"I.... I think I'm in love with you." John stammered while in his room, having a phone conversation with Madeleine.
"Do you think you are in love with me or you are in love with me?" He heard Madeleine say from the other side.
"I'm in love with you, Madeleine." John managed to say after keeping quiet for some time.
"You are in love with me."
"Ehr." He sighed. "Yes." There was total silence for some time. Each side were lost of words. "I'm in love with you." John managed to say.
"I can remember vividly that you were the black man who collected my phone number yesterday."
"Of course. Yes."
"You are actually a black?"
"Yeah."
"And I know that you need no one to tell you that I'm a white girl."
"Of course, I know you are a white."
"Then, how do you expect me to date a black? It's weird, I can't."
James, who had been sitting down for a while, watching the drama before him, stood up all of a sudden and collected the phone from John.
"Hello." James said to the phone.
"Hello, who is this?" He heard Madeleine say from the other side.
"This is James, John's friend." He introduced himself, literally to the phone, bringing the phone's mic closer to his mouth, probably to make the listener hear him more clearly.
"Oh!"
"Yeah, can we meet tomorrow?"
"You wanna meet me?"
"I bet you heard me, you just decided to ask me again. Let's meet tomorrow, are you interested?"
"Where and when?"
* * *
In so many ways, he knew Elizabeth will be useful in this plan of his, the best thing is to take Elizabeth along with him to the restaurant where he is going to meet Madeleine. John knew his friend was up to something but he decided to play along.
"Getting you a girlfriend will be my highest priority." James said patting John on his shoulder. He dropped the phone as if throwing it to the bed. He than sat down beside the phone. "Not just a girlfriend but a white girl. And even not just a white girl but the one you love.
"Thanks a lot, brother. May God thunder your body with blessings." John cracked a joke.
"Hey! Mister man." James cautioned jovially. "Mind your tongue. If God thunder my body with blessings, how will I be able to enjoy the blessings when my body is already thundered. Next time, you say; may God cover your body with blessings. Okay?"
"Okay, boss man." John smiled.
The second day, James invited Elizabeth to his place. He knew he had to present a gift to her to make her compromise with the plan ahead. Around 8am in the morning, he heard his doorbell ring."
"Yes, you may enter if you wish. The door is not locked." John who was just dressing up in his room as he was just back from the bathroom replied. Elizabeth entered.
"Why did you say I may enter if I wish?" Elizabeth threw a question at him as she entered.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were the one. There is a guy that does stop by at my door every morning, he will ring the doorbell only to say good morning. I thought he was the one."
"Are you saying that his only aim is to say good morning even he if he knocks so hard?"
"Infact, it's just his behaviour. I don't know what his name is but the day he gave me him his phone number, I needed to save it on my phone with the name; the good morning guy."
"That's a crazy character. Is he from Nigeria?"
"Are you telling me that it's we Nigerian that love to stop by people's houses to greet them? It's just his own character, he is from Malaysia na."
"Is he a white?"
"Of course."
"Crap! I can't believe That! So, people of my race also have this crazy character."
"The only difference between the whites and the blacks is the colour and the hair na, we all have the same character as we were all created by the same God."
"Hmm."
"Oh! That reminds me, I got a question for you."
"I hope it's not a silly and annoying question this time around."
"What if it Is?"
"Then, I'm gonna skin you alive." She smiled.
"Well, let's be serious. Is there something bad about the black that may make the whites think a white is not worth marrying?"
"Like, I don't get you."
"Okay, I mean, what can make a white girl reject a black guy? What can make a white girl say she can never marry a black man."
"I don't really know if the blacks have a particular weakness that might make a white girl reject them, but you have no weakness that can make me reject you." She sat down. James sat down beside her and planted a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
"See, I gat a gift for you." He said and brought a wrapped rectangular object out of his drawer. He handed it over to Elizabeth. "Have it."
Elizabeth unwrapped the object and there she found a yellow gown. She remembered it was the same gown she had pointed to on the day they went out on a date.
"I love that gown." She had said that day, pointing at it.
"They are of different sizes, I guess your size is here too." He had replied her. "But I'm out of cash already, we shall come here again some other day to buy it."
She looked at the gown, paying more attention to it. She suddenly dropped the gown and hugged James tightly.
"I love You!" She exclaimed
"I love you too." He replied.
"How did you know my size?" She asked.
"Remember, this is not the first time I will buy you a dress."
"Oh! That's true."
She went naked except for her bra and pant right in front of James and then, put the gown on.
"I'm ready for outing right now. Do you have anywhere in mind?" She asked.
"Are you sure you want us to go out?"
"Of course. Don't worry, the bills will be in me this time around."
"Oh! Actually, I want us to and meet a particular girl together. John had fallen in love with her and she had rejected him because he is a black. I want you to help us talk to her."
"There's no problem with that? Is John going there with us?"