Before I met who became my wife, I had had several close shaves at getting married. There was one I courted for five years and for reasons I am yet to understand, we parted ways just at the nick of tying the nuptial cords. Then there was another one who was all over me and was being hoisted on me by my principal then but, try as much I could to play along, it just would not work for me. I could not bring myself to settle down with someone who I could not condone both in looks and in attitude. So, when we went to run blood tests (you know those ones you do as prequisites for starting marriage process) and it was discovered she had hepatitis B, I capitalized on that to call it quits with her. She was devastated but I was not ready to be that sacrificial lamb.
Yes, I recall there was also another one that left her childhood boyfriend and clung to me. I was not ready to commit to her and I was sure the boyfriend had better plans for her than I did. So, I simply told her to go back and I sent the boyfriend a text message intimating him on things he needed to adjust about himself to be better appreciated by her girl. I understand they later got married. Such a nice girl. She deserved to be happy with the right person…which was not me.
I was almost taking over the senior bachelorhood status from all who held it then. Let me not call names as some of them have since attained Professorial status as bachelors. Then cupid’s arrow hit its mark in my heart. I was love stung and my mumu button was activated and behold, I became someone’s husband and subsequently, some persons’ daddy.
How did it happen? It was sometime in March, 2018. I was already getting used to the friendly jabs of “You no go go marry,” from my peers and was planning with Phil, my friend and roommate then on how we would find our way to the United States of America and marry a Caucasian and make mullato babies. I had even told my mum and siblings they should not worry as I had plans of crossing my breed. It did not get them cross as they had come to terms with the fact that they have an extremely maverick family member in me.
So that fateful afternoon, I had gone with a female friend to Fides in search of the editor, Mr Jude Atupulazi. I needed him to guide the female friend who was a mass communication IT student on some areas of difficulty in her project which I was not equipped to prooffer solution to.
Because of how Fides Media used to be filled with a fair share of good looking young ladies and because I did not want to raise any eyebrows walking into the media house with a fair complexioned scantily dressed lady, I asked her to wait for me at the gate and walked in alone.
Just as I was exchanging pleasantries with the Fides Family, the She quietly walked by and took to the stairs. Her voice as she politely greeted us sounded like honeyed milk to my ears. Time stood still and the unusual grace she exuded swooned my head and pulled the carpet on my composure.
‘Hello, beautiful, how are you’, I called out to her, I had forgotten for a moment that I was in the middle of a conversation with someone else.
‘Fine, thank you’, she replied and continued on to her destination which I trailed to be Uceeye’s office. Uceeye was a female colleague of no mean talent.
And so, I hurriedly followed after this stranger that affected me so. I really needed to get her contacts. That spell she cast on me was very potent and I wanted to be drowned in it.
I did not knock on the door as I expected Uceeye would be on seat and we had become so friendly that I did not need to knock to access her office.
Just a quick rap on the door and I jerked the door open to enter a chilly office and face a startled beauty who appeared quite displeased with the way I barged into her privacy.
‘Sorry, I thought Uceeye was on seat,’ I apologized, trying to recover what was left of my composure.
‘Well, you can see she is not…and you forgot to knock’, she replied pointing at the door behind me.
I walked over confidently to where she was seated and sat right in front of her, cracked a smile and said, ‘NNE, forgive my manners but you just did me a strong thing when you passed by me downstairs and I knew I would have nightmares tonight if I did not come over to confess and request for your phone number so I can get to know you better.’
She smiled.
5 years and 3 kids later, the spell she cast on me that day has not cleared. My dream of birthing mullatos died a natural death and I am happy for it.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Onyinye my wife. Happy Valentine’s day to you that read this piece till the end. Spread the love not the STD or HIV.
