Over 3 decades ago…
She sat across the table from me at the senior staff canteen
Staring me in the face, her gaze seemed to pierce my soul in a warm way
This ebony beauty! All mine to behold!
In a soft and balanced voice, she asked “What is your name?”
Still shell-shocked, I muttered “…..”
Then she went on “Which department do you work?”
By this time, I had regained some composure
“Mechanical”, I managed to man up
I cannot remember exactly what else we talked about
But how could I forget the smooth voice echoing in my head and melting my heart
I must have said a few things, but she owned the conversation
I could not help but wonder at her grace, voice, choice of words, gesticulations
Her smiling eyes, most beautiful set of teeth I had ever seen…
Every word, and sentence was carefully packaged and delivered
Every trip her hand made from her plate to her mouth seemed to be calculated: pace and delivery
The munching was mechanical; I could almost feel myself moving to her rhythm
Words and food rolled into one beautiful symphony in my heart as I watched and listened
Beauty and brains!
She must be an angel! An angel is sitting across my table!
I was totally mesmerized that I almost completely forgot my food
She seemed to be eating for the two of us
With every spoonful of hers, I was filled and fulfilled
A soft touch on my hand brought me back to life
“Okay, see you around sometime” and she slid out of her seat to drop her plate
“Okay” I said dreamily
As her slim graceful figure disappeared into the afternoon sun behind the revolving doors I suddenly remembered my plate
I quickly rushed a few spoonful down my throat and made it in time to my department
Back at my desk, I could hardly concentrate
I had always seen her from a distance, admired her qualities but never had the courage to walk up to her to say “Hello”
I made several trips to her part of the administrative building with the hope of running into her
I saw her chatting with other people; the possibility of me doing same existed only in my dreams
She seemed so confident with everyone, the junior staff and even the big bosses
And today, oh today, she chose my table at lunch! And no one interrupted us; what luck!
It was like everything and everyone froze with only the two of us moving
I felt like the luckiest man on earth
My heart tripped with all sorts of possibilities and questions …
“If I could …” How will I …” “How will she …”
Then fear crept in …
It was another two weeks before I was able to catch up with her again after lunch
The canteen was the high point of the day for us in the factory; lunch time was our own social convergence
There was always some work that delayed me in my department; like the forces were against me
Then I tried to match her timing to lunch but my table always filled up with men before she got her food
On the flip side, if she was seated before me, her table was over-subscribed
No surprises there; I had stiff competition in an environment of 99.9% male population
But I was not going to give up just like that
So, on this fateful day, I rushed my food and caught up with her as she made her way back to her office
Without rehearsal, the words rolled out of my mouth before my heart stopped, waiting for an answer
“Hello, good afternoon. Would you mind me having your home address? I will like to visit you”
Her soft eyes backed up with the most lovely smile I had ever received was her immediate response
Those white teeth seemed to be receiving the right amount of calcium
“Okay, that will be nice” came next. My heart started beating again
She reached into her pocket; out came a pen and a sheet of paper, which she tore a part of
She scribbled something on it and said a few words
I was dazed. I could hardly believe it. Such a simple task that had taken me weeks
Her soft skin grazing on my rough factory hand brought me back to the present
I managed to mutter “Thank you. See you tomorrow” and made a dash to my department
I could not wait for confirmation of the day for fear of rejection
My head and heart were about to explode!
I managed to contain my excitement as the day went on
Getting back to the single room apartment, I got ready my best shirt, trousers and shoes
Sleep eluded me that night. I could hardly wait for the morning to come
I was going to meet the Girl of My Dreams!
The great, unforgettable and disastrous encounter …
By noon, I was at her address
As a true African beauty, she was having her lovely black hair done in braids ready for the next work week
I received a warm welcome, and that smile again …
She took me into a room and served me a bottle of chilled Coca-Cola and homemade chin-chin
Poor timing, I guessed, she hardly had time for me
My liver failed me when I saw the rows of shoes neatly organized in the room
“She is definitely out of my league” I concluded
From then on, I discountenanced myself as being worthy of this angel
On her part, I seemed not to exist; like I was just a ‘nice’ work colleague who dropped by
After her summer vacation job and my internship at the factory, we both moved on
Yet her image remained ingrained in my heart and soul
She is the Girl of my dreams!
I longed to run into her one day
I prayed and searched for her, to no avail
Her qualities I searched for in every lady I came across, but none matched
Time was running out, I had a business with great potentials and needed to settle down and start a family
My mates already had children in high school
I reasoned, “Surely, she must be happily married to a lucky bloke out there”
But the Girl of My Dreams never left my heart; I still longed for her with every fabric of my being …
Out of the blues, at a function, came another work colleague from back then; an intern too
I called out his name and introduced myself
After catching up for a few minutes, and with great control, I inquired if he was still in touch with some other names I mentioned
I hoped he would help me find the Girl of My Dreams
And yes! He had a number for her! Oh, what divine arrangement!
I could not believe it; 33 years searching for her and getting her number just like that!
Getting home, I wasted no time …
“Hello, is that …?”
“Yes please. May I know who is calling?” … came the angelic sound in my ears
“My name is … We worked together at … in 1983; … gave me your number”
“Oh, really?” she giggled, and my heart sank. Then something more reassuring “How are you?”
After the pleasantries, I went down memory lane carefully touching on the nice spots only
But the Girl of My Dreams had only a faint recollection of the events
I cannot blame her though; I never made my intention known
And she probably got more concrete advances
I was just a faint and distant memory …
Anyways, we chatted over the next few weeks on phone
Finally, we had a lunch date set up
I had to look my best … I wondered if I would still feel the same way when I saw her …
No longer as slim as I remembered, but with no less grace in her steps
With maturity, she looked more elegant and graceful
Her ebony skin still glowing, even better than I remembered it
Those beautiful black braids adorned her hear, neatly bunched up on her head
She strode across the floor to my table, every step mechanically coordinated
My table, again!
But this time, it will be different
I was not going to leave this table without making my intention known, I resolved
The afternoon wore on and we lacked nothing to discuss, moving from one subject area to the other; one discipline to the other, for hours, over lunch and after lunch, running into dinner time
She was just the way I remembered her, just more alluring
Once again, the world around us seemed to have stopped as we chatted, laughed, ate and drank
.
Before departing, and almost without a second thought, I blurted out my 33 year old script, “… will you marry me?”
“Where did that come from?” she calmly asked, in her usual characteristic, her eyes dazzling and a chuckle in her throat
“I will not repeat the mistake of 33 years ago” I declared in a confident tone.
We left the question hanging
I had fulfilled the desire I had lived for, for over 3 decades – seeing her and asking for her love, her response notwithstanding
But life has its own complications …
A glimmer of hope …
Today…
The Girl of My Dreams is my friend once again
What tomorrow has in stock for us is yet unknown
All I know is that I have her in my sights, and I intend to keep her there, whatever her answer …
Author: Yemisi A. Ikuomola
Chocolate Flavoured Girl 