Yimika (1)

As the rain came pelting down, I just stood there soaking it all up. I could feel people staring at me as they hurried past to the safety of shelters. I could only imagine the thoughts going through their minds,

“Is this one mad?”

“Must be in the early stages, she still has clean clothes on and shoes too!”

“Where is her family? They had better come and pick her up before she degenerates!”

“What a wicked world this is, such a beautiful lady!”

And so on they must be thinking. But I cared less as I just stood there with outstretched arms, willing the rain to wash me clean. Why did I go there? I saw the signs, why didn’t I stop, but like the proverbial stubborn dog bound to get lost, I ignored the hunter’s whistle...

***
Yimika was the most handsome man I had ever set my eyes on; I still wonder how he noticed me. That was not one of my best days, as I had hurried out of the house without making my face up.

 I did not want to miss the bus, but I did eventually and that’s how he came into my life. Why did I not leave the house early? Now as I look back, I realize my tardiness brought him my way. I felt too lazy to wake up to the sound of my alarm, hence my getting to the bus stop late, and my meeting Yimika.

As I stood at the bus stop lamenting my fate, a light blue BMW 3 series pulled up to me. My first instinct was to step back, but as I did, the person in the car wound down the glass and I came face to face with the most charming smile on the most handsome face I had ever come across. 

All my resistance fell at that moment; my legs felt like jelly, and the only thing I remember after that was getting out of the car outside my office with his card in my hand and a promise to call him.

 I could not recall giving him my number until I got a call from him later that evening. He asked if he could take me to see a movie – thankfully, the cinema was not far from both our offices. Warning signals started blaring, but I completely ignored them thinking to myself: “What could possibly happen in a cinema full of other people?”

It was quite an enjoyable date; apart from the movie, which was very interesting, Yimika was great company. I did not even notice time fly past and like the gracious gentleman he seemed to be, he offered to drop me off at home, which further endeared him to me.

We met several times after that, and our lunch dates became a ritual we had to observe each day. On days when I could not see him for lunch because he was too busy, I always felt uneasy, like a part of me was missing. 

I knew I was falling in love with a man I knew next to nothing about, but I loved it. He was gracious, nice to a fault and really good to look at. I allowed myself a free fall into love, and it seemed it was mutual so I did not give a second thought to it. 

Trouble started when I asked to know where he lived. He hesitated and then tried to change the subject. It was all strange to me but since he did not wear a wedding band, I was sure he was not married and he always talked about his mother, so I knew he still lived at home with her. I concluded his family must not like me but he had assured me that was not the case.

Since I had fallen hopelessly in love with him by now, I did not bother asking to be taken to his house again. I was content with him knowing my family and they loved him too. Each time my mum brought up the subject of his family, I always tactfully avoided giving her a straight answer.

On this day I got to work as usual, longing for lunch break and my Yimika to show up. I was especially excited since it was our first year anniversary and I could not wait to celebrate it with him.

 He was my prince in every way, the defender of my virtue; never demanded for sex, so different from the other guys I had dated who did not understand my stranglehold on my virginity, or my decision to save sex for marriage. 

He was the yang to my yin, my knight in shining armour, my love, my life. The wait was killing me. My boss even noticed and decided to put me out of my misery by allowing me leave way before lunch, giving me the rest of the day off (she thought I was coming down with something). I almost ran to our usual meeting point. I had a surprise for Yimika, so I made sure I got there before him, instructed the waiters on how to present my surprise, then settled down with a drink to await my love’s arrival....


By Mercy Ilevbare (courtesy naijastories. com)