#MAUREEN: THE MEETING 2

The Meeting

Episode Two

It’s been more than a week now since we have been friends, and really it was my best moments in life, I always laughed out seriously, mainly because she was so funny and speaks pigin english more often than any other language, and waooo, she was superb with it. It was evening, she had forced me to see her back home, after a very raining and cold afternoon, we had to trek for about twenty to twenty-five minutes back to her house at Gbagada, another town close to Oworonshoki. Strolling with her is always interesting, so I always do love to see her home despite the fact that I still trouble her to force me before I agree to take the stroll. We were on the footbridge linking Oworonshoki with Gbagada on the Iyanaoworo  Ogudu express road, when she asked me, Sam, do you believe in love” as she held my hands so closely, I took a quick look at her and replied, “yes I do, my mum loves us all, so does my dad, I love you, seeing you all happy makes me so happy and before I could continue she cut me off and said “no, no, I don't mean such love, I love you also, I share all of my thoughts with you, but not that, I mean Love, as in love, to love someone you have never even spoken to before in your life, you aren't even sure if the person knows you exist, someone your heart just keeps calling out to”. Now I knew she was really serious, she was in love, I could see it in her actions, hear it in her voice, because she had to stop me from walking, held my hands, facing me and it was almost like she was shivering, but I held her face and told her “we are still young, so there is little we know about love, we have still got a long way to go”, she looked at me and said, “do you think love knows age, status, time? No, it is just there around us in every step, and breath we take, it happens, I believe in it, and I think I am in love, but I doubt if he even knows me at all”. I took a deep breath and shook my head as I laughed and said, “Maureen, you are crazy and please take it easy, you don't even know if he has ever seen you talk less of loving you this much while I was still laughing, she just kept quiet and smiled. As we got to the gate of her house, she said “now I know why you don't have a real girlfriend, your heart is made of stone, just know I will soon leave you, so you better go get a girlfriend, as she invited me in, I immediately rejected the offer as I greeted her parents and said my goodbyes, Midnight call”, she screamed as I walked away from her compound. “Yeah, midnight call”, I hated that shit but she made me do it, after all that was the best way to have a long conversation with friends as call credits were really so expensive in the day... That very day was the first time Maureen mentioned Stephen slightly to me, thou as at then, his name was unknown to us.

Maureen and Stephen

It’s been one month and some weeks now, a day never goes by without not talking with one another on phone, even on days we see, and her love crush was still yet to know her. It was a Saturday morning, Debbie was going out to a friend's sister wedding, her mum had to go to the Lagos island that day, and it was left with my dear friend to stay in her mum's shop, Maureen hated it so much, staying in shop, she was always complaining of serious head ache from customers complains, she never knew life had a plan for her that very day, a plan that would eventually change her life forever, and who knows what else that plan has got in stock.
“Maureen oooo, get out of that room, you must leave this house before I leave”, her mum screamed out as she was preparing to leave for the Island. Maureen stepped out, already dressed, “Mama, I don dress finish now, nine never knack, na me go open the market gate?, her mum took a deep look at her and told her to just start going to the market straight away. “You go don reach shop before nine knack, so start to dey go now, lazy bone” her mum replied her. “Ehn give me money now”, Maureen replied, “haha, money for wetin ooo”, her mum asked. “Money for anything and everything she said, as she hugged her mom from behind who was seated on the sofa in the living room, “OK oooo, carry two hundred naira from my purse on the table”, her mum smiled as she was been pecked many times by Maureen. She was the closest to her parents and everyone in the family, apart from being the baby of the house, she was everyone's friend, partner, bank, and so on.
Maureen got to the shop around few minutes to nine, she got the shop opened as Mr Ade, who sells stationaries next to them was telling her how long it has been since he saw Maureen last. You don turn VIP ooo Maureen, na Visa dem dey use see you now Mr Ade said as he smiled, Maureen kept laughing and replied Na soooo. She was having a very stressful day, as customers kept trooping in to get provisions, yeah, the shop is a provision store where all sorts of canned products for house hold use and so on is been sold. A customer walked in and asked for a baby food which was at the extreme top end, she got up, climbed the stool to get it when she heard that voice, that very voice she has waited months for to hear, then the gentle, cool voice said “good afternoon”, she took a turn back to see who it was and there he was, the ghost in the shell, finally life brought him to her, at that very moment, they both kept staring, not knowing what to say next, she kept her eyes wide opened and her breath held like she was in a dream drowning, she immediately got the baby food, gave it to the waiting customer and replied the young man standing right in her front with a very pleasant “good afternoon”, as she kept wondering what was really happening. “Sorry, are you here?” The young man replied, “I dropped some cash here yesterday with the shop owner so I wouldn't spend out of it before coming to get the provisions I need today, the young man said. She immediately replied, “yes, she told me this morning that someone would come over to pick up some provisions, that he already paid, so you must be the Stephen?” “Yes, I am”, he replied as she started getting all the listed provisions from every angle they were been placed in the shop, she kept smiling and smiling within, immediately Maureen had forgotten all the stress of the day, she had forgotten she hated coming to the shop, she was just so lost in her inner joy as Stephen interrupted fairy imagination going on within Maureen, “who is the she to you? You said she told you before leaving”. “Oh, that she is my mum”, Maureen replied. Stephen looked so surprised and said “but I have never seen you here, never and I am always here at least twice in a week, and I never came across you, Maureen replied as she was packing the provisions in a take away bag yes, I hardly come here, but I had no option today”. He collected the bought provisions and said Im sorry, you know my name, but I don't know yours”, Maureen gave a gentle smile as she raised her head and said “I'm Maureen”, gently and so lovingly Stephen repeated “Maureen”, what a beautiful name and he took his leave, but as he walked away, Maureen's reply "I hardly come here" kept echoing in his head and immediately he walked back towards the shop, meanwhile, Maureen was also confused as to either to call him back or not, she was still beating herself up within, with her head on the desk blocking the outside from the within, where customers take a stand and wait to be attended to when she heard the same voice say “I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't walk away from that which I have always seen from afar for so long”. In disbelief Maureen raised her head gently, like she was in another dream and was trying to confirm if she would ever wake up again. As she stood with her hands so wet already, holding tight unto the desk as Stephen continued, “I may never get the chance to meet you again, I will be leaving for school on Tuesday, and who knows what may happen before I return again, so I couldn't bear to walk off just like that, I have always watched you, but I have never been bold enough to walk up to you, because your eyes are the most beautiful I have ever seen and I wonder how I would ever approach such wonderful eyes, but today I have gather all of the boldness I have ever had, to walk back to you, I want to know you every day forever”. If the floors had opened, Stephen would have taken it as his fastest escape root, for he was about suffocating as he said all he has just altered, and Maureen wasn't also helping as she just stood there holding tighter  unto the desk and suddenly she said it would be my pleasure to know you in that moment Stephen has never been happier in his life, they exchanged contact and he stepped out, Maureen was about placing her hands on her mouth as she knew she was going to scream out when Stephen stepped back in and said "You have got the most beautiful amazing long and darkest hair I have ever seen" and he took his leave this time finally for the day. Hearing this, Maureen paused, then kept feeling her hair, and now tears were dropping from her eyes, as she kept smiling. I forgot to mention it earlier while I was describing Maureen the day I got back from school, yeah, she had really long and full hair, her hair was actually her fathers favorite of her and he always told her any one that hasn't seen the beauty of her hair, then such person is still yet to really see her truly. She hardly attaches any form of industrial hair in making her hair, she was always on her natural hair, giving it different styles and makings at all times and it was always shining on her. Exactly, it was her father's words she remembered that moment Stephen described the beauty he saw in her hair, that was what actually brought out the tears from her eyes, for the first time she felt there was someone else who truly sees her. I got a message that afternoon from Maureen saying "Today is the happiest day of my life Sam" and I replied her saying "Hmmm, I hope you remain happy every day for the rest of your life". She laughed as she read the message and heard someone call her name, “sister Maureen” and it was her little cousin Cynthia, who brought you here Maureen asked as she cleaned her face, “mummy did, she is downstairs talking to someone”, Cynthia replied, as she was been carried by Maureen and been pecked. Maureen thought it was Cynthia's mum who have brought her, but to her surprise it was Maureen's mum. “Mum welcome back”, she said as her mum told Maureen to go help her in getting what they can eat. “Thank you Lord I have had my best day before mum returned”, she said in silence as she stepped out from the shop.
That was the beginning of a day that none of us in the two families will never forget, a day that will forever remain in our heart like yesterday, a day each and every one of us will wish we were there to listen to her. That very night was the first night Maureen didn't call me over night, so I tried Calling her, but she was on call with some else, so I didn't bother to even call twice, as I was so happy I was going to get a very long sleep, and I had to call her the following morning, it was then she told me all that had happened and I was just so happy for her.
Love, is it real? So many of us ask this question, Yeah, it is, it is beautiful but strange, it hurts, yet it is worth it. I have seen people go extra miles for those they love and so have I heard stories, true stories that proved people could fall in love so much with one another, and sacrifice their life so as to give life to the other, but with all I have seen and heard of love, I realized love is pain and it isn't for those who can't endure...