“You what?” Kyerewa asked, incredulous.
“Relax Kyerewa, it was just a dream. It hasn’t materialized yet,” Naa replied.
“But I’m sure you’re considering it?” Ana chipped in.
Ana wasn’t wrong. Since Naa had the dream, she had been turning it over. Would it be such a bad idea to quit her job? She knew Papa would be supportive of whatever decision she took. But at the same time, Naa was worried she might have to depend on him too much financially without a job. Her job was great, and she was making strides in her career as a Policy Analyst. Sometimes, she even consulted for organizations abroad, and she enjoyed the remote work in those instances.
“Maybe, you could just quit and develop your own consultancy. You could even consider writing some books,” Manza suggested.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Betty agreed, more sympathetic because she knew what it involved to run a business and admired anyone who took the bold decision to do so.
“But it’s not easy starting a new venture Naa. You have to weigh the pros and cons,” Kyerewa reasoned.
Eager to change the subject, Naa said, “If I will, maybe not immediately. It’s just I want something that will give me more time with Aiden and Eden, at least till they’re older.”
“Not that I’m being too hard on you Naa, but the job market isn’t that easy these days,” Kyerewa said, concerned.
“I know,” Naa sighed. “But let’s see.”
Naa was strongly convinced that quitting her job won’t be a wrong decision, although she was nervous. She just had to put a few things in place before taking the next step. Hopefully, it’ll pay off in the long run…
…………………
Manza had kept getting the urge to start writing a book but wasn’t sure where to start.
“I can’t even get a whole blog post together back to back, and you want me to write a book?” she muttered, frustrated. Sometimes, she didn’t understand God.
She picked up her favourite notebook and scribbled down some ideas she had. It looked like a maze but it was a good place to start. After a few minutes, her mind began to wander…
Sometimes, the girls teased her good-naturedly that she was the most private among them. It had been a while since she had updated them on her relationship, but the girls were used to it and knew she’d tell them everything when she was ready.
Manza and Kwaku were still going strong. Though she didn’t talk much about it, they had made much progress. Awork trip had taken him out of the country for a few months. But he had been allowed to return if he wanted. He had chosen to come back, and though he constantly denied it when Manza teased him that she was the main reason he came back, they both knew deep down that that was one of the factors that finalized his decision.
They had had a long talk about the future and the next step. Kwaku was at a busy phase of his career but still managed to make time for her, which she appreciated very much. She was also going through her own growth stage at work and sometimes worried it would draw her and Kwaku apart. But thankfully, they had decided to be intentional about constant communication and spending quality time whenever they had the chance.
The initial stages of his three months away were quite difficult.
“It’s just three months Manza!” her girls had teased. And they were right…the months flew by like a breeze.
She and Kwaku had spoken daily, managing the time zones, which eventually became a routine. That phase broadened their perspective and cemented Manza’s confidence that this really was a two-way relationship.
His flight was landing today at 9 pm. However, Manza got there at 6, unable to contain her excitement. The girls had done a group video call, screeching at Manza’s impatience.
“Madam lover girl!” Betty had started it.
“No wonder she hasn’t written for a while…her inspiration was far away,” Ana had added, winking.
Kyerewah and Naa kept giggling, and Manza couldn’t help but ask, “Herh Naa, don’t you have your twins and husband to attend to?”
They kept her company until she heard the PA system announcement that Kwaku’s flight had arrived.
“I’ve got to go!” Manza said, barely unable to contain her excitement.
“Ei, just three months apart and you’re already abandoning us?” Kyerewa said, feigning shock.
“Sellout!” the others chorused simultaneously, ending the conversation in laughter.
…………………
At the initial stages of finding out that her pregnancy test was negative, Ana had become a shadow of herself. She had started withdrawing from Akwasi until one day when she got back from work.
“Sit,” he had said curtly.
“Ei, good evening to you too,” Ana had responded, a bit surprised by Akwasi’s greeting.
She had sat down across from him after taking her shoes off and washing her hands in the kitchen.
Not saying anything, he patted the space beside him, “Here.”
Ana got up silently and went to sit where Akwasi had pointed, aware of the little distance between them. She had missed being this close to him and restrained herself from admitting it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, going straight to the point.
“Nothing,” Ana replied, resisting her urge to open up.
“Ana, we’re under the same roof but becoming like strangers.”
He had called her Ana, clearly upset.
“It’s not you, it’s me,” she responded uncomfortably.
“Can we stop going in circles and face the elephant in the room?”
In another instance, she would have said, “Ei, your English has come o.”
“You haven’t been the same since the day I saw you with your eyes puffed up,” Akwasi continued. “And I keep wondering if there’s something I’ve done wrong. You’ve virtually shut me out and I honestly miss the old Ana.”
Unable to control her emotions any longer, Ana burst into tears.
Surprised by her reaction, Akwasi closed the space between them in a hug, taking some tissue from the centre table. Worried, he waited in silence till she calmed down.
“Ana, talk to me!”
“I’m just tired Akwasi. I took another pregnancy test and it was negative…AGAIN! Why?! What have I done wrong?”
Moved by her outburst, Akwasi paused before responding. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t understand it myself but like we have always said, God is preparing us for the special one He’ll eventually bring our way.”
Ana shook her head.
“You think it’s not tough on me too? Sometimes seeing some of my guys with their kids, it gets to me. But what makes it easier is that we have always been united. You shutting me out won’t make things any better.”
Ana felt a pang of remorse, knowing deep down that she hadn’t been fair to her husband.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should have opened up to you, but I was just tired.”
“We can be tired together,” he replied, winking at her.
Despite her tears, she smiled. It wasn’t easy, but as long as she had Akwasi, she’ll be alright…
*********
Have you ever had a situation where wrong assumptions made you shut a loved one out? And how did you later deal with it?
Are you for team #NaaShouldQuit or #StayAndManage
I love hearing from you in the comment section, so please do these 2 things for me before you exit: drop a comment, and also share the link with others. Let’s grow A Girl’s Rant together!
Continue here…
2 Comments