It was Christmas day, the weather was bright and everyone was in their best clothes, with faces filled with joy and happiness. The city of Ibadan was glittering with neon lights and beautiful faces. It was a lovely time of the year.

“Happy Christmas,” my M.C friend, Kola greeted me.

“Happy Christmas,” I managed to utter the words.

I forced myself to smile but inside me, I was lost. After several months in self-imposed purgatory, my heart was still heavy with pain. Then I saw a young lady and I blocked out all Kola was saying and turned my head to observe her. She looked at me and I saw the face of a stranger. It wasn’t her.

I was in the church where we first met, it was a first encounter that changed our lives. I was light-skinned and five feet, eight inches tall. I was sitting on a pew that meant a lot to me. This was where I met her the second time. Suddenly, I felt a deep pain that made me to blink back tears and my mind took me back in time to exactly a year ago in this very place where it all started…

***

The first time I saw her, my heart skipped a beat, my body trembled and I struggled to regain my balance. We were inside a church for a December 25th Chrismas Wedding. Her beauty was so divine, I had never seen such a sensuous creature before. She was dark-skinned and had eyes that made her irresistible. She had a body sculpted by Da Vinci, with a face that reminded me of angels.

She was wearing a tight pink gown that revealed her wide hips. She was sitting so close to her dad. I didn’t know who she was. I figured she was in her mid-twenties. Perhaps, they were friends of the bride.

I had no reason to be in Tola’s wedding that day. I was not his relation, nor his bride’s. I was invited by Kola, my M.C. friend to snap pictures of him as he performed on stage. It was when I was on duty that our eyes met and sparks flew between us. For the past twenty minutes, we had been stealing glances at each other.

I snapped more pictures and looked at her again. She smiled at me and my heart melted at once. It was then that I knew that if I looked at her again, I would lose my focus. I steadied myself to forget about her and focus on the task at hand. But her image kept creeping into my mind. At a point, I didn’t want to snap pictures again. I couldn’t. One thing was in my mind; I had to find out her name.

Two hours into the wedding reception, I saw her leaving with her father. Her father was a tall dark man with a commanding presence and a demeanour that whispers – don’t mess with my daughter. Fear crept into my mind when I saw the way he clung to her like his life support.

Why do you want to embark on a fruitless venture?

What if she was just flirting with you and nothing more?

Perhaps, you had been imagining things.
I pushed those negative thoughts at the back of my mind, dropped my huge camera with my friend, Bisi and rushed to meet her.

The big hall that was the venue of the wedding reception was filled to the brim with the bigwigs and business moguls from different parts of the country. It was a high society wedding. The guests were now meeting with the newly wedded couple dropping wedding gifts and fat envelopes as I made my way past the crowd, and walked out of the hall. I got my only opportunity when her father stepped aside to greet two men that also came for the wedding. Business partners perhaps.

I walked up to her, she saw me immediately and cast her intense gaze on my face. And the worst happened; I forgot all I came to say. It took me a minute to say Hi but my fear choked out the sound of my voice. I looked into her eyes and brought out my hand. “I am Ayo. Please, can I know your name?”

She panicked immediately. “Please, don’t talk to me. If my dad sees me with a man, he will kill me and then kill himself,” she said with fears in her eyes and walked out on me.

At once, her father finished with his friends and father and daughter started walking towards a black Lexus Jeep. I was shocked at sudden turn of events. I had a lot of questions in my mind. Something was off about this damsel and her dad but I couldn’t place my hands on it. She acted as though I was a complete stranger. Of course I am, – to her.

Perhaps I was just a fantasy in her mind. It took me two minutes to recollect my thoughts. I picked up what was left of my ego and walked back into the big hall.

At night, thoughts of her filled my mind. When I finally slept, I saw her in my dream. We were swimming together and she was smiling at me, enjoying the moment. We were now swimming close to the shore. I reached the wet patch of sand first and brought out my hand to help her out of the water. Suddenly, a huge wave that came out of nowhere pulled her forcefully inside the water. The last thing I heard was her shrieking voice and then there was blood everywhere. I woke up clutching my hand to my chest.

What is this all about?

Fear gripped my whole body and I couldn’t sleep again that night. On Monday morning, I went to my office but I was not there. My clients were coming to collect their pictures but my mind was far away.

“What is wrong with you Ayo?” Kola queried me as he came to collect his pictures.

“Are you sure you are alright?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

But I was not. Throughout that week, I kept looking for her but couldn’t find her. My mind was restless. I felt empty.

On Sunday I attended church service in the same church and was surprised to see her. I felt a wave of joy and sadness at once. She was sitting close to her father. Again. This time, they were sitting in a pew at my back. Once the church service ended, I rushed to meet her as she was heading to the car. I didn’t see her dad.

“Hi. We keep meeting in a church.”
She heard my voice and tuned to face me.

“What is it you want from me?” Her question threw me off balance.

“I…”

“Ene, what are you doing there?” her father’s stern voice cut me off.

“Please go!” she pleaded and quickly opened the car door and entered.

I hurriedly left the church. Small victory. At least I have known her name. Now, I could put a name to the image on my mind.

***
All that happened a year ago.
For the first five months, she gave me a hard time. Whenever I met her, she kept telling me to leave her alone. But fate kept bringing us together. On the sixth month, I got information from a friend that she would be travelling out of the country and wouldn’t be back again. I stopped all I was doing and went to look for her. I had to be a man and tell her how I feel. Even if she would reject me, I would know that I had told her my mind.

By then, I had known where she was staying. Iyanganku Estate located in Government Reserved Area, Ibadan was a placed where the super-rich resided. I drove my weather beaten Mercedes to the Estate and stopped in front of a huge metal gate. I rang the alarm and the gate opened a minute later.

I entered inside the huge compound with an imposing structure that reeked of luxury and old money. The white building was majestic in appearance and was adorned with beautiful flowers and shrubs. The gate man, a dark Hausa man saw me and was surprised.

“Who are you?” Let me see your appointment card.”

Such was a place like this. To be able to enter into any compound in this estate, you need to book an appointment. If your name was not in the visitor’s books, you would be ordered out of the compound.

I had nothing but only my guts and a confession I needed to make before I ran out of time.

I stuttered. As I wanted to speak again, a door opened and she came out the house. She was wearing singlet and shorts. Her big thighs and wide hips swayed as I stood rooted to the ground, paralyzed by her grace and exceptional beauty. But as I looked at her, I discovered that something was wrong. She looked fragile and appeared older than her age. Older than me. Suddenly, she rushed inside and came out wearing a cardigan.

Was she feeling cold?

Our eyes met and she became surprised.
“Musa, it’s okay.”

“Kai, this young man sef. Oya dey go.”

I walked up to her and she gave me an inquisitive look. “How do you find where I am living? Have you been stalking me? What are you doing here?”

I was no longer shy. I need to tell her my mind now.

“Ene, I got information from a friend that you will soon travel out of the country with your dad and I knew I had to see you. I don’t know how it happened but I have this feeling deep inside me. I have tried so hard but can’t seem to get you out of my mind. I love you Ene and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Yes, I have said it. Now, let the worst happen.
Perhaps she would reject me and tell Musa to drag me out of the compound.

Suddenly, tears filled her eyes. “Yes I will be travelling with my dad tomorrow. My dad is at the U.S embassy trying to process the documents. You are brave to come here.” Then she looked away.

Why are tears in her eyes?

“But you don’t know anything about me,” she said in a tearful voice. She was looking at me already.

I was taken aback by her statement.
“Ene, I am here now, to get to see you and know the woman that had finally captured my heart. The woman that I love.”

The love word made her to panic. She almost fell. I helped her regain her balance and she began to sob. I was confused.

“What is wrong Ene? Why are you crying?”
I tried to wipe her tears but she did it herself.

“Ayo, you won’t understand. You don’t know anything about me. We can’t be together. It is too late.”

The compound was suddenly so uncomfortable for me. I felt like I was losing her. I began to ask her what was wrong because my life depended on it. And her reply made my blood to run cold.

“I have only two months to live,” she said as she began to cry.

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