Thanks to the air freshener sitting on the dashboard, Shola's car smelt like a fruity, milky coconut cocktail that I wouldn't hesitate to chug down if I didn't know it was poisonous.
Being in this enclosed space with Shola made my body buzz with excitement. This was the closest I'd gotten to her ever since the unfortunate Science Fair incident.
"Seatbelt please," she ordered and I quickly strapped myself in place as she brought the car to life with a simple turn of the key. Like an expert driver, Shola backed out of the parking slot and onto the tarred street.
Campus appeared calmer and quieter than it usually was. I guessed everyone else was at the car wash party, treating themselves to copious amounts of alcohol. That massive hangover they were bound to have tomorrow morning made me quite grateful that I didn't attend the party.
Shola soon drove us past the university's main entrance and hit the main road with the help of her GPS.
Accra, as always, thrummed with vibrant activities, colour and music. There was never a dull moment here and it was probably one of the reasons why it was Ghana's capital. Comparing this place to my hometown, Cape Coast would definitely be considered as the boring version of Accra.
The city drive was fairly comfortable, until we found ourselves in a mass of vehicular traffic; quite typical of Accra. For fifteen minutes, we had no option but to sit and endure 'go-slow' in addition to a thick, heavy cloud of silence and awkwardness.
Since the time we'd set off, both of us hadn't uttered a single word. Shola was strangely quiet, probably lost in her own perfect thoughts. I also didn't have the guts to spark up a conversation because we hadn't exactly cleared the air about the whole Princess thing and I didn't want to say something that would trigger it.
I fidgeted in my seat, trying to make myself a bit more comfortable, when my subconscious slotted an idea into my head. "Hey, do you mind if I turn the radio on?"
"Not all, go ahead."
My finger pushed down on the dial, filling the car with nothing but loud static noise. I quickly lowered the volume and turned the dial, keeping an eye out for something interesting to lighten up the mood. I changed from the news to a talk show on yellow fever, some old school blues and a loud commentary on a football match. There seemed to be so much going on that I began to doubt if there was anything decent to keep us occupied.
I continued channel surfing until Shola let out an abrupt "Wait!"
"What?" My hand froze on the dial.
"Go back, to the last channel you shifted the dial to."
Following her instructions, I rotated the dial anticlockwise and landed in the intro verse of Stonebwoy's 'Everlasting.'
"Oh I love this song!" Shola exclaimed.
"Really?" My eyebrows flew up and I grew even more surprised when she sang out the next verse.
"...Every woman is a superwoman. Every woman is a champion. We no be nobody, if dem no dey our body yie aaah..."
"Ok, ok," I laughed. "I see we've got a member of the Bhim Nation here. But I gotta admit though, I didn't think you'd be into dancehall music."
"Well I'm not much of a music fanatic," Shola said as the song continued on. "But I do appreciate good music once in a while, and Stonebwoy's music happens to be one of them."
"Have you heard Activate?"
"Featuring Davido? Heck yeah!" Shola chuckled, pushing the car forward. "It's one of the first Stonebwoy songs I ever heard. Collaborations like these bring a lot more creativity to the African music industry. I mean, Stonebwoy is Ghanaian, Davido is Nigerian and they came together to create this rhythmic masterpiece, it's amazing." A solemn look touched her features. "Africa as a continent has a lot more to show the world...we just don't know it yet."
For someone who wasn't a music enthusiast, Shola seemed really passionate about music and its effects on the world. Unknowingly, she had given me another thing to admire about her. Shola was one of those people who cared about anything and everything and saw the change in the unchangeable. She was definitely an incoming pacesetter and a huge force to be reckoned with.
As someone who admired and... liked her a lot, I could only hope that force wouldn't push me away.
"Hey!" She snapped her fingers in my face. "You ok? You've been staring at me for the past three minutes now."
"Oh umm..." I blinked, embarrassed that she'd caught me staring. "Yeah, I'm fine, totally fine."
She shot me an unreadable expression then shifted her focus to the steering wheel. The traffic soon began to thin out, making our drive a lot more enjoyable with the music. We sang along to the head-bobbing tunes until the GPS gave out an alert that we'd reached our destination.
The moment Shola parked the car, I was the first to step out. The streets of the historical Jamestown were occupied with throngs of people, tents and a whole lot of paintings and graffiti murals that made me feel like grabbing an easel to create my own art piece, which no doubt, would be terrible since I didn't have a single art bone in my body.
I heard the car lock chirp, then felt Shola's presence at my side. "Ok, how do I look?"
My heard turned. Holy...
She'd only taken off her glasses and let her braids down, but Shola looked like a completely different person, like a black African angel. Those bambi browns were like crystal jewels, adding on to the beauty of her sweetheart-shaped face. I could've spent the rest of the night staring if she hadn't poked me hard in the tummy.
"Oww!"
"You're doing that staring thing again."
"Sorry, it's just... you look amazing without your glasses."
"Oh, so I look ugly when I wear my glasses?"
"What? No! I didn't mean-"
"Relax broseph, I was just messing with you," she giggled. "C'mon, the festival is going to last forever." She slipped past me, braids dancing to the tunes of the wind.
She was like my very own Cinderella. And like a Prince Charming, chasing after her heart, I ran to catch up with her as we began our art-filled journey through the swarm of people. From the handicrafts, to the colourful murals and beautifully patterned pots, it felt as if we'd immersed ourselves in a sea of skillful artistry.
"Wow, everything looks well made," Shola commented, trying on a comically large straw hat with beaded decoration.
"I know right." I set down the mini *sankofa statue I was looking at.
"So have you ever been to this festival before?" Shola put the hat back on the rack and made her way out of the tent.
I followed suit with a reply to her question. "Naah, this is actually my first time here. Although we do have a similar festival back in my hometown."
"Really?" She sounded intrigued.
"Yeah, Fetu Afahye. It's usually this week long celebration with football games, local cuisine and lots of traditional dances. My favourite part of the festival is the Orange Friday parade. It's this carnival where everyone dresses up in orange and we go around town, dancing with the masqueraders." A smile touched my lips. "When I was six, I remember dousing myself in orange paint for the parade. But before it even began, my mother found me and was completely horrified by my appearance."
"Oh God no," Shola laughed. "What did she do? No wait, lemme guess... she rained a thunderstorm of insults on your head."
"Yep, in addition to a whopping of a lifetime."
"Typical African mothers." She shook her head.
"Yeah, but we still love them, no matter how many times they scold us."
"You've got that right," she giggled, then turned to the nearest tent. "Oh beaded jewelry!"
An assortment of them were on display under the tent and Shola did not hesitate to give them a quick browse.
"Think we should get some for our mums?"
"Yeah sure." I followed her inside. Now that she'd brought it up, this was the perfect opportunity to get something nice for my mother and little sister.
Whilst the shop attendant helped Shola try on a couple of the necklaces, I strolled through the shop, admiring the colourful beaded stones. At first, I didn't know which ones to pick because there were all so beautiful, but I soon came up with a strategy to select based on personality.
My mother was someone who never really liked flashy or expensive stuff, mostly because she never had the money to afford them. She was more of a modest, simple person, so I chose to get her a nice sea blue crystalline necklace with matching earrings and a bracelet which would pair well with her favourite *kaba and slit.
Finding the perfect gift for Kukua took a while, because I wanted something that reflected her bubbly nature. A bright yellow bracelet, mixed with a dash of pristine white beads seemed to fit the requirements, so I picked it up and added it to the stuff I needed to pay for. I was just about to turn around when a shiny bead caught my eye.
Curiosity pushed me closer to find a black pearl bracelet with a crystal star in the middle. With every move in my hand, the object shimmered. It reminded me of someone, a particular person who meant a lot to me.
"Oooh that's pretty." Shola's sudden appearance nearly startled me. "You should get it for your mum, I'm sure she'd love it."
"Actually..." I scratched the back of my head. "I wasn't thinking of getting for my mum."
"Really? Who are you getting for then?"
"You."
"Me?" Her eyebrows flew up. "Why?"
"Cuz you're the first person I thought of when I saw it. Plus it matches your personality perfectly." Taking her left hand, I gently clasped the bracelet round her bare wrist. "There, see."
Shola stared at the jewelery. "I... I don't think I can accept it."
My heart jumped. "Why not?"
"Because I...didn't think of getting you anything." Embarrassment touched her features. "And I spent all my money on-"
"It doesn't matter," I laughed. "I'm not giving it to you because I want something in return, I'm giving it to you because... you don't just have the beauty of a black pearl, you have the uniqueness of a star, and I want everyone else to see it too."
Shola looked up, brimming with the prettiest smile I'd ever seen on her face. "You and your words."
I shrugged. "Hey, anything to make you forget that corny pick-up line I used the first day I met you."
"That is not gonna happen," she giggled then toyed with the pearls on her wrist. "But thanks for the bracelet, Akwasi. I love it."
All I could do was to stare like a deer in headlights. I knew she didn't like it, but I couldn't help it. There was no doubt that I'd fallen for her, almost to the point of no return and I wouldn't change a thing about it. This was who I wanted to be with. I wanted to be with Shola. I wanted to pull her close to me and kiss her senseless. But the shop attendant chose that exact moment to cut into our moment with a mild cough.
Remembering that I still had to pay for the beads, I quickly settled the bill and we both exited the tent, hand in hand. We spent the next hour or two exploring other festive activities and later joined an ongoing music concert. Ckay, one of Nigeria's legendary Afropop stars, wowed the crowd with a stunning surprise appearance before driving the crowd into a dance frenzy with his latest hit, featuring Kwame Eugene and Joeboy.
Amidst colourful lights, Shola and I danced the night away. Half the time I didn't know what I was doing, but I didn't care. I just felt the need to have fun and let loose and the thumping music made it so easy. The beats were impossible to resist. It travelled through my body, moving every bone and muscle.
Heat entered the mix when Shola's body moved in sync with mine. It didn't feel like we were in a crowd anymore. We were in our own world, dancing our issues away, and like a man desperate for his woman, I wished in the deepest part of my heart to remain in this world for as long as time could permit.