Greetings!
Source
It all started few years back, 2014 to be precise. It's a love story and journey that began with a step. Ayo a friend of mine in the department of English came to me and told me about a classmate whom he just met, her name is Ene. Ayo told me about how he fell in love with Ene and that he would need my help to woo Ene as he planned to engage her and maybe later on in life marry her. When I heard this, I bursted into laughter and held his shoulder. I called him by his name, I said, Ayo, we are in our first year in school, how do you intend to cope with your studies and relationships? I would advice you to face choose your studies over any form of relationship for now. When he had listened to me, he responded by saying, Sam, don't worry, I will handle both without one disturbing the other, but I replied him by asking him, are you sure? And he responded Yes. It's then he pleaded with me to help him out. Though, I knew he was a shy guy and could not have approached the lady himself.
So, I took it upon myself to help a friend out as I know myself to be a sharp guy. So, the following day which happened to be on a Tuesday and after the 7am class, I went straight to Ene and I told her that a friend of mine sent me to her, when she heard this, she asked, what's the name of that your friend that sent you to me? I replied her and mentioned the name of Ayo, when she heard the name, she was thinking and speaking out loud with a squeezed face trying to remember if she has come across any person named Ayo. So, afterwards, she said, well, I don't know that your friend as we have many Ayo in our class. Immediately she replied me in that manner, I told her to give me a minute as i called on Ayo, when i called on Ayo, he was afraid and even wanted to run away, but because he was close to where we were, he couldn't, so, I believed he summoned and stepped forward to where we were standing. When he came, I introduced him to Ene as the Ayo I was talking about and i laid the ground for the discussion before I left. Thank God I have done the most important part of the deal.
So, that's how I left both of them alone to have their discussion, which they had for about 40 minutes as I was having another round of discussion with my friends in the department. So, immediately they were done with their discussion, Ayo came straight to where I was with his eye red like a coal of fire. When he came to me, instead of him appreciating me for helping him laying the foundation for his love proposal to the lady, he was angry with saying, see you, why did you have to do like that? you really fucked up, you should have told me you can't be of help. But instead of me getting angry at him, I was not, but my response to all what he said was that, How far? What did she say? So, when he heard what I said, he calmed himself down and responded by, it's a bad outing as the lady told him they can only be friends and nothing more. So, when I heard, i smiled and told him not to worry himself. I equally told him to have a cordial relationship with the girl as with this, I believe the girl will give in as no girl will say yes at your first approach, I said. When he heard this, he's still not satisfied, but i told him to relax and keep trying his luck and that one day, the lady will accept him and his love. So we both departed. But before we departed, I equally told him why I left the place after I heard laid the foundation and called him to action. I told him that, I intentionally did that just to boost his courage and confidence, he smiled when he heard what I meant by leaving him alone with the girl and it's then he said, thank you sam, I'm now a man.
So, we departed and left for our various hostels. So, as days turn to weeks, weeks to months, I didn't here anything from my friend Ayo again. Though we used to attend the same class with Ene, but nothing was known to me about his intending relationship with Ene as Ayo has kept away everything from me. It was after I got to know that both were in a relationship from another friend of ours, that I got shocked. Then we were in our final year and i overheard people in the department discussing both Ayo and Ene introduction. When I heard this, I was shocked but didn't comment on the discussion that was going on in the department. So, when I got to my hostel room, I put a call across to Ayo phone and I asked us to meet. Though we've met in the class earlier in the day, but I decided to meet with him one on one when no other person would overheard our discussion. When he later showed up, I asked him what's going, at first, he was reluctant to open up on the issue, but when I kept on pestering him, he opened up to me. He said, Sam, I'm sorry from keeping things away from you, it's not my intention to keep things away from you, but that's how Ene wanted it. So, when I heard this, from him, I couldn't believe my ear, but I kept quite, asking myself as to why a very close friend would keep this kind of a thing away from me, I was wondering why could that be, well, maybe Ene didn't want my interference in their relationship, I soliloquied. So,.after that, I asked him I overheard people discussing their introduction, when he heard this, he quickly rushed to said, yes, but after his response, I asked him, why the rush? He said there's nothing , but i told him I could not believe what he said as he has lied to me before now, that was when he said, Ene was pregnant for him. I repeated, pregnant, he said yes. It's then I know there's fire on the mountain. So, after our discussion, I promised to be present at his introduction which i did.
Thank God I was available on the 12th of September 2017, that was the day fixed for the introduction, it was a colorful event. But as colorful as it was, Ayo was not putting on a smiling face, it's when I realized this that I asked myself, what could be wrong? Why was Ayo not happy on his day? These are the questions coming to my mind, but because it's his day, I couldn't ask him the question. So, after the introduction and on the third day, I went to Ayo's room just to say hi and greet him, it's when i got there and in the course of our discussion that he narrated the whole issue to me, he said, impregnating Ene was the most regrettable thing he has done in his life, but that he would have to live with that for the rest of his life. I asked him why? And he responded that, Ene was not the person I thought she's, she said her character couple with her dominating behavior was second to none, when he said this, I was short of words as I couldn't put asunder to what God has joined together. So, instead of me supporting him on what he has said, I couldn't, as all I could do was to encourage and advice him on his marital journey, I told him that, Ayo, don't think like that, she will change. You just have to give her time, everything will change, just bear with her. So when I gave him all these words of encouragement, he felt relieved and thank me for being a good friend. He said, despite me keeping things about my relationship away from you, you have shown yourself to be someone I could rely on. It's then I replied him and I said , what are friends for.
Not quite, Ene put to bed a bouncing baby girl and named her Jessica, though, I could not attend the naming ceremony, but I sent my greetings to the mother and the little girl. I also gave my reasons for not coming to Ayo, who understood me without any complain. Since the last happenings, I and Ayo have become a very good and jolly friends, so as time went by, the young lady Jessica was falling sick and today she would be taking to the hospital and the next day, she would be out of the hospital, it's when this was happening that a test was carried out on the little Jessica and after the test was carried out, she happened to have SS genotype. What? Immediately Ayo got the test result, he called me and when I heard, I was devastated and I rushed down to his place, I met him and his wife and I encouraged them before I left the place. It's later after months of the test that Ayo called and told me that both families had a meeting and they all agreed that both Ene and him should go their separate ways just prevent them from giving birth to SS again. So, both of them got separated without any grievances. It's a bitter pill for me to swallow, but it's for their good. So, I asked him, what would.be the lot of Jessica? But he replied that, for now, Jessica would be in the custody of Ene and that he would be giving her stipend to take care of the little baby. And when I was even pitying him, he replied, that Sam, life must go on.
Thanks for reading.
Picture sourced.
