“Who on God’s green earth is that?” I
asked Kidima my best friend in a low
and broken whisper that surprised
even myself. “I don’t know”, she
mused, equally lost in awe. We sat
transfixed at the sight before us. The
guy approaching the counter was so
handsome he made me gasp at the
mere sight of him! He’s so tall, firmly
built and freakishly handsome and by
the fit of his blazer, I guess he worked
out pretty hard. You could tell by the
bulge in his biceps. He walked over to
the counter and stood directly in front
of us. Kidima started fluffing her hair
and batting her eyes outrageously.
Kidima is beautiful with her 5”8’
frame, dark skin and very slim body,
she’s never been ignored by any man
while I on the other hand, look like a
kid whenever I am next to her with
my 5”2’ frame and a petite body, I
was always overlooked and in some
painful cases turned into an errand
girl for her and the guys that woo her
one too many times.
My heart was beating frantically and
worst of all; I couldn’t quite control
the twitch in my left eye. “Hi, can I
join you?” He asked, and I looked
around to see to my dismay that all
other tables were occupied saved for
the lone seat at our table. It got
awkward for a moment as we stared
at him, surprised by the sound of his
voice. It was like pure honey. I felt the
core of his manliness rain in my head.
It was deep and commanding yet
gentle. I swear my heart beat was so
loud I was sure he’d heard it. I begged
my tongue not to go dry, my throat not
to swallow hard, yet I swallowed saliva
twice in split seconds in order not to
choke. His eyes intently searched mine
and I’m pretty sure I swooned,
because I saw less of everything
around now. His eyes did strange
things to my stomach and suddenly I
wanted him to be mine. I forgot how
to breathe, I felt strange, I was
floating. I wanted to go home with
him; I wanted to know all about him,
to know if his hairs felt as soft as they
looked, to know if his chest was a
strong and big as it seemed, I just
wanted to own and explore him. After
what felt like eternity, I faintly heard
Kidima in a strange voice say “Yeah,
you can.” I’m certain she had the same
experience as I did just moments ago,
or was it just me?
“Hi, I’m Kidima and this is my friend
Cimie,” Kidima introduced us.
“I’m Dum and I’m sorry for the
inconvenience. I couldn’t find another
place to sit.”
“It’s okay Kidima enthused, you are
free to sit. We’d actually love the
company.”
I have been yet to utter a word. Being
in the same place with this guy was
threatening to break me. How could I
have such a reaction and to a total
stranger for that matter? I desperately
picked up my phone and excused
myself. I rushed to the restroom. I
needed to hear Jide’s voice to bring
me down from this high I was on.
“Hey Jide,” I said when he picked up.
“Hi, Cimie, what’s up?” I can’t talk
right now, but I promise you, I’ll make
it up to you later. What do you say to
dinner? I’ll pick you up by seven. Dress
nice!” He said within a few seconds of
calling him and dropped the call and I
was devastated. Jide is always busy
and I just needed a few minutes with
him on the phone to bring me down
from the roller coaster of emotions I
was on. The surprise would have been
if he talked longer, but I just needed to
try.
I looked in the mirror and I was
surprised to see this woman with wild
eyes and flushed cheeks struggling to
breathe properly. I couldn’t go in there
looking so flustered, so I tried to calm
myself.
He’s just a regular guy. Yes, he’s
handsome, but you can’t just lose your
head over a handsome face.
Remember the last time it happened?
And suddenly, I’m jolted from my
thoughts. The reminder of that last
event was enough to tame my wild
look and I stood up straight and
walked back to the restaurant.
“I’m sorry, I had to make that call,” I
said to no one in particular. I sat
down avoiding Dum and focusing on
my friend. They were in the middle of
a conversation and I was content to
listen with my head down and I
seemed to take up a special interest in
the food before me. I was eating, but I
don’t know what the meal tasted like. I
took to the bottle of water on the table,
it’s easier to drink water in times like
this. I felt his eyes on me, but I refused
to meet his gaze. From the corner of
my eyes, I saw that he was intently
looking at me. I moped into my plate.
Why wasn’t he paying attention to
Kidima? Suddenly, exhaustion came
over me. I became so tired of sitting
there. The tension around me was
giving me a massive headache.
“What’s wrong?” Dum asked and
placed his palm on my hand. That was
when my nerves ran off kilter. That
familiar tingling started from the tips
of my fingers and spread throughout
my body. I stopped breathing. To my
pleasure and horror, I noticed the
callousness of his palm and I had vivid
images of what those fingers of his
could do. I snatched my hand back and
mumbled a strangled reply. He kept
looking at me and I jumped from my
seat and told Kidima that we would
meet some other time. I was running
late from my lunch break and I had a
lot of work piled on my desk and I had
patients waiting for me at the clinic. I
hurried out of the restaurant with
hopes to find a cab or ‘Keke’
immediately that would drop me at my
office complex. I stood outside
sweating buckets under the intense
sun and that was when I felt the hairs
on my neck stand up and the same
oomph which I escaped moments ago,
engrossed me again. Without turning,
I knew who it was, and I froze. What
does he want this time? I pretended
not to notice him until I saw the sleek
car drive up, I think I fell in love right
at that moment with the car. I wanted
to run my fingers through the car. I
wanted to get in and have a jolly ride
to nowhere. It was an Audi, I love
Audis they are not very common
around here, I first fell in love with
them from the ‘knight rider’ days
when I watch Michael Knight in
daddy’s black and white TV cruise in
it and all the magic’s it could do.
Michael Knight’s Audi could talk and
save him from troubles, I imagined his
own do so too.
“Why don’t I drop you at your office?”
He spoke soothingly.
“Oh no, don’t worry. I will just wait
for a cab, don’t bother yourself for my
sake. Thanks, I really appreciate. I
think I see one now. You know, you
don’t have to…” I came to a stop
realizing that I’d been rambling on.
My face felt heated and I shut my eyes
in mortification. When I opened my
eyes, I saw that his gaze was still, on
me. He had this funny look in his eyes
and we both stood there lost in each
other’s eyes. I found it hard to
breathe. I felt like he was looking right
through me and into my soul. I looked
away first, and I stumbled and almost
fell over, but he grabbed my arm and
waist to ensure I don’t miss any
further steps. I was so embarrassed,
and I felt the tears gathering in my
eyes. I struggled to keep them at bay.
I’d never really experienced this kind
of reaction to anyone before. Not even
Jide. I realized that he’d not removed
his hand from my waist and it felt
good to me.
I felt something kick in place. It was
like the world sat right at that
moment. I was immensely enjoying
myself. I liked the feel of his hand on
my body. Suddenly, I found myself
enveloped right in his arms. The
hardness of his chest and arms felt like
heaven. I knew right then that I’d gone
too far. I suddenly thought of Jide and
pushed myself out of his arms. I was
disappointed, but I kept thinking of
Jide. Jide my boyfriend, the only one
I’ve ever loved, and I wanted to run
home to him, except he was at work
and I know that a second call to him
would make him mad for the rest of
the day. Dum was surprised, either
from our brief embrace or from my
sudden movement, I didn’t know, but
he looked as disappointed as I felt.
As I entered the cab that came a few
seconds later, I couldn’t shake off the
feeling that I’d still meet him again. I
felt that this was not the last of our
meeting.
“Isn’t that….. What’s his name? Dum?
Kidima asked, tapping my shoulder
while she pointed one pole away from
where we stood to buy roasted
plantain. My heart skipped a beat or
two, as I looked up the walkway by the
lead of her glad finger, our eyes met
and held. How can it be that after six
months, I’d still feel my estrogen rush
this way for him?
