Her scream was so loud that it caught everyone’s attention, all eyes now on me and I was even now more anxious to get the Yes. She screamed ‘Yes’!!!. She then started weeping with the music flow, I got up as a normal gentleman would do and wiped her tears, and comforted her in the safest hands
She didn’t expect a proposal on Valentine’s Day but fortunately, she got one. It all rang back to our days in secondary school. I used to live in Ogun state. I was in SS1 science class. We just resumed a new session. Our first-class was physics and we were treating Fundamental and Derived Quantities. The principal walked in with a father and a daughter. He said the girl would be joining us till we write WAEC. When I saw her face I was swept off my feet. The principal and her father left. So my physics teacher said we should all introduce ourselves starting from the girl. “My name is Ewatomi”, she said. The girl next to her also said, “my name is Tolani”. It got to my turn, I stood up and said “My name is Caleb”. The class went on as expected but not for me because my eyes were fixed on her. She had a seat in the front row, while I sat at the back. During break time I went to the toilet to regain my awareness because I couldn’t concentrate anymore. I was so confused because I had never had such feelings before. I decided I won’t be distracted because I missed a lot in the classes we had that morning. After the break, we had Biology class. Whenever the teacher asked questions, I made sure to answer most of the questions. Everyone was amazed because it was our first Biology class. Well, it was normal form because I had already read the topic in the library due to my love and curiosity of science. I answered the teacher’s questions also to get Ewatomi’s attention because she kept looking at me while I answered the questions. This was a drive for me to study more to answer more questions and maintain Ewatomi’s attention. Things continued like that for some days and she made friends quickly. I overheard her having a conversation with Tolani. “Who is the best in the class?” She asked. “Caleb is the best student”, Tolani replied, pointing towards my direction. “Wow, okay”, she replied. On this faithful day during break time, Ewatomi and her friend came to my table. I was reading my Biology textbook when I heard a voice. “Hey, Caleb, what’s up?” Tolani asked. “I dey”, I replied, still reading. Ewatomi showed up then. “Hi Caleb”, she greeted, a smile on her face. My heart skipped a beat. I could feel my pulse moving faster. I couldn’t help but smile back. “What’s up Ewatomi?” I replied. “I’m fine,” she said. “I could see you’re reading, what are you reading about ?”. She asked. I told her I was reading about classifications of living things. I asked if she’d like to join me. She agreed, so we read it together during break. We had Biology class the next day. Thankfully we were both active in class. “This is wonderful”, I said to myself. So I decided that during break time I’d spend some minutes in the library in preparation for the next class. I felt I could get closer to her through this. Though I hadn’t known much about her. We got more acquainted with ourselves academically. It was nothing beyond studies but I wished it was more than that. There was this particular break she suggested we should go get something to eat instead of going to the library. I tried to turn her down cause I felt so bad, I didn’t have any money on me. I rarely visited the school canteen. I came from an indigent home. My parents were illiterate but wanted something good for me so they sent me to a private school with their hard-earned money. My father was a farmer who cultivated plantain and vegetables on the farm. My mother was a trader who sold some of the farm produce in the market. I was the only child of my parents. Whenever I came back from school I’d join my mum in the market and help with the selling of the farm produce till 7:00 pm, then we retire to the house. “Please let’s get something to eat,” Ewatomi asked, “okay”, I replied reluctantly. We walked to the Mini Mart. She asked what I wanted, “I’m okay”, I said. “Come on, I can’t eat alone, it’s not nice “. “Fine, I’ll have Fanta and a sausage”, I replied. “So how much is everything”, I asked. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay, I brought you here”, she replied. We walked to a relaxation spot meters away from the canteen. “So tell me about yourself”, she asked while eating. I wasn’t sure what to say, I felt she wouldn’t talk to me if I let her know I’m from an indigent home and I wasn’t good at lying. Fortunately, the bell was rung so we returned to class. On a Monday morning after the assembly, the principal came to the class and asked me to see him in his office during the break. That was the first time the principal called me into his office. During the break, I went to the principal’s office. ” You’ve had a very wonderful performance so far in this school”, the principal said, handing a paper to me. “That is your BECE result”, he said. ” Thank you sir”, I replied with a smile on my face. “So what are your plans for the future ?” he asked. “I want to be a medical doctor sir”, I replied. Then he told me to come along with my parents tomorrow. “Do you remember the new girl that joined your class “, he asked. “Yes sir, Ewatomi, I remembered sir”, I replied. “She’s the daughter of my very close friend from secondary school, I want you to be of little assistance to her with studies. I saw you and her at the library some days ago. I want it to be strictly academics, she lost her mother so it has been hard
Waking up to the beautiful morning sun breaking freely through her windows onto her face, Bryna stood up and headed straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and came back to say her morning prayer. Then, she went to warm up her bathing water to get ready for work. After getting dressed, she checked her phone. It was a message from Luca re-assuring her of his love and asking her out on a romantic dinner date at a fancy restaurant for Valentine’s, which was two days away. With mixed feelings, she dropped her phone. Trying to avoid Luca had become her conscious routine for the past two months, but she couldn’t avoid seeing him this time. Heading to the kitchen to make breakfast, she laid her eyes on the first gift Luca ever got her. A mug with the name “Luca” imprinted on it, looking back on how their love used to be, she couldn’t help but recall. It was about two years back, on a cool Saturday morning. Bryna went to the mall to get some groceries. Due to her query from work, she was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice a cart in front of her. She ran into the cart, and due to the angle it was placed, it headed straight for the shelf. Luca, who was coming by the corner, saw the items already falling from the shelf. He ran to protect Bryna, who was already so confused, shielding her from the items on the shelf with his manly shoulders. After sorting the issue of the shelf and cart with the mall manager, who managed to extort them, Bryna thanked Luca for his help and walked him back to his car. On their way, he asked for her number, “of course!” She gave it to this handsome young man who was her hero, Though she declined his offer to drive her home as she didn’t want to seem burdensome. Later that day, he sent a text, and they got talking. After brief introductions, they tried getting to know each other better and discovered they had a lot of things in common. It was a long night with all their laughing and witty conversations. Lost in the moment, she lost track of time and ended up sleeping pretty late. It was amazing that they talked every day and always had what to say to each other for the next couple of days. With how fast their feelings grew, it was time they went on a proper date, so Luca asked her out. Bryna had never felt so excited before. She smiled all day at work and walked with a skip in her steps. Finally, it was 5 pm, and she headed straight home to freshen up and get dressed. She put on some make-up, clothes, brushed her hair, and headed out to the gaming center. Yea, they choose a “gaming center” for their first date. After a series of games and karaoke, they went to a mini-restaurant to have dinner. After eating, they talked and laughed their way to the parking lot. At that point, they noted that there was a spark between them. Two weeks later, after sorting their feelings, they decided to be a couple. It was the best decision they had ever made. They couldn’t get their eyes, minds, and hearts away from each other. It was like God created Luca with Bryna in mind. Luca was a writer, and now Bryna had become his main source of inspiration. They were always together, and their love was built on trust and commitment. They always found a way to be sorted out during their heated moments, and it never lasted more than a day. Their bond and chemistry were so real that it could be felt at a safe distance. Jerked into reality by a physical distraction, Bryna realized she had been daydreaming instead of heading to work. She quickly rushed to finish her breakfast and headed straight out to her job as a mortgage consultant in a bank. Coming from an average living family of six, she was the first child. From a young age, she was ladened with contributing to the family’s upkeep. Therefore she grew up devoted and disciplined. With her dad being a public servant and her mum a petty trader, they couldn’t cater to every wants of the family, but they lived quite comfortably. On the other hand, Luca was daydreaming about their date on Valentine’s day. Being the second child of the rich family of Mr & Mrs. Richard, he was born with a silver spoon, but that didn’t deter his parents from being strict and disciplined on their two kids. That made him become a perfect gentleman. He had always loved writing, so he became a full-time writer after studying at the university. Within three years, he was an accredited writer who had written several books and had a few best-sellers. Recalling the day he met Bryna, it was a lucky day. He was at the mall where he intended to get some gifts for his mum and some wine to celebrate the sale of his latest book. A helpless young lady was caught in a situation, and with his help needed, he ran and protected her from falling on her. When she looked at him, he was mesmerized by how beautiful she was; to him, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen with her clear, limpid eyes. When she smiled at him, he saw two cute dimples on her face. He was completely smitten that he didn’t even know when he asked for her number. For him, who didn’t believe in love at first sight, he felt he had fallen in love. They got to know each other, and as he hoped, they started dating. He fell so deeply that once when her father was sick, he took a huge amount of money to sort out his hospital bills. Reminiscing
She didn’t expect a proposal on Valentine’s day but the sight before her left her speechless.
The day had finally come, and Daisy could not ignore the dread spreading all over the walls of her stomach.
I should have worn the sun shades today. The blinding colours of the day would surely affect my sight. Everywhere was a touch of red, making me wonder who propounded the theory of showing love by wearing that colour. It was great relief my shift inspector did not suggest we wear a touch of red to show our solidarity to the event of the day. A rose petal or a red scarf would have been the last straw for our master chef. That man never liked to follow rules especially wearing of uniforms. How the manger retained him all these years remains a mystery to both old and new workers. Our chef’s defiance did not deter the manager from ensuring only love-themed music was played at the background, all table covers replaced with those that had love patterns, and the lovers’ meal, chicken and chips, were on the day’s specials. We were not rated one of the best for nothing. At the beginning of my shift for the evening, I watched the inflow of couples, young and old, holding hands and having eyes for only each other at the moment. One would think the cupid arrow was shot into every couple especially the ladies giggling and flipping their hairs back and forth. Behind me, a colleague hoped that there would be at least one proposal for the night. A proposal would not only spice things all up but also add to our profile as a good restaurant for future proposals. We all nodded in support though I knew that Sarah, my co-waitress for the day nodded simply because she didn’t want to feel left out. Ironically, she was yet to see that our manager had good eyes for her while she blushed at the sight of one of our regular clients. Love, they say is a triangle. My first table was an older couple, probably in their 60’s. With a practiced smile, I introduced myself confirming also by pointing at my badge and requesting for their meal orders. They in turn smiled at me while the husband picked his meal list and quickly made his order. Turning to his wife, I knew my memorable day had began. She had a confused look as she glanced through the list, asked questions on every meal and still did not make a specific order. I could see her husband getting impatient. I was too but my smile remained. She went back and forth, settled for rice and chicken, changed it to the lovers’ meal and asked about the constituents of our veggies salad. When I could not stand it anymore, I calmly asked if I should give her time. She was relieved and quickly faced her husband, picking up their discussion from where they stopped and making me wonder if she was even hungry at all. Too bad her husband was, but as love would have it for the day, he joined the discussion as I walked away. I doubted she would have a meal choice when I returned. My next table was a young man probably waiting for his date as he appeared to be alone, constantly checking his watch and the door. I approached with my signature smile, introducing myself and inquiring of his order. He could not order at the moment but requested a drink while he waited for his date. His date must have been delayed too long because his countenance changed gradually. Frustration was around the corner. Without further delay, I got his drink over the counter and delivered it while smiling within. With each table having unique challenges for night, I thought I might as well guess the challenge of the next table. My next table had a young couple, probably unmarried, taking selfies on their phones. They looked good together and as I came near, I quickly guessed what challenge they could face tonight. I was in for my biggest shock. I had guessed the lady would be a picky eater, probably because she was watching her weight. With introductions done, the lady ordered about 3 meals for herself while the gentleman went along with the lovers’ meal. My shock must have registered on my face because she laughed at me, blessed God for her type of body and told me I could leave. I did not understand. I could not wrap around my head how she would be able to gulp down 3 meals at a sitting, but I sent their orders to the kitchen. I remembered my “table of indecision” and visited them. She almost began her trail of questions when her husband interrupted by making his own order. I quickly suggested she had the same, even from the same plate which brightened her countenance. Their obvious love for each other was beautiful to behold. “Home Alone” or rather “Date Alone” had finished his drink and ordered for more. I nodded and turned to go but had a second thought. Turning back to him, I suggested he could go and find out if his date was okay. Her absence had him worried but not worried enough to check on her. He mumbled some words before standing up, pleading with me to reserve his table and dashing out of the restaurant. I guess “relationship coach” should be added to my curriculum vitae. Table 3 had not finished eating especially with the mountain before the lovely lady so I had a little time to rest my feet. The older couple in no time finished their meals and thanked me. While her husband was paying for their meal, she prayed I would have a lovely Valentine’s day like theirs. I laughed knowing I would spend it in the restaurant, waitressing. I turned to discover “Date Alone” had returned more frustrated than before. I walked up to his table thinking of what must have happened. Immediately he saw me, he stood up and loudly asked if I would be his date. As if it were all
