LOVE BEYOND REASON

Chapter One

The awakening of the howls to the unusual cold wind against her balcony made her shiver down to her spine. In the season of transition, her landscape stripped almost bare revealing a stark of beauty beneath the terrain. Nyri Quincy could tell that the wet season had begun paving for the dry season to emanate from the Sahara. As the season took its hold, the sky becomes a canvas of muted hues with the sun a pale disc that struggles to break through the dusty haze. For the past two days the recent complains from the local news had been on the weather, how it was hitting on the northern farmers and herdsmen, the cacked lips and the broken soles, the promises of change yet to come, the local people in the plateau had to first listen to the radio before deciding to bathe in the iced-cold water. Over there in the south, it was almost all about the trees rustling uneasy in the breeze, their leaves brittle and brown with the little greens as if anticipating for the worst but it was a whimsical affair, people would wash and see their clothes dry just in minutes, waking up to the fog and watching as the dew drip off. In her aunt's words, these were the best days especially when promising men and women would try to out sweat the weather and find suitors. If only things would stay this way, but change was bound to occur, it didn't matter if it was good change or bad change. She sat on the porch watching her favourite season creep in with an uneven silent whisper, the thought of her childhood, when she would run bare in the cold and have everyone chase around but now things were changing the corruption was also getting to the weather too, it was getting unpredictable.

Nyri Quincy thought to use this time to come up with a compelling excuse that'll persuade her family to let her stay off this one. She didn't want to attend the dinner party, the host this time was Pete Quincy her father. She was yet to see the benefit of doing the same thing every year with the same old faces, not that anyone cared so much about the event, it was all about the money, connection and showoffs. It was a scene she had grown accustomed to—a gathering of the wealthy elite, where status and reputation reigned supreme. Yet amidst the sea of faces, there was one type of individual that stood out to her—the handsome young men who exuded an air of promise and potential. They possessed a magnetic allure, drawing gazes like moths to a flame. However, despite their physical appeal, Nyri couldn't help but notice the inflated egos that seemed to hang above their heads like colorful piñatas.

It was a common sight at these gatherings—men who were all too aware of their own attractiveness, their confidence bordering on arrogance. They strutted around the room with an air of entitlement, their words dripping with charm and manipulation. For Nyri, it was a tiresome charade—a never-ending parade of white lies and empty promises. She had grown weary of the superficiality that permeated these social circles, where sincerity was a rare commodity and authenticity was sacrificed at the altar of social status. She knew that her best option was to avoid entangling herself with individuals whose egos overshadowed their potential, opting instead for the quiet refuge of her own company.

Nyri's frustration simmered beneath the surface as she navigated the murky waters of family expectations. At twenty-three, she had long outgrown the confines of childhood, yet her family still treated her with the patronizing affection reserved for a much younger version of herself. It grated on her nerves, this incessant coddling and overbearing oversight. Deep down, Nyri yearned for autonomy, for the freedom to make her own choices and carve out her own path in life. But her desires were often stifled by the weight of familial expectations, leaving her feeling suffocated and confined within the narrow confines of their imposed limitations.

She resented the fact that her voice was often drowned out by the chorus of others, that her opinions and preferences were dismissed as inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It was as if her identity had been reduced to a mere footnote in the family narrative, overshadowed by the louder voices and stronger personalities that surrounded her. Nyri longed for the opportunity to assert herself, to make her voice heard and her choices respected. Yet, the fear of defiance lingered like a shadow, a reminder of the consequences that awaited those who dared to challenge the status quo. She had tried before, only to be met with resistance and disapproval, her attempts at independence thwarted at every turn.