|
Author: Oma Edoja Article source: http://www.bulkemailservices.net/. Used with author's permission.
Kiki sat on the park bench, staring ruefully at the passers by. Last night's row with Tolu was the cause of her blues. Painful though it had been, she did not regret the break up. His overbearing and jealous nature had been the cause of many a fight between the two. Kiki just wanted out. This toxic relationship wasn't worth the trouble. It was simply time to move on.
What really bothered Kiki was the prospect of being alone at Easter time, without a date or a steady boyfriend. It was the tradition among her family and friends to throw a series of parties and get-togethers in the week of Easter. This was to celebrate the many birthdays and anniversaries that coincided with this time of the year.
For the last three years Kiki had attended these functions solo, much to her embarrassment. It seemed that every one else was either married or with a "special some one" in tow! Some how, her relationships just seemed to self-destruct around Easter. Kiki was by now quite fed up with the well-meaning matchmaking attempts of her family and friends. She was determined not to give them another chance.
But how could she find love, on such short notice? Would she rent a date?! Or suffer the matchmakers one more time?
Beep! Beep! Her mobile phone went off, bringing her out of her reverie. It was Arin, her trusty flatmate. "Hi Arin! Sorry, I'll be there in a minute. Can you order my usual please?" Kiki was meeting Arin and Bolu for lunch. Arin, Kiki and her younger sister, Bolu shared a flat off high brow Opebi road in Ikeja, Lagos. The three had much in common, all young, single and upwardly mobile entrepreneurs.
A quick glance at her watch revealed that Kiki was already five minutes late. Arin was a stickler for punctuality. She would have to apologise. Again.
At Barcelos restaurant the threesome lunched and made small talk, having finished the day's business. They had this weekly rendezvous where they met and reviewed their personal and business goals. Since attending a goal-setting seminar six months earlier, this had become a tradition. And it was certainly paying off. Kiki, a writer, Arin, a partner in a recruiting firm, and Bolu, photographer and owner of a photo-studio, they had their careers and businesses decidedly on the up-and-up. But Kiki couldn't help wondering what was going wrong with her love life.
Unknown to Kiki, Bolu and Arin had signed her up with an online, Christian dating service. They felt she needed an extra push and were determined to give it themselves! Of course, Kiki would have killed them if she knew! But Bolu and Arin considered it worth the risk! They had selected a service that catered to young, professional Christians. Any minute from now, Kiki would be contacted. And they wanted to be on hand, to ensure that she followed through!
"What do you say we all visit the newly-opened cyber café down the road?" Bolu quipped. "Good idea," replied Arin, giving Bolu a knowing glance. "But why should we do that when we are online at home?" Kathy quizzed. To this they chorused, "Because our server is down, and will be till the weekend, remember?"
Cyberia was a lovely place. Fully air-conditioned, quiet, with a very fast internet connection, it was just the place for serious work. The three settled down and logged in. It wasn't long before a muffled scream was heard from Kiki's cubicle.
Arin and Bolu started off towards her, feigning surprise.
"What's the matter?" Arin queried. "Have you won the lottery?"
"Look at this!" Kiki seethed. "These spammers must be crazy! A dating service? Me?! This is definitely spam, and I'm going to report it. To Yahoo! To Bill Gates, to Phil Emeagwali, and to Interpol…."
"Wait a minute! What does it say? At least take a look at it," pleaded Bolu.
"I am definitely not interested in any more matchmaking. I can find a guy for myself," replied Kiki. "Besides, what would be the use of a virtual boyfriend? I need some one to go with me to the Easter parties"
By this time, Bolu had clicked on the "I accept" button, confirming Kiki's sign-up. The next thing they knew, a profile appeared on the screen.
Here was Kiki's new virtual boyfriend!
"What do you two think you are doing?!" Kiki cried, exasperated.
"Some day you'll be grateful," was all the reply she got.
The attendant had been motioning to them to keep the noise down. Now he was heading in their direction.
Will Kiki be grateful to Arin and Bolu? Will she find love in time for Easter? Find out in Part Two!
Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja
This work may be reproduced but ONLY AS IS, including author's name, and full resource box below. Author would appreciate notification of its use via email, detailing where it is used. Oma Edoja is a published writer, motivational speaker and infopreneur. She writes and speaks on self-help, and occasionally writes fiction. Please visit her fiction blog http://OmasChronicles.blogspot.com for Part Two, and more fiction. Oma would like to work with interested editors and publishers. Please contact her via her blog.
How realistic are we?
So often when we think of our ideal mate we give them qualities and attributes that one person may or may not be able to possess. These qualities can be how th...
Manipulate Your Visitors With Reverse Psychology
Many people say that it is easy to write a sales copy and that there is really nothing to it. Well, all I can say is they are wrong! For many, writing your sale...
Add a Special Touch to Your Stamped Cards with Embellishments
Once you have the basic stamping techniques mastered, you will likely want to move on to something more. By adding embellishments to your handcrafted cards, you...
Keeping Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue
...you could wrap 10 bricks in bright yellow paper and place them evenly in a circle at a radius of, say, 8 feet from the picnic/barbecue area. Drop some treacl...
Increasing Site Traffic
We give you all the details on the good, the bad, and the plain ugly ways to promote your site out there. Definite must read for users looking for the answers t...
How to Hire a Web Designer/Programmer for Your Website
Hire a designer or a programmer for your website is a daunting for any business entrepreneur. Remember that you're the important part of a design process. It is...
Fantasy Gap [fast money in real estate]
The author talks about how people fall into the fantasy gap, expecting to make money in real estate quick and easy, which is not as true as some would have you ...
Looking into a Necklace
Because of those things that I value now, I still wear this necklace because it displays what I am very passionate about; family and identity.
Organizing a Car Wash Fundraiser
The key to a successful car wash fundraiser event is to eliminate chaos before it starts. Having done more than 100 car wash fundraisers myself, I can safely sa...
Just what is Arbitrage Investment?
I was recently asked a question about Arbitrage Investment... and whether it exists or is it a scam......This article is really the reply I made, and gives a ve...
Buy Stair Lifts Online
No stair lifts and 18 years of full time caring of my disabled sweetheart (she died Sept 2004) I can barely walk because of serious
Keep Exercise Journals For Real Results
By keeping an exercise journal, you will have access to a wealth of information and be able to detect specific areas in your current training routine which can ...
Develop a Guiding Philosophy for Happiness
Groundedness is one of the most important components of a satisfied life. This article addresses one of the root causes of dissatisfaction and provides five eye...
Mystery Shopping: Frequently Asked Questions
You have been hearing a lot about mystery shopping . . . so what's the deal? Can you really get paid to shop? Mystery shopping is a real way to make extra money...
Successful Commercial Sites
Learn basic rules how to create successful commercial sites
Inducing Conciousness in Others
I believe that the pursuit of enlightenment is often accompanied by the desire to guide others there as well. We all have the capacity to deliver at least one o...
The Massive Rewards Of Aggressively Self-Publishing Your Website Content
Here's how you can generate tons of traffic to your website by only self-publishing content that is already on your web site.
Christmas at Longwood Gardens
When we think of Botanical Gardens, we usually don't think of winter. But in reality, Christmas is one of the better times of year to visit Longwood Gardens in...
Home Equity Loan Improvements
There's more Regulation Z compliance on the way, courtesy of the Home Equity Loan Consumer Protection Act. This fall banks will have to implement the new home e...
The Many Benefits Of Lease Purchasing
Discusses the many benefits of lease purchasing for buyers, sellers, investors and business owners.
Can You Acquire Good Credit Overnight? You Bet
Your credit file may not reflect all your credit accounts. Although most national department store and all-purpose bank credit card accounts will be included in...
Promotional Freebies
What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you can give to your customers, visitors or subscribers. Giving away "freebies" is an excellent...
On Empathy
The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1999 edition) defines empathy as: "The ability to imagine oneself in anther's place and understand the other's feelings, desires, ...
Build Your Career Decision By Decision
Career advancements go to those willing and able to make decisions. But the human
tendency is to avoid the risk of making decisions. This creates a vacuum of o...
|
Print this page