Chapter Seven – It's Confrontation Season

Farida wanted to really cover all territories and so her first stop was Carl. He was very surprised to see Farida standing at his door and before he could even invite her in, she slipped in.

“Hi. Carl. How’re you doing? I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Hello. I’m good and you? Sure, go ahead” Carl replied. He was curious to hear Farida’s question.

“Is something going on between Boateng and Araba?” she asked. Her eyes were wide as she anticipated the answer.

Carl laughed before catching himself. “Not that I know of. Farida, are you insecure because of what happened yesterday? I can guarantee you that there’s nothing going on between them. At least, not that I know of. Maybe you should ask your boyfriend.”

“Yesterday, I saw Boateng kneeling and begging Araba to forgive him for something but I couldn’t hear what it was. I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard of best friends doing something like that before.”

Carl was genuinely surprised by this news and Farida noticed. She quickly said her goodbye and made her way to her boyfriend’s room. Anyone passing by would see that she was a woman on a mission.

“Boateng, we need to talk” she said, folding her arms and leaning on one foot so her hip pushed out. i call it the 'upset-girlie stance'. Once you see a girl do this, just know whatever she's about to say will not be good. 80% of the time, it's because she's jealous about something. Boateng was immediately nervous.

“I saw you yesterday with Araba. What was that about?” she asked.

Boateng hesitated. “I said something mean to Araba. She got upset and so I apologized.”

“What terrible thing could you have said to possibly warrant having to beg for forgiveness like that?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’ll be embarrassing for Araba” he partially lied. This answer upset Farida more.

“Why do you care so much about how she feels anyway? Boateng you’ve done things to me that made me literally break up with you but you never once knelt down and cried like that. Don’t you see how it looks?”

Boateng decided to play the Uno Reverse card. Basic tactic when you know you're at fault.

“Farida, you’re one to talk. God knows the terrible things you’ve done that I’ve forgiven you for or do you want us to talk about them?”. Issue avoided successfully. You know how there's a game theory in Economics. There should be a game theory in psychology or something.

After a failed attempt at talking to her boyfriend, she headed straight for my room. Today, I had chosen to leave church as soon as service ended because I knew how much Lara hated after-church chatter. I wish I had stayed just a little longer because I didn’t even get the chance to take of my bra when Farida knocked on the door.

I was surprised to see her standing there. She had only ever acknowledged me on occasion and from the encounters I had with her, I knew she didn’t like me. I didn’t care because I didn’t like her either and no wonder I didn’t because she just entered the room without an invitation.

I already knew this conversation was about to be exhausting so I took a seat on my bed. I saw her watch me silently with an angry expression all over her face. I suppose she expected me to ask what bothered her because she was infuriated by my nonchalance.

“Is there something going on between you and Boateng that I should know about?” she asked. Just as she asked the question, Lara emerged from the bathroom. She looked on curiously.

“Uh…no. What do you mean?”

“I mean why is my boyfriend kneeling and asking you for forgiveness. What did he say that was so upsetting to you?”

“Farida, I don’t think that’s any of your business. He’s your boyfriend. Why don’t you ask him?”

She flared up like one of those blonde American old ladies crying for the manager.

“Look, let’s not beat about the bush. I know you like Boateng and like you said, he’s my boyfriend. Stay away from him. Do you understand?”

I was shocked by the dramatics. It looked like a scene straight out of those cheesy American High School dramas.

“First of all, no I don’t…” I started to say but was cut off by Lara.

“Well, aren’t you embarrassed? Can you imagine? Why don’t you go and talk to your boyfriend instead of coming to make a scene here? Araba does not have to do anything. If I were you, I would get out right now.”

Farida was shocked. She looked like no one had ever told her off before and I highly doubt that was the case because the amount of nonsense she was engaged in, there was no way she had never been checked.

“I know it’s not a slut talking to me” she said, trying to make a brave comeback.

Lara chuckled. She lived for a word battle.

“It takes one to know one. Hi twinnie” she said, giving a wave.

Farida was boiling over. She turned over to me, “if you know what’s good for you, stay away from Boateng” she said before leaving.

Reader, by this point I was both amused, annoyed and perplexed. What in the ‘Storm over Paradise’ was going on here? In this 21st century is this the behavior we’re moving with?

Farida was not the only girlfriend with confrontation on her mind because that evening Nana Yaa was at the door. Fortunately, Nana Yaa was of a wiser disposition and much calmer too.

“Hello, Lara. I wanted to talk to you about what happened. Why did you sleep with Kwame? You knew that we were together, I don’t understand” she had asked.

Lara was quiet for what felt like minutes. Nana Yaa’s calm approach made it hard for her to use anger and harsh words to deflect. She now had to face up to the music.

“I knew. I didn’t plan for it to happen. I keep asking myself why I did it and I don’t even know. I just want you to know that I’m really sorry. I know it was wrong and before you found out, I ended things.”

Nana Yaa sat in silence absorbing the information. “Do you love him?” she asked. The question struck Lara because she had been asking herself the same thing for weeks now. Did she?

“No” she said.

“So why did you do it?” Nana Yaa had asked again. It was more a rhetorical question because she didn’t wait for an answer and left. She glanced at me with so much hurt in her eyes that I nearly cried. It was a look of disappointment that I knew what was going on but chose to smile at her like we were friends.

As she left, I went out to meet her. I couldn’t help myself. “Nana Yaa, I’m sorry about everything that has happened” I said. I don’t know what good I expected that to do.

She asked me if I knew about it and I confessed that I did. She only nodded in acceptance and turned to walk away. I watched her go. She looked like she was drained of all life and energy.

When I returned to the room, I saw Lara crying. She wasn’t a crier and this was certainly the first time I had seen her cry about any of her decisions. I held her as she sobbed.

As if Kwame hadn't had enough of acting like the fool, he decided that a trip to Nana Yaa's room was necessary to even things out. You know how in the movies the guy always follows the girl with an "I can explain" and then proceeds to not explain anything? Yes, that's the nonsense Kwame thought was wise to do. I mean what could he say "I'm sorry. I slipped into another girl's bed" or maybe "I was bound and gagged. That is why I cheated".