UNDERNEATH THE ALMOND - I FOUND HIS LATER AFTER 15 YEARS ___ 12TH OCTOBER

Underneath the almond tree is where Obinna said he would wait for me.

We were JSS 3. That almond tree was in front of our school in Nnewi, the big one that drops almond every break time. We would pick almond, crack it with stone, suck the seed.

Obinna was my seat partner. He said, "If I ever travel, check underneath the almond. I will leave something for you."

I laughed. "Film trick."

SS3, his father took him to Lagos. No phone. No goodbye. Just empty seat.

I waited one week. I checked underneath the almond tree. Nothing.

I waited one year. Nothing.

I entered university. I forgot.

Last week, I went back to Nnewi for my cousin's wedding. The school don old. But the almond tree still dey. Bigger.

I stood underneath it, just for old time sake. I kicked the root. Something hard hit my leg.

I bent down. Small Milo tin, rusty. Buried shallow.

My heart beat.

Inside the tin, one paper, folded four times, brown from rain. And one almond seed, dried.

The paper said: "Nne, they say we are moving tomorrow 5am. I could not tell you in class because I was crying. I will wait underneath the almond every December 26th, 2pm, till you come. - Obinna 2009"

December 26th. That was 4 days ago.

I sat underneath the almond tree and cried like JSS 3 girl again. 15 years, he was waiting? Or he stopped?

I did not know.

But I took the almond seed from the tin and put it in my bag.

I am going back to that school on December 26th next year, 2pm. Underneath the almond.

If you see Obinna from Community Secondary School Nnewi, tell am say his Milo tin still dey.

IMAGE SOURCE AI