Enchante (eBook)

The magical first-time meeting

Adebukola Afolabi (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2022 | 1. Auflage
200 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-3078-0 (ISBN)

Infos

The book Enchanté which is French for 'pleased to meet you,' is a collection of short boy meets girl stories that take place in Nigeria and the United States. The writer explores the beginning of romantic relationships, while weaving events around people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The characters in these stories meet for the first time - some in unlikely circumstances - and were able to form love connections. A number of these couples hit it off right away. However, there were those who started off disagreeing, but eventually became friends, with the hope of becoming much more. The chapters in the book represent each story. Their unique experiences leave readers anticipating the qualities to expect from the characters in the stories that follow. This is a feel-good book that will appeal to various demographic groups, as it contains stories that most people can relate with.

---

The book Enchante which is French for 'pleased to meet you,' is a collection of short boy meets girl stories that take place in Nigeria and the United States. The writer explores the beginning of romantic relationships, while weaving events around people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The characters in these stories meet for the first time - some in unlikely circumstances - and were able to form love connections. A number of these couples hit it off right away. However, there were those who started off disagreeing, but eventually became friends, with the hope of becoming much more. The chapters in the book represent each story. Their unique experiences leave readers anticipating the qualities to expect from the characters in the stories that follow. This is a feel-good book that will appeal to various demographic groups, as it contains stories that most people can relate with.

Textauszug

1

Riding out the Storm

Dylan watched as the black Toyota approached. He looked down at his phone to confirm if this was the rideshare he had requested. The car model, color, and number plate matched. Everything looks good, he concluded before getting into the vehicle.

“Dylan?” the lady behind the wheel asked, looking up to meet his gaze through the rearview mirror.

“Guilty!” Dylan joked, and they laughed as he got comfortable in the backseat of the car.

“Njeri, right?” he asked the driver in return.

“That would be me,” she replied as she pulled back into the street.

Check! Dylan thought. That was the last piece of information he needed to ascertain he was in the right vehicle. One can’t be too careful these days, he reasoned.

Though the lady’s name matched the name on the app, Dylan could not help but notice other missing details. Her picture clearly did not do her justice. He took a second look at the phone, then back at her. Her dark skin was like silk, and it glistened whenever the sun peeked through the clouds into the car, revealing a warm orange undertone. Through the rearview mirror, he saw that she had striking glassy eyes, and her eyebrows, though perfectly arched, looked natural. He wondered why the camera had failed to capture such beauty. He took in all that radiance with fascination while she sat behind the wheel and commandeered the vehicle masterfully.

He was still examining her facial features when she looked up and their eyes met in the rearview mirror. He felt ashamed, but when she smiled at him, he began to relax.

“Beautiful day, huh?” she asked in the mirror, still smiling.

Oh, this is good, Dylan thought; she is making conversation. And he was grateful for the distraction, too. It appeared she was steering both their attention away from what had happened. She must have caught him staring but decided to handle it gracefully.

“Yes, it is,” he agreed as he recovered hastily. “It’s sad, though, that it will soon give way to a storm.”

“I know, right? What a shame. And forecast shows it’s gonna be a heavy downpour. I wouldn’t want to be caught in it. I hope you have an umbrella.”

“Yes, I do,” Dylan replied. “But I’m hoping I will be indoors by the time it gets intense.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” Njeri said. She looked at her GPS, then looked back up at the rearview mirror and continued addressing Dylan. “Your destination is about thirty minutes away. That is, if we don’t get done in by traffic.”

“That’s another concern,” Dylan responded with a nod. “You make plans, but traffic has something else planned for you. It really sucks.”

“It sure does. And oh, don’t forget the one you’re sharing the ride with. Hopefully, she won’t take too long to join the ride,” Njeri said.

“Oh yeah, that’s true,” Dylan agreed, then sighed. He had almost forgotten about that. Once he realized how much a solo ride would cost him, he decided to share the ride.

Dylan’s friend and colleague had invited him over to his place. They were going to hang out, as well as work together on a project that was to be turned in to management. Dylan had only recently moved to the city following an employment opportunity. He hoped his visit to his friend’s place would help him get to know the city better.

He brought his mind to the present, and allowed himself to take in the sights around him. He looked up at the beautiful buildings that lined the sides of the roads. Such grand architecture, he thought.

“These places are beautiful,” he said, almost to himself as he continued to admire the structures outside through the car window. As they drove further, he observed a long line of vehicles parked close together on the side of the road. By this time, they were slowing down as traffic was getting heavier.

“Why are so many cars parked along the streets?” he asked Njeri.

“Oh, that’s because there’s a shopping mall down that road, right after the traffic light. It’s Saturday, so it will be completely packed with people in there.”

“I see. That might also explain the slow traffic. Is this one of the slow-downs you anticipated?” Dylan asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“Yes, this is one of them—and hopefully the only one,” she replied. Her eyes darted between looking at him in the mirror and the road ahead. She was doing her best to keep up with the slow pace of vehicles.

“It doesn’t look too bad… yet. I hope we come out of it before it gets worse,” he said.

“I hope so, too,” Njeri responded, now looking ahead. She looked to her side mirror and then over her shoulder to determine if there was sufficient space to change into a faster lane.

She looked so graceful as she maneuvered the vehicle. Driving could not be considered an arduous task. However, the sight of Njeri meandering the roads the way she did made it look like a rare skill gifted to only a few. He watched how her long slim arms gripped the wheels. He thought it amazing how something as simple as driving a car could say so much about an individual.

“I bet half of the people inside that mall have no intention of buying anything. Many are there simply to feast their eyes, while others just want to meet new people by attracting attention to themselves,” Njeri explained suddenly as they drove past the traffic light and the right turn that led to the shopping mall. Dylan’s mind had wandered, and her comment suddenly snapped him back to the present. Thankfully, he caught the end of what she said.

“I guess some people will do just about anything to get noticed these days,” he said in agreement. “But shouldn’t such ‘friend-making’ activities be left to places like bars and nightclubs? I’m sure they have those around here, too.”

“Sure, those are options, but people also love to explore. It’s human nature,” Njeri said. And without waiting for him to respond, she asked, “Are you new in the city?”

“Yes, I am. It’s that obvious, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Njeri replied with a light chuckle. “First of all, the cab option. Our passengers are mostly out-of-towners who do not own vehicles here or who are nervous about taking the trains. And secondly, you didn’t know about the shopping mall, which is very popular,” she explained. She glanced up at him, caught his eyes, and smiled. He smiled back.

“Those are good observations. And you’re right, my friend whom I’m visiting advised me to use the subway. But when I looked up train directions, the number of stops and transfers made me dizzy. So, I decided against it,” he explained, smiling at the thought of getting lost in train transit.

“That was smart,” Njeri said and laughed. “Even though the train system here is effective, I know it can get a little confusing for visitors. Speaking of…” she continued, “are you visiting or staying?”

“I’m staying,” Dylan admitted. “Got a job, moved here a couple months ago, and it looks like I’ll be here for a while.”

“That’s good. Hope you like it here.”

“I bet I will. It’s a beautiful city. Hopefully, there will be lots of fun things to do,” Dylan said, observing everything around him with profound interest.

“Oh, absolutely! Like I said before, the mall, bars, as well as nightclubs, theme parks, movie theaters…”

“Yes, movie theaters!” he cuts in. “First thing on that list that is more my scene.”

“Really? What about bars and nightclubs? You know… you being a guy and all,” she teased.

“Oh, wow! Thank you for having such a low opinion of me,” he said, responding with sarcasm and laughing at her assumption at the same time. “I’m more of a quiet scene type of guy. My definition of fun isn’t where everyone is talking at the same time and trying to compete to be heard. That, to me, is chaos.”

“That’s so funny,” Njeri laughed. “I totally agree with you on that. I am so swamped with my busy schedule that I also believe fun time should be a time to relax, a time of peace and quiet. And if I feel like a little noise, then my option would be the movies, too.”

“You’re right! With movies, somebody else is doing the talking. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the show. No pressure to respond to what you’re listening to,” he said.

“I couldn’t agree with you more. You’ve conveniently summarized my long-held perception of the cinema as a good setting for an awkward date. You both just need to be quiet and let somebody or something else regale you.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Dylan asked with a grin.

“Not quite. More from my friends’ experiences. We talk about these things a lot,” Njeri admitted.

“I...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.4.2022
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 1-6678-3078-3 / 1667830783
• ISBN-13: 978-1-6678-3078-0 / 9781667830780