After what seemed like an eternity of tossing and turning, I was finally seconds away from entering dreamland when a rapid series of impatient knocks jolted me back to consciousness.
“Ughhhh, can’t a girl get some shut eye around here?” I lamented as I dragged my feet to go open the door and scowl at whoever it was.
On twisting the key in the lock, the person on the other end proceeded to open the door knob and bulldoze their way in.
“She said yes, we have a date!” Junior, my annoying cousin, announced as he jumped onto my bed.
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“We have a date... Oh my God, we have a date.” His tone changed from excited to freaked out. “What am I going to do? She’s pretty and smart; I’m just... me! What was I thinking, asking her out? This could never work; she’s way out of my league!”
I gifted him a loud resetting slap on his cheek.
“Get yourself together, young man; nobody is out of your league. I’m sure you guys will get along just fine,” I said, in a bid to calm his nerves.
“I needed that; thank you,” he said, massaging his cheek. “You’ve got to help me, Ifunanya.”
“Alright. First of all, what is she like?” I asked
“She’s amazing. She’s a writer; just like you, she’s down to earth and caring. She’s got the prettiest eyes; I could watch her smile all day and not get tired…” He suddenly stopped and stared lovingly at the wall behind me, lost in his thoughts.
“Focus!” I snapped my fingers in his face. "I'm going to need more information than that; what does she like?”
“She likes playing cards, swimming, and eating. Oh! She’s obsessed with coffee,” he said.
“Bingo, you’ll make it a coffee themed date then!” I squealed with excitement.
“And just how would I pull that off?” He asked.
“I thought you’d never ask.” I pulled out my reading glasses, a journal, and a sharpie.
“First of all, how fluent are you in coffee?” I asked, ready to jot things down.
“Huh?” he asked, looking at me like I was crazy.
“Junior, you’re gonna need to brush up on your coffee lingo. I’ll send you a link to an article that will help with that.” I wrote that down and continued.
“Do you have any coffee spots in mind?” I asked him.
“Um… I could take her to ShopRite; they have a café there, right?” He asked.
“Nah, that place is overrated and a little cramped at this point; everyone goes there.” I said, stroking my chin.
"Oh, there’s this amazing coffee spot that just opened up two streets down. I hear they offer coffee tasting sessions. You could make a reservation there; my friend told me the spot is cute with amazing décor,” I said, writing that down too.
“And they also have a very cozy sit-out area where y’all can sit and talk. She said they sell the best croissants; I think the name is Coffee Bistro.” I said.
“I hope it’s not so pricey." He asked, trying to make up his mind.
"Nope; she said it’s reasonably affordable,” I said.
“Alright then, Coffee Bistro it is!” He said.
Suddenly his phone began to vibrate, and the name “Pookie ❤💝💖💜🧡” flashed on the screen, yes - with the five heart emojis . He then got up and sneaked his way, heading towards the door.
“Thank you so much, Ify; you are such a lifesaver. I will come back, and we’ll finalize this plan. I gotta go quickly take this call; it's important.” He was already at the door.
“Get out of my house, lover boy,” I said jokingly.
He blew me a kiss and disappeared down the corner.