Monday, December 28th, 2026
Kalisha's house
9 pm
Kalisha's POV
"Shani... Ebele!" Calling out their names.
"How far?" Shani asking me what is up. They both walk inside my room, noticing a huge smile on my face.
"What is it?" Ebele asks.
"Njau just texted me..." I tell them, but get interrupted.
"Wait, Njau? Heii Gawd, he's back! What did he say?" Shani squeals out of excitement and Ebele is smiling.
"This is what he said: Hey my love, I know it's been two months since we saw each other. I know you missed me so much and I miss you as well. My surgery officially ended and I'm better than ever. I will return to your place in four hours. Can't wait to see the love of my life again. I love you." I read to them.
"Aww," They said in unison.
"We should make a quick welcome back party for him since we didn't get to celebrate his birthday," I suggested.
"That's a great idea. What should we do?" Ebele asks.
"I will call up Mitch and Kelsy so that they can handle the decorations and cake. I will have my mom cook the Nigerian food because I know Njau enjoys our food. Shani will help with the outfits and makeup. Ebele, you will do my hair. Is that alright?" I ask.
"Certainly. What hairstyle do you want?" Ebele asks.
"I want to dye my hair red without using any bleach, but I don't want the color to be too dark or too light. Can you do that?" I ask.
"Yes," Ebele replied.
"Let me just call the rest and tell them what is happening. Then, we can begin."
*****
Thirty minutes later, I got done telling everyone else about the surprise party we're doing for Njau. Now, I'm sitting on a chair waiting for my hair to be dyed.
"Ebele, I'm ready to dye my hair!" I called out.
"What supplies should I use?" Ebele asks.
"I got L'Oréal high color highlight natural blonde in my bag of hair products. I should let you know that I already dyed my hair brown two days ago. My hair is naturally black, but for it to change into red, I needed to make it brown first. I had to wait for two days before I used red because my hair would damage if I constantly added dye." I said.
"As you can see, my ends are a lot darker than my roots. My roots will always be the brightest, but my ends are one dark tone. I let the brown dye sit on my hair for ten minutes before rinsing it." I added. Ebele went to the closet to grab my bag full of hair products.
"So, you want me to do the same thing when you dyed your hair brown?" Ebele curiously asks.
"I will guide you through it. Can you also call Shani? I want to discuss with you both." I demanded and Ebele yells her name. Then, she arrives.
"Yes?" She asks.
"While Ebele is doing my hair, I want all of us to chill and gist," I said.
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" She asks.
"I miss Jymia," I tell them. Ebele opens the highlight box and pulls out the sets of dye.
"Aww, I miss her too." She said.
"Can you tell me more about Jymia? I didn't get enough time to know her." Ebele asks. Opening the red dye, pouring it into a bowl.
"I will. Also, make sure you mix the red dye with the L'Oréal technique developer in volume 40. Let the mix have a creamy consistency; not too thick and not too runny." I guide them.
"Alright," They reply. Doing exactly what I told them.
"Jymia was my best friend. Honestly, she felt more like a sister to me. We met at the age of seven at my birthday party and we instantly clicked. She never failed to make me laugh and I loved her confidence. I used to be very jealous of her since she got all the guys and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind."
"But it broke my heart when she confessed that she had a crush on David and was jealous that we were in a relationship. It shocked me because she was never jealous of me. Plus, I couldn't believe she had feelings for him after knowing that he cheated on me and he never paid attention to her. But I'm glad that she realized how gross of a man he is and moved on from him. It still hurts that she is gone, I wish she was here so that we can talk and laugh." Tears start to fall, I wiped them away.
"Wow, Jymia sounded like a great being. I wished I spent more time with her before she died." Ebele said.
"Wherever she is, I know she is smiling at all of us. Her memory still lives on." Shani said.
"I know" I responded.
"Sorry to interrupt, but what should I do now since I got done mixing the dye?" Ebele asks. I look at the dye and it's perfect.
"First, put on some gloves so that your hands won't get dirty. Then, part my hair in four ways. After that, make sure you put Vaseline and rub it on my hairline. I don't want the dye to burn my forehead. Lastly, add the dye to my hair. Start from the bottom and work your way to the top. I will let you know what else for you to do after everything is over." I instructed.
"Ebele, I want to know more about your life. We already know that you're non-binary. But I want to know about your love life. Give us the tea." Shani requested.
"When I used to refer to myself as a woman, I dated four guys. My first relationship was when I was ten years old, it was nothing serious. My second was when I was fourteen, it only lasted two months. My third was when I was fifteen, but the guy wasn't that interested in the relationship. But the fourth guy was the love of my life and lasted for five years. I thought one day we would get married." Ebele tells us. Putting on the gloves and rubbing the Vaseline on my forehead.
"What happened in the relationship?" I ask.
"When I decided to stop referring to myself as a woman and became non-binary, he broke up with me and left. It shattered my heart because that was the only man that truly loved me. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. But he left without any hesitation and it made me feel worthless." They revealed.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you. Is everything alright now?" I ask with concern.
"Yeah, I'm happier than ever now. I got beings that appreciate me no matter what my gender is. I feel so loved right now." They said with a smile on their face. Parting my hair in four ways.
"We love you too," Shani said.
"Shani, let's hear about your love life. Who did you love before?" They ask. Now rubbing the red dye in my hair.
"Are you okay about sharing your love life?" I ask her since she has a worried look. Then, she sighs.
"Don't worry, I will share." She responds.
"Alright," I said.
"Believe it or not, I used to be shy and quiet. I wasn't all that social since I was afraid no one wanted to be my friend because I was a vampire. But then, I met my first and only boyfriend ever. He made me feel special. I wasn't shy or quiet around him. Also, he was the one that deflowered me and the only guy I had sex with. The relationship lasted for six years, until..." She started breaking down in tears.
"It's alright Shani, you don't have to continue," I tell her.
"I must continue," She said, I hand her a paper towel to wipe away the tears.
"He started to verbally, emotionally, and mentally abuse me. He controlled my life, trying to stop me from chasing my ambitions. I wanted to open my salon because that's my life long goal, but he thought it was stupid and impossible to achieve. Then, we had an ugly argument which ended up with him slapping me. I was shocked and heartbroken that he attacked me. After that, he broke up with me. He said to me that I was ugly and worthless." More tears continue to fall. I give her the whole towel.
"How dare him?! How did you handle the heartbreak?" Ebele asks.
"For the longest, I felt worthless and shameful. I was afraid of men and I didn't want to fall in love anymore. But as time went by, I started to heal. Became more fierce and stopped giving a fuck or let any guy stop me. Whenever a guy tries to hurt me or any other woman, I slap or kill them. That's why I hate guys like David because they treat women as sex slaves and break their hearts. I thought Njau was one of those rubbish guys. But I'm fine now. I didn't need that guy anyways. I am focused on myself, the salon I have, and all my beautiful ladies." She reveals.
"Shani, you are the best. You don't need to be in a relationship to feel worthy." I tell her.
"I know. But the funny thing is that I do want to fall in love again. It will take some time before I start dating again. Plus, I want to focus on my career before I let love take over." She said.
"I respect that" Ebele responds.
"I don't hate men as there are good guys out there. But they are rare to find as there are too many men that act like boys. I can't stand men who don't have respect for women and themselves. I'm not afraid to slap or kill any man that crosses the line." She added.
"Please, don't harm or kill my baby." I pleaded.
"Njau is one of the rare good guys, so I won't lay a finger on him anymore. Unless he does something bad, then expect to see a lot of red marks on his face." She starts to laugh and we all chuckled.
"I'm done with the dye Kalisha," Ebele announced to me.
"Good. I'm going to let it rest for twenty-five minutes and then, I'm going to rinse it. Thank you very much." I said.
"You're welcome" Ebele responds, cleaning up and packing everything.
"Shani, prepare the makeup. Make sure that the glue on the lashes is not pepperish. I hate pepperish lashes. I don't want to be blind!" I said, sucking my teeth.
"No need to worry sister, none of the lashes I have are pepperish. You will look beautiful as always and Njau will love it." She said.
"I can't wait to see Njau again. He's going to love what I have in store for him." I said.
*****
I hear footsteps approaching the door. Everywhere in my place is pitch black and everyone inside is silent. The door opens and once he steps inside, the lights are slightly turned on.
"WELCOME BACK NJAU!" Everyone shouted. Njau is surprised by the party we did for him.
There are decorations everywhere in the house. Portraits of Njau are posted on the wall. The latest Naija hit songs are playing on the speakers. In the kitchen, my mom and my Aunty cooked Fried Rice, Asun and Snail, Beans Toborgee, Ofada Rice and Stew, Amala and Iyan, Jollof Rice and Dodo, Small Chops, Plantain, and Pepper Soup. A variety of drinks from Vimto, Alcohol, and Wine. Lastly, there's a large chocolate cake with a bunch of candles sticking up.
I am so happy to see him again. The last time I saw him, he was all bruised up. Now he looks so angelic and I don't waste time hugging him.
"Njau, I missed you so much," I tell him. Holding him so tight that I don't want to let go. He smells so nice with his tropical scent.
"You don't know how much I missed your presence." He tells me. I blush so hard that my skin wanted to melt.
"You did?" I ask, making sure he's not saying things to impress me.
"Every day felt so empty without you. When I had my surgery, I thought I was going to die because anything fatal can happen. But thank goodness that I'm still alive with a healthy body, a new tongue, and I'm with you again." He said and I couldn't help but smile.
"Can you show us your tongue?" Mitch blurts out.
"Show us your tongue, sharp sharp!" Grandma Nomusa added. Then, everyone started chanting, "Show us your tongue!"
Njau and I start to laugh. He finally decides to reveal his new tongue. Everyone is in awe and a few of them gets a closer look.
"Woah, this is so surreal. The tongue looks so real." Ebele commented.
"Tell us how you got your new tongue? We are dying to know." Aunty Chipo asks.
"The first few days the surgeons were trying to figure out how to do the procedure since it's rare having a tongue transplant. But they eventually figured it out. First, they amputated my entire tongue." He responds.
"Ehn! What type of witchcraft is this?" My mother exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I didn't feel any pain of the procedure as they put me in anesthesia." He explains.
"How did they get your new tongue?" Kelsy asks.
"I want to know as well. I never heard such a thing." Shani adds.
"They used a tongue from an organ donor. They made sure that the tongue is healthy and fits perfectly for my mouth range. After having it, the tongue feels so natural, I can taste food, and I can properly speak to humans without using the voice modulation machine." He said.
"Wow, you went through a lot. But I and everyone here is glad that you're back. We threw this party to celebrate your return." I tell him.
"It was all Kalisha's idea," Shani said and we all laughed.
"Aww, thank you. Also, you looked amazing. I love your new hairstyle, the red compliments you. Your makeup and outfit are stunning." He complimented me.
"You are so sweet. I wouldn't have done it without Shani and Ebele." I said.
"You look beautiful every single day. I miss seeing your lovely face." He tells me. Then, he kisses me. I follow his movements. I missed how soft and passionate his kisses are. I couldn't help but rub on his muscles.
"Come off it jare. Let's eat before the food gets cold." My mother said and then, sucks her teeth. We stopped kissing and laughed.
After we get done eating, dancing, and socializing, it's time to cut the cake. We all sing the happy birthday song and he couldn't help but smile.
"It's time to blow out the candles and make a wish," I tell him. He closes his eyes and blows out the candles.
"So... What did you wish for?" I ask.
He drops down in one knee and pulls out a box with a diamond-encrusted ring. I cover my mouth and tears begin to fall as I couldn't believe what he is doing. Everyone else is surprised or said "aww". My mother is filming the whole moment.
"Kalisha, you changed my life. Not only you were the first black vampire I met besides my parents, but you were the first being ever that showed respect to me. Even though our first encounter was strange and awkward, you never judged me. You treated me like I was important and you took me in as one of your own. I know our relationship wasn't the best as we had arguments, disagreements, I left you, I focused more on my problems, a lot of death happened, and you witnessed racism. But my love for you never left. Even though you're a princess, I always treated you like a queen because you are one. You are beautiful, sexy, smart, kind, helpful, talented, strong, fierce, and lovable. I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now but, will you marry me?" He proposed.
"Yes, I will marry you. I do." I agreed without any hesitation.
He puts the ring on my finger and does the same to himself. He gets up and we kiss. Everyone is cheering and celebrating this beautiful moment. He ends the kiss.
"Njau, before you say anything, can I ask where you got the ring? I hope you didn't steal it." I question him.
"No, I don't steal anymore. I got a job now." He reveals.
"Woah, that's major. What job do work at?" I ask.
"VampVids. Since they helped me out the most with my voice that I had to work there." He explains.
"I'm proud of you," I tell him.
"Another thing is that the president provided me twenty thousand dollars so that I may buy this expensive ring. He even wanted me to start driving, so I'm getting a driving lesson." He adds.
"You deserve it. This is the life you should have lived a long time ago." I said.
"Kalisha, let's get married in Nigeria. I'm tired of being in America. I'm ready to visit your hometown and witness Africa." He tells me.
"You will love my hometown," I said.
"Not as much as I love you. You are the best and I'm glad that we're engaged." He said.
"I'm happy as well. You mean so much to me. I'm glad that I'm getting married to the perfect man. I love you."
"I love you too. You are the love of my life."