Will Love Ever Come?

Chapter 60

ESCHEWAL IS IN HIS living room, talking with a close friend. They are discussing life as a call comes through.

"Yeah, hello. Who's this?" says Eschewal. He pauses for a second, then looks at his friend. He does not believe that he just heard what he heard. "Sorry, say that again."

"It's the girl you gave your number to at the club on Saturday, don't you remember me?"

Again Eschewal pauses in silence. The first emotion to hit him makes him feel like stripping off his clothes and running down the road naked, screaming his excitement.

"Yeah, of course," he answers, controlling his joy. "So, anyway, I didn't get your name."

With a hint of amusement and seduction, the girl replies, "Oh, it's Manna."

He does not know it yet, but the name Manna will ring in his subconscious for many years to come. "Okay, is that like 'da manna?' Or does your name mean something else?"

A few seconds pass. Eschewal pulls the phone away from his ear, then puts it back. "Yeah, hello-hello." The call cuts off. He feels like throwing the phone on the wall. He believes that Manna might think he hung up the phone on her. He grits his teeth, worrying that she will not call back and because she withheld her number, he cannot call her back.

He sits there for a while, staring at his phone. His friend asks, "What's up, bruv, everything cool?"

Eschewal swallows the lump in his throat. "Yeah, man."

"Who was that on the phone?" says the friend.

Eschewal almost whispers, "Ah, no one, man," as he ends his sentence, his phone rings. He looks at the display; a number he does not recognize flashes up. His heart seems to scream out; this must be her, your princess; this was meant to be.

"Yeah, hello," his voice shoots down the phone with haste.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry about that, babes, my battery died."

Eschewal lays back on his sofa and replies with a smile, "Nah, that's cool, babes. So what were you saying?"

And what Manna had to say led to a three-hour conversation. By the end, Eschewal had discovered almost everything about her life and vice versa. The conversation ended with a date set for the weekend, and that night when Eschewal went to bed, he did not sleep.