Danny's Dossier: The diary of an undergraduate playboy

Episode One - LOVE AT FIRST KISS
Hello, I am Danny. The real name is Daniel. That’s what mother and father call me, but, I kinda like Danny, it has a special ring to it. Some call me Dan but I think they are just being vocally lazy. Why shorten Daniel. I am a regular guy, but not in anyway ordinary. In fact, I consider myself extraordinary. Most of my friends agree with me. And all of my girls agree too. I’m not a Casanova. I don’t even know what the word means anymore. And I don’t consider myself a pretender. I am a fluid concept. This means that I can be different with different girls. I’ve not always been a playboy. No! I started out as a lover boy.
Long ago I was one of those simple minds that live in the twilight of romantics believing there is true love for everyone (LAUGHS). Well I don’t intend arguing against its existence neither am I going to begin proving that there isn’t true love. Everyman has the sole right to fool himself. It gives us hope. But then I’ll rather indulge in mutually consenting fun than live in that grey twilight just because it gives me hope. Hope that is crushed ninety-nine out of every one hundred times. Most of you may think I am being overtly cynical, perhaps I am. But I’m not sorry. I’ve got more broken hearts that can last three life times. So if I say true love don’t exist, believe me, it doesn’t.
Funny enough, someone might be thinking, “I don’t blame him. He is saying that because he hasn’t really experienced true love”. I have, so I know more than him. Well, congratulations. You sound just like my friend, Jerry.
Jerry and I go way back. We are very close. We’ve been friends since primary school. Funny enough we do everything together. We think alike, talk alike and even hold similar opinions about almost everything. From cars, to movies, church – and most importantly – women. There is only an area where we don’t share an obvious consensus. That is when it comes to the issue of love. The funny thing is that Jerry, like me, used to have a deep seated almost unapologetic cynicism about the true existence of true love or the fact that everyone can find it in one lifetime. Well, that was before he met Kemi. And he is going to pay dearly for that.
Seven months back, Jerry came rushing into my apartment telling me he had found the girl of his dreams. It’s very typical of him. He sat down and narrated how he met the girl in the cafeteria and the electricity between them. It was a great ordeal listening to the full length of his gist. But then, what are friends for?
For weeks on end I watched Jerry go through that transformation that happens when you find a new prey and you follow with stealth poise. And for weeks on endured his stories of this newly found girl. Jerry comes to my place every evening to give me the progress report. We would sit in my veranda and gist into the night about this girl I haven’t met, yet I have come to know so much about. I wasn’t paying much attention to the developments in their relationship until last week. In his characteristic manner, Jerry burst into my apartment and exclaimed,
“Guess what” He was breathless as if he had been running to give very important news. He hadn’t given me the chance to guess before he continued,
“Kemi and I kissed” he exclaimed.
“Ehen, and so what?” I was not moved, “So you guys kissed, how does that piece of information add to my well-being” feeling somewhat nauseated.
He looked at me, looking somewhat disappointed. He paced the length of my room and looked at me squarely. He had that look on – the look he wears when he is about to say or do something stupid. I braced myself. Yet what he said next still caught me off guards.
“Danny, I think I’m in Love”.