Just like the chicken or the egg, which one came before, love or foolishness, wisdom or age, courage or purpose, faith or belief?
I still wonder.
I just met a dainty old woman.
Skin alabaster smooth even though the wrinkles around her eyes and lips fought, won and then failed intermittent battles of invisibility.
She wore a sheer white long sleeve top, over blood red quarter pants and black Roman sandals.
Her fingernails and toenails were the same blood red.
Pretty.
There were two diamond like rings on two fingers on her left hand.
And one Jade one on a finger on her left hand in which was clasped a red leather wallet.
She smelt sweet.
And had her silver grey hair sleeked back to the middle of her back.
It was held in place over her head by a thin jeweled blood red headband.
She hovered somewhere in her mid 70's,
And stood just behind me at long line in the high ceiling hall of the bank while I spoke on my phone.
When I hung up.
She tapped me gently on my back.
I turned around.
She was smiling.
"I love your accent."
I smiled before I responded.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome. You sound somewhat like my husband."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. He is Nigerian."
"I am Nigerian."
"I figured from the accent. You all are so tall and handsome. I am a lucky old lady."
"Awwww. That's lovely to hear."
"You have a warm friendly smile too. I like it."
"Thank you."
"Do you live around the area?"
"Yes. Just after the subway station, off Marlee."
"Oh nice, not too far. I am in Forest Hill. Retired and lonely. Counting the days until my husband comes over."
"Oh he is not in town?"
"No. Unfortunately. He is in Lagos. We are waiting for his permanent residence to come through. I sponsored him."
"That's nice of you."
"No. It is what you do to be with your husband. I had to go to Lagos for the wedding, then came back and applied. It's been a couple of months now, we are waiting to hear back from them."
"I am sure they will get back to you soon.'
"We hope so."
"I love your perfume."
She blushed and put her right hand on her cheek.
"Oh, thank you. Aren't you a sweet young man. You sure do know how to make an old lady feel special."
I laughed.
She continued.
"Are you married by any chance?"
"No."
"That is a huge ring you have there."
"Yeah. I got it in New Orleans."
"I love New Orleans. So tell me, why hasn't any girl with some good sense got you to the altar."
"Work has got me to the altar faster than any girl."
She smiled.
"Work will not keep you company in old age, a wife and children will. Don't make the same mistakes I made. I was way before my time. Worked hard to earn all this money. No marriage or kids for me. It was all about my career. Now look at me, I have all the money I need, more than I can ever spend, but until I got married to my darling, it was all loneliness. There was no one to spend it with. So do go get yourself a girl with a good head on her shoulders and start a family. Work is supposed to help on with life and not be life in itself. It's like food, you don't live to eat ,you eat to live. I am sure I remind you of your mother, forgive me I have no right to lecture you."
"It's okay. I am used to it."
"It must be tough hearing it over and over again. But don't mind me, just do whatever makes you happy. When you are old, you just find yourself who was once a rebel becoming a conformist. 30 years ago, I would be knocking a drink down with you and patting you on the back for bucking the system, now look at me, doing exactly what I hated my mother doing. God rest her soul."
"Sorry to hear she has passed."
"Oh the old hen lived a good life, her one great regret was that I didn't give her a son-in-law and grandchild, but I sure did make up for the house, cars, money, holiday and gifts I showered on her. And she took them all with both hands. So I dare to think she died happy."
"It's always great to take care of the parents. A duty even."
"The kids these days have no clue."
I nodded.
She continued.
"So what do you do, if I dare ask?"
"I am an artist."
"Oh nice. What kind?"
"I write across all media, make films and direct plays."
She beamed.
"Oh look at you! I am talking to some big shot."
"Naaa. I am a small fry."
"And he is humble too. Aren't you a catch?"
I laughed.
"You are gap toothed. So precious. In the 60's that was such a rave, now people run to the dentists to cover them up. Such a waste. You kiss a man with a gap tooth, push your tongue through the space, oh the heavens!"
I laughed a little louder.
"Pay me no mind. At this age, you don't care anymore, you think it and say it. So forgive my lack of manners."
"It's okay. I understand."
"I know you do. It is in your eyes. I can see your open mind from the way you look at me. Don't look to much, you going to get me all hot and bothered and with my husband all the way in NIgeria, what do you want an old lady to do with herself?"
"It is an honestly friendly look."
"To you it is, to me, I interpret it as I want to. I sure won't mind if you ask me out for a drink."
She winked.
I laughed.
"You are married, I won't want to offend your husband."
"Naaa, you won't we have an understanding going. What he doesn't know won't kill him. So my evening is free, is yours?"
"It's my movie night."
"Oh nice, what you seeing tonight?"
"Spike Lee's Blackklansman."
"I heard about it. Looks nice at least from the trailers. You have a date?"
"No."
"What?"
"Going alone."
"Am I in luck or you are into guys?"
"Straight as an arrow."
"So I am in luck?"
"There is the issue of your husband."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation and opened her wallet.
"Let me show you something."
She brought out an ultra slim phone in a jeweled case.
Tap, tap.
The screen came alive.
She raised it up to my line of sight.
There he was.
Her husband.
All smiles.
In a Chelsea football jersey.
A stud in his left ear.
Hair in a Mohawk.
Youthful.
"That is my man. A young gun right?"
I nodded.
"He is 22."
I kept a straight face, with the smile lingering.
She continued.
"What are the chances that an old bird like me, will snag a hot and sexy guy like me if I don't have money and opportunities to offer?"
"I believe love is..."
"Save that for 16 year old girls. Do you think he is in love with me? Hell no. He loves what I offer and I am cool with that, cos he offers me what I want. It is fair on both sides. Full disclosure. I get him over here, put food on his plate, roof over his head, clothes on his back, pay his way through school. An undergrad and then masters. Then I set him loose to do as he pleases if he wants to go. But while I do my part he does his part. Company, friendship and lot of sex. Once in a while, we both have the right to hook up with others, as long as we stay safe and we come back home. I am not that mean to steal his youth from him. So tops at 28 or 29 he will be free to go get himself a nice girl and start his own family and I will be happy I helped someone who was down on his luck get along with life."
I was quiet.
She shrugged.
"I know I am not weird. Just a pragmatist. I am taking control of my life."
"It is commendable, but what will he do when he lives?"
"Depends on what is important to me at that time. If I still want company and sex, then I will go get someone else online, just like I found my husband and make him an offer he can't refuse. If I am thinking more of the afterlife, then it will be spiritual retreats and all that stuff, if I am just happy with me as I would be at the time, then it will be old people stuff, movies, concerts, quiet nights in front of the tv, book clubs and all that good stuff. It is all in my power and then I might be ill with all that old people disease or I might even be dead. So I don't think that far. I just live for now. Today. How can I make every hour count. How can I maximise the time I have right now? So you see, it is about not about him, it is about me, for all I know he is with some lovely young girl right now sowing his oats, and I am happy for him if that's what he is doing, and I am sure he will be happy for me, if I go with you to the movies and allow the night unfold as it will."
She reached out and touched me lightly on my right arm.
Her touch was warm and feathery.
"This old bird takes good care of herself and the tricks she has up her sleeve are something else. So a date with me is a good return on investment. Is tonight ours or you want to ride it alone?"
I stared at her.
Thinking.
She looked back at me.
Smiling.
Coyly.
The line moved on slowly.
