“Nahhh, it just irritates me, chale. You pop up outta nowhere, and you want to act like all is well? You suddenly want to be smiling with me and acting like it’s been nothing but groovy vibes? Really?”

As always, the sweet scents of shea butter and lavender filled up Crown & Glow, serving the most pleasant of nasal assaults to anyone who stepped in. The atmosphere, however, was not as sweet.

Sakyi stood at the counter, arms folded, his expression tense, while Naa Torshie and George stood across from him, listening intently, concern etched on their faces. He had informed them about Dufie’s reappearance not long after the meet-and-greet event, much to their shock. They had also been on the receiving end of her sudden cutting-off actions, and as much as they could decipher that she was going through something, it still hurt to be blocked out, considering how long the ladies had known each other.

She had changed her number and stopped using her social media entirely, in addition to moving out of mainland Accra, so reaching her was difficult.

Naa Torshie sighed. “Hmmm, who would have thought this would happen? Wild stuff.”

George, a tall man with wide shoulders and a small but distinguishable goatee, folded his arms and exhaled sharply. “Indeed. It is wild. To think that she’d make that move. I didn’t know she was into acting that much.”

Sakyi nodded slightly. “Oh, she had an interest in it. It wasn’t as deep as my own, but we discussed it a few times. We’d joke about becoming a power couple back then. Like… uh, the more stable version of Will and Jada. Only for us to be worse off than them.”

The couple could only hum in sympathy, going silent for a moment.

“So… she still hasn’t called you?” Sakyi then asked, his voice steady but laced with frustration.

Naa Torshie shook her head. “Not a word.”

George raised an eyebrow, his arms still folded. “It still surprises me. I really wish she’d at least reach out. We’re all concerned.”

Sakyi let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. “I wonder if she’ll bother mpo, the way she just wants to pretend like nothing happened, like she didn’t disappear and cut everyone off… like she didn’t leave her loved ones, like you and me… completely shattered. Completely broken.”

His voice cracked slightly on the last word, and he quickly cleared his throat, looking away as the memories of the past months took over his brain. 

Naa Torshie reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm as she exchanged a glance with George. They both knew all too well how badly the break-up had hit Sakyi. There had been a couple of evenings where he would walk in with his eyes red from crying, and his voice hoarse from holding back emotions. He had stood by the counter numerous times, trying and failing to make sense of the sudden emptiness left in Dufie’s wake, and weeping bitterly in front of them.

It had been so tough to witness for Naa, who sometimes cried herself, thoroughly upset at how hurt he was.

“Sakyi…” she called softly.

He exhaled sharply and ran a hand over his face, his voice shaking. “You guys saw what it did to me. The nights I came here, completely broken. The way I broke down so many times, trying to make sense of why she’d…”

He drifted off, then swallowed hard, eyes misting as he looked at them. “I loved her, guys. So much. Dufie was my everything, chale. My everything. I loved that girl with everything in me. I could picture my life with her… making her my wife, having kids with her, growing old with her. And the way she just… she just cut me off like I was nothing… it hurts still…”

George sighed, placing a firm hand on Sakyi’s shoulder. “I won’t lie to you, my man, it was a messed up period, for sure. But look—you’ve gotten through the worst period. Don’t let her presence now drag you back into that dark place. It’ll not end well.” 

Naa nodded in agreement. “You have a whole play ahead of you. I know it’s gonna be hard, but… just try to keep things as professional as possible. No animosity, no unnecessary stress. Just get your practice in, and that’s it.”

Sakyi scoffed. “Easier said than done. With her misbehaving and joking around like it’s some secondary school play bi. I’m doing my part; she’s the one clowning about. And it’s so irritating!”

George smirked. “Easy, Sonko. I’m sure it’s annoying, but you don’t have to let her control your emotions. Just do what you have to do and keep it moving.”

Sakyi sighed, rubbing his temples. “I hear you, Sonko. I’ll try my best. Just try and get it over with, and move on afterward. She’s obviously moved on, so there’s no point in hoping for anything else.”

Naa squeezed his hand. “You’ll be fine, cuzzie. And we’ll be here for you. Always.”

He gave her a small, tired smile. “I know. And I’m thankful for that. Truly grateful.” He then rubbed his head once more. “Chale, to think I’m starting this journey with this type of challenge. Which kind baptism of fire be this?”

The couple laughed softly before going silent again.

“I just wish she’d reach out, though,” Naa remarked wistfully. “That’s all I’d want. Coz we’ve been worried sick about her, how she just disappeared and never said a word to anyone. We spoke to her family, and nobody knows where she’s staying, how she’s coping… All they know is she’s in another part of town, doing God knows what…”

***

It was evening, and in the comfort of her bedroom, Dufie sat cross-legged on her bed, script in hand with a cup of steaming hot Milo sitting on the bedside table. Her eyes flicked over the lines, but the words barely registered.

Aside from the fact that she was already exhausted from another grueling day of rehearsals, her mind was elsewhere, looping around a certain statement, like an annoying song stuck on repeat.

A certain statement spoken to her just a day or two ago…

See, I don’t know how you slithered your way back into my life after… after just cutting me off like that, but that’s neither here nor there…

She scoffed, shaking her head as she let the script fall onto her lap. “Slithered? Really?” she muttered. “Like I’m some sort of manipulative snake? Like I was the one who planned this?”

Rubbing her temples gently, she let out an irritated sigh. “As if I even knew he was in the play. If I truly had known that, I definitely would not have even bothered to even sign up, much less audition for the role.”

Indeed, after seeing Sakyi at the meet-and-greet, she had actually considered pulling out totally. She had been so close to calling Leslie and informing him that she wasn’t interested in the role anymore, until she decided against it.

Because this step was for her, not for anybody else.

She stared up at the ceiling, arms folded tightly against her chest. “I just needed to do this for me,” she continued, voice lower now. “To step into something new. To see if I can actually do this, if acting is something I’m meant to pursue. But suddenly, I’m the villain because fate had the audacity to cross our paths again?”

She scoffed, shaking her head. “I get it, okay? He’s hurt. And maybe I deserve some of that coldness. But the way he’s acting, as if I personally designed some master plan just to crawl back into his life and make it miserable… it’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.”

She paused, gripping the edges of the script. “Look, I know I hurt him. I know what I did was wrong. I know that. I guess I would handle things differently if I could turn back the clock. But does that mean he gets to be this cruel?”

She let out a slow breath and pressed her lips together, as if trying to contain the emotions swelling within.

“Whatever, though,” she finally muttered. “If that’s how he wants to play it, I’ll give him the formality he clearly wants. After all, he does have a point; it’s a professional relationship now. But he better not get any nastier, because I’m not going to let him keep walking all over me like I’m some villain in his story. I have my own story too. There’s a reason I did what I did. I have my own story. And maybe it’ll help him a lot more if he steps out of his bubble of hurt and actually hears me out.”

With a final huff, she picked up the script again, flipping to the next page, and switching back to serious mode.

Another day of intense rehearsals lay ahead of her, and she needed to be ready for it.

Well, Dufie does have a point; maybe Sakyi should hear what she has to say. But yeah, Sakyi is still hurt, and you can’t blame him, can you?