Romance Meets Life |
- A Flight Diversion - A Short Story By Chimamanda Adichie
- The 10 Types of Men And Women You Should Never Marry
- Komla Dumor's Wife Kwansema, and Children Share Touching Tribute at Burial
| A Flight Diversion - A Short Story By Chimamanda Adichie Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:33 PM PST  I was woken by the pilot's voice. In the drowsy hum of the airplane, his words crackled, and I thought I heard something about preparing to land. Could I have slept so long? I looked at the time. It was only three hours into the Lagos-to-Atlanta flight. The flight attendants were hurrying back and forth. The pilot was still speaking. "We have an emergency onboard, and we have had to divert the flight to Dakar." I could feel the plane descending. It seemed too fast. A sweeping hollowness. My fog of sleep cleared instantly. Something was wrong, the pilot was too cryptic, the flight attendants too blank-faced, snatching up cups, urging seats straight. I thought: If I die, I hope it's quick and I don't know. The woman beside me crossed herself. Then the pilot's voice came back on. It was a medical emergency, he said; a pregnant passenger went into early labor and had just had a baby. I sensed, around me, a collective hush of relief and wonder. A baby delivered on the plane! We landed in Dakar. It was 2 a.m. Medical personnel in orange vests hurried in, a man carrying a black box, a lanky woman dragging an IV stand, their eyes heavy with sleep. I wondered what the baby would need, and if they had what the baby would need. Soon, the lanky woman left, cradling a bundle wrapped in cloth. The baby. I strained to see better, hoped I would hear it cry. Then the new mother emerged, a young woman with a tube dangling from her arm, and behind her came the other medical worker, trying to support her. But she didn't need him. She strode past, straight and steady, so quick that I caught only a glimpse of her face. She looked stunned and frustrated. It seemed even more of a wonder to me, not only that she had just had a baby in midair but that there she was on her feet, normal and capable. The pilot came out of his cabin. A tall man with an easy air, he told us it was a baby boy, and both mother and baby were fine. His American humor emerged. "Been flying a long time and this is a first for me!" We, the Nigerian passengers, laughed with a shared sense of delight, as though by being present we had somehow shared in bringing this baby into the world. The American flight attendants were baffled. "The mother said she was 24 weeks gone, but that baby looked full-term. Why would anybody take the risk?" one asked. We did not ask why. The new mother was traveling alone, nobody knew her, and yet we felt as if we did. We speculated about her circumstances. She probably had visa problems, got her visa later than she'd planned, or perhaps she had not planned it early enough, or maybe the chance to go to America emerged late in her pregnancy, and she'd chosen to do what she had to do because the sparkling worthwhile end was an American-born baby. I thought of her expression as she exited the plane, more frustration than worry, a lament for the American passport that now would not be. Some passengers joked about her poor luck. "Now she has a Senegalese baby, ah, this is bad market for the baby!" one said. "A Senegalese passport is still better than a Nigerian," another countered. "They will give a Senegalese person a visa before giving a Nigerian." "Good that the baby waited for the flight to take off, do we even have the right emergency services in Lagos airport?" someone else asked. We chuckled. Good will swirled among us. Thank God it ended well, many people said, thank God. Risk taking was familiar to us. For too many in our world, this was the norm: the lack of choice and the dependence on chance. Again, the pilot's voice brought news. A tire had deflated, and the airline did not have the resources in Senegal to fix it in time. We would have to spend the night in Dakar. As we left the plane and got into buses, we sent text messages and grumbled about the inconvenience of arriving a day later than planned. Still, the complaints were light-footed because what mattered was that the birth had gone well. In the hotel, some passengers posed for pictures by the fountain; why miss a good photo opportunity in a fellow African city they otherwise might never have visited? "Please, my sister, do you have any sleeping pills?" a stranger asked me. The next morning, slightly disoriented and starved of sleep, I skipped breakfast. When I finally went down to the lobby, most of the crew and passengers were gathered, waiting for the airport bus, faces dull and unrefreshed, voices a muted murmuring. As I joined the group, a woman asked me if I had heard. "Heard what?" I asked. "The baby died." _______ Chimamanda Adichie is the author of a collection of short stories and three novels - The Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and most recently, Americanah. This short story was first published by the NYT        |
| The 10 Types of Men And Women You Should Never Marry Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:14 AM PST  By Jarrid Wilson 10 Men A Woman Shouldn't Marry 1. The Late Night Texter You know, the guy who only texts you after midnight. He's the guy who only contacts you when he wants something, or someone to talk to. You can go weeks without hearing from this person, only to rarely get a text full of smiley faces and a message that reads, "Hey! How are you?" They aren't consistent. Don't fall into the trap. 2. The Slacker He's the guy who has no dreams, vision, or passion to get up and do anything. Don't let his smooth words trick you into a relationship that will be full of dull moments and half-hearted plans. 3. The Liar Don't trust a man who is constantly lying to you. If you continue to ignore his inconsistencies, he could eventually do something detrimental to your relationship. 4. The Flake This is the guy who calls of dates, constantly changes plans, and never shows up when he promises. If you think this will change once you're married, you're wrong. A flakey man will never put his woman first. 5. The Cheater I'm all for grace and second chances, but the last thing you want is to find yourself in a marriage with someone you can't even trust. I'm a huge believe that everyone can change, but please don't get caught up in the lie that cheating is just normal part of life. You deserve better. 6. The Partier Stay away from him. Although he may seem as a fun and outgoing, I guarantee you will be better off with someone who stays away from gatherings full of bad mistakes and regretful decisions. The lifestyle of a partier never fits well with the maturity needed in marriage. 7. The Fake He's the guy who claims to be one thing, but in person never steps up to the plate. Not only is this unfair to your relationship, but you need to understand this isn't going to stop anytime soon. Look for a man who is who he claims to be. Fakes can only pretend for so long. 8. The Hypocrite He goes back and forth between his beliefs, standards, and regulations of life. Most of the time this man will change things to better suit his personal life. Don't expect yourself to have a thriving relationship with someone who is constantly hypocritical in their words and actions. 9. The Flirt This man loves to flirtatiously chat with strangers, waiters, and even your friends. The man you should seek is one who flirts with you and only you, no matter the circumstance. That last thing you want is to be married to someone who will deliberately flirt with people in front or you, let alone behind your back. 10. The Jerk Simple. Don't marry a jerk. You deserve more than that this guy can offer you. Look for someone who is kind, generous, selfless, and chivalrous. That last thing you want is to be embarrassed about bringing your man in public, all due to his attitude. Not to mention, verbal abuse is a widely spread problem that I don't believe any woman should have to encounter. 1. The Late Night Texter You know, the girl who only texts you after midnight. She's the girl who only contacts you when she wants something, or someone to talk to. You can go weeks without hearing from this person, only to rarely get a text full of smiley faces and a message that reads, "Hey! How are you?" They aren't consistent. Don't fall into the trap. 2. The Gold-digger She's the woman who loves your wallet, bank account, and credit cards. Be sure to stay away from a woman who is only interested in material things, and how much of these things your salary can buy her. 3. The Flirt This woman loves to flirt with strangers, waiters, and even your friends. The woman you should seek is one who flirts with you and only you, no matter the circumstance. That last thing you want is to be married to someone who will deliberately flirt with people in front or you, let alone behind your back. 4. The Liar Don't trust a woman who is constantly lying to you. If you continue to ignore her inconsistencies, she could eventually do something detrimental to your relationship. 5. The Flake This is the woman who calls off dates, constantly changes plans and never shows up when she promised she would. If you think this will change once you're married, you're wrong. A flakey woman will never put her man first. 6. The Partier Stay away from her. Although she may seem as a fun and outgoing, I guarantee you will be better off with someone who stays away from gatherings full of bad mistakes and regretful decisions. The lifestyle of a partier never fits well with the maturity that is needed in marriage. 7. The Quick To Judge Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I would encourage you to stay away from the woman who constantly throws judgments at others. This is a bad habit that is not only frowned upon, but it will also hinder you from finding any type of outside friendships. Let Judge Judy stay a TV show. Don't marry her. 8. The Immodest Dresser The last thing you want to do is marry someone who put's their body on display for the rest of the world to see. Without going into too much detail, I would encourage you to marry someone who respects their body enough to keep it covered and modest. 9. The Negative Nancy She's the woman who can find something negative in just about anything. And although there is nothing wrong with being a little skeptical, living life with someone who is constantly negative will definitely put a damper on your relationship. It's not worth it. 10. The Cheater I'm all for grace and second chances, but the last thing you want is to find yourself in a marriage with someone you can't even trust. I'm a huge believe that everyone can change, but please don't get caught up in the lie that cheating is just normal part of life. You deserve better. -Jarrid Wilson blogs at jarridwilson.com     |
| Komla Dumor's Wife Kwansema, and Children Share Touching Tribute at Burial Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:44 AM PST  Komla Dumor, BBC presenter extraordinaire died just over a month ago and had his last funeral rites some days ago. He was survived by his wife, Kwansema, and their 3 children, Elinam, Elorm, and Araba. One of my greatest fears has been losing those I love, but when the person you love has lived a good life it is easier to have peace. In the following tributes from Komla Dumor's wife and children, we see a glimpse of the husband and father behind the public persona of the BBC presenter. May his soul rest in peace. By his wife; Eighteen years ago, I met a remarkable young man who was intelligent, knowledgeable, confident, eloquent and charming. His name was Komla Dumor. He became the love of my life and one of the best gifts God gave me. It was the Lord who brought us together and He preserved our union till the end. And from his children;  Dear Daddy, Source - http://www.komla-dumor.com     |
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