Page 13 of Cursed Daughters
She didn’t expect to enjoy the game. It was just something to do. She had no desire to watch people kick balls, or throw balls, or bounce balls; no interest in seeing people run or jump. But there was a nice breeze, and a freezing-cold drink in her hand. She figured she would simply alternate between watching her boyfriend perform for her benefit and watching Dele also perform for herbenefit. But as the game wore on, her attention was quickly stolen from them.
The thief was tall, smooth and cheeky with his movements. She found herself leaning forwards when he dummied an opposing player. His footwork was light, his movements unhurried. He didn’t look for the glory of scoring; instead, he set up his teammates, his passes sniper-accurate, always going where he intended and to whom he intended; even she could tell that much. She watched as he danced to the right, then kicked the ball to his left.
She wasn’t usually into light-skinned guys, but this one, he had the colouring of a brass coin and there didn’t seem to be a single blemish on him. He wasn’t as buff as Dele, he was perhaps even a little lanky, and yet there was something about the way he moved. Through her camera lens, he was even more intriguing. His hair was a curly mess atop his head, and there was a little fuzz on his chin. His lips were thick and tinged with pink. And then there was his neck, long and smooth. He was beautiful, and fun to watch.
He was playing for her boyfriend’s team, and clearly giving Tolu a run for his money; which was another reason she found him irresistible. She wondered if he was single.
He raised his head in her direction, possibly because she hadn’t taken her eyes off him since she spotted him. Ebun passed her another fizzy drink; she used her teeth to remove the bottle cap and drank without breaking her focus. She had never seen a person so visibly comfortable in their skin. He just seemed playful, joyful.
Then the game was over. She tried to keep her eyes on him as she made her way down from the bleachers, but she glanced away for a second, and when she looked back, he was gone. She searched the mix of boys but could not find him.
Tolu was dripping with sweat when she approached, so she handed him his towel. He wiped his face and tried to hand her back the towel, but she refused to touchit.
“Did you enjoy the game?”
“Sure.”
“I was asking Ebun.”
Mo rolled her eyes, sighed and waited.
“It was cool, Tolu. You guys played well.”
“But they lost, right?” saidMo.
“You’re a brat,” replied her brother.
“Whatever. By the way, who was that light guy?”
“Who?”
“The light guy; the one making a fool of you people.”
“He didn’t make—”
“Right. Right. What’s his name?”
“Why you asking? Last I checked, you had a boyfriend.”
“Asking for a friend.”
Her brother rolled his eyes.
“His name is Kalu. And before you ask, I don’t really know him. Chuka brought him.”
“Kalu.” She repeated the name to herself. It sounded made for her mouth. Her boyfriend looked over at her from his conversation with two of his fellow players as she made her way to Chuka. She blew him a reassuring kiss. She found Chuka and Oba throwing their things into their gym bags. Chuka beamed at her as she drew closer. She mirrored his smile. Oba gave her a short nod, then excused himself and jogged towards the FanIce vendor selling his wares to the parched players.
“Heyyy, Chuka.”
“My future wife.” He gave her a fist bump. “I thought you hated football.”
“I do. But you played a good game.”
“All thanks to Kalu, man. I barely had to do anything.”
“Oh? Which one was Kalu?”
“The tall yellow dude. Tolu’s boys have warned me not to bring him again.” They both laughed, but secretly she hoped they would invite him back. How else would she manufacture a meet-cute?
