Maggie came to help her aunt in the city after finishing high school. There, she met a guy at a local library who became a close friend. Their friendship later grew into a crush but none of them made a move on the other. However, they met regularly at the library and bonded over books. Here is part 1. A Date At The Library Part 1 – A Village Girl In The Big City
“Are you coming to the library?” Ben asked over the phone.
“Yes. I’m just running late but I’ll be there in a few.” She answered as she checked herself out in the mirror. Ever since she met Ben, she started paying attention to her physical looks. Yes, she was a natural beauty but a little lip gloss didn’t hurt. She applied a lip gloss that her aunt had gifted her. It was cherry flavoured and made her smell like candy. She liked it.
After a quick check in the mirror, she headed out to meet Ben at the library. He was eagerly waiting for her with one of his book recommendations and a chocolate bar on the counter.
“Ben, I didn’t know you eat chocolate.” One of the regulars at the library commented. He chuckled knowing it was intended for his crush, Maggie.
Maggie arrived shortly after looking a bit different. She was dressed in a bright yellow maxi dress and a pair of sandals. Ben was taken aback by the new look but he liked it nonetheless. As she got closer, he noticed the lip gloss on her lips. She moved in to hug Ben and he could smell the cherry flavour.
“Wow, this is different.” He said.
“Do you like it?” she asked hoping for his approval.
“I love it,” he said. “I have something for you.” He handed her the chocolate first.
“Thank you, Ben,” she blushed as she took the chocolate.
“This is your book of the week.” He said handing her the book.
Maggie hesitated. Her face changed and Ben noticed that she looked uneasy. He let her compose herself and speak when she was ready.
“I have something to tell you.” She finally said. “I’m going to university.”
“That’s amazing, Maggie. I’m proud of you.” Ben replied.
“Thank you. But I have to move away which means I won’t see you as much.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll figure out something. Maybe I’ll even join you at the university.” They both smiled at each other.
The next couple of days were hard for both of them. As the minutes passed, they both realized that soon, they wouldn’t meet at the library anymore. Ben tried to act like it didn’t bother him but he felt bad. Maggie was also struggling with emotions of sadness and excitement about starting school.
“Did I tell you how I got the opportunity?” she asked him as they sat behind the library counter.
“No, you didn’t,” he answered.
“Well, my aunt was hosting a dinner for her workmates. I was serving them when one of her guests asked me my name. He then asked me how old I was. One question led to another and before I knew it, he offered to give me a scholarship.”
Once again, Ben was overcome with conflicting emotions. He wanted to be happy for her but all he could hear was another man helping his girl achieve her dreams.
“That’s great but I think you should have told me earlier.” He said.
“Well, I was busy registering in school. They’ve already started classes and I didn’t want to lose any more time than I have.” She replied slightly annoyed. She could tell that Ben wasn’t as happy with the news as she hoped.
“So, when are you leaving?” he asked but he didn’t want to know the answer.
“This weekend.” She said followed by a long silence.
They didn’t say much to each other after that. Maggie excused herself to go and pick up her cousins but she really just wanted to leave. Ben didn’t say anything to her as she left. The pair didn’t see each other until Maggie was headed to her university. She stopped by the library to say her goodbyes and try to reconcile with Ben. He was still being difficult but he hugged her goodbye and gave her a souvenir.
“I hope this won’t be the last time I’ll see you.” He said.
“It definitely won’t.” she smiled and then kissed him on the cheek.
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The university was everything Maggie dreamt it would be. She almost felt like it was a dream so she had to pinch herself to confirm she wasn’t asleep. Everybody looked intelligent and well-dressed. She walked to the student’s office where she met a sweet, young lady who showed her to her dorm and her classes. When she finally returned to her dorm, she jumped on her bed and took a deep breath in relief. That might, she slept like a baby and work up ready to start classes.
Weeks passed by as she settled in and tried to catch up with her classes. She had been so occupied with the school that she hadn’t talked to Ben since she got there. Ben, on the other side, didn’t want to seem needy so he didn’t call her either. It finally hit her that she hadn’t spoken to him and decided to give him a call.
He picked up immediately. “I was wondering when you’d call.” He said.
“You missed me?” she asked.
“Of course.” He replied.
They talked for close to an hour. The call made her feel homesick. Additionally, the pressure of school was already getting to her. She decided to take the weekend off and visit her aunt for a much-needed break.
One of Ben’s friend’s spotted Maggie alighting a matatu at the estate and word got to Ben that Maggie was around. He waited for her to visit him at the library but she didn’t. She didn’t even call him to let him know she was around.
“What do I do?” he asked his sister.
“I think you should take her out on a date. You’ve never been on a romantic outing. It will let her know your intentions for her.”
He took his sister’s advice and arranged a romantic dinner for Maggie. However, he set it up at the library. He thought it would be a romantic gesture and it would also remind Maggie of all the moments they shared before she went to university.
Once everything was ready, he gave her a call to invite her. “I heard you’re around.” He started.
“Yeah, just for the weekend though.” She answered.
“Well, do you mind spending a few hours with me?” he asked.
“Sure. At the library?” she asked.
“Yes, but wear something nice.”
She didn’t know why he asked her to dress up but she agreed, anyway.
When she showed up at the library, she was greeted by a beautiful flower arrangement and a trail of rose petals leading to her favourite desk. There, she found a romantic dinner setup and Ben sitting on one side. He got up to greet her and led her to her seat.
“This is beautiful.” She said still in awe.
“Thank you. I wanted to do something special.” He replied.
“Well, it’s special for sure,” Maggie said as she sat down.
They enjoyed their dinner while catching up on the past few weeks. While having dinner, Ben decided to ask Maggie to be his girlfriend officially. This caught her off-guard since he hadn’t asked her or hinted at it before. However, things weren’t the same anymore. The naive girl from the village was now on her way to achieving her dreams while Ben was still the guy at the library. Maggie had seen a different lifestyle in university that made her want to pursue a different path in life.
After a long pause, she answered, “Of course, I will. I was wondering when you’d ask.”
He was speechless. The answer caught him off guard but he was more than happy to hear it.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d accept.” he finally said.
“Why? Did you think I’d forget about you when I went to university? I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left.”
The pair was finally an official couple. Maggie invited Ben regularly to the campus library. This motivated Ben to apply for a course. He decided to take a Diploma course since it was cheaper and guaranteed he’d see his girlfriend daily.
After a long three months, he was enrolled at the university and started attending classes. The pair went to the library every day and spent most of their free time together which made it easier for both of them to adjust to campus life. Within a few months, they had settled in and were excelling in their classwork.
The years flew by and their love blossomed. When Ben graduated, he proposed to Maggie on the same day and she happily said yes.
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