FATE OR COINCIDENCE

FATE OR COINCIDENCE

[MARCUS' POV]

I was falling. I was falling fast and hard. I was falling fast and hard for Martha Jordan.

A girl whom I barely know but has somehow taken over most of my thoughts, dreams and nights. Ever since Rochelle- my first and only girlfriend, I decided to stay single.

Rochelle and I dated for two years and our relationship ended on a neutral and understandable ground. She was going to school fifty three thousand miles away from me and she felt there was no way we could manage the distance. I tried to convince her otherwise but her mind was made up and I had no choice but to understand her. We still remain very good friends till today. The day I bumped into Martha, it was like I was in a kind of zone and everything seemed to slow down and the focus of the world was on us – me rather because she seemed very unaware of the effect she had on me. She just apologized and went her way. I was drawn to her eyes, deep green pupils that were in the middle of her beautifully large orbs that reminds one of flourishing plants and trees. Before I met her, I had only seen blue, brown, black and barely light green coloured pupils in the eyes but hers were different. Her eyes are alluring and magnet-ing. After the bump and I began to think of her so much, I felt like I might have been charmed or something and right now I do not care if I have been because I really want to get to know her.

I thought about the kiss we shared and it was amazing even though it was something that happened at the spur of the moment, I really plan on making it real with time. Her heat shaped slightly plump lips were soft and inviting and when I backed her against the wall- I wanted to take her right there and then as animalistic and un-gentlemanly as that can sound. When she mildly pushed me back, I hope it was not because the intentions of my heart were showing in my action- I really hope so.

I have been staring at her phone number for some time now. I have constructed over a dozen messages that suggests a friendly salutation with a hint of me wanting to see her but once I read the message after typing, I see it as outrageous and scandalous and eventually end up deleting it. I really am hopeless. With a small talk of encouragement to myself, I end up texting her.

"Hi MJ, its Marcus Ranks. We met at the freshmen' party. You remember me?" read the text. I dropped my phone and went to have my bath in preparation for class. Eleven minutes later, as I towel dried myself, I heard a ding in my phone and I hurriedly went to check my phone. Lo and behold, it was not a text from Martha but my buddy Cody who wants to ride with me to school. I dropped the phone in disappointment and got ready for the day. I decided to look less formal, more casual but classy.

I wore a white shirt, a free plain shirt trouser and my favourite pair of white sneakers. I picked Cody up and we got to school and attended our only class for the day. After class, I checked my phone and there was still no message from her. I decided to console myself by thinking she could have misplaced or lost her phone since I made sure that the text I sent was a week after I dropped her in front of her hostel. A week is a lot of time, anything could have happened in a week, I thought to myself as I sat on one of the roadside benches in the school compound. I was sitting there, checking on some trending things happening on the internet, orphanages I plan on visiting next year and a bunch of other things when two persons sat by my side. The cool breeze wafted their perfumes to my olfactory senses and I was able to distinguish one of them- because I stood very close to that person a week before and even kissed that person. It could not be, it cannot be.

"Can it?" I thought as I turned to my left and there in all her glory, sat the lady that has been invading my thoughts.

"Are you sure you kept it in your bag?" she asked her friend who was also in my car that night and whose my back was currently turned to me.

"I am super certain I kept those damn books here. This whole thing is stressing me out" her friend said as she rummaged through her bag. "Maybe you left it in your room Lil?" Martha asked.

"There is no maybe, I really thought I kept those books here. Today just got worse for reals!" she exclaimed as she zipped her bag close. 

"Hi there!" I said to them and they both turned to face me. I could not tell the expression on the face of her friend but I definitely picked every movement that the muscles in Martha's eyes, nose and mouth initiated. She always has this refreshing aura that seems to accompany her wherever she goes- an aura of comfort and calmness. On seeing me, her brain must have processed who I am and how we met because her lip formed into a small smile. I would do anything to see that smile reach the edge of her ears.

"Hi", they both returned my greeting. "You remember me right?" I asked so as not to seem ahead of myself.

"Yes I do Marcus and I am sorry I could not reply your text this morning, I was rushing to class". 'It's no biggie at all' I replied when in fact I wanted to tell her how I was checking my phone every five minutes interval during my class to see if she had replied.

"Are you free later today?" I asked my heart beating against my rib cage so hard I thought it might leave me.

"Yes I am free…' she said bringing joy to my heart "…and I also want to see you, to like clarify some things" she added shattering the joy she just brought. I knew what the clarification was about- it was about the kiss.

"Cool! You know Lady Berth's diner right?" I asked her trying to manage an expressionless face.

"Yes I do. Those dancers we watched danced at the front of her place the other day" she affirmed.

"Exactly! Alright I'll see you there by 5:30pm. If that is fine by you?" I asked.

"Oh yes! Totally fine, I'll be there" she said as she hooked her left arm with her friend's right arm and pulled her up.

"You must be on your way already. Bye MJ".

"Yep! Bye Marcus" she said as she pulled her still sulking friend towards the northern gate of the campus. I watched her rear till she was out of sight before I picked my bag and drove home. 

"Why do all my clothes feel so wrong today" I asked myself as I pulled off my thirteenth outfit. I heard a knock on my door but I made no move to go attend to whoever was on the other side of the door- I was in no mood to entertain anyone at the moment. The knock grew louder and fiercer and I grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled at it so hard. Whoever was there, who decided to show up without any invitation better be in a life or death situation or else I did rain down my frustrations on whoever it was. I was so acting like a girl at the moment but I could not bring myself to care for the life of me. I wore a short over my briefs, raked my hand through my dishevelled hair and went to answer who the devil was knocking. I opened my door to reveal Freddie- my friend and neighbour who lives downstairs. "

Yes?'' I asked annoyed.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down tiger, that is no way to treat a friend who just wants to know how his friend is doing and share a bottle of wine'' he said with a rush and winked at me as he lifted a bottle of Evergreen wine. Before I could give him an excuse, he passed underneath my arm that I placed to prevent him from entering.

''First time seeing your room this scattered buddy. I never thought you to be a sloven" he said as he went into my kitchen to fetch wine glasses. ''I am not a sloven dude! I am just looking for what to wear'' I answered.

"You never ever look for what to wear. Where are you going to?'' he said returning with the glasses as he sat on an old but still good looking couch in my room- that is big and serves as a sitting and bedroom.

" have to go see a girl" I said as I popped open the bottle of wine and savoured the fragrance that wafted out.

"A girl! Now I am very interested' he said as he placed the glasses on a stool nearby. I gave him a death stare at how interested he was on the topic.

''Don't give me that look buddy. I have never heard you say a word about a girl in my four years of knowing you. I deserve to be super interested dude. So tell me, what is she like?'' he asked with shiny eyes like a child that was just given a candy.

"I do not really know much about her yet but she is beautiful- very beautiful might I add, quite funny, 'not your damsel in distress kind of girl' and a first year student, studying English and Literature'' I described.

''Cool! So you want to get to know her and you are on a date with her?''Freddie continued his questioning.

"Yes I want to get to know all of her but I am not really on a kind of ideal date stuff with her. We are just going to be meeting at Lady Berth's diner and she said she wants to clarify some things" I told him.

"Clarify what? I mean did anything happen between the both of you? Like something funky?" he asked with a teasing smile.

I can't reveal so much information to you man. You are just something else. Pass me the cups let me pour us some wine and you get out of my house fast' I said as I chuckled at the sullen look on his face.

''On second thought, you can help me choose the perfect outfit I should wear. Be my judge and rate what my outfit communicates'' I said realizing how good it was that he was here. ''Whatever man!''. I took a sip of the wine and it was divine but it almost disappears on reaching the tongue but leaves a lingering taste and freshness in its stead.

"Fantastico!" I exclaimed when I finished my glass of wine. 

The first outfit I wore was a white shirt, a black blazer jacket, black plain trouser and a cooperate shoe. "Definitely too serious for where you are going to. You are going to a diner and not an office man and you are going there to probably have or. A massive thumb down to this one" he commented.

"But I need to impress this girl" I half groaned. ''That is the point, not show up there like she is your client''.

The second outfit was a grey vintage shirt, white baggy trousers, a pair of black sneakers and a brown chromed glasses. ''

You look like an idol, like a freaking super star. Do you even know how to dance?''he rhetorically asked and burst into a fit of laughter. I understood the meaning of his laughter that ticked me off so bad and I pulled  off the attire without saying a word. I checked my time and I had less than an hour to be there. I wanted to get there thirty minutes before the said time to wait for her and probably have a good composure and control over the atmosphere. If there is one thing I have learnt over the years, it is that being late to any function- small or big can make you disorganized or out of place during your stay.

"Casual but classy, casual but classy" I chanted it over and over in my head as I looked to the direction of my clothes. A cyan looking T-shirt caught my eye and I matched it with a pair of black not too skinny jean and my pair of black sneakers.

"Cool!" Freddie remarked concisely. I looked into the mirror and felt neither over-dressed or under dressed. I rearranged my clothes – hung those that needed to be hung and folded those that were not really suitable for hanging. I had a quick manly splash of water on my body and I was soon out of the shower into my choice outfit. I walked to the diner as I thought of the possible things that could make her clarify the kiss. I know it was kind of weird that I was holding unto a kiss from a girl I just met but I could not help it. I noticed that the atmosphere I was creating was filled with tension already even though she was not here yet so as I got to the diner, I chose a space closest to the window at the rear of the diner. I took out my phone and began to play a soccer game, I played it for a while till I checked my phone and saw that it was ten minutes after the agreed time. I hope she is not going to change her heart. I heard a dong sound indicating that someone just entered the diner and on looking up, I saw that it was Martha. She was dressed simply in a black turtle neck, a blue boyfriend jean and a pair of black sandal. Her hair flowed  at her shoulders and she held her phone in one hand. She looked around and I knew she must be trying to check out where I was. I quickly recovered myself from my dazed mood and waved at her. she smiled and trotted over. I wished it was a proper date in a proper place where I could pull out a chair from under the table for her. Hopefully someday. 

"You look good" I truthfully told her as we sat down.

"Thank you and you also'' she said with a smile. ''Thanks''. I passed the second menu on the table to her and said 'whatever you like'.

"Alright, but I am paying" she said.

"That is not going to happen and besides, I was the one that wanted to hang out with you so bills on me" I replied her in a deadpan voice feeling slightly offended.

"Okay then, whatever you say. So I have been going through this menu since you gave me and I have not tasted any of what I am seeing here. Actually this is like my first time of being to a diner and I don't really know what these things are" she said surprising me and making me feel a kind of joy for being the first person to bring her to a diner. Things might actually turn out better than I feared.

''You can't really be serious. If so, then be prepared to have a million hang outs like this one. Okay, I'll order for you whatever I am having and I hope you would like it'' I told her.

''I hope and thanks'' she said. I politely beckoned on the waiter and gave him our orders. We talked  about some likeable and unlikeable things about our school, our departments, our lecturers- the polite, the rude, the ugly and the average looking ones over the and it was a really good time for me. She was definitely fun to be with.

"That was nice'' she said after completely finishing the, much to my delight. I was glad she was fine with my choice. ''Thank GOD you liked it" I replied happily.

"'Huh, I am so sorry to kind of like ruin the moment but I need to make some things stub" she said and despite her earlier apology, even the small smile I gave to encourage her could not stop the ominious atmosphere that soon took over.

"Concerning the kiss, I am really sorry for leading you on' she started.

"'You have a boyfriend?'' I asked.

"No I do not but I just wanted to settle some things within myself at the moment and I feel bad for making you feel like I really wanted it. You are a great guy and all but I had a little talk with myself but for now I really do not want any partner in my life. I did just appreciate us being friends" she said.

'I think you also knew I liked you. Well thanks for telling me but do not think I am giving up on you most especially when I know no one is sin the equation but I am down to being friends with you and very good friends'' I told her and watched as her face had like about six different expressions in three seconds. ''Are you sure that you are comfortable with just being friends with me'' she asked looking me in the eye like some sort of detective. ''Yes and besides I still need to bring you back here a million times so yes I am cool with us being friends'' I answered her truthfully. ''Alright then'' she said and laughed. A tumultuous my feelings were inside I was still able to bring her joy. We made small talk and parted ways with a promise of a million more hang outs.