It’s okay for a woman to pull the reins

When I was a child, I was told a lot of things. From the point when it was clear that I could understand the hidden meanings behind the words that were carelessly but guardedly thrown across the room, I became a piggy bank for the deposition of cultural wisdom. I was taught to clean, because it…

A Little too Late

Have you ever felt so hurt you couldn’t cry? Unshed tears are the most painful of all. I met Kensington when I was twenty years old, five months later, we got engaged. Ours was not love at first sight but on the day we got the liberty to really look at each other, there was…

So you don’t have a Valentine

Tips for singles. The fact that you’re not in  a relationship doesn’t mean you should sit in a corner and keep to yourself this valentine. It’s a day of love and quite frankly, it shouldn’t take a significant other showering you with gifts to feel loved. Love yourself first of all, before requesting love from…

So you know you have a Valentine!

Tips for actual couples. It’s really soothing when you know where you stand in a relationship. It’s safe, comforting, and one less emotional hassle to worry about, until, of course, valentine day comes knocking around the corner and you have to spend your time conceiving unique ways to make you significant other happy; especially if…

Confessions of a Deranged Romantic

Dear Jamjam, Did you read the weather report? They say there’s an 80 percent chance it will snow today. This is awesome news; it never snows in Houston so you know how important this is to me…us. We can finally be together. I couldn’t go to bed last night. I’ve been up since 1am planning,…

We Should all go Natural

  It’s precisely 7 months since I picked up a scissors and chopped off my hair in frustration. I don’t quite remember what led to what, but I’m extremely sure the dominant emotion was that “I’d had enough”. It was bad enough that I had to constantly spend money on relaxing solutions and hair style…

Somewhere in your world

Somewhere in Iraq, Maheedah sleeps. It’s the first time she’d get to close her eyes in 5 days and as much as her aching muscles long for the temporary relief of the cold hard floor, her brain tremors with disapproval. There is nothing comforting about this sleep, nothing relaxing. The concrete floor is strewn with…

Atinuke #2 (Fiction Series)

  Read part 1 here When Atinuke woke up the next morning, it was madam’s voice that did the magic. From her musty room in the garage she could hear her voice ringing loudly like bells on a church tower. Her heels, clicked on the floor as she spoke, enunciating her words with as much authority…

Confessions

It’s 5:25am, the morning after Christmas; Strayerstown is still drowned in effortless sleep. There is pitch blackness and utter silence, Even the crickets seem to have gone to rest. My heart is racing, so I toss and turn, partly because my mild asthma, as the doctor called it, doesn’t seem so mild this winter, partly…

Atinuke #1 (Fiction Series)

Atinuke was only sixteen when she first realized she had fallen in love. It was Nnanna, her madam’s nephew that lived right across the street. He had walked into the driveway that sunny afternoon, his cap hanging loosely across his face. Atinuke didn’t notice his presence until he came close enough to give her a…