Hello Hi,
I hope your week is settling in great! You can check out my article published on BellaNaija
here. I'm back this week with a nicely written article by Etoh. Please check it out below and kindly share and leave your comments :)
THE SEARCH
Picture source: www.ccdumaguete.com
I
had just finished running more than a kilometer under the rain in search of a
shelter from the growing and windy august rain, a kind I was sure would grant
me sure access into the fever line. And because I couldn’t get any keke napep to quicken my journey to my
interview location, I was soaked beyond wetness that I felt my underpants were
becoming heavy like I wore a shield. The files that contained my curriculum
vitae were so soaked that I had considered throwing them away at one point; my
life was in jeopardy more so because I had an interview in an hour time, an
appointment that I was sure would end my four years search for a job. It was
devastating.
I
reached a T Junction and still there was no corner shop or even a spoilt keke napep to take refuge while I prayed
for the rain to stop. I was so pained that I started to cry, and still didn’t
stop running; it was funny though, but I needed to remind myself I was still
human.
“Sisssssssss…”
a voice called.
The
rainfall was so much and accompanied with a very noisy wind such that I could
barely see. I stopped and turned to see who had ‘sissssed’ at me, hoping
greatly that the caller had a place I could hide from the rain.
“Come
and stay here oo” the voice called
out again some miles from me.
Placing
my hands firmly on my eye brows ensuring I stopped the rains from obstructing
my view, I was able to sight some human figures under a covered zinc structure.
Without thinking twice, I made a fast one to the location, running and smashing
into gutters and ditches like it was a fun thing to do.
“Thank
you so much” I said immediately I entered the shop that barely had space.
I
actually didn’t care if the space was going to house me; all I did was to turn
to anyone I saw and said thanks as I bowed my head alongside. The space was so
small, and it looked like a shop where cigarettes and kai-kai (gin) were sold. A bench that was occupied mainly with
women numbering about seven was placed at the center of the shop, because
everyone was avoiding the edges of the shop due to the leaking zinc. There were
about five other people standing tightly behind them, and most of them were
men.
“Were
you going to keep running under the rain if we didn’t call you?” one of those
sitting asked.
“Omo yes oo...it’s not like I have a
mansion around here” I joked as I tried packaging my wet self after noticing
the pretty lady that asked me the question.
She
had asked and then kept quiet so fast, she didn’t even care about the reply I
had specially arranged for her amusement. She had caught my attention like a
nice Nike shoes would. She had turned my head upside down so fast that I
actually stared at her without minding the consequences. She was the most
beautiful girl I had ever seen, and for some reasons she was smiling as she
looked at her phone, and this made her look even prettier. And I just wasn’t
going to ignore that, not even now that I needed a woman in my life.
“Hey!”
I called out facing her direction and then gesturing with my head.
She
didn’t even care to look up; guess the fun that emanated from her telephone
device encapsulated her so much that she didn’t even look up like everyone else
did. Too bad I wasn’t referring to anyone else, but her.
“Hey
lady” I matched my call with two steps of boldness and strength, enough to aid
Spartan warriors win the Peloponnesian war.
But
still she was unshaken by the weight of my approach, as she continued to tap
the screen of her phone with so much happiness. I even dared to wave my hands
in-between her face and the phone, just to get her attention. But still she
ignored me. And it was frustrating because I was beginning to draw the
attention of other occupants of the shelter.
Then
bending down enough to get even with her face, I said the softest hello known
to man. I knew what I wanted, and I knew definitely that beholding such beauty
was going to be a great, and powerful catch. I wasn’t going to let go without
putting up a strong fight, and that was exactly what I was about to start.
“Please
would you stop this and get up, you’re embarrassing me” she pleaded without
looking at me.
I
smiled at her plea, I had learnt in secondary school that girls get a little
shy when they fall for a man’s advances. At least I knew she noticed me, the
next thing was to ensure I held up a conversation with her. I was poised to get
her to look at me and then we could hook up well, “at least I’m a fine boy” I
thought. I had forgotten about my wet clothes and the people who must have
noticed my behaviors, and whether they approved of it did not bother me. I was
out to hit my target; such opportunities come once in twenty years; I guessed that
was probably the reason why some men get married late after missing such good
targets.
“So
please what’s the name?” I asked smiling funnily.
She
was quiet for another ten seconds, but unlike her other silence spree, she had
stopped flirting with her phone, and had put it inside her bag.
“So
I guessed I looked for your trouble by speaking up to you right” she asked as
she ensured her phone was placed comfortably in her bag.
I
had no clue what to reply her, and I even wasn’t sure she needed me to answer.
So I just smiled and waited for her to say something worth talking back.
And
after another silent moment between us, I spoke up still smiling. “So please
your name?”
“Lucky,
I told you that inside the bus we took from Kubwa” she spoke smiling mockingly.
I
was confused and taken aback at her response. “What in any name is she talking
about?” I thought in awe. I had every reason to be sure she was making a call,
or talking to someone other than myself. And I felt embarrassed because I
thought we were supposed to be having a conversation, and here she was
insinuating something out of the box. I was still lost in the radicalism of her
response when she spoke up again, and this time looking straight into my face.
“Lucky,
you asked me out in the bus this afternoon, abi
you no dey remember person face?”
As
she looked at me, I suddenly remembered her face. Truthfully she was the same
lady I had held up a discussion with earlier this afternoon in the bus. And yes
I had asked her out saying that I liked the smell of her perfume. I felt
embarrassed as everyone now turned to our direction, and I guess the fear of
the unknown was the only thing that stopped them from laughing at me. It was
like I was desperate for a girlfriend, or as most of them would think ‘I am a
pervert’, the one that goes around asking girls out for pleasure.
“You
better put your house together and stop this attitude of harassing girls, make you no go ask ogbanje out oo” she
spoke and ran into the rain.
I
stood there wishing I could just vanish into the atmosphere. It wasn’t like I
was desperate for a wife, but calls from home and from mama had made me a chaser
of everything in skirt. I was now in the lookout for every lady that looked
single, and would jump into any opportunity to talk to one and to ask her out.
I was still lost in confusion when another female figure dashed into the
shelter shivering and complaining of her wet hair. I looked at her with so much
sweetness and a salivating urge to approach her.
“Ahhh… Lucky you’re here sef, I haven’t heard from you since I
gave you my number, how you dey?” she
spoke to my amazement.
“Who
is she sef?” I asked myself, more
confused than I was minutes ago.
The
End
Have a beautiful week x. For more updates, twitter: @vivio_gogo , IG: @UgochiUkah
