wind caused me to shiver with goosebumps erupting under my clothes but I didn't close it all through. Inside of me must have had the blacksmith furnace burning without reserve, I wanted nothing but an ice bath even if it would kill me in this condition.I picked my phone from where I had dropped it one second ago to check the time. Time moves slowly when you become aware of it. It was five fifteen in the morning. I had been awake for four hours now but it sur

The surroundings of my dad's hospital were the only beautiful part of the hospital, inside was as grey as a graveyard and as white as heaven. They really had to make hospitals in the colours of death. If it was up to me, I would throw in some pinks and lilacs to give the anguished hearts that patrol these hallways something pleasant to look at. Everyone could used a break in the monotony of dreary grey and wilting white that made one feel like they were in the stomach of death the monster. I know I did feel that way the last time I was here. The hospital's compound made sure to have everything not found on the inside, as a compensation I suppose. Flowers, my favourite thing, were in every direction that the neck turned. Some forgotten Christmas lights still tangled in the shrubs shone dimly in the twilight. It was life, twinkling in the dark like a promise, like a tangible hope that somehow this life riddled with affliction and endless agony would end in joy, maybe in this world, may

Nikki sighed. She picked up her phone and watched our Uber ride approach from the app and sighed again.We were by the roadside, almost a mile away from the hospital. Vehicles zoomed past us into the highway ahead of us. Our Uber was late, the day was dark and Nikki's phone blew up non-stop. Her parents were calling her. She had passed her curfew and I knew that would be an issue for her at home. She was never out from eight and it was eight thirty."What am I going to do, Nikki?" I trembled head to toe. I bit down my shaking fingers, chewing out my fingernails as I transformed into a bag of nerves. "Nikki." I cried out but to no avail. She wouldn't even look at me, just her phone and the road. "Nikki, you are not even saying anything!" I cried even louder. "Say what?" She snapped. "Say what, Colette? I'm asking you. You caused this for yourself and…just leave me be. For now." She faced the road and screamed at the incoming traffic. "Jeez! Where is this man? Oh God! What is even h