The Perfect Night

Cliiiiiing.... Cliiiiiiiiiing, the alarm clocked sounded. It was morning, 9.40am to be precise. "OMG!", Claudia yelled as she looked at the clock. She was going to be late for the day's activities. She had asked her employer for a day off just to make this special day a memorable one. She had the day's schedule skeptically planned out and was sure there was not going to be any mix up.

Adoley, her bosom friend, had called earlier on but she missed her calls. The previous night was so stressful at the supermarket where she worked which made her so tired before she retired to bed. Claudia called her friend back. They agreed to meet at the market as earlier planned the previous day.

Quickly, Claudia came out of the shower and slipped into some fresh clothes which had been ironned and hanged, waiting to be worn. She chose some wrist beads to match her orange blouse and set off for the market after locking all doors and windows. Getting a car at the junction seemed a bit frustrating for a while. Soon, a taxi pulled up and they sped off. It was 12.15pm when she moved.Adoley was becoming infuriated at her friend's delayance. Claudia was becoming fond of this habit. At the ninth or so glance at her wrist watch, she saw a cab pull before her. Her friend came out with a broad smile. "I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting", Claudia said while hugging Adoley. The two mid twenties walked through the market choosing and buying all the items they will be needing to prepare french fries for the dinner ahead.

At 3.56pm, they were at Ephyex Restaurant to take some snacks before going home. Claudia had not eaten anything yet since morning so they took the chance to grab something to eat. Soon, they were headed for Adoley's home to cook the meal they had planned to serve as dinner. By the time they were done, Claudia had chopped half of the fries due to hunger. She rushed to the bathroom for a quick shower. When she was done, she set off to Jeff's house to invite him over for dinner. Adoley would however send the prepared meal to Claudia's house and set the table ready for her friend's arrival.

By the time the cab stopped infront of Jeff'S gate, it was 8.05. There was loud music coming from the house, an unusual thing about Jeff. Her boyfriend kept a gentle nature at all times, unlike most guys. Probably there was a party going on, she thought. After several minutes of ringing the bell and not getting any response, she opened the door. It was not locked, rather unusual. She went in.

The hall was all messed up and yet there was no party. She began to worry when noone responded while she called out his name. Gradually, but with fear, she moved towards the kitchen, then to the washroom. Finally, as she approached the bedroom she realised the door had been left open. She was shocked at what met her eyes.

On her way home, she cried her heart out. What was she going to tell her bosom friend? How could this happen to her at this very hour? The driver constantly asked her what had gone wrong but she kept mute. As soon as she reached home, she ran out of the cab, forgetting to pay the driver. The annoyed man came out of his car and chased after her. He was peacefully settled at the gate by the security man who wanted to avoid any scandal. She opened the door and suddenly, a loud uproar came from the room, "SURPRISE!". There was Jeff and Adoley and a few other friends. "You coward!", Claudia shouted and ran to her room, leaving everyone in astonishment. The embarassed Claudia could not hide her shame after she had been clarified of the whole incidence.

Jeff had been in her home all afternoon preparing dinner for the special night. She went to meet his room mate Paul who had just arrived from his three weeks holiday in UK; and she mistook him for Jeff who was making love in bed with another lady."A toast to a lasting relationship" shouted Jeff. "CHEERS!", came from the guests.

After all the noise had died down and everyone had departed, Jeff sat beside her in the garden. She stared into the clouds, humming her favorite love song. He took her left hand and started playing with them, then she felt him slide something into her middle finger. It was beautiful. As tears began rolling down her cheeks, he whispered softly, "Happy Valentine Day my love".