New Book: Life and Curveballs
Hello, the book above contains a collection of stories that I have written over the years. Interesting short stories and a play. It can be found on Amazon. Find link below https://a.co/d/0aZUBXuH
Short Stories
IF I DO
Written by Jennifer Azubuike I recall the moment Mark proposed. We were shopping for shoes and had turned into a quiet corner so I could sit and try on some sandals when he went down on one knee. I thought he did so to help me buckle the sandal, but he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. Inside contained a gold ring with an oval cut diamond. He took it out, held it in one hand then looked up at me. All this time I watched him and managed to stay calm but my heart was pounding resoundingly in my chest as I realized what was happening. “What should I say?” I thought. “Should I just say yes? Oh, God! I don’t know if I have thought this through. Maybe I should feign nausea and run to the bathroom to gain time to think.” My thoughts raced and I broke out into a sweat. Thankfully, he had the decency of not proposing under the watchful eyes of strangers. Yet, I felt a large amount of pressure. My throat closed up and my tongue felt paralyzed in my mouth. “If you’re so fearful, why are you in a relationship with him? Were you never expecting him to propose or was your relationship not that serious?” You may ask. Our relationship was serious and yes, I had a hunch he’d propose. The truth is that beyond the fact that a yes to Mark was a big decision with a lifetime consequence, there was more…let me tell it in a story. * * * Three years earlier, a bubbly Naya and my bright-eyed self reported to our pastor’s office for an appointment on a beautiful morning. While we waited for our turn, we bantered and giggled softly. It was an exciting time for my sister because she was looking forward to being hitched to the love of her life. While sitting there, however, Naya showed an undercurrent of nervousness. She would occasionally pick her nails or wriggle her fingers. “Ms. Obi, the pastor is ready to see you.” The secretary called. “OK. Thank you.” Naya replied to the secretary then turned to me. “Kay, Please wait here for me.” “Where would I go if you have the car keys? Good luck.” I smiled at her. I watched my sister walk into the office and fiddled with my nails. Somehow, I contracted her nervousness unwillingly. As I reflect now, I wonder if I was nervous for Naya or myself. “The wedding could be canceled even on its scheduled day if they fail to meet all requirements specified by the church,” I remembered an elder telling my mother several months before. After eavesdropping on that conversation, I subtly picked up a conversation with my sister to gauge her readiness for the strict rules she could face. “Of course, I will follow all the rules within reason.” Naya shrugged “What if they insist you cannot have a bridal train?” I asked again. “I don’t mind that at all.” “What if you cannot kiss your groom during the ceremony.” “That is fine. I want our first kiss to be intimate anyway.” “What if you cannot exchange rings for your vows.” “That is not possible. Ring exchange is a significant part of making vows.” “I know, but what if?” “Like I said, I will follow all rules as long as they are within reason,” I noted that my sister was somewhat oblivious to the strictness surrounding weddings here and I don’t blame her. I and Naya traveled to the U.K at the tender age of 7 and 11 respectively, and spent most of our teenage and young adult years there. Two years ago, Naya, finished her schooling and started working to support me until I finished too. We knew it was time to return to our home country after Sunny formally proposed to her. Since we returned, there have been varying degrees of culture shock. Regardless, we have tried to adjust since it is our original home, culture, people, and community. Today, I am nervous because I know that whatever be the outcome of today’s meeting will set the tone for my wedding in the future since I cannot feign ignorance to any degree. But I convinced myself that I shouldn’t be worried since that future is still far off. I was not in any serious relationship yet. Nonetheless, this church has been my family’s church for several generations and it is where I would be expected to tie the knot whenever that time comes. Approaching footsteps interrupted my reverie. “You’re done already?” “Let’s leave.” “You don’t look happy. What happened?” “Let’s just go,” Naya said in a near-breaking voice. “Please tell me what happened?” “We will talk in the car,” Naya said as she turned to walk away. Seated in the car, my sister wanted to start the engine and drive. “Hold up! You are making me anxious. What the heck happened?” “I got into the office and was expecting to get a date confirmed since we had already submitted several dates for the church to choose from. Instead, the pastor asked me a series of questions, and at the end concluded that I and Sunny are not ready to set a date yet.” “Why would he say that?” I asked, surprised. “Well, according to him we have not fulfilled the major requirements.” Naya tried to mimic the pastor. “We can start working on them. Did
The Lost Virtue of Patience
Written by Jennifer Azubuike “How long will it take?” Nina asked the young lady who just took her order. “About five minutes.” She replied with a smirk. Nina got the cue that she wanted her to step aside for the next customer, so she left the queue and walked to one of the empty chairs to sit. There was already a long line of people waiting to give orders or pick up whatever they ordered. “Thank God it’s just coffee.” She sighed. Almost immediately a male voice started yelling at another man in front of him in the queue. “Dude, that’s rude! You cannot cut in line like that!” The guy being yelled at seemed completely oblivious to his angry counterpart who continued to rant and cause a scene. The angry man, probably frustrated that the offender is ignoring him, shoved the nonchalant guy. He turned around and faced him but was still not saying a word. His composure was as serene as a calm river on a Spring morning only looking surprised. Suddenly, Nina understood. She typically would not intervene in a fight involving strangers especially on a notorious street like Castro, but something moved her. As she rose to her feet, she heard her name. It was the waiter calling. She walked towards the counter instead to pick up her cup of coffee, but on her way out, she stopped in front of the party and turned towards the angry man whose wrath was beginning to lose steam. “Sorry sir, but I had hoped you’d notice that the man you are yelling at is deaf.” Nina’s words caused a sudden hush. She stepped out of the store without another word. Outside the cafe, she walked briskly to her car parked among other cars lining the side of the road bumper to bumper on either side. It was just as rowdy on the street as it was inside the cafe. Moving cars, motorbikes and bicycles struggled for the space left on the road while a flood of pedestrians avoided bumping into each other as they streamed up and down the walkway and in and out of stores. Just as she got closer to her car a driver honked repeatedly. At first, Nina thought she was in the way of a car but when she looked up, the blasting horn was directed at another driver parallel parking into a spot. Almost immediately, this honking driver wound down his window and started raining curses and making foul gestures. Nina shook her head and got in her car. Anyone who has tried parking on a congested city street should know that parallel parking takes a few turns and a few minutes, so why the aggression? But just then her phone rang. “You were supposed to change the engine oil, not the car engine. What’s taking you so long?” Her dad bellowed on the other end of the call. “Sorry Pa, the shop was low on technicians today, so the wait time was longer.” “Well, hurry up and get here. I don’t want to be late.” “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Nina replied before he hung up. She sighed. Fifteen minutes later, she drove up in front of their house. Her dad was already standing at the door with his briefcase. He started walking towards her the moment she pulled up, but mom came running behind him. “Dan, wait, you left these papers on the table, and they look important.” She passed some papers to dad. “Yea, I don’t need them. I left them on purpose.” He handed them back. “Are you sure you have everything you need?” “I do.” He replied impatiently and started again towards the car, but his wife stopped him. “You should go over those papers again to make sure you have everything. You know how important this deal is.” “Give it a rest. You think I don’t know? I have been working on this proposal for weeks and poured over it last night. I have everything I need.” He yelled at his wife and left her looking dejected while he matched towards the car. Nina observed the interaction between her parents and shook her head again. Her dad got in the car, and she drove him to the office where he was to present his business proposal to some high-profile business moguls. The meeting will make a difference in whether dad’s business expands or closes down. After several applications, it was a miracle that dad was enlisted to vie for a contract. Nina was waiting in the office lobby when a text from her dad popped in. “Hey, I will be out in five minutes.” She got into the car and started the engine as soon she saw her dad approaching. “Well?” Nina gazed at him expectantly when he entered. “I think I lost it.” “Meaning?” “They loved my presentation and my business plan seemed to have impressed them, but I didn’t have my resume when they asked for it.” “Oh no! Is it at home? Can I go get it?” “It is no use. There are too many competitions. They have moved on to someone else.” “But mom said…” “I know what your mom said, and I regret not listening.” He said and buried his head in his hands. “I am a businessman. What do they need my resume for anyway?” “Will you be okay?” Nina was worried, but he did not reply to her. “Dad. I don’t think it is you, it must be something in the air.” “What does that mean?” He looked up at his daughter puzzled. “Everywhere I turn people seem intolerant of someone or something. As if something is making everyone on edge.” “Have I been on edge?” “A little, but it is not your fault.” Her father sighed. “Nini, I get it. You don’t have to be polite.” “But it is not your fault…” “Honey, if everyone else is on edge, I ought to know better. Besides, I have
A Priceless Puzzle Piece
Written by Jennifer Azubuike “I did what I did to my boss because he was too cruel. He is lucky he survived. I regret nothing.” Willis said to his seatmate while looking aimlessly into the empty space ahead of him. Someone served him a drink. He collected the cup from the young lad and sipped from it mindlessly before putting it down on the table. He watched the lad walk away then turned again to his mate, Yati. “Isn’t he a little too young? What did he do to be put here?” He said as he nodded toward the lad. “Who? Joe?” “Yeah. Whatever his name is.” “I don’t know his story. The boy hardly speaks about himself.” “I can make him talk.” Willi’s face lit up in a mischievous smile as he took another sip from his cup. “I suggest you let him be. The young chap is just happy serving everyone.” “I am just curious.” Willis shrugged. Yati Humped and gave his pal a warning look before leaving his company. Willis continued to watch Joe as he walked from one table to another refilling cups of the other prisoners or removing used food trays. He wanted to let go of the thought, but curiosity got the better of him. * * * * —Thank you for reading! The rest of this story will be available in a book coming soon—
MUNA
Written by Jennifer Azubuike “You cannot build integrity on promiscuity, it is madness!” Muna disdainfully mimicked the words of his neighbor and hissed. He pushed the center table aside and looked underneath but could not find the remote anywhere on the floor. He could have sworn he saw it on the table that morning. How am I supposed to turn down the volume of this blasting TV? How did it get so loud anyway? He thought to himself. Personally he didn’t mind it but he was afraid Elder Tim would complain again. Elder Tim, that grumpy old fellow. He never seemed pleased with anything. “My brother and I are promiscuous?” Muna humphed and shook his head. How dare him insinuate we are promiscuous. Has he even seen his granddaughter? That Jezebel throws herself at any man who as much as makes passes at her. Besides, he doesn’t even know us. I mean he doesn’t care to get to know who we are. The other time Jean visited, I tried to introduce her and the best he could do was smirk and walk into his house without saying hello. So rude! If he had waited he would have gotten to know that she is my sister and not a random girl. I mean he’d know I have four sisters! Muna moved to the couch and lifted the throw pillows but found nothing underneath them. He straightened up and looked around again. “And this useless new TV has no control button attached to the body.” He cursed. That moment the smell of raw tobacco started to seep into the house prompting Muna to shut the windows. That could only mean that the old man is already sitting on his patio again. He snuffs tobacco as the clock works. He smokes like a chimney but has the guts to judge innocent me as promiscuous. Does he even know the meaning of the word? I doubt it! I think he meant to say ‘promising.’ Yeah he probably meant to refer to me and Adam as promising young men. You know what? I will take it as that. We are promising young men! He opened the drawers of the TV stand, and inside the bottom drawer he found the remote. How the heck did it get there? Muna turned down the volume of the TV. “I have told Adam countless times that the volume of this TV does not have to be the source of his deafness, but if he doesn’t care about his eardrums he should care about mine and turn this shit down when he is done using it.” He retrieved his jacket from the dining chair and threw it over his shoulder before starting upstairs. Again, he recalled the spiteful look on the face of Elder Tim that morning when he tried to say hi. Sometimes he feels some sort of pressure to prove himself to that man; a chance to prove his innocence, credibility, integrity…whatever. “How can someone know so little about a person, yet despises them so much? Such a self-righteous bigot!” Muna hissed. As he walked past the door to Adam’s room, he heard a sound coming from the room and stopped. He checked his wristwatch. It was 11:30 AM. Adam should be in his office. He saw him get in his car that morning for work. What then was that sound? He moved closer and was about to push the door open when it occurred to him to take caution. Just on the ground in front of the door laid a hat. He bent over and examined it closely but didn’t recognize it to belong to him or Adam. Besides, his brother never wears hats. Suddenly it hit him. They were being robbed! Muna quickly retreated back to the kitchen in search of a weapon. He picked up a bread knife but set it down again. “If the thief is taller than me then I need something bigger.” He said to himself as he searched for something else. Behind the fridge, he found a rod of about twenty-four inches and picked it up but also added a kitchen knife. Stealthily, he walked back upstairs armed with a rod in one hand and the knife in the other. When he arrived at the door, he steadied his trembling hands and set himself to attack as soon as the door opened. On a second thought, he changed his mind and kicked the door forcefully. The door swung open with a bang! Muna rushed into the room, raised his hand to strike but hung it in the air. It took a minute for his brain to comprehend the sight his vision transmitted to them. In another split second, the adrenaline rush he had felt melted into weakness; a weakness so overpowering that he dropped the knife and narrowly missed stabbing his own foot. Adam was lying on somebody in his bed naked. Muna could not see the other person but whoever it was must have a really small stature. The party got startled when Muna entered. Adam quickly rolled off the other side of the bed while trying to hide his nakedness. The other party pulled the duvet over his or her head to hide as well. Muna couldn’t see the face. “Mu..muna!” Adam stuttered at his brother who stared back at him confused. “What are you doing, Adam?” He didn’t respond but looked like a child caught doing what he should not be doing. Out of curiosity, Muna walked to the bed and pulled back the duvet to uncover the person lying there. In shock, he looked at his brother and screamed “Adam! What? Adam what is this?!” The girl tried to hide herself again but in vain. Ashamed and confused about what to do, she burst into tears. Muna stared at the twelve year old daughter of their neighbor and back again at his brother in disbelief. He had seen this girl a few times with her mother
GOD HEARS…
Written by Jennifer Azubuike It must have been a normal day in heaven. Angels taking orders; YAHWEH, maybe, reviewing orders; the twenty-four Elders and the Seraphim worshiping; Jesus advocating… Just a regular day – when all of a sudden there was a stand still because The Most High ordered a hush! Angel Gabriel turned around to see what the sudden hush was about and found The Father with Christ by His side looking intently down into the earth. Something big must be happening down there to call such attention. He leaned to another angel and asked, “What did I miss?” “Uhm…I am not sure.” The Angel replied. Gabriel moved closer to see. In Babylon there were three young men standing in front of a crowd. This large crowd were all before a magnificent man-like image of earthen gold. He could see a furious King huffing and puffing at these young men. By divine supernatural knowledge, Gabriel could see that these three men were righteous. Who are they and why are they drawing so much attention from us? Gabriel thought. Curiously, he listened intently to the conversation among the men as he could hear it. At that time, everyone in Heaven could hear it. “We serve a living God and will not worship your golden image O King.” The three men chorused. * * * Let’s rewind to how it started. Earlier that year, there had been rumors in the capital city of Babylon that the King was working on a big project. Shadrack was sitting in his office one day when the Chief engineer brought in a budget for approval. “What?! What kind of project would require such big budget?” “Well, it’s a new god for Babylon and the King wants it to be grand. In fact, it is being made entirely of gold that is why the budget is big. I just need you to sign here.” Shadrack shook his head as he signed off on the budget. There are so many gods littered around Babylon, what difference would this one make even if was made of gold? It won’t speak or do anything helpful besides just being a new center of attraction to Babylonians for another few years. Being of Hebrew descent, the God of his own ancestors has evidence that He is alive and spoke to the people when He wanted. The gods in Babylon do not do such. Personally, he thought it was dumb to invest so much in something so useless, but he was only an overseer, and does not really have a say when it directly involved the King. Afterwards, Shadrack did not think much of the incident again except for mentioning it in passing to his friends – Daniel, Meshack and Abednego – until that fateful day. An order had gone out to have every person that held a leadership position in the country to gather at the temple for an occasion. The invitation read ‘Dedication of the King’s image.’ It was signed by the King was very important. Right off the bat, Daniel declined to attend. Daniel was a man of impeccable reputation and has long established it publicly that he only worshiped one God – that is the God of his ancestors. Even the King knows this and reveres him for it. Therefore, nobody bothered that he did not attend. However, Shadrack was curious to see the project he had heard so much about. Meshack and Abed-nego went out of a sense of duty to the King. Little did they know that they would end up in the precarious position of choosing whether to bow or not to bow to the king’s image. * * * [Back to present] King Nebuchadnezzar laughed hysterically. “Here, I will give you another chance. Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn… and all kinds of music and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?” Shadrack, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied without hesitation “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!” Gabriel smiled. So that is what is drawing the attention of Heaven. They are men of incredible faith. He looked on. The King was aggravated by their response and immediately commanded that the burning fiery furnace be heated seven times hotter. He had to appease his injured pride. These three Hebrew men will be a public example of what happens to anyone who tried to make mockery of him. He will destroy them by burning them alive. At that moment, there was a great stir in Heaven. What will The Father do? Will He let these men be martyred? Gabriel laid a hand on his sword still sheathed and looked at The Father. His thoughts were clear, “At thy command my Lord, and I will go.” But The Most High raised a hand to calm the stir and turned to Jesus. “Son, will you go?” “But Father, it is not my time to manifest on earth, yet.” “I know, but Nebuchadnezzar challenged Me, so I want him to see Me.” “Hmmm…Okay, I will go, My Father, I will keep them safe.” Heaven rejoiced and continued to watch as Jesus descended to earth. When King Nebuchadnezzar followed through with his threat and threw the young men into the furnace even the henchmen that took them to the furnace died from the heat. But
CHOICES 1
Inside the building of the multimillion-dollar Tech Company, the regular daily buzz was ongoing with a little twist of excitement for the upcoming big wedding. The boss’s assistant walked into the general secretary’s office. The woman was startled when Matt walked in. “Good morning Liz! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” “You’re early. Is the boss already in his office?” “No, He’s not coming in today. Actually, it’s the reason I’m here. He wants you to take care of these files. He said the Vice would know what to do with the sealed envelopes, so hand them to him when he comes in. In addition, clear his schedule for tomorrow and Friday, he needs the time off for personal stuff.” Liz rolled her eyes. “You say ‘personal stuff’ like we don’t know it’s about his wedding.” “Yeah, whatever, it’s still his stuff.” “I am so excited for him though.” “Me too.” “The boss is the ideal groom, you know. He’s tall, handsome, kind, compassionate, and rich.” Liz leaned on one hand resting on her desk and rattled off dreamily. “Liz, Liz concentrate. He’s taken.” “I know, I know. Unfortunately so.” Matt curiously drew closer and asked. “Wait, you had a crush on Mr. Dave?” She blushed and sat up straight. “No! Of course not. He is young enough to be my son.” HELLO…THIS STORY WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE BOOK COMING SOON. See other stories here
FINDING ME 1
Written by Jennifer Azubuike “Ladies and gentlemen please give a round of applause as I call on the winner of this year’s writers’ award to join me on stage. Mr John Mathews.” The thundering sound of clapping erupted as John marched to the front. The hem of his prime suit flapped rhythmically to his movement as he climbed the shorts stairs in quick steps onto the stage. The presenter handed him a plaque and exchanged handshakes with him as he mouthed his ‘thankyous’ in the deafening sound of applause. Face beaming with excitement, he gave a quick glance at the object in his hand and saw his name engraved in gold on the diamond shaped glass plaque. The clapping continued and some folks even stood as they clapped. When the clapping died down, John stepped up to the microphone for a vote of thanks but when he opened his mouth, the words would not come out. He knew what he wanted to say. His mouth formed the words but the sound would just not come. “John! John! Wake up.” A hand slapped him on the shoulder to rouse him from sleep. John opened his eyes and shut them back in reflex to the light shining above his head. He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and sat up. His right arm felt numb from laying on it. He looked in the direction of the person who woke him. It was Kenneth sitting in the next cubicle. “What time is it?” “It is 4am.” “What? No!” “Yeah, you slept the entire time. I tried several times to wake you in vain, but when you started that mouth exercise, I just had to force you up because it was weird.” “What mouth exercise?” Thank you for reading! The rest of this story will be available in a book coming soon. Read another interesting story here
Our Christmas Tradition
Even in the most inconvenient moments, we can switch our perspective to find reasons for gratitude. That is what this Christmas story is about.
WHY THE FLAG WON’T FLY
Written by Jennifer Azubuike Fayemi appeared in the living room in khaki shorts and a singlet with a small bag slung over her right shoulder. She carried her sneakers across the room and without a word to her mother, dumped them just outside the front door before going back inside. A couple minutes later, she re-emerged with a t-shirt over her singlet unbuttoned and seemed ready to hurry out the door. “Where are you going, young woman?” Fayemi was reluctant to reply. She knew her mother would not support her joining a potentially volatile thing as a protest. She had waited for the elderly woman to leave the house before going out but Mami lingered and didn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. Besides, there’s been pressure mounting on Fayemi from watching the protest unfold online. She craved to be part of it; to be part of the peaceful protests that have been going on nationwide for about a week, including in her city. “I am going to the protest, Mami.” “Which protest?” Thank you for reading! The rest of this story will be available in a book coming soon. Read other interesting stories here
