"... A FOOL FOR YOU... "

Lydia saw the car pull up in the driveway, she watched as her fiance stepped out of the car but she couldn't find the motivation to cheer herself up or run to welcome him like she normally did; it had been a rough couple of weeks and it seemed like it was starting to take it's toll on her. Daniel walked into the house and was quite surprised to find her sitting by the window, legs crossed on the wooden chair, with a sullen look. Curiously, he moved towards her but she didn't even move from where she sat or glance his way. 

"Babe,' he called and she looked up at him teary eyed, 'hey, what's wrong?"

"My manuscript got rejected again." She said 

"Oh that, sorry to hear." He replied but she noticed the sudden lack of interest in his tone. 

"You don't sound sorry at all." She said and he sighed. 

"I have to go shower, I stink." He said as he turned to leave. 

"If there is something you want to say, say it Dan." She prompted. He stopped and faced her as he contemplated if he should really be honest with her. 

"Say it Dan!" She urged

"It's just that... this is like the 100th time your work had been rejected since we left College three years ago. You spend so much time writing, researching and everytime it gets rejected..."

"Why are you saying it like its my fault?"

"I'm not saying its your fault. I'm saying that maybe it's time for you to forget about this writing stuff and focus on something real like getting a job." 

"Writing stuff? Writing is real to me, it is what I do. I love writing and you know that Dan!"

"But it hasn't been working out for you so far, has it?" He asked

"I can't believe you are saying this to me."

"Maybe it is time you used your certificate and find a realistic job to help out financially."

"I don't help out financially? That's it?"

"No. You are a certified botanist, you can get a job Lydia."

"I didn't graduate first class like you did Dan! I will barely get a job as a third class graduate in this economy. My best shot is getting my manuscripts approved for publication. I am a good writer, I know it." She argued 

"Well you are the only one that seems to think that you are." He said and immediately regretted it. Lydia stopped and gaped at him for a second as her brain processed that. 

"You don't think I'm good enough?" she asked and he let out a sigh. 

"Lydia..." He began subtly 

"I think I need to go for a walk." she cut in, walked past him, out of the three bedroom apartment they had bought two years ago, into the quiet street of the Lagos estate they occupied, to clear her head. The evening breeze gladly welcomed her. 

  She tried to process everything ... she needed to or else she might just explode. She loved Dan a lot, he had been her high school sweetheart and not once did he stop believing in her or in her dream to become a renowned writer someday, that was why it really hurt to hear him say all that to her. They had been through so much together, survived four years long distance relationship all through college and when he had gotten a job as a senior programmer in a prominent company, she had relocated across the continent to join him. 

  Unlike him though, she had done very poorly in the course her father had forced her to study in college. Being an only child of a domineering father, he had predestined every detail of her life - from her college to his dream job for her, down to a perfect suitor for her ( which most certainly wasn't Daniel) - and where her efforts weren't enough, the money had spoken for her, that was how she had been able to graduate college despite her grades. It wasn't like she was not smart or something like that, she had just wanted to write but her father hated the very idea of it, he believed it was a waste of time. He preferred she become a botanist like him and take over his research company eventually so he had gone to great lengths to stop her from writing but like they say, you can force a horse to the stream but you can't force it to drink, right? She continued writing which had pissed him off greatly and after College they had barely been on speaking terms. Her moving in with Daniel when he suggested it had been the last straw of her madness for her father; he swore never to have anything to do with her ever again. But she was stubborn like him that way. 

  Daniel and her had spent the last two years having all the fun they had missed in the years apart. Daniel was a good person, smart and they were in love, that much she knew and just two months ago he had proposed. However, with her inability to a get a job or a breakthrough in her writing, things have been quite rough between them these last couple of weeks. Although she baked some snacks for sale once in a while, he was the sole provider and she felt hurt that he thought she was just being lazy. The truth was, she always felt like she needed to prove to her father that writing wasn't a waste, that he had been wrong to stop her from pursuing her dreams, probably that was why she had clung onto that dream despite the negative feedbacks but when your last motivator has given up on you, wasn't it a cue for you to just give up too? What if she really wasn't that good? Every manuscript she had submitted, she had been told it wasn't what they needed... well not all the manuscripts, some were yet to be reviewed. She had even tried writing contests but failed many times and it hurt so badly. Maybe Daniel was right, maybe it was time to bring her head out of the clouds and face reality but then she had been pampered all her life, she couldn't think of any other skill except writing - she was so confused at that moment that it all seemed very devastating. 

  It was already dark outside when she returned home after a long walk that left her still confused. Daniel was in the sitting room and as soon as she walked in, he stood up with an apologetic look. 

"Lydia, let's talk please." He said as she made to walk past him

"You already said what you wanted... "

"No,' he cut in as he held her arm, gently pulled her back to face him, 'I'm sorry about earlier. You are good enough, believe me. Any writing establishment would be lucky to have someone as dedicated and talented as you are..."

"You don't need to butter me up Dan..."

"I'm not, trust me. What i was trying to say was perhaps you should get a side job or start up something while looking for other writing options, I don't know why I didn't just say that earlier, I was an ass. I think all the negative comments are making you depressed, I mean I haven't seen you smile or laugh genuinely in weeks, I miss that. You are an amazing writer but you just need a break from it all, love." He said then placed one hand on her cheek and caressed it gently. It felt comforting to hear all that but possibly he was just saying that to avoid a fight. 

"I believe you." She replied regardless 

"I love you." He said as he looked into her eyes intently. A smile spread across her face and she kissed him on the lips, he kissed her back and shortly afterwards their clothes were flying off their bodies as they fell on the couch and made passionate love. 

  *      *     *

  Dan helped her get a job as a cook in a restaurant just a stone throw from the company he worked in - Maggie's kitchen. It was a new restaurant in the urban part of town, not all that fancy but decent enough for those in the middle class. There were three cooks ( Mr Bibo, a huge man in his early forties who seemed experienced in all areas of life, Hassan a nineteen year old high school dropout and then there was Lydia). The pay wasn't much but at least she wasn't sitting idly at home anticipating calls from editors. Also, she had a chance to catch a glimpse of Dan everyday during his lunch break as he frequented the place. Not to mention the fact that she got to make new friends, being such a free spirit, she immediately bonded with her boss, Maggie - a divorced woman in her late fifties, Mr Bibo and Hassan who had a really good sense of humor. She was basically a sweetheart and she loved the feeling that came with being busy. 

  Weeks later though , while at work, she got a mail from a publishing company informing her that her story had won a monthly writing contest she had applied for. What excited her wasn't just the $700 cash prize, it was the news that her book would be published and she would have a free online platform to post her works. The news was too great for her to contain so took permission from Maggie and raced down to Dan's office. 

"I won $700 and my book will be published." She yelled in hysteria as she ran into his arms the second she laid eyes on him. 

"What? Wow... that's mind blowing,' he replied really surprised, ' I am so proud of you babe. We need to celebrate."

"What are you thinking?" She asked with a broad grin

"Our favorite restaurant. You and me. Tonight. How does that sound?"

"Amazing. I will try to get off early from work." she said. When she went back, she informed Maggie she needed to leave earlier than usual and being an understanding woman, she agreed. She went about her remaining hours there with joy bubbling in her heart, preparing every recipe wholeheartedly as it seemed like her dreams were finally coming true. 

  It was minutes later when Lydia smelt it before she heard Hassan shout, 'fire!', she turned and saw that the microwave had caught fire. In a panic, Hassan grabbed a bucket of water and threw it at the microwave before anyone could stop him. The flames rose higher immediately and the fire made its way towards the gas cylinder. 

"Turn off the fuse box!" Mr Bibo yelled and in that moment, Lydia who was standing by the door literally froze in fear as she watched the tragedy unfolding before her eyes. Seconds later the sound of an explosion rocked the air, adding to the chaos of the busy afternoon hustles. 

  Daniel was on his way out of his office when he heard the explosion. Almost immediately, he heard screams and his coworkers began hurrying outside. 

"What's going on?" He inquired

"Maggie's kitchen is on fire!" one of them shouted. 

"Lydia." He said then dashed towards the entrance, joining the group of people curious to view the incident. He literally raced all the way to the restaurant where people were already gathered outside - some were customers who had managed to escape, mildly injured and pretty spoken up, others were just curious bystanders. Maggie was sprawled on the ground, wailing, a cut on her forehead. He saw the ambulance and the fire service truck approaching and he glanced around anxiously for Lydia.

"Lydia! Lydia!" He shouted as he looked around but there was no sign of her. He glanced at the burning building and panic built up inside of him as he wondered if she was still inside. She had mentioned getting off early right? He was about to call her cellphone when he heard someone yelling to the paramedics that had just arrived at the scene.

"The cooks are still inside!"

"Lydia!" He exclaimed and impulsively he dashed into the burning building.

"Sir, come back!" He heard someone yell but the thought of Lydia in there alone and helpless was just too agonizing. Once inside, he unintentionally inhaled the smoke and coughed violently, he brought out a handkerchief, covered his nose but that didn't help much as the smoke that had formed a dark fog, stung his eyes making it almost impossible for him to see a thing. As he made his way further into the building, burning woods from the ceiling fell to the ground, some on the plastic chairs and tables which in turn rapidly caught fire. The good thing was that he had visited the place so often that he was certain he could grope his way to the kitchen. 

"Lydia." He called as he made his way further into the building. Another bolt of cough seized him and he coughed violently for seconds, his chest was starting to ache badly. He walked a few more metres then his eyes fell on a figure passed out on the ground, just close to the counter. He hurried forward and was relieved to see that it was Lydia. The heat from the kitchen greeted him as he got closer so he quickly picked her up and made his way back to the entrance door which turned out to be a more difficult task than expected considering Lydia's weight, his lungs killing him and the fact that he was trying to avoid the burning woods falling in his part. When he eventually managed to get to the door, hands dragged him out, somebody took Lydia from him as he broke into a coughing fit. Paramedics surrounded him and an oxygen mask was placed on his nose.

"She isn't breathing." was all he kept saying as they tried to get him to sit down.

"Sir, you need to relax." A young man said but he couldn't. He insisted on going with her when they put her in an ambulance. Fortunately the burns on her skin weren't major but she had inhaled too much of the toxic gases. 

  He was so scared that he barely sat at a place all through the hours that the doctors monitored her condition. It was in the early hours of the morning that she regained consciousness but the doctors administered so many painkillers that she dozed off minutes later. He sat by her side all through, praying silently. Later that day her eyes fluttered opened, he was so glad when she looked up at him with that familiar twinkle in her eyes. 

"Hey." he called as he leaned in towards her from where he sat

"Hey... So, I heard you were the fool who ran into a burning building to save a girl." She said and he grinned. 

"Well, I am a fool for you Lydia. Always." He said, he was most glad that she was in a joking mood, she needed to be happy before hearing about the condition of the other cooks - Hassan was in critical condition, the doctors were not sure if he would make it, Mr Bibo who had suffered first degree burns was still in a coma. It was almost a miracle that she had gotten out of that kitchen in time but Lydia had always been a strong girl, no doubt about that. 

"Thank you." she said 

"Wait until you see who made today's paper."

"I made the news?" she asked with glee in her eyes 

"We made the news. I know, right? MOST HEROIC DEED EVER: MAN RUNS INTO A BURNING BUILDING TO SAVE FIANNCEE. They captured all my good sides." He said with a dramatic gesture that made Lydia burst into laughter and in that moment she knew she was just blessed to have someone like him in her life. Despite the fights and their differences, Dan loved her and he would always try to be there for her, that she was most certain of.