Our relationship was really perfect. She was so matured even for her age. Communication was smooth and we never had any quarrel, not even once. She was so innocent and pure, her smile alone gave me goosebumps anytime I saw her. It was always angelic and I vowed never to lose her.

I remember one time she broke her family rule for me. Remember I told you she once said she can’t allow me to come to her house because her mom was very strict? Well, she broke that rule for me. So I was supposed to travel to Lagos for my post utme and I might not be returning to Kano, so I called her and told her about it and she started crying immediately. She asked to see me before I left. We usually meet in church on Sundays because she hardly goes out and I was working. I asked her where we should meet and she asked me to come to their house.

“I thought you said I can’t come to your house because of your mom?” I asked, very surprised.

“Well, I can’t help it, you will be travelling soon and I might not be seeing you in a long time. I have to break protocols at this juncture,” she replied amid tears.

“Okay then, but how will we do it that your mom won’t see me?”

“You will come in the afternoon when she is at work and spend at least an hour.”

“Alright, I will do that, but you need to stop crying, it breaks my heart.”

“I can’t help it, Segun, I love you too much to lose you now.”

“I love you too and you are never losing me ever.”

“Do you promise me?”

“Yes I do, please stop crying.”

The next day I went over to her place and spent some time with her and assured her again of my commitment to her. We shared our first kiss together that day and our heart synched and we had this peace within us that nothing could come between us. I was really lucky that day because her mom passed by me on my out and I had to hide so she doesn’t see me. When I got home, I called her and told her about it and we laughed it out, imagining what would have happened to both of us if her mom had seen me. Trust me it wasn’t going to be funny.

               *           *          *           *

Luckily for me, something came up and I couldn’t stay in Lagos again after my post utme and I had to return to Kano. You needed to see the look in her eyes when she saw me in church on Sunday. She was so happy that she stood rooted to the spot with her mouth wide open.

“Are you going to stand there looking at me or what?” I asked her.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you just going to stand there looking at me?” I asked again. She surprised me by running up to me and hugged me ignoring the fact that we were in public.

“Don’t you ever do that to my heart again, I thought I wasn’t going to see you for a long while.” She said hitting me on my chest.

“Well, I didn’t know I would be coming back, something came up and I had to.”

“Whatever came up, I’m glad it did. Does it mean I will be seeing you for a while?”

“Yes, a long while and by the way, your punch is like a toddler hitting an adult,” I replied, laughing.

“You are a clown.”

“I know, but I’m your clown.”

“Sure you are and will be for a long time,” she said and kissed me.

“Wow you are beginning to grow wings, lady,” I told her looking at her with surprise after the kiss.

“Why did you say so?” she asked me.

“You just kissed me in church,” I replied.

“Well, first of all, people are not much here and secondly, mom didn’t come to church today,” she told me smiling.

“No wonder. Can I ever get tired of your smile?”

“Stop that,” she said and blushed.

We spent most of the day together after service before we parted for our individual homes.

****

In the month of July 2012, which happened to be my birth month, something tragic happened. She had travelled to Kogi for her post utme and we’ve been talking all the while she was there, but on the 9th which was my birthday, she didn’t call me all through the day. I was actually angry at first but had to calm myself and wait for her to call and give me an explanation for not calling, and because her number wasn’t going through also, I reasoned there must be a reasonable explanation for her not calling.

The next day, she called me and apologized for not calling the previous day, she said her phone died and she didn’t have access to a charger. I accepted her apologies and she told me she had a gift for me that she was going to give me once she’s back home. She then told me she was returning the next day. Mehn you needed to see the joy in my heart when she told me. I had really missed her, we practically spoke for the whole day.

Something strange happened to me the next day. I was already gearing up to welcome the love of my life that day and was hardly concentrating at work but I was feeling funny all through because she hadn’t called me all day to even inform me if she was already on her way, but because I was working I couldn’t call her. During my lunch break, I called her but her number didn’t go through, that was when the strange thing happened. Immediately I dropped the call, three words dropped on my mind, ‘Journey, Accident, Death’, but I rebuked it immediately.

When I closed from work, I called her again, her number didn’t go through again and those three words dropped on my mind again ‘Journey, Accident, Death‘, and I rebuked it again. I decided to go to my friend’s place to pass the time before evening when I usually go home.

* * * *

Aside from Shola, I had other friends I grew up and went to the same church with but Shola was the closest to me. Their names were Dayo Ojo, Dayo Emmanuel, Victor Ayeni, Henry ArArowosegbe, Shina Arowosegbe and Yinka. We were very close and we usually used to gather at Dayo Ojo’s place every Sunday after service to catch fun. That day, they were at Victor’s place, so I decided to chill out there with them while awaiting Shade’s call.

When I got there, they were drinking garri and coconut, so I joined them and we were catching up on a lot of things, while we were discussing, I tried Shade’s number again for the third time and it still didn’t go through and I heard those three word in my head again for the third time, ‘Journey, Accident, Death’, and I rebuked it again for the third time.

During our conversation, Shina said he wanted to go home to get something, so he excused himself and we continued our discussions still sipping on our garri. My phone suddenly rang and I thought it was her but was disappointed when it turned out to be Shina, I picked the call.

“Hello baba, how far?”

“Guy you no go believe wetyn my mumcy just tell me as I reach house now,” replied Shina inaudible and I could sense some tension in his voice.

“Bro talk loud I no dey hear you well. Wetyn Mumcy tell you?” I asked him already feeling my body shaking.

“Omo she say Shade and her pops get accident on their way back and Shade don die,” he replied already crying.

Immediately he finished saying those words, the phone fell from my hand and I was quiet and confused.

“Guy wetyn happen, why you quiet like that?” Dayo asked me and they all focused on me.

“Shina just tell me say Mumcy tell him say Shade and her pops get accident and she don die.” They all shouted Jesus at the same time and it was as if someone poured cold water on all of us, we were all silent for over a minute before I broke the silence.

“I need to go house guys,” I told them because I wasn’t myself again.

“You sure say you fit go house for this state?” Henry asked me.

“I no get choice guy, I no get myself as I dey so, no worry I go dey okay,” I replied him.

“Alright bro, just take care of yourself and no overthink am,” Victor told me.

“Thanks, guy, I really appreciate it, I will see you guys later,” I told them and left for home. They all saw me off and tried to console me because they all knew how much I loved her. On my way home, Shola and Christy called me and sympathized with me, it was a really dark day for all of us.

When I got home, my mom realized I wasn’t my lively self because I was always fun and lively whenever I was home.

“Segun, what’s wrong with you, you don’t look yourself this evening?” she asked me.

“I lost someone.”

“Am so sorry dear, who is that?”

“My girlfriend,” I replied, burying my head in my hands.

“Oh my God, what happened to her?”

“She had an accident on her way back with her dad and she didn’t survive.”

“That is so sad, may her soul rest in peace.”

“Amen, thanks mom.”

“Do I happen to know her?”

“Yes mom, it’s Shade Medebi.”

“Jesus Christ,” she shouted and jumped from the chair she was sitting on. “That’s my friend’s daughter?” she stated and was already crying.

“Yes, she is,” I replied, already tired of discussing her because it was causing me more heartache.

“Do you have any of her pictures, let me see, I can’t really remember her?”

“Yes I do, let me bring it for you.” I went inside and brought it for her and she looked at it and made a little comment about her beauty then she returned it to me. When I looked at the picture and saw that innocent face I was never going to see again, tears fell down my eyes. She was the first person I ever cried for. My mom had to collect the pictures from me and consoled me all through the night.