Ask, It Shall be Given

Stepping out of her apartment, Mrs. Adelaide sighted her four-year-old son coming out of the adjacent suites. She got curious and spoke directly to the occupier of the adjacent suite. “I have often wanted to know what it is that takes my James away from our house. It turns out that there is a damsel in distress worth saving here.” The two women burst out laughing.

“Good evening to you madam.” Mrs. Adelaide said.

“Good evening, Mrs.  I have also been curious about his identity. You know, seeing a small child visiting my house unaccompanied by an adult always worries me. I did not know that he lives this close to us. And he rarely speaks too. By the way, I am Mrs. Major.”

“I am Mrs. Adelaide, nice meeting you. My son is an introvert, so he could come here to see a friend must have taken all his will and courage to do it. I am glad that he ventured out here. By the way can I meet this special friend of James?”

“Brenda, James’ mother wants to greet you, go on.” Brenda popped her out again and moved back, she refused to go forward to shake hands with the woman. She stayed put at her mother side and occasionally showed her head to stealthy check the woman out.

“I think the two children are both shy.” Mrs. Adelaide commented.

Two couples, Adelaide and Mayor lived adjacent to each other at apartment six on Sithole street, Labone in Accra with their families. They were practically strangers to each other when they first moved into the neighborhood. They gradually became friends due to their children’s attachment. James and Brenda met at their pre-school. Six years later, when each left Sithole street, one would have believed that the relationship would end there but the children remained friends which led to the growing bond between the two families.  It was the children who brought the two families together, and the adults openly joked that the two families would change their appellation whenever the children got romantically involved. However, it often led to awkward moments for the two children who were practically extremely shy. Soon they left pre-school, and their path still crossed at elementary school, they were like five and six.

One could ask what solidified the children’s relationship from pre-school to primary school, they were still growing strong. One thing was certain, the two children rarely mingled with other children, James was an introvert, same as Brenda, she was an extremely shy child and preferred staying alone, if not in the company of James.  

What could ever go wrong for two childhood friends who went all the way to the same high school together? Everything, because even when they moved to the same high school, James and Brenda, friends from kindergarten, still saw each other as nothing but  friends. They never admitted their feelings for each other. Notwithstanding, they always hung out together, but never as more than friends. They were both too shy and afraid of ruining their friendship. At their age, children were already establishing opposite relationships, but the relationship never moved from friendship to romantic relationships. When James was not looking Brenda’s way, the girl would stared at him. Same went for James; his gaze was always on the girl when she wasn’t looking his way. Once or twice she had caught him gazing at her, but James would feel extremely embarrassed when caught.  In his shy manner, he cared excessively for his childhood friends, which was abnormal to the onlookers. The two would tacitly wait for each other to eat together at lunch time. Even when they were separated by class, they still had a way of finding out about each other’s timetable. They would wait after school hours to complete their assignment together. They talked practically about everything except their true feelings for each other.

“Are you interested in the end of the year party?” James summoned courage to initiate a conversation after school hours one day. It was two weeks to the prom.

“Yes. And you, are you coming too?” She replied.

“Do you enjoy coming to such kind of gatherings?” James asked.

“Not really. What about you?” Brenda replied.

“Me neither. It is a shared waste of one’s time.” He remarked.

James meant to know if Brenda was attending the prom, to secure the first dance from her, but he couldn’t follow through with his plan. The whole idea died in his throat. Brenda too was hoping that James would ask her just like every other girl around had continued to share the names of their dance partners, she desired it and wanted James to ask her, but she couldn’t say anything when James practically gave up the idea.

Soon the day of the party arrived. It was the last night of the school year, and every student came with his or her partner; they were having a blast at the prom. The music was loud, the lights were colorful, and the mood was festive. Everyone seemed to have a partner, except for two people: James and Brenda who sat far away and alone from each other.

James would occasionally and secretly look Brenda’s way, but quickly took his eyes off her. He wanted to ask Brenda to dance, but he didn't know how to approach her. He saw her sitting alone at a table, looking bored and lonely. He decided to gather his courage and walk over to her.

"Hey, Brenda," he said nervously.

"Hey, James," she said, smiling slightly.

"Are you having fun?" he asked.

"Not really," she said. "I don't like these kinds of parties. They're too loud and crowded."

"Me neither," he said. "I prefer quieter places."

They looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say next.

"So..." James said, trying to break the silence.

"So..." Brenda said, echoing him.

They both laughed nervously.

"Listen, Brenda," James said, taking a deep breath. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time."

"What is it?" Brenda asked, feeling a surge of hope in her chest

"I... I..." James stammered, looking into her eyes.

"Yes?" Brenda said, leaning closer to him.

"I... I think you're a great friend," James said, chickening out at the last moment.

Brenda felt a pang of disappointment in her heart. She had hoped he would say something else. Something more romantic.

"Oh," she said, forcing a smile. "Thank you. You're a great friend too."

They both felt a wave of sadness wash over them. They had missed their chance to confess their true feelings. They didn't know if they would ever get another one. Suddenly, the music changed to a slow song. It was their favorite song. The one they always listened to together.

"Do you want to dance?" James asked, hoping to salvage the situation.

"Sure," Brenda said, accepting his offer.

They got up from their seats and walked to the dance floor. They wrapped their arms around each other and swayed gently to the music. They felt each other's warmth and closeness. They wished they could stay like this forever.

They looked into each other's eyes again, feeling a spark of attraction. They both wanted to kiss each other, but they didn't dare to make the first move. They were still afraid of rejection and losing their friendship. They kept dancing until the song ended. They let go of each other and smiled awkwardly.

"That was nice," James said.

"Yeah," Brenda said.

They walked back to their table and sat down. They didn't say anything else for the rest of the night. They just watched the other couples having fun and feeling jealous. They both regretted not telling each other how they really felt. The two wondered what could have been if they had been braver and more honest. They realized that they had wasted their last chance to be together. They both wished they could turn back time and do it differently. But it was too late. The last dance was over, James never asked and never knew that his desire would be granted. If only he dared to ask, he would have been given.