Must Read: Life

7 years ago

Must Read: Life

‘No matter the extent of darkness or blindness. Your heart has enough illumination, and you know it.’ Yoruba Proverb…

Ola began to enjoy Lagos and looked forward to new challenges in this very big city. His aunt and her friends spoilt him. They took him almost everywhere. His uncle and his friend too were not left out. In less than three months, he knew the major places in Lagos. He had been to the two islands, Lagos and Victoria, Yaba, Obalende, Ojuelegba, Surulere, Ikorodu, among others. His uncle, after being sure that he can navigate his way around Oyingbo without stress, found him a teaching job in a private school not too far from their house. Thus, Ola began working and earning the sum of six thousand naira every month.

Soonest, he had a bank account where he saved his money and once in a while, he sends little amounts to his mum for her upkeep and that of his siblings.

The year’s GCE exams came and went with Ola writing it. The results came out months later and as usual, he passed all and failed his nemesis. His guardians never allowed him the space to brood as they consoled and praised him that he will make it soon. He made up his mind to concentrate on his work and attend evening and weekend classes for a year or two before attempting it again.
All along, he had not forgotten Adetutu in the inner recess of his mind and this affected the view he had of other ladies. He kept them at bay. Seeing himself as unworthy of them.
Change of environment can do a lot of changes to man. By his seventeenth birthday, Ola had changed drastically from the short boy into a tall handsome man. His height shot out to five feet nine inches. He developed a broad chest and boasts of a six packs abs. Thanks to the beans he eats regularly and the weekend weight lifting he does with his uncle and his friends. Anyone who knew him a little over a year ago will find it hard to recognise him save that his face did not change!
This change triggered a bout of confidence in him and he decided to try once again to move close to the feminine genre of the human species. He got close to different girls, ladies and women both in his place of work and in his immediate neighbourhood. He started on a platonic level and then tried building it from there. His uncle and his friends never helped Ola’s case at all. They came home with tales of their girlfriend and their escapades. They brought them home and at times the girls sleep over and when such occurs, the owner of the girl had exclusive VIP access to the room all night leaving the rest to scuttle for spaces either in the sitting room, or on the balcony. His aunt admonished him severally not to be like his uncles because it does not pay. She said it was better he kept only a girl at a time so that he can have his self respect.

Every other evening, his uncles gather either in the room or on the balcony to tell tales of their escapades and make jest of the women folks. They talked of different things ranging from their love for material things. Lack of indepth love, to even the intimate aspect of their relationships. All of these to Ola’s amazement. His aunt on the other hand debunked their claims at every available opportunity she gets. Thus Ola’s view of the female folks is in a confused state as he knows not which was true or not. He reasoned that his uncles were partly right because they gave examples and he saw some of the ladies exhibit the things said about them. He also knew his aunt was correct because of the stint of friendship he had with Adetutu. He concluded in his mind not to be a bad boy like his uncles and that it was better to tread with caution.
As time wore on, he got attracted to a girl who lived just a stone throw from his house. He decided to try his luck at a real relationship for the first time ever. He decided to ask her out.
Did he succeed?
‘Don’t forget to remember that the a stone will forever be a stone, never mistake it for something else. Bite it in a plate of beans and tell me how it is.’ YTC…013
Ola had been seeing and watching Tope’s movement on the street. He had done some preliminary investigations and had gotten some information about her.

Tope was the only daughter of her parents, she was fifteen years old and attended Queens College, Sabo, Yaba. Her parents were traders on the Island and they lived in the rented two bedroom flat that was a stone throw from Ola’s domicile. She had an older brother and just one younger brother. Hence, she was a little spoilt and had numerous boyfriends mostly her brother’s friends and could be said to be a little wayward.

Tope was a slim girl of five feet, four inches. She is dark in complexion, same as Tutu. Ola had a thing for slim, dark girls! She was an excellent beauty who could easily have won the highly coveted MBGN, if only looks were needed. But she was not gifted in the intelligence department. She had the right curves at the right places and had medium sized busts and very medium sized bums. Right for her age, you say?

She also is an happening girl. All parties in the neighbourhood are incomplete without Tope’s presence. She would just find her way there invited or otherwise. She was just too much for our timid and shy Sagamu boy, Ola.

Upon his investigations, he had been told to stay off the girl as she would have known everything about him since he set foot in the area. Yet, he refused and decided to try his luck.

Wait! She was in S. S. S two Arts and wanted to write the year’s G. C. E. That was what Ola saw as his advantage. He set about trying his luck as he gladly told his aunt about it. She encouraged him to start as friends and see what will come out of it. He agreed. His uncle only saw the glow in his face and countenance in the recent days and decided that all was well and sooner or later he would know what was burning on the mountain.
Ola had never approached a girl face to face, so he decide to use the first method he had learnt from Tutu. Letter!

At break time in his place of work, he drafted his letter,

Hi Tope, good afternoon or evening, whichever time you get this note.
You might or might not know me around this area. But I have been watching you for quite some time now. I could say that I like you and would like to be your friend. I know this might surprise you, but I just saw it necessary as I think I might be of help to you in one way or the other as I am a colleague of yours in the arts. I was in the arts class in my school.
I will like to know your response soonest.
Your new friend to be
Ola.
He read and read it again as he put it in his bag.
When he got home, he watched till he was sure she was around. He gave the enveloped letter to a small boy in his compound, the kids loved him, with a twenty naira note and with the speed of light, the letter was on his way to Tope’s house.
The boy saw Tope at the gate and gave it to her. She smiled. It was as if she already knew the sender. She told the boy to wait a little while she read the letter. She laughed as she was amused at the timidity of such fine boy. But he was too ‘bushy’ for her liking, still she thought of his proposal to help, without which she would had said an outright ‘No’. She decided to tap from his knowledge base and get rid of him after her exams.

Tope tore a part of the paper, and wrote,
Hello, note received. Meet me at the front of the mosque after the eight o’ clock prayer for your reply. See you then.
Tope.
The boy ran back home into the waiting arms of an apprehensive Ola. He had another ten naira for his efforts and he thanked Ola effusively for that. Ola read the reply and jumped for joy. Hurdle one crossed. Patience is the key, he said to himself.
He patienly thought apprehensively waited for night to fall. When his aunts and uncles came back to see him singing, his aunt knew why but his uncle was still lost.
Then he heard the call to prayer for the Isha’i prayer…