ring ring
The Facebook Messenger notification popped up from a lady I was not familiar with, and rather than respond immediately, I checked up on her profile and realized I had just liked two of her pictures recently, and we had a few mutual friends that may have prompted us to be friends, of which I did not take cognizance.
"Hello, Doctor, liker of my pictures." The lady said her profile name was more Blessing (actual name withheld).
"How could I not appreciate a beautiful damsel like you?" I teased her with a reply.
"Don't flatter me; pictures can be deceiving." She said. "By the way, do you know me?" She asked further.
"I'll surely love to know you, if you don't mind." I replied, and she replied with a laughter emoji.
"I don't think we know each other. Anyway, my name is Blessing."
"I'm blessed to be in your DM. Blessing, my name's James, but you can call me MJ." I said. We began to spark a conversation about our likes, backgrounds, philosophy about life, etc. We both enjoyed each other's company, and for a while, we got carried away with the conversation.
"May I have your digits? I'll love to hear the voice behind this interesting and beautiful soul that sweeps me off my feet." I said to her.
"Of course, MJ. We chat as though we have known each other forever." Blessing complimented me, and I agreed.
Thankfully, it was a Saturday morning when I still lazied in bed with nowhere in particular to visit. Soon enough, we exchanged numbers, and I took the extra courage to ask for more of Blessing's pictures, which she readily obliged, and I shared with her a few of my best. I put a call through to her, and her voice was as innocent as an angel's. I practically needed no other convictions to trust that her personality would just be as fantastic as the attributes I already fell in love with.
"I don't mind coming to see you soon enough, Blessing. Can we find a time to meet up? Your base is barely one hour away." I confessed to her. She equally sounded excited, and thus, I made plans for a visit later in the day. "Coming back home from a journey's drive away should not be hectic." I thought to myself.
"What will you buy for me?" Blessing asked over the chat, just after a phone call conversation, as I prepared to travel down to see her.
"What does her majesty desire?" I teased after a moment of pause.
"Thank you, darling." Blessing said immediately that our conversation had hastily turned lovey-dovey-dovey in a jiffy. "I want Lattafa Opulent Red perfume or NOW Intense. Either of the two is fine." She typed on WhatsApp.
"Babe, what kind of names are those, and where can I get them? It's our first time seeing. Probably I can take my time to search for them next time." I suggested.
"Hmmm, probably you should wait until you can get any of them. We don't need to be in a hurry, right?" Blessing replied.
"True, but are you for real about the perfume?"
"Of course yes; I used to use them but can't afford any for now."
"Oh, I get. And if I'm unable to get it, I should not bother coming." I asked this time around, sounding a little more serious. I needed to be certain she was only joking, but alas! My teeth were set on an edge! She was serious.
"No nau, who comes to visit a lady without gifts? Come on!" Blessing said emphatically.
"Alright, dear, let me see what I can do." I replied.
Rather than head straight to the park, I went to Chuppet Shopping Mall and began to search out the perfumes Blessing listed. I was reliably informed that those were not frequently stocked because of their high cost. Determined not to give up easily, I went to yet another, and for a second time, my search was futile.
"Babe, I can't find them here; what do we do?" I chatted up Blessing on WhatsApp.
"You can order it or send me the money to make the order then?" She replied further, and I was convinced I was in for trouble.
"Alright, I'll get back to you shortly." I replied and headed back home after being struck by the hurting sun.
Just before getting home, I got Blessing's message, which contained her account details. I mistakenly opened the message but quickly reverted and marked it as unread, pretending not to access the message. I ignored her several calls afterwards and would not reply to any of her text messages that were more hurtful than civil. I wanted peace, and avoiding the red flags was one step closer to that peace. I went back to the comfort of my bed for a rest after a futile hunt as dusk approached, careful to avoid my hobby of engaging random people on social media.