"I'm sorry, sir." I replied with my head facing down. This was my show of sobriety, as looking straight into my manager's eyes was considered rude in our culture, even though I struggled hard within myself to resist that urge. "It won't repeat itself, sir." I continued without looking up. I am sure he knew I said that only to ease the tension that existed. I knew some other colleagues were eavesdropping, knowing it was my turn to get humiliated.
I am a few inches taller than the average Nigerian girl, a spec to cause one to gaze upon and perhaps make uncomfortable women whose husbands could easily be lustful over young and unmarried ladies. At 28, I looked younger than my age, with a chocolate skin color and an obvious dimple whenever I let out a smile. I have received more compliments from men than their sincerity. It was hard enough for me at my age to be unmarried, as most suitors either lacked the patience of commitment or wanted just a passing moment.
"I'm sorry once again, sir." I repeated.
"Sorry for yourself!" Mr. Bosun replied with a wave of hand, dismissing me from his office. I stepped out to my desk, a cubicle that was some distance away from Mr. Bosun's but strategically positioned to have a quick overview of the activities of most staff in the company at a glance. My friend and confidant, Kemi, was not on the seat, deepening the hurt I felt within me as I had no one to share my feelings with. It was almost time for lunch, and I looked forward to a time away from the toxic environment.
My phone beeped severally and continuously, which prompted me to pick it up and scroll down to see the notifications that popped up. It was my Facebook app that sent the numerous notifications, and apparently, an admirer had hit my profile and clicked on the love icon on many of my pictures. I checked the profile of the individual, and my attention was immediately drawn to the blank image on the profile. A little information on the profile showed that the owner was a male of the Yoruba tribe in the same town that I am in, Akure, and he is a Nigerian. I scrolled through his activities on his profile but couldn't get much information. Another notification popped up to show the stranger had sent a friend request, which I hesitantly accepted. I loved to keep a low profile, though I had the aura of attracting many, which I made sure I moderated.
Shortly after accepting the friend request, a message popped up from the stranger, whose profile name was simply Daniel. I was certain I did not know Daniel, yet I felt I could have some fun with this adventurous stranger.
"Hello, beautiful damsel with the catchy dimple." Daniel began the conversation. His opening statement caused me to blush, though I suspected that Daniel knew who I was, of course, unless from my pictures on Facebook, which could have let out my dimple feature.
"Hello stranger Daniel and lover of my pictures, how are you?" I replied, hoping to get my mood distracted from the previous encounter with my boss.
"I'm good, and I trust you're better?"
"Not really, but I'm good enough."
"Do you want me to beat to pulp whoever spoils your mood for me?" He teased, which caused me to smile.
"I wish, but let's forgive him." I replied, chuckling at the stranger's comment and offer. "So, may I know you and probably some pictures?" I asked, cutting short my impatience and inquisitiveness.
"I would love to keep that a secret and a mystery for now." He replied.
I was angry that he did not oblige me with the information, but I maintained my calm. My conversation with Daniel soon became such that we hardly went a day without communication. Daniel became someone I shared my life's activities with, and our bond grew stronger with each passing day. Daniel lived about two hours from my base, yet I was unable to convince him to send a picture. After six weeks of friendship with Daniel, he agreed to meet up with me after several threats of discontinuing our relationship. He, however, requested that our first meeting be during Halloween night, which, though sounded fishy, got the better of me.
Halloween night was one I liked to enjoy since we were all required to wear masks, and it always seemed like a good opportunity to have fun as much as I would without fear of condemnation or stigma. This year's Halloween night, however, was spectacular, as I longed for an opportunity to meet "Mr. Amazing," who had made my life more meaningful, encouraging me to give less concern about the stress life constantly pushed at me.
"And how would we recognize each other?" I asked with curiosity when it was time for our meeting.
"That's the least of your worries, my angel; I'll come to you like Eros and whisper into your ears sweet and comforting words of love." Daniel replied with a tease, causing us to burst into laughter.
"I can hardly wait to meet you, Daniel. Thank you for being a true friend. I hope I can repay you someday."
"Well, if you agree to marry me after you see my ugly face," he said with his usual masculine yet sweet voice.
"I don't believe you are ugly; you're mostly unserious, Dan." I replied with a laugh.
On Halloween night, I wore an overflowing lilac gown with beautiful stones adorning it and a shoe to match. I wore a simple mask that only covered my eyes, with the intention of being easily recognized by Daniel. My heart struggled to maintain a sane pace as occasionally I wondered if I would like him as much as I loved his voice. I walked around the open field, admiring the activities and occasional stunts displayed by those present on Halloween night. I kept sipping the chapman drink I bought at the gate, feeding my eyes with different shapes and shades of mask.
"Excuse me, Miss Beautiful." A voice spoke behind me, which caused me to turn immediately. I knew the voice; it was Daniel's.
"Hey stranger in a mask." I replied and opened up my arms for a bear hug. I was glad to meet Daniel. His navy blue tuxedo and black shoes smelled of affluence, and the fragrance of his perfume was one that wanted to draw me much deeper into his arms. He obliged, and with my open arms, I gave him a gentle squeeze, which he reciprocated. A part of the riddle was solved, and my next task was to find the face behind the mask.
"Care for a bite?" Daniel pointed to a sharwama spot, shaking me off my thoughts on how to get his face revealed.
"Oh... Perfect!" I replied and walked towards the Sharwama spot with slow steps. Daniel gently held my hand with his, which I did not resist, knowing fully well that my hormones had dominated all senses of reasoning or resistance. After he paid for the sharwama, I led him to get a chapman for himself, and we both walked around to enjoy the bliss of our meeting.
"Can I see your face now?" I said it abruptly, interrupting the discussions we were having and equally freeing my mind from the desire to see his face. We sat at a restaurant within the space of the Halloween party. Daniel looked straight into my eyes, as though he were seeing something through mine. When he did not make a budge after about a minute, I stretched forth my hand to unveil the face behind the mask, and thankfully, Daniel did not resist but rather maintained his gaze on me with a faint smile. I fell in love more with his dazzling eyes but something unusual struck my curiosity.
Though the restaurant was well lit, the overshadowing darkness around the corner where we sat confused me a little as I tried hard to recall where I had known Daniel. He looked, however, unperturbed and indifferent.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but do I know you from somewhere?"
He chuckled. Perhaps "Smart Kids High School?" This time, he smiled broadly.
"I knew it! Daniel Philips?" I screamed in excitement, though not loud enough to cause unnecessary attention. I stood up from across my seat and hugged him again. This time, we hugged each other a little more than the previous "See how you've grown! So, you're Mr. Stranger?"
"In flesh and blood." He smiled, lifting both hands in the air.
"Why would you do that to me? You kept me in great suspense!" I replied, returning to my seat opposite Daniel.
"I'm sorry, I was scared of being rejected; you were the beautiful and classy one back in school; perhaps I was not brave enough then to disclose my feelings for you."
"Common, it's all fine. Perhaps I would have said no then, but you're one gem I won't let go of in my life, Dan." I replied excitedly. I kept nodding my head in surprise and happiness, finding it hard to curtail my feelings. Our topic of discussion soon switched to high school days, enjoying the nostalgia of past memories.
I was glad to say yes to Daniel's request for a relationship and only realized a few days later that Daniel was the CEO's son, and I was not too surprised when my manager at work, Mr. Bosun, began to treat me with unusual kindness.
A year into our relationship, I got married to Daniel Philips, and we used our wedding reception as an avenue for a high school reunion, bringing the alumni together for celebrations and partying.