The heady smell of igbo was thick in the air. The five men with eyes already glazed puffed in turns on their wraps, intermittently using their hands to ward off smoke as if to see clearly. Magic was trying hard not to puff more than five times. He always kept count. On days like these, he liked to stay clear headed. If he finished a whole joint, his head became too fuzzy and he would make silly mistakes like slipping into his perfectly enunciated English.

He didn’t like that. It gave him away and made people want to reason with him. That was bad for business. Very bad. He needed people to be too fearful to question or reason. Five puffs was just good. That kept him high enough without losing him in the skies, high enough to get the job done.

The journey from Benin the previous day had been rather stressful. His back and buttocks still ached from the ceaseless bouncing every time the driver hit a pothole. The road to Lagos has always been in disrepair. He couldn’t remember a time it wasn’t. Usually, he would go with God is Good AC buses, but he didn’t have that kind of money this time. The nameless transporters by the school main gate charged a lot less. They didn’t have a big name he had to pay for. And from the testimony of his buttocks, they had no shock absorbers to pay for either.

 

“Don’t worry,” he consoled himself, “this should be the last time you would go on such a bus.”

 

Fourth puff. He was getting there. They had run through the routine one last time and it was almost time to go. His mind drifted to his girl. He had been thinking of quitting. He could not continue with the risks any more. Once he was done with his final exams in a few weeks, he would go and start up his printing business. He had no intention of looking for any job. The proceeds from this last job would be enough to set that up and even get married the next year like he planned. Maria would be in her finals then. She was a good girl, and he could tell she was from a good family. He was more than willing to let go of this part of his life she must never find out about.

“Guys, time don reach. Make we dey go,” Degbesco interrupted his musing in a voice that sounded clogged with sharp sand.

 

Magic was relieved. He had just noted with worry that Degbesco was smoking more than usual. He tended to get a little reckless afterwards.

 

” Make una remember, na sharp sharp we go do am. We go take the document wey Chief say make we collect. If money dey the house, dat na our own.” Wahala explained unnecessarily. They all knew the money Chief had promised was more than enough to make anything they might find in the house seem like peanuts.

 

He thought of his girl again and how he longed to see her. He should be back in Benin before she returned from Abuja. She said she was going to see her uncle’s family. It was her custom to spend a weekend with them every month. She had no idea he had left Benin an hour after she did.

He took the fifth puff.

They parked the car in front of the street. The security guard came out with his flash light to see if it was the regular night crawler that lived in number 4. The guns that suddenly flashed at him made him as meek as a cow before a Fulani herdsman. They tied him up and left Agbako to watch over him. The house was easy to locate. They knew their target would be at home. According to Chief, he used the place during weekends though his family lived on the Island.

 

The guard in the house came off even easier to deal with than they envisaged. Kura and Bado climbed the gate in and caught him unawares as he slept. They banged on the door, their confidence buoyed by the steel in their hands. Out of impatience, Degbesco fired a shot on the lock. It didn’t open it, but it seemed to convince the house help that they weren’t vendors.

In the master bedroom was the shaking form of Mr Chike on his knees and in only his boxers.

 

“Please take all you want. My money is inside the wardrobe,” He pleaded, with a voice obviously not used to begging.

 

“Sharap! Who tell you say na money we dey find? Wey your briefcase?” Magic pointed the gun at his head as realisation of their true mission dawned on him.

Degbesco dragged a half nude figure from under the bed where she had been hiding, and Magic nearly lost his grip on the gun. Staring back at him was a pair of eyes equally shocked to see her boyfriend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Femi Eromosele lives and teaches in Lagos. He takes pleasure in reading and telling stories.

Contact: [email protected]

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Email: ololade.olatunji@yahoo/gmail.com

“You’re not seeing Josh, are you?”

“Josh? Didn’t we just leave him at Ty’s place some minutes ago?”

“Yeah, it’s just…it’s weird, but I suddenly feel like you and him have a thing going on

 

“What?! We’ll, we do, actually. He’s the team leader of our dance group and I’m the only female there.

 

But surely you know that already.”

 

“No….yeah. Forget it.”

 

“You want some more spread on that slice?”

 

“Yes please, pass the Nutella.”

 

“Here.”

 

“Thanks. Peejay?”

 

“What’s it? Why’re u calling me like that?”

 

“All the delivery reports on your phone are of your messages to him. I checked.”

 

“You went through my phone?! Jeez, Temi, you know how much I value my privacy.”

 

“Sorry. Remember I asked if I could send a text to my sis on your phone last night? I was only going to see if it had been delivered this morning before u woke up, not like I set out to read your chats. Twenty texts between last night and this morning seems rather too much for comfort, considering his girlfriend is one of your best friends and how late in the night it was.”

 

“Oh, that. Yeah, we had a sort of disagreement over routine at the last rehearsal. We talked about it last night and it’s been resolved now.”

 

“Really? One would think you two weren’t talking though, with your attitude towards him when he met us at Ty’s this afternoon. You barely said hi, and then you suddenly said we had to leave.”

 

“Well, he was there to see her, not me.”

 

“And you had a problem with that, didn’t you?”

 

“What? Don’t be silly.”

 

“Look, it’s alright to admit it. I remember you had a crush on him when we all first met him, only that he was more smitten by Ty. I just hope you know nothing good can come out from you making moves on him behind her back.”

 

“Tell me you’re not for real. When we both know he’s not the only guy she’s seeing, the slimy two-timer?”

 

“Well, we’re girlfriends, and we don’t snatch each other’s boyfriends, no matter what–“

 

“‘Snatch.’ You make it seem like I’m trying to take what’s not willing to be taken.”

 

“Oh come on, the guy clearly adores Ty.”

 

“And that’s it? He’s just meant to adore and not be adored in return? That doesn’t even make sense.”

 

“When was the first time this ugly thought ever crossed your mind?”

 

“You said it yourself, I’ve always liked him.”

 

“Okay, so you’re thinking he’s going to leave her for you?”

 

“And what if he decides to?”

 

“I seriously doubt that leaving her for you since you’re available as an option is what you’d want for yourself. There are so many great untaken guys out there you could have, and you know it!”

 

“No, I don’t. Why does she get to have the best things all the time anyway? The money, the car, the guy…. Life doesn’t revolve around her, so I realized.”

 

“Well, you’ve got the looks and the moves, and ain’t nobody complaining about that. I can’t believe we’ve been friends with Ty since forever and you’ve been jealous of her!”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Chill, you’ve obviously been flirting with him. I hate to think he’s been responding… Has he?”

 

“Not verbally, but we dance together and it’s all in the gentle way he holds me…the look he gives when I’ve done a great job….”

 

“Peejay.”

 

“Sooner or later, he’ll realize he loves me. I know this.”

 

“Could you just snap out of it? Usually, when a guy is into you, it’s as clear as day. You definitely won’t need a diviner, neither would you have to keep reading meanings into meaningless things. The way he holds you? You guys are in a team, he isn’t meant to scratch or attack you, is he? And everybody gets excited when you move your body, in case you haven’t noticed, simply because you’re a terrific dancer! Not to burst your bubble or anything, but Josh is a sweet guy to everyone, not only you. So whatever fantasy you have in your head, you need to head back to reality now.”

“God, Temi, what do I do now?”

 

“Take a break, definitely.”

 

“From?”

 

“Him, the dance group, her. You certainly have lots of negative feelings to purge yourself of. It should help not to have them both around you all the time, I think.”

 

“You must be thing I’m pretty messed up, right?”

 

“Far from it. You’ve made a mistake and I admire you for wanting to change for good. It’s a sign of strength.”

 

“You don’t get it, do you?”

 

“Get what?”

 

“I love him. I’m in love with Josh and I don’t ever wanna stop.”

 

“What?”

“I want him, and I’m going to have him.”

 

“You make him sound like some dress you see displayed in a shop. It takes two to tango, remember?”

 

“He’s going to. I’ll make him. He has to.”

 

“Stop it, Peejay, please. Now you sound like that crazy White girl in ‘Obsessed’.”

 

“The movie? I never saw it. How’d it end? The one with Beyoncé and Idris Elba, right?”

 

“Yeah. And you might wanna know, B had her man to herself eventually. The crazy girl died, and what a pointless death–the man was never hers in the first place

 

“What a pity. I assure you though, I’m much more determined. You just watch.”

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Morountodun is a writer and a microbiology graduate of University of Ilorin.

Twitter: @Morountosweet

http://morountosweet.wordpress.com

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It’s the 12th of July today, chilly and lonely like everyone of its kind. I’ll be different today, It’s a special day, I tell myself as I walk into my room in measured steps. Unsure of myself, I hold on tight to my body to keep from throwing things apart and turning the room upside down as I am so used to.

‘You’re beautiful today. I love you’. The words re- echo in my head.

If I had heard those words seven years ago, maybe things would have been very different today, I thought scornfully.. No, I can’t stop this one.. I yank my wig off my head, rush to the bathroom to wash off my brown powder and mascara. I grab a towel and mop my lips thoroughly too. Then I march to the mirror in one quick stride.. Seeing the ghost I have become over the years, I throw the mirror to the ground. The sound of it shattering reminds me of my own crumbling soul.

‘NO!!!‘ I scream. This isn’t how I thought it would be. It’s raining now.. I smile for a minute as I listen to the heavens paying tribute to something beautiful that once was- us. The thunder a roaring murmur seething through the skies. The sound. That sound of the thunder reminds me of the voice of my own raging heart screaming why?! Not from hate or disappointment, but from fury, about how I never got to understand the stranger you became overnight. Maybe if I had understood you.. Maybe..

You see, you wudda been the perfect guy, The one to whom I wouldn’t mind giving all I have. I shudda loved you all the way, and forgiven you quickly each time your words hurt me. Truth be told, I wanted to; until you said those words that made me look back no more. They were your last. Not to the world, but to me. And not because you died, but because I let you be. You said I was mad, yes mad for you. You said I was a fool, but that’s what your love made me. Each time they asked me what it was about you, I couldn’t tell; because I didn’t know too.. It could never be your hair, a brown mass of thickery. Not your face either, lined with daunting scars, dealt to you by life as a growing child. No, it was nothing physical, You were tall and black, But handsome? Far from that. Maybe it was your eyes that seemed to hold a thousand secrets; like how much you loved me, but your ego never let you see..  I was a waitress at Bucks and Bar when I met you.

 

‘You are new here, aren’t you?’ I am Adams and you’re welcome to my home.’ You had said. Home? Weird, I thought. Somehow, from the ‘very good customer’, you became the chronic debtor whose bills became mine to pay after you lost your job. You see, none of these mattered. Even when you kissed me for the first time, on your first or maybe second sober night and I knew I had fallen in love with a man who only said ‘I love you’ when drunk, and who had nothing to offer but a warm big smile and a graceful belch, an appreciation for letting him have thousands of beer to consume, I didn’t care.

My love was big enough for us, I was sure; and so I moved in with you even before you asked because I needed to take care of you. Even when the smiles reduced before eventually seizing, and when you started to hit me night after night, and your big hands graced my cheeks with many beautiful scars, I promised myself you’ll come back around.. I promised myself I’ll be patient till that night,. That night on the 12th of July. Oh that night I hate to remember. It was your birthday, and I awaited you in smiles even when the sheer effort caused my head to throb in pain.

 

You reeked as usual, of regret washed down with cheap wine.. But I fixed your meal still and watched you eat. Then the next thing was me. Yes, my body was your dessert for many months. I wudda let you like I used to, but I was heavy with your child, which could anytime be due. So I begged you, but you wouldn’t listen. One scar, a price for each plea. When it was over, I was wretched in pain but I picked myself up to nurse my wounds with some hot water.. That was when you blurted the words, ‘Damn you and that bastard child!’

Bastard child? And all came pouring forth like rainfall in hell! My time, my money; my sacrifice, my body. Every freaking hour I spent tending to the misery you had become over the years.. No. I could take all things, but not you doubting my faithfulness! Did you know there was Ifeanyi when we were dating? That rich accountant who used to come to our bar every other day, just to see me. He would buy fruits, and wines and he’ll pay double his bill just to impress me. He promised to take me to America to complete my studies.. But I turned him down every one time; and Chucks who was ready to put a ring through my finger the instant I said yes to his propositions,and although he seemed to have more to offer than Tobe or Michael or Eedris and the lot of the others, I turned them all down … Not because you were rich or smart or handsome or ambitious.. No, you were nothing close! It was all because I loved you and I believed in you and for the life of me, I don’t know what you did to deserve my loving!

All those years amidst the daunting temptations, through thick and thin, and for better and even worse, I stayed chaste for you, prayed for you, fought with you and fought for you. I washed your smelly clothes and did the chores like a wife that I never was. I didn’t mind that you had no money to buy me a ring, how much more the beautiful things I craved for in life.. I stayed the nights murdering mosquitoes just so I could be sure you got in safe.. Yet, you called the child your endless nights of sex escapades caused to be, a bastard?? Forgetting my wounds, I emptied the bowl of hot water on you. Yes, you yelled but I didn’t care. I stooped to the floor and cried.. With you and for you. I loved you. I hated seeing you in pain.. But I needed you to feel the hurt your words and actions inflicted on me day by day. Couldn’t you see? That I wasn’t the woman you fell in love with? My hair, withered; my face, sunken, my nails had grown too short from years of serving you non- stop..

Somehow we lost ourselves and the youthful love we shared.. Amidst your pain, I could hear you say ‘I’m sorry’. You know on any other day, it would have meant so much. I would have run to you, hugged you and told you you’ve been forgiven.. But not that day, it even infuriated me more. The one phrase that would have pulled me into your arms, pushed me out of your life. So I walked out forever.. Without looking back. You could have died, but it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t have changed the way I feel about you. Though my sense of reason was obscured by hurt, so that I wasn’t thinking right when I did it, I am glad I did. Because I know somehow now, wherever you are, each time the burns sting, you’ll remember a woman who loved you like no one else ever would.

I don’t know where you are now but I hope you are happy. I miss you, and I keep thinking to myself, maybe if you hadn’t been foolish enough to blurt out those words that night, we’ll still be together, deeply in love.. A kind of love that noone understands but us. The rain has seized now.. I think heavens must have been thinking with me. The door to the house opens and I rush to pick my wig so I can meet him outside. He mustn’t see me like this. He mustn’t see my room like this.

On opening the door, he falls into my arms wet all over. ‘I missed you’ he says. Tears well up in my eyes again. Tears of joy. I pat his head tenderly as I whisper back ‘I missed you too honey. Happy Birthday’. He looks up at my face and sees the streaks of red in my eye. Ignoring the scars he must have seen vividly for the very first time, he says ‘mum you’ve been crying. Why?’. I smile at him as I shake my head ‘no son, I haven’t. My eyes have only been raining’. He smiles and hugs me tighter. I am happy whenever I’m with him. I hug him back, even tighter.

Just about then, we hear a knock. ‘Mum who’s that?’ Chizoba asks, surprised. We hardly have visitors in our house. But like I said, today is a special day.

‘Shhh! Close your eyes, It’s a surprise’ I respond with my biggest smile yet as I walk to the door. It has to be Aunty Sandra and the other kids from Chizoba’s school whom I invited for his first birthday party ever. On opening the door, the sight that meets mine throws me aback.

It’s You, after all these years. I don’t know how and when a smile forms on my lips.

‘Good afternoon’, you say..

I can’t say nothing. I can only just stare at you.

‘Mum, ‘m waiting?‘ I hear Chizoba call in from the sitting room. Quickly, I awaken from my reverie.

‘Wh– ho–‘

‘Mum? Who’s that?’ You ask, trying hard to peer in through the cotton at the doorway. I take in your sight afresh as your words filter through my ears. You look different. Fine kind of different. Your once brown haggard hair, levelled and black. You look princely in your fine brown coat, white t- shirt and jeans too. When did you get these clothes? Oh yes, it’s been seven years since we last saw each other. A lot must have happened. And maybe that change I so craved for those days has finally come.

‘It’s no one.‘ I respond with a slight frown. ‘What do you want?’

You smile. That heavenly smile you somehow lost along the line back in those days. Damn, where have you been all this time! I feel like running into your arms. Yes, I’ve missed you so badly.

‘I’ve been looking for you Amaka.’ What for? What the hell for? ‘Is that our son?’

‘Our son? Oh the bastard child, you mean.’ I snort!

 

Your eyes are misty. Those eyes won’t pull me into your arms this time.

 

‘I’m sorry Amaka’ I hear you say. Sorry? Would that heal me? Would that make up for Chizoba’s 7 years without a father? Would that rid my face of it’s scars? Would it really make things right?

You fall to your knees now and bring out a ring. ‘Please marry me.’

 

‘Mu..’ Chizoba is about to call out before he sees you, the kneeling stranger with a ring. I pull my son back as you stretch your arms to pull him close to you.

 

‘No, he is not your son..‘ I was saying before Chizoba’s voice calling ‘Daddy? Rings out loud ‘Mum, is this my surprise?‘ He finishes off excitedly. I don’t need to ask how he knew. The semblance is almost unmistakable. Plus there’s just something about the blood.. It draws people to their own. Having no choice left, I introduce you both. ‘Happy birthday Adams, this is your son’.

 

The immediacy with which you take him into your arms makes me laugh till my ribs hurt. And then, like on cue, Aunt Sandra and the other kids walk into the compound chattering away. I watch Chizoba’s eyes light up like it has never before as he rushes to welcome them. I call after him ‘now son, though this was the surprise I actually planned for you, take it that you have yourself a double surprise and maybe even more, who knows?’ I tease; knowing full well that I had ordered for some soft drinks, sweets and cake from the Aboki in the next compound which should be delivered anytime soon. Watching father and son get to know each other gives me the greatest joy of my life. Just as I usher the visitors in and make to enter the sitting room after Chizoba, you stop me and offer the ring again.

 

‘Will you marry me?’ You say.

”No. I’m sorry’ I respond. Yes, try that for effect. Now you know what it felt like those days when you’ll beat me to a pulp and then tell me you’re sorry the next day. It doesn’t heal. It never will. It’s like breaking a wall and rubbing it’s surface hoping it’ll come back into a whole. I watch light leave your eyes. I see the shadow that was once there coming back. Yes, that’s just how I used to feel back then.

 

And though, I still love you; yes, I still care and I’d love to hold you in my arms and have you make love to me every night no, you can’t lose a good woman twice.

‘Errm.. You can join the party if you want. There’s enough food for august visitors.’ I say before letting myself inside. If you made it without me for 7 years, you’ll do just fine even now. And me? Don’t worry, I’ll catch up now that I know you’re happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Damore Ali is a poet, short story writer and blogger. She has been published on several online forums including Naija Stories. She is an accountant by training and a lover of good music. Damore also goes by the name Dr. 2103. She blogs at http://dr2103.wordpress.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Email: ololade.olatunji@yahoo/gmail.com

‘NOW, this is all i want, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts’

These were the words of Mr Tochukwu Afukwere, Principal of the great Solid Foundation College as he addressed his teachers in front of his student on the assembly ground.

Mr Tochukwu Afukwere a man of realities. A man of facts and calculations. A man who proceeds upon the principle that two and two are four, and nothing over, and who is not to be talked into allowing anything else and this was why he was nicknamed NO-NONSENSE GAGOL by teachers and students.

Despite his thin mouth and wide range of teeth, tiny legs filled with hairs, pot bellied stomach and bald head Mr No-Nonsense Gagol was always ready to pick on someone, anytime, anywhere, anyhow and for any reason. As he walked past the students, he noticed a girl in the Jss 2 row.

‘The tall fair girl on row Jss 2’. He pointed with his square finger. ‘I don’t know that girl, who is she?’

‘Lizzy Bodunrin, sir’ The young girl said blushing and stepping out of line ‘ I just got a transfer to this school, sir’

‘Lizzy is not a name’. He barked. ‘Don’t call yourself Lizzy, call yourself Elizabeth’

‘That’s what my father calls me, sir’ retorted the young girl in a trembling voice, the other students burst into roaring laughter.

‘Your father shouldn’t call you that’. His voice was louder. ‘Tell him he mustn’t. Am i clear Miss Elizabeth Bodunrin and please I would like to know, what does he do for a living?’

‘He works at the zoo, sir.‘ The young girl said with pride. A smile lit on her face. The other students burst into another session of laughter

Mr. Afukwere frowned, and flagged his hand down.

‘We don’t want to know anything about that, here. You mustn’t tell us that. Your father is a zoo keeper, a zoo keeper and nothing but a zoo keeper.’

‘For how long will he be keeping the zoo? He asked

Lizzy apparently embarrassed by the question still managed a weak smile, “Till he gets a better job sir. Sir, I also want to say anytime your pupils want to go on excursion, my father will treat them well and ensure they have a worthwhile experience.’ The students murmur among themselves

‘Stories! That’s what you are telling me. Back to my point. You mustn’t tell us about the zoo. Your father is a zoo keeper but that doesn’t give him the right to call you Lizzy, you must agree with me?’

‘True sir’

‘ And when I discover he still calls you by that name. There will be war between me and him. He doesn’t have the right to spoil a beautiful name like that. Very well then, i hereby dismiss you all. Back to your classes and don’t forget to keep hold of the facts firmly. He walked into his office with hands at his back.

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Olatunji Morenikeji is studying Marketing at Lagos State Polytechnic. She works as a freelance production manager, loves writing, singing, reading and cooking

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Email: ololade.olatunji@yahoo/gmail.com

‘Hello!‘ Effy, (Oghenekemvefe), looked up from her computer and her jaw almost dropped. The definition of ugly had shifted to the dude standing in front of her. In complexion, he wasn’t dark, he was black, crisp black; like a malicious burnt offering to the gods from disgruntled worshippers.

Not only was he black, he had a mouth that always curved into an ‘O’ no matter what he said. That and so many other things that could go wrong with a guy were wrong with this guy and Effy couldn’t help but wonder why she had to be the one stuck with such a horrendous site as her first customer on a Monday morning. But pushing all that behind her, she attended to him robotically, wearing her plastic smile like she was paid to do

‘Good morning sir, please take a seat, My name is Effy, how may I help you?’

He took his seat and stated his business; he wanted to open an account. After walking him through the procedure, she gave him the necessary forms to fill out and buried her head behind her computer, hoping that would be the end of the encounter. She wanted to make his stay as brief as possible, but no way, he wouldn’t fill his form in silence, he started a conversation;

‘Your face looks pretty familiar you know’

Oh no was he trying to chat her up and with that line? Aargh! It didn’t help that the sadist head office sent to carry out a Customer Satisfaction Survey was prancing round the banking hall like he owned the place and she had to maintain the plastic smile that was already beginning to hurt.

This was not the beginning of the bright and cheery week she had pictured in her mind in church yesterday when the handsome Pastor Moses was prophesying good things for the coming week. Hmm, Pastor Moses… tall, dreamy eyes, thick hair, sharp dresser, hunk of a…

‘So when will you be free for dinner?‘ His last statement snapped her out of her reverie.

‘Huh?‘ she replied, looking up in time to catch his ‘O’ mouth close, blinking at him, clueless. How on earth could he have moved so quickly from ‘familiar face’ to ‘free for dinner?’ He repeated himself. Hia, Pastor James said it o, that enemies of progress would come disguised in various forms; this one did not even bother disguising himself.

If not for where she was, she would have unleashed her arsenal of insults that she reserved for people like him. Instead, still smiling, she said jokingly, ‘with the nature of this job, will I ever be free?’

Undaunted, he dropped his card on her table as he got up to leave and asked her to give him a call whenever she could find the time.

‘I sure will‘ she said as she flung the card into her drawer without even as much as a glance. She allowed him step out of the banking hall before she released her rattlesnake hiss, ‘thunder fire you, bad market.’

As ‘Debo stepped out of the banking hall, he began to whistle. He hadn’t felt so lightheaded in a long time. The pretty face that attended to him in the bank was dancing before his eyes and that cherubic smile that didn’t waver for a second was turning his insides to Jellyfish and making his heart melt into a million pieces like butter in a hot frying pan.

Surely, she must have enjoyed his little chit chat for though she didn’t contribute, she never stopped smiling. He could spend the rest of his life gazing into those hypnotic eyes that blinked innocently adding a certain quality to the smile, and those dimples…hmm. He had definitely encountered the definition of beauty today.

He was happy with himself that at least, he was able to overcome his usual shyness and start a conversation even though it was quite one-sided. At a point, he felt like he was babbling, good thing she seemed not to be listening, but asking her out to dinner sure caught her attention and the fact that she kept his card in her drawer, unlike many others who tossed it in the trash right in his presence, gave him hope. Even if she eventually wouldn’t call, he knew where to find her.

As far as he was concerned, judging from her body language, the stage was set for a romantic journey that he foresaw leading all the way to the altar. With these happy thoughts in mind, he got into his car and drove off to his other engagements, approaching his day with as much enthusiasm as Romeo approaching Juliet’s window.

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Victor Olugbemiro loves literature, music and photography, among several other interests. He currently teaches in Lagos and writes as a hobby.

Twitter: @oluvickie

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Email: ololade.olatunji@yahoo/gmail.com