23/03/2023
"PAPA LOVES HIS GIRLS
I Loved Chike!
Chike Knew I loved him.
My Sweat Knew I loved him.
My Body Knew I loved him.
My Reasoning knew I loved Him, because whatever I thought must Favour Him.
His Parents, His Siblings, My Parents, My Siblings, Our friends, the entire community could also testify that I Loved Chike.
Did Chike Love me back in return?
Most definitely! We were two inseperable lovebirds. Modest, well brought up, smart , humble are few of the words you could use to describe our pair.
Everyone loved us together! Parents gushed over us. They saw two teenagers who were mature enough and responsible enough to start a relationship.
Chike and I met when I was sixteen years Old. He was Nineteen.
We met at as a result of attending the same Tutorial Center. I was fresh out of secondary school, while Chike had stayed at home for three years awaiting admission to the University.
The first Day we got to talk was when I was trekking back home after classes. I had no money on me, thanks to my very humble background. I wasn't aware that prior to that time, Chike and I always boarded the same bus home. Forgive my unawareness of my environment, you could blame it on my addiction to crime novels. Crime novels were my escape from the obviously criminal world I lived in.
That day, I couldn't read my novel as reading while trekking was definitely not the way to go. I noticed a bus stopped some metres ahead, reversed towards me...
" Hey! I told the bus you were going to Abenga" Chike said from the bus...
I shook my head in the negative...
" I am not boarding a bus today, thank you!" I replied, yet I was wondering where I knew him from me... Then , I guessed it must be from the Tutorial center.
" Ok" Chike had replied and trust Nigerian impatient bus transporters, the driver zoomed off. The reason he stopped in the first place was because he thought I had money to commute myself.
I remember thinking in the next few seconds why the boy was interested in making me get into the bus. My crime novels' memory bank began to give suggestions as to why, and trust me they were not good suggestions, it ranged from kidnapping to Assault to Vendetta on my parents who may have done terrible things to his parents when they were younger... ( As I write I am Shaking my head at the naive 16 year old Mayowa who didn't know that someday in the nearest future, she would be a main player in a real life crime).
I saw the bus stopping suddenly and fear gripped my heart. My first instinct was to run off but somehow I was too glued to the spot to move.
I saw Chike running back towards me on foot while the bus was waiting.
" If you are short on cash, please let me be of help" Chike said on reaching me.
" Oh! Thank you for the offer but No thanks!".
" Come on, the bus is waiting"
" No please... I will get home in no time"
The bus started moving and before I could tell him to avoid being left behind, the bus zoomed off throwing his Backpack on the ground.
" Wow! Your bag?" I said
" Yeah! Guess We will be trekking home together and let me give you a free one; I am a very good companion"
I smiled at that!
I consciously took my time to look at him for the first time. He didn't look like any of the bad guys in My crime novels, instead he had the eyes and demeanor of a character from a love story.
" I am sorry" I said feeling sorry for how he had been left behind because of me.
" Don't be! I am actually excited that I am able to catch you for once without your novel" Chike said ..
I gave a surprising look.
" Someone has been stalking" I said . Stalking was a regular thing in my Crime novels. It was meant to be a red flag, but surprisingly my heart felt safe...
" I am not sure stalking is the right word, it's more of admiring." He said and I blushed...
That was the first time someone tickled my fancy. That was the first time someone was actually speaking to me in that manner.
I was not an ugly girl, but just like Chike had pointed out, I was always too buried in my novels to be caught having conversations around. I was nothing like the hot girls at the tutorial center. I was nothing like Sewa, Abigael, Joan and Peace.
From that day, we walked everyday.
Walking made us bond more. Even after writing our examination, he would come to my house and we would take a walk together for hours.
However, our walking together came to an end when our admission letter came and the reality of our background standing in the way of success became clear... Neither of us had what it took to pay our university tuition fee.
I decided to act in love. I decided to forfeit my education for that year so that Chike would go to the university.
My thinking was;
"Chike, you are a man. Get into the university first, by the time you graduate and start working , I can start my own degree" I remember saying
Chike refused bluntly, telling me it should be the other way round.
Adamantly, I won!
Chike got into school. One of the 'hot' girls from the Tutorial center also gained admission to the same University. Her name was Joan.
Meanwhile, I toiled! I mean I toiled day and night to sponsor Chike's education...Even my Blood and Sweat knew I loved Chike because of how much I toiled for him.
Was I wrong to have toiled to sponsor my boyfriend's education bearing in mind the plan we had? Before I proceed with my Story, What do you think?
To be continued...
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