Wanda's tale by Ritkatmwa Gwan Episode 5

Awkwardness!!

“Wanda, Wanda, Wanda” her silence echoed…

Back to reality: 

The next few days were pretty weird…One would think after the kiss/peck, whatever it was, this two shared a whirlwind romance would have commenced, NO!… Wanda had mastered a plan and it was working at least for the time being. 

I mean it was barely a peck on the lips….why make so much of a small thing….

Jude was more frustrated it was the forth day after ‘the incident’ and he hadn’t seen her at the department, even Oiza was now avoiding him. 

He was in luck… “Oiza!!..” Jude knew she could hear him, he took three strides and caught her arm, “ are you avoiding me?” “Me? why, you?” her obvious confusion was all the response he needed, “where is she? is she ok, has she been avoiding me and in the process missing classes?”

she didn’t have time to answer because he kept his interrogation going.. You see, these two could barely tolerate each other with Wanda around and his patient was always thin with her..he had to make a tight fist pressing his nails hard into his plam to stop himself, it was the same everytime and who is not to say she was feeding Wanda some holier than thou nonsense that’s why she’s avoiding him…..  

Oiza cut in like the sassy one she was “ah, Jude calm down. “Yes, yes and No” 

He was puzzled and very sure she would get what she deserved soon.. “what do you mean yes, yes and no?”  knowing Oiza  he was ready to take whatever sassiness that came with her today. “you asked I answered”… th frown lines on his forehead was no cosmetic…he was working up a storm…

 “ok so Wanda is avoiding me, she is fine and isn’t missing lectures?” She gave him a plastic smile (the kind you fake when trying to get out of an awkward situation) “something like that, see you’re smart after all” In another scenario a slap would have followed her loud mouth, did she know who he was, he knew if he gave her the slap he was preparing it might ruin all chances with Wanda…”patience,patience” he told himself…”so where is she,I need to see her, we need to talk?”…

Oiza wasn’t strong armed by Jude, she didn’t even like the guy but he had these eyes that pierced and she was genuinely scared what he might do to her had she refused. “yes he was light skinned, looked sharp and had a suave to him… but he had these eyes that weren’t blue but had a certain hue only someone of mixed race or albinism could have..they were beautiful eyes oh (even she could see that) but even the devil appears as an angel of light and this devil, Oiza did not trust. She knew encouraging this budding romance was bad but Wanda had the deciding to do.

Her little bubble was busted…“Wanda!” “before you run off, don’t blame Oiza, I literarily dragged her here, well, something close to that”  

She was lost in the stare of his eyes, there was a twinkle to it at a certain angle from the light…his eyes were teary but not that he was tearing up, he was just perfect there was a hint of silent rage but she didn’t notice that… He was still asking himself why this girl had such a hold on Him…. Maybe it was her resemblance to Vickky that intrigued him but was this a good thing? 

“What say you Wanda?”  she didn’t hear anything he had said but she nodded anyway and the broad smile on his face only meant one thing, they were officially a couple…

Stepping into deep waters.

By now it's no surprise to many that I doodle and like to write, for those who are just finding this out, follow "Wanda's Tale" my ongoing series (we're in Episode 4 already so you have some reading up to do) Twitter @RitgwanFacebook, facebook.com/Ritz.Gwan 

Monday's and Thursday's are now dedicated to creative writing...the stories, tales and doodles (😀)

From the month of February I will be introducing "For the Love of Travel" where I will continue to write about my love for traveling until I begin to travel and document those adventures (😀), this will be Tuesday's and Fridays.

I reserved Wednesday's for a special project, "Living your best life" is something I started in 2014 but dropped along the way, now it's back and better...This captures mostly pointers to living an abundant life, the voicing promises to be as interesting and as creative as possible, some of you will be conscripted to share with me some tips to living an abundant life...

2017 is the year of stepping out.... January was a blast. Thank you for encouraging me through "Wanda's Tale" as the story unfolds I assure you, it is only the beginning of great things this year.....

By late February another series "WIFE MATERIAL" will premiere, you don't want to miss this.
Cheers to an exciting 2017..

Wanda's Tale Episode 4

A Friendship is born?

Jude had two carryover courses and unlike before, he now had reason to attend the lectures more frequently, Wanda had become his new obsession and the two had become somewhat comfortable and a harmless visit to room C-14 didn’t look like a bad idea. 

Oiza in her usual fashion had reservations…”Wanda you know what they say about C block boys; don’t say I didn’t warn you”..A puzzled Wanda had stumbled on some Maya Angelou literature recently and she felt the need to express herself…”Babe, why box the guy in a stereotypical description…because he stays on a block doesn’t make him akin to the behavioural pattern dominant there”…All this English, Wanda, don’t say I didn’t warn you sha”. 

“it seems you don’t have friends?” Wanda’s question seemed like a concern even though she tried to coat it.. This had “RED FLAG” written all over it but the butterflies in her stomach didn’t leave much room for thoughts.

“I like my sanity”; “trust me I’ve had friends on this campus and in three years none has proven worthy”.. “your royal majesty or should I say your royal flyness” both caught a laugh and Jude took the opportunity to cup a feel of her breast. 

“AH!!!” “please, I’m not that kind of..” he didn’t even let her finish “I’m sorry, I slipped, I ehmmmm, I’m sorry”. Now they could barely make eye contact and the tiny room felt more like a cubicle, she was running out of breath.. “ I have to go”. The C-block stereotype wasn’t a lie after all… 

“but I said I was sorry, I really am” Wanda was already on her feet and in all honesty she didn’t mind that he had felt her up she just didn’t want to appear easy. Since she started it, she intended to continue with the charade until she knew for sure who this guy truly was.

Few weeks ago Jude was a figure in the University census as far as she was concerned; now, he intrigued her and his mystic appearance didn’t make it easy. Even he knew he was a catch but what was it to him? Wanda knew there was more and she was keen on finding out. She quietly had a thing for ‘bad boys”, now that Jude was looking like one, he seemed all the more her type…..hmmmmmm

“ I’ll walk you out then, I apologise I didn’t mean to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable”

now Wanda was feeling bad and in her head she thought “…me sef, and this guy is a gentleman oh..” as if reading her mind he says “ I insist you go and return whenever you feel comfortable, even I am embarrassed now.” Jude knew he was putting up an act; in another place and time things would be happening, no talking involved…

It was a quiet walk to her hostel and since men weren’t allowed in he knew he had to say something before she disappeared into the night and possibly never speak to him again…just as the noise of the busy commercial area was drowning out he moved closer, leaned in as if to say “good…” the night was muffled in the kiss she gave him, “hmmmm” before he could respond or even get it through his head what just happened, she had slipped through the gate… 

There were no mobile phones then so he knew it would be a long night… 

A shaking Wanda walked briskly “What did I just do?!! what are we now?” her walk was in a bid to avoid the scorpions that could be lurking in the dark and trying to get further away from what she had just done… 

Had Wanda awoken a sleeping dog?

"Wanda's Tale" by Ritkatmwa Gwan Episode 3

Wanda meets Jude:
It was a hot Wednesday afternoon and the scotching sun on campus seemed hotter than usual. Wanda made her way through OAU walk, she had just 5minutes to the start of lectures and she didn’t want to sit outside. Professor Koroma would let you sit in the scotching Northeastern Sun if you were five minutes late to his class….not to mention the Maiduguri flies that seemed high on steroids.
She could tell someone was trying to get her attention but she was the least bit bothered.“These guys don’t know when to toast girl abi”…the sweat trickling down her back wasn’t the only thought running through her head, her misplaced face towel was competing for her thoughts …“ excuse me, hi” Wanda’s patience was thin at the point and without a second glance at whoever it was she blurted out her repugnance…“ahh, what is it, can’t you see I’m late for a lecture? please, I don’t have time for this” and walked off.He looked at the purple face towel in his hand and walked quietly behind her. He knew he had seen her before…trust me, this wasn’t a cliche move he knew she needed the towel.Just as Wanda was beginning to enjoy the coolness of the barely functioning fan in the lecture theatre Cynthia passed her face towel, “that guy said I should give this to you”… Her flushed face did no help masking her embarrassment.She quickly looked away and the lecture seemed like an eternity…she would almost forget he was there but each time she tried to steal a glance, their eyes met; those eyes…. “what is this?” He looked too good to be trying for her attention...With Prof out of the way, she knew he would walk up to her, what would she say…before she had a chance to gather her thoughts he was a few feet from her desk, his perfume had a soft smell of talc almost like a baby smell to it…his presence was over powering..."is he that tall or it's cos I'm sitting?"
“I’m sorry about earlier, I,I,I…” her stutter was more embarrassing…
, “it’s fine, you wouldn’t have known I had the face towel, it’s OK…”
with an almost convincing gentlemanly demeanour he stretched out his hand for a handshake and Wanda was awed by his smile.
“I’m Jude”……” ammm, I mean, I’m Wanda”.
Her heart rate was accelerated, the sweating had returned….why did one hand shake have so much effect on her?!
Watch out for Episode 4 next Monday... feel free to Comment, like and share...

Episode 2 "Wanda's Tale" by Ritkatmwa Gwan

Episode 2

The night was hot, a constant reminder of the scorching Abuja heat but PHCN had struck and trying to pacify two angry toddlers in these conditions wasn’t easy; Jude didn’t seem to care, she didn’t want him agitated either. 

The neighbors’ son had been frantic and his wails could be heard a block away. Jayden was teething and Wanda in normal fashion  had offered “unsolicited advice, but it seemed Bonnie didn’t heed.

The sleeping beast didn’t need any agitation, he was troubled..was he having a mid-life crisis? she didn’t seem to understand what it was with her husband..

“why would I call my wife in my own house and she won’t respond? “Wanda?, woman where are you?…she almost slipped trying to get to the sitting room; 

are you stupid? she looked puzzled, did he want an answer? “hon, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you call, I was trying to put the kids down for a nap…” “so I’m now lying” she knew better not to pick an argument but he had been edgy since his return from work. She was still limping and nursing her dislocated rib from last week’s beating, another would probably leave her hospitalized. 

Before she could muster the words ‘I’m Sorry’ his punch hit her so hard she was thrown off balance. It was now her cries for help and pleas to her attacker, her lover, father of her children that filled the air. The neighbors were more angry than sorry, they needed the peace and quite… so, no one came, no one , even Bonnie was tired and Jayden’s teething didn’t leave any room for sympathy. As her cries faded so did her breath… The neighbours were getting frustrated but when the sobbing ended everyone thought; “peace at last”…“finally some peace and quiet…now we can sleep”

-- The shrill cry from Wanda’s house pierced the early dawn, “not again” the neighbours taught it was too early to start. As Bonnie rolled over to pick a cranky Jayden her eye caught the night stand clock it was 4:25AM…”what could Wanda and Jude be up to this early?” 

In another 8 days, her thought in this exact moment would race through her mind standing by the coffin like some dejavu… 

...Next week Monday (Episode 3 ) we get a little deeper into how it all began.

"WANDA’S TALE" BY Ritkatmwa Gwan

EPISODE 1
Wanda was young and by many standards beautiful. She was swept off her feet in her 200 level, contrary to her terms she agreed to a whirlwind romance.
The proposal was wonderful, fit for a movie scene. Then she said yes.
It was the first day of camp and the stress of wedding plans weighed heavy on her mind. A month later the wedding done and NYSC underway, life was sweet. The slap that hit her cheek wasn’t expected; it’s force pushing her to the ground...I thought he was different now?

Her sobs were silent but the stream of tears poured freely… He would later apologize and tag it "an act of the devil".
Months passed: ---Baby in hand and loads of chores to do Wanda ponders what it’ll be like keeping a job; a dream she can’t pursue, her first class certificate lay securely in the bottom of her Echolac box.
‘’hon, don’t you think I should get a job’’ the awkward silence stretched…she feared the beast had been angered by her question; “I could help with up keep” it was the sound of shattering glass that broke her concentration, he had aimed and barely missed her, the tumbler hitting the wall. That night she learnt suggesting help was an insult; after all he was the man.
The news of her second pregnancy came with mixed feelings, friends and family had a glossary of advise “why can’t you leave him, he’ll kill you, what kind of love is this?” Oh! She wished she could provide answers to these questions she had often asked herself. “He loves me, I know he does, he’s just frustrated” “you know a woman is the one that makes the home, just stay and make it work”.
Was it all her fault, had she brought the emotional and physical pains to herself? Did she deserve it all?

The story continues...Episode 2 next week Monday...

Its been sometime since the news of children dying from lead poisoning in Bagega filled the air waves..the media chewed the authorities, the artisans and even the victims depending on the angle the reporter took. Bagega a community obscure to even people in Nigeria became a centre of national and international concern.
June 2010, a routine immunization led to health officials discovering what became a threat to the lives of several hundred thousand people.

Promises were made; the government, the artisans even aid providers. Parents dug the shallow graves and the tiny bodies of their children were laid down…the lead had been ingested through hand-to-mouth contamination when villagers took crushed rocks home for extraction..some even used the utensils from their kitchens…

Zamfara is a mineral-rich state with significant gold deposits and the resulting lead poinsoning was atributed to artisanal minning.

The over 160 children who met their death had been digging for gold and were thought to have contracted malaria. Some research then revealed what health officiala feared; it was lead poisoning.
The Blacksmith Institute was called in to assist in removing the toxic lead. Lead is a naturally occuring heavy metal; it was the unhealth practises that exposed adults and children to the dangers of the metal.
The government had blamed artisans for failing to obey laid down laws…but the question asked is were the artisans aware of laws governing minning if any? Was there regulation? Who was responsible for it?

As part of their efforts to stop the epidemic, government then attacked illegal mining and a clean-up of the area. Treatment camps were established to deal with the crisis and this resulted in some survivors.
Years after, it is not clear what the fate of the local minners became, Young men and women became part of the growing unemployment statistic.
A human rights watch publication pointed out that cooperation between Nigeria’s government and international partners was expected to: implement safer minning practises; conduct envirinmental remediation and test and treat children.
The sites of the tiny graves and the silence around the once busy minning community is a constant reminder of the death and mayhem they went through.
As recent as April this year (2014) research by the lead poisoning
prevention program at the centre for disease control reveals that, children are no longer dying of lead poisoning.

CHANGE!!!

Long time away.
I've been doing some soul searching and have come to the conclusion that CHANGE is necessary at this time (inevitable I dare say). A wise woman (Pastor Mo) recently challenged me to make a change in my life...she wasn't speaking to just me, we were close to 300 in the room but I heard it (i'm sure) clearer than most people.
First I must say I am officially delivered from people...oh trust me, it's a good feeling, I didn't know  I wasn't until I commenced the soul searching. The journey to change stared for me a few years ago, 2010 to be precise that's when I decided to go natural and trust me as hard as I knew it was going to be, I took the plunge.
Now four years after and I'm taking another plunge...this time a harder one (you might say I have a knack for Herculean tasks)...
I am a strong believer that when things are going to happen (good or bad) someone is always ''sent''. My messenger was 1.7 mtrs and 152 pounds (Peace) she said if in 90 days you do anything continuously it becomes a habit; she also said to achieve anything one needs to DECIDE, COMMIT and DO...
so here I am trying to make a healthy life style a habit.
For the next 90 days I'm doing this.
I am not only working on building better life style choices but my attitude, character and becoming a dispenser of good. I want my aura to be on of pure joy and happiness.
Come with me as I share my challenges, Victories and wins with you...health they say is wealth and I'm making a change starting with the girl in the mirror...
90 days,  this is Day 3 and it's been a challenge I tell you.

Restart..

Restart..
welcome to 2014 and 'living your best life'. It's a new year and s time of doing new things.A new begining often signals the start of or commencement of a new thing; it also means to undergo the first of or to begin to do something.
Often we allow our past redefine not just our present but our future.what is that new thing or few things as the case may be that you what to begin doing?it's important to be able to identify them. For me two major things come to mind; first, asking questions and, eating healthy funny you may say. I used to allow missed opportunities get to me; but since I heard a wise man re-state that 'the earth rotates in it's orbit and on it's axis' I know i'll get another go at it. However it's my preparation to face it again that determined what lessons I learnt.
So, as 2014 takes off my first tip to living your best life is "START OVER" I say that again "START OVER". Don't be afraid of a new beginning.  As mysterious as it may seem, it might just be exactly what you need.
"START OVER" and remember to love your best life!

COMING SOON!!!

Some of the greatest human needs is to be understood and appreciated (loved). The world is often filled with messages that tell us we aren't okay or we have failed. In the ''Living your best life" series, we will attempt to address topics that help us live the best life we can while fulfilling the basic human needs.

watch this space!