The meeting

BRENDA DAVIS was very worried. Ever since

she received the call from Adam, that is. She

was hoping the reason for his sounding

strange on the phone would not be what she

was already suspecting. She could say that

she was properly experienced in matters

concerning relationships and therefore could

tell when a guy was getting fed up with a

relationship. But right now, she didn‟t want to

believe her instincts. She couldn‟t stand the

thought of losing Adam now. Her world would

shatter. In fact, she won‟t be able to survive it

this time around. Adam Walter had called her

earlier in the day, telling her that he would like

to discuss something important with her. He

had gone ahead to tell her that the discussion

would be for her own good, hence she must

come to his house as soon as possible.

Sitting on a stool in front of the two-bedroom

apartment, which she shared with her friend

Jane, Brenda was oblivious of the cool and

beautiful atmosphere the evening created. She

was remembering and analyzing Adam‟s

behavior towards her in the past few weeks,

which was obviously the reason for her

suspicion.

He had deliberately avoided her, giving her

flimsy excuses.

for not being around as often as before.

Whenever they were together, he would seem

absent-minded and uninterested in her

concerns. If she sought his opinion concerning

any issue, he would laconically answer as if he

was being bothered. Although Brenda

suspected that Adam was fed up with the

relationship and could be calling it off

soonest, she still hoped her suspicion was

wrong. She wanted to make herself believe

that something else could be the problem;

something she may not have guessed in the

past. She looked at her wristwatch. It was

almost 5:00 p.m. She must prepare for the

meeting with Adam. Moreover, Jane would

soon be back from work, and she wouldn‟t like

her roommate to meet her sitting around and

looking all gloomy.

She stood up and gracefully walked into the

building. Going straight to her room, she took

off her clothes and prepared herself for a

shower. She was about to put on her bathrobe

when she caught a glimpse of her image in

the half-sized mirror on her dressing table. At

twenty-three, her youthfulness was radiating

like the sun. She was average in height and

light in complexion. The curves of her body

and its features were proportionate enough to

attract the opposite sex. "I am beautiful," she

said to herself and tried to smile. Many people

had told her this in the past and she was very

much aware of it. She had a very charming

smile, which was strong enough to make any

man‟s heartbeat stop for some seconds. "I am

alright; why should anyone reject me?" Brenda

thought, running her hands down her body.

She knew she had so many female qualities

that most girls didn‟t have. And one special

characteristic was her gentle nature; a kind of

peaceful aura that she carried with her

everywhere she went. Something that usually

encouraged most people to easily talk and

associate with her.

"But why are things not going my way? What

is it about me that turn men off after some

time with me?" she suddenly

whispered to herself after some deliberation.

„No!‟ she thought. Maybe she was getting it

all wrong. Maybe Adam had some other

personal problems and needs. She should be

thinking of how to help him instead of

suspecting his motive for wanting to see her.

Perhaps she was letting her experience with

men get into her present relationship with

Adam.

She hurriedly left the room and entered the

bathroom. She looked forward to seeing

Adam. She would be there for him, no matter

what she was going through. She won‟t let it

affect her blissful relationship. She must stop

being selfish. She mustn‟t keep him waiting.

Brenda met Adam Walter fourteen months ago

when she was in her final year at Star Gate

University, Lupe. She had gone to a nearby

restaurant with her best friend and classmate,

Jane Damascus, to share a treat together. It

was their first week as final year students and

Jane had suggested that they take themselves

out. Rosy Restaurant seemed the best choice

since it was nearby and affordable for them at

the time. Brenda had noticed Adam the

moment he walked into the restaurant. He was

a bit taller than her and good-looking. She

was quick to notice his neat sense of dressing

and his well-trimmed moustache and it all

appealed to her. Jane had noticed her friend‟s

eye movement and decided to follow them.

She immediately understood why her friend

had been distracted. But they quickly forgot

about Adam as soon as their orders were

served.

Brenda was just getting over her breakup with

Derek Brown and believed within her that she

wasn‟t ready to embrace the opposite sex

again, but when she looked up, the fine young

man was approaching them. "Oh my God. He

is coming towards us," she quickly notified

Jane. And Jane, a skinny pretty girl, looking

back, could easily tell that he was attracted to

Brenda. "Hi, girls!" he greeted, in a gentle but

masculine voice. His eyes were fixed on

Brenda. "Hello," Brenda briefly replied. She

was the more polite of the two. "I hope you

girls won‟t mind if I lunch with you?" Although

it was meant to be a general question, Brenda

could sense that it was directed at her. "As a

matter of fact, we‟d really prefer it if we

lunched alone.

This is a special occasion and it is just for the

two of us," she politely answered. Adam didn‟t

seem to be listening; he was already making

himself comfortable on an empty chair by

their table. It was obvious that he wasn‟t

going to allow himself to be turned off by her

words. "I won‟t be fair to you girls and even to

myself if I allow you to lunch alone. Don‟t

worry, I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

Brenda and Jane were short of words. They

had no choice but to allow him to stay; they

remained silent and tried to anticipate his

next move. "I am Adam Walter; please may I

get to know your names?" he asked,

concentrating on Brenda. Brenda didn‟t want

to open up at first. She really wanted to keep

off men. She looked at Jane and saw a look

of approval on her face. Hence, she reluctantly

answered, "I am Brenda and this is my best

friend, Jane."

"Hello Jane." He turned his attention to Jane.

"I am really sorry for barging into your special

occasion.

I don‟t intend to spoil it, rather I will add more

flavor to it. What are you girls celebrating?"

"We are celebrating our first semester as final

year students," replied Jane. "Oh, that‟s cool.

Congratulations, girls." "Thank you," they both

responded. "Brenda. What a name." This

statement caught Brenda‟s attention. "What is

wrong with the name?" "I like it. I like you

also. I will also like to be your friend," he

confidently replied. And all through lunch that

day, Brenda had tried to politely turn him

down, but he didn‟t allow her to drive home

her point. Jane was at the other end, giving

her signs of encouragement. It was clear that

Jane approved of him, and that was the

beginning of a blissful relationship between

Adam and Brenda. He never relented in

showing her the best side of him.

He was 26 years and had just gotten a job

with a communication company. He used all

the resources within his reach to shower her

with gifts. He made sure he called her every

night to tell her sweet words that would nudge

her to sleep. At first, Brenda wasn‟t confident

that he was for real, but his persistent

attention towards her did a lot to convince

her. After four months, Brenda believed that

she had finally found for herself the right man

to date. Brenda was the type of girl who, at

any slightly perceived interest from the

opposite sex, quickly formed an emotional

attachment, which would eventually be

difficult for her to break. She felt like she was

on the top of the world as Adam continued to

prove his love for her as days turned into

weeks and weeks into months. She gave him

her heart. She believed in him and in the

future. He proved to her that he was capable

of doing all the good things, which she‟d

initially thought he could do. He was exciting

to be with, strong, caring and very handsome.

What more could a girl ask for? If any other pls comment it