By Kelechi Okafor

The School Run

Alicia leant against the gates with her hands snugly tucked away in her pockets.There was a nagging bite to the autumnal wind that blustered around her as she waited for the bell to signal the end of the school day. She didn’t know where the sigh escaped from, because she was usually so good at keeping everything in. Looking around the school playground as the other parents and nannies milled around waiting and chatting, she somehow felt separate to it all.

Alicia had chosen her nice coat, the coat that James, her husband, said made her look rather sophisticated. In fact, what he had said was that the coat made her look ‘like she had a job’. That had stung. Alicia felt the sting of the words piercing through the memory, and she took her hand out of her silk-lined pocket and softly stroked her other arm. She felt the carefully brushed wool kiss her fingers delicately and then sway back into its original formation.

It was while she was comforted here, in this space of quiet self-soothing, that she heard it. The laugh. Alicia’s whole body felt like an electrical current was charging up to run riot through her nervous system. She deliberately put her hand back in her plush pocket, jutted her elbow out slightly, and waited.

And then it happened.

As she heard the laugh near, Alicia straightened up from her leaning posture against the wall of the school gate and made as if to turn, then – BAM! They made contact, Alicia’s meticulously manicured hands flying out of her pockets and stabilising her fall against his chest.

Him.

‘I am so sorry! This is, like, the second time I’ve barged into you. I promise you I usually have better spatial awareness,’ he said. A deep voice but one infused with playful cheeriness.

Alicia caught the smile forming on the corners of her mouth before it betrayed her, as she noticed that she was still in a weird embrace with the man. Her hands remained placed on his sculpted chest and his strong arms still held on to her elbows to steady her.

‘No, heavens no. It was me. I really should look where I’m going.’

They both laughed as they awkwardly let go of each other, and Alicia noticed the dancing glint in his eyes. Nothing overtly flirtatious, but . . . something. A recognition, maybe?

‘Seeing as this is the second time this has happened, we probably should exchange names. I’m Hart. Emilia’s dad.’

Alicia had expected an interaction, she had planned for it, but somehow she hadn’t bargained for a name exchange. Her voice crept out of her throat, her shyness betraying her in a way that her earlier smile had not.

‘I’m Alicia. I’m, um, I’m Jet’s mum.’

They shook hands.

More contact.

Alicia directed all her efforts in that moment to preventing the outward expression of absorbing what felt like an electric current coursing through her veins. Hart’s kind, dimpled smile never left his face. Alicia took this fleeting moment to drink him in: from his jaw that looked carved out of marble, with a strength to it that reminded her of oak; his taut neck leading to diligently trained shoulders, and that chest she had touched only moments ago. Hart was a little bit taller than she was. Alicia had never been attracted to men who were very tall anyway. She had never understood the allure or the purpose of their height for her day-to-day life.

The bell sounded and all the children came pouring out of the school doors. Alicia looked into Hart’s eyes again, searching. But he looked past her, spotting Emilia, and then turned back quickly.

‘They’re here! Let the chaos ensue! Anyway, see you around, Alicia. Hopefully without the collisions.’

Alicia smiled at Hart, then waved to Jet as she saw her son bouncing towards her. Speak for yourself, she thought. But out loud, ‘Ha! See you later,’ was all Alicia could muster. Her body felt charged and her heart was racing.

She needed to get home.

Excerpt from “Edge of Here” copyright © 2023 by Kelechi Okafor. Published by Trapeze.

About the book: Enter a world very close to our own...
One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But remember: these experiences will not be without consequences . . .

In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future.

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Kelechi Okafor is a Nigerian-born, London-based lover of words-whether that's crafting works of fiction, articles, stageplays or screenplays; from directing others on stage to expressing her thoughts on society one episode at a time alongside esteemed interview guests on her award-winning podcast Say Your Mind. Edge of Here is her debut story collection.

You can read our interview with Kelechi Okafor here