“Sunday was usually one of my happiest days on campus. But this particular Sunday remains my happiest. We had just finished a fellowship programme to celebrate the Independence Day. I reveled in my Dansiki. I needed to take a picture to record the moment, so I stopped at the motion ground. “Amogunla Femi,” a voice pierced the moment. My photographer friend stopped his finger mid-way. I turned to look in the direction the voice came from. It was a familiar face from class. A young girl that I’d never spoken to. I began to winder – “how did she know my name?”
Before other questions rolled into my head, I smiled back. She waved and moved on.
That day was 5th October, 2003.
I left the motion ground thinking about her. She was the smallest in the department and had a very innocent look. However, she was the bookish type. I knew that much from afar. The following day at the department, I decided to pester her. After the last lecture for the day, I went to her and asked if I could help her with her knapsack. She refused. So I followed her to New Buka, a place called Eden, for her meeting. I mimicked her all the way—the way she talked, walked, repeated every single word she uttered. She became weary of me.
From that day, I would visit her in her room, V3, in Mozambique hall. I read her poems and became inspired to become one. I started writing poetry actually, to express my feelings for her. I became more emotionally attached to her by the day. I dropped every intention to follow up on the ladies I’d wanted to ask out. There was just something different about her. Three weeks after my first visit, I decided to open up on my plans. We had just finished one of those late night readings when in front of Moz I asked if we could start dating. She was distraught. She never saw that coming.
“No Femi,” she said. “I am not ready for that and this will be some form of distraction.” She added: “We could be friends, but I have no intention to go into any relationship until I turn 21.”
On her 21st birthday, we started dating and six years after, we got married. Today, no single regret I married her. She remains all that I heard in that voice on Motion Ground, more than I saw back then.”
[END]
