Before I leave

With my passport safely in my mother’s wardrobe, under her “isale-apoti”, I was holding the last document I needed to make my dreams come true – my one way ticket to America.
I had looked forward to, dreamt, and even tasted this day for the past 3 months. The only thing I would be truly missing was my boyfriend, Wale.
Not that I wouldn’t be missing my parents, but my relationship was barely 4 months old, and like most foolish 21 year olds, that was what mattered most to me.

I tucked the most precious piece of paper into the crevices of my purse, and secured it underneath my arm. No way was I going to let an area-boy snatch my dreams at the last inopportune minute.

“Mushin Oloosha, one more chance!”

That was the last prompting I needed, before I jumped on the bus that was going to take me into the waiting arms of my Romeo. My flight was scheduled to leave at 11.45pm tonight, and if I was ever going to get a chance to say a proper goodbye to Wale, now was the time to do it. The trip to the travel agent had been relatively short, and I had made it out by 12.15pm. I had at least three hours to burn.

There would be no romantic goodbyes at the airport. No shedding of tears as I hugged him tight and refuse to let go. There would be no last minute reaffirmations about how much he loved me, and how he would wait for me. He wouldn’t be there to wave at my plane as it took off – because my parents didn’t know I had a boyfriend. Instead I would be at the airport with my entire family and listen to little know-the-daughter-of-whom-you-are speeches, as eloquently rendered by my father.

“Iyana-Itire!”

“o wa o!”, I shouted in response to the conductor, and alighted from the bus.

I walked the five minute walk from the bus stop to his house deep in thought. I knew Wale was waiting for me. I didn’t need to call him to confirm, I didn’t have a phone on me anyways.

I opened their gate with the know-how that anyone who was a regular visitor to the house would possess. They always left the padlock to the gate outside, so once you let yourself in, you opened the pedestrian gate, replaced the lock and closed the gate from inside. I had made roughly ten trips to number 8, Ijeshatedo street, Iyana Itire, Mushin, and so I would know.

Wale and his housemate were watching a movie when I came in. As soon as he saw me, he rose up to hug me and in the same instant his housemate disappeared. We did all the last minute catching up and small talk before Wale took my hand and became serious.

“Shalewa, so what time did you say you’re leaving”

“11:45pm, this night”

“so this is the last time I’m seeing you right?”

“you can say so” I replied trying to make light of the situation even though I knew where this was going.

“Shalewa, you know how I feel about you, and you know that I’m going to wait for you. As far as I’m concerned you’re my wife”

There he goes again with this whole wife thingy, the thought of that alone gives me shivers. Not that I didnt want to be his wife, I just hated the thought of marriage at my age.

“Shalewa, you have to promise me that you won’t disappoint me when you get over there” he said, interrupting my thoughts.

“of course Wale, I won’t betray you, I’ve told you that a dozen times already”

“In that case, lets make a pact, a covenant”

I jerked, and sat up in that instant. “Wale, where did all this one come from, I’m not making any stupid covenant o”

“I’m not asking you to do anything bad, I just want us to swear on the Bible that we would keep ourselves pure for each other”

Now he had me pinned to the wall. If I didn’t make this “pact” he would be convinced that I had other plans.

“Alright, bring the Bible”

Wale brought out a white bible on which we both swore to be faithful to each other.

“Now, we have to seal it by making love” he announced after we were done with the pact.

“you didn’t tell me that one before Wale” I protested, although I sounded feeble even to my own ears.

“The pact would not be complete if we don’t do it, besides you’re travelling and only God knows when next I’m going to see you again” he persuaded “Moreover, remember that we have just promised to remain faithful to one another, I’m not going to do this again for a very long time, and you’re leaving this night”

“but Wale…”

The rest of my sentence was lost as he placed his mouth on mine.

‘Shalewa now, we just made a pact with the Bible, as far as everything goes, we are already married….”

And so on the rug right in front of the television at number 8 Ijeshatedo street, Iyana-Itire, Mushin, Wale claimed my virginity.



P.S: Characters in this text are purely fictional. Any semblance to any real life persons is co-incidental and regretted.

PPS: this is largely unedited, I finished writing this twenty minutes before my test. No, I didnt fail my test.