Dorcas' Love Pills

Everybody wants to have a beautiful life, become rich and famous, she thought, but only a few get to
attain those glaring feats. She contemplated as she walked the lonely street that led to her house, while she was completely occupied in her thoughts, of course, there was nothing or anyone to be aware of. The street had spaced-out apartment houses, where an early curfew seemed to be a general agreement. There was this thing that was gnawing her; she could feel it, but could not understand what it was.

Earlier in the day, she had requested some time off at work to the astonishment of her boss, who knows her as a workaholic, to reflect on her strange feelings. Her mind wandered over a lot of things until she got to the avenue that led to her house. The avenue branched off after a string of shops that sold household wares and groceries; the usually busy shops during the day now looked asleep with gloomy faces. She lived in a bungalow apartment building at the end of the avenue that houses six small apartments, all arranged side by side. Unlike other days where the compound would look empty with everyone minding their business, this particular day was different; all her neighbours were outside on the front lawn, each one on their own, assuming some kind of posture that looked rather strange.

She tried to decipher what she saw, but there seemed to be a friction with her thoughts regarding the impending reality, which was becoming closer with every step and at the same time scarier as everyone kept their stance. As if hit by a bolt, she stopped dead, became petrified, she could hear her heart beat drumming in her ears, with squinted eyes, she looked more stern on the lawn that was dimly lit from covered apartment windows. The closest figure she could see looked taller than the rest. That must be Fred, she thought, the handsome ebony construction worker she had bumped into a few times in a mall. Fred had a characteristic, beautiful smile that would lighten up anybody’s mood, and she had always wondered if he smiled the same way to everyone else. She called out to Fred, and just as she did, she heard footsteps behind her with a masculine voice seeming to whisper the word ‘hey’. She became overwhelmed as she turned and made a loud shrieking sound that made the figure behind her rush toward her to hold her up from her apparent descent as she slipped and fell. She felt arms around her, let go of the bags she held in both hands and looked shocked when she saw Fred holding her up. Next, she turned to look at the lawn and couldn’t see anybody. turned toward Fred, who was now holding a surprised look and in an instant everything dissolved before her.

She spun around and kicked slowly as she opened her eyes to realise she was on a couch and felt a wet cloth on her face. She pulled off the cloth, sat up and looked around at the unfamiliar environment she found herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder and startled, only to turn and see Fred holding up a glass of water. She heaved down, trying to wallow in the embarrassment that was on her, took the water and sipped. Fred sat by her side, held her close and told her she had fainted, and he brought her to his house to rest. He paused and asked what the problem was. She explained she was overly stressed and tired. Fred flashed the same unique smile that she was now used to and assured her she would recover in the morning. She mentioned she needed to get to her apartment, and Fred walked her out to her apartment. She fumbled with her bunch of keys as she tried to remove them from her suit, which fell out of her hands, and they both went down to pick it up almost at the same time. She got to the keys first, and Fred’s hand landed on hers, and both exchanged an uncanny look for a split second and seemed to realise themselves and got up. She opened her door, and Fred walked in with her bags and placed them on her sitting room table. She walked him to the door and bade him goodnight. Fred nodded and waved. She got back inside, feeling overworked, and she went straight to her room and fell backwards on her bed.

The events played back on her mind, and she struggled to understand what really happened, the figures on the lawn, the disappearance of the figures when Fred mysteriously showed up behind her and the looks on Fred’s face that intimated something rather intimate; the last thought made her smile. She had been thinking of Fred a bit and always felt emotionally swerved when she remembered the rather beautiful smile. Immediately, a strange thought struck her, as she reflected on what could have caused the whole illusion, she remembered she had taken a prescription drug for her migraine. Immediately, she dashed to her rack, where she left the drug pack. She went through the pack and heaved down when she saw that the drug could cause hallucinations. She fell back on the bed and slept off with a smile on her face as her mind sank into a myriad of imaginations on what would happen next with Fred.

The next morning, she woke up feeling dizzy and partly angry at the birds that kept hitting their beaks on the French windows. She had always felt so pissed anytime she wakes up to those harsh sounds like the birds are telling her she has to wake up early for a job that brings her no satisfaction. She went up and slid the glasses to drive away the birds. Next, she noticed she had left her drug pack on the bed; she had never been this disorganised to sleep on an undressed bed. Next, the memories of the previous night crept in, and she sighed and sat back on her bed. It was all a dream! She hated herself. How could she have allowed herself to be so carried away by someone who never cared about her, except to flash some random smiles, to the point where she had such a strong dream? In a burst of anger, she threw away the drug pack and pushed down her bedside lamp and could not get angrier when she heard a knock on her door. She left her room into the sitting room and tried to calm herself down, but found it impossible to control her breathing. She lost her patience and yelled at the visitor even before she got to the door. She heard ‘Hey neighbour, it's me, Fred. I figured you’d be so tired, so I made you breakfast. I can go back if you don’t want to see anyone. She could not believe her ears, ‘Please give me five seconds,’ she shouted as she ran back into her room, bent over and fondly picked up the drug pack and replaced it on the table. Next, she went to the door. When she opened, she was all smiles as she saw Fred carrying a tray of a well-covered dish, except for the chocolate drink that was steaming hot. Fred lifted an eyebrow with an enquiry look and was shocked when Dorcas not only stretched for the tray but also gave him a kiss. He stretched to kiss her back, and Dorcas never felt happier in her life. They both got into her apartment and shut the door with a bang.