Goriola’s Love Story …  Series four(With ‘Funmilayo) I soon became impatient.And Someone knew too.It was the end of the semester and it was promising to be a long break since ASUU was threatening another strike.A few days after I was accosted for ‘anti-toasting’ offences, I saw the object of my affections in class. I walked past, and pretended not to see her. She didn’t even notice.I walked up to her-

Hi, was followed by asking her if I could sit with her and maybe chat for 15 minutes.

15 minutes?I thought she was going to say something about being busy and rescheduling until later but she said-

‘How about thirteen?”

It was good enough for me.“Well, I just have a few questions and as soon as I get answers, I’m gone”. I gave her my ‘I-am-also-serious and busy’ look.

“Let’s hear it”.

She wasn’t impressed. 

“ I’ve being hearing my gist around. I like you. I told you that. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but please let me know rather than my having to find out through people I don’t even know.”

It wasn’t a question. She simply ‘answered’-

“I’m sorry”

I left her seat but hung out outside until she was ready to leave. I walked her to her room that night. I asked her for her home address, so I’ll come see her during the break.Femi smiled her Smile, and murmured- “shebi you are a guy, you have a way of finding these things out, find a way”Eh eh! See me see trouble o, this girl has turned me to 007- I was thinking. I liked it.  

But like the best-laid plans- when I got home, I didn’t get around to it and the ‘distractions’ didn’t help any. For two months, aided by pre-GSM no-phone, I slept on my oars until I heard ASUU was calling off the strike soon. I became worried that we were ever going to hit it off again after the long break.I didn’t need to worry. Someone wanted us to work.  

((((You left out the story about the the Olu guy who misyearned in her house and how she lambasted him afterwards)))) 

I started to ‘work’ again. I sent her cards, I saw her often; I continued to let her know I wanted us to be together, managing to keep away from the pest-zone. I met her brother and the rest of the family at her grandma’s burial ceremony and they took to me. It looked good but she was still not totally gelling. She later told me she was not ready for a relationship because her primary aim in school was to get a degree (as if the rest of us came to jump on our heads).

But we talked more, we talked about everything, soon enough we became friends. We agreed on many issues but disagreed on some. For instance she was celibate but I was not finished with my ‘experience’. 

We met in February 1996 and on the 1^st day of December 1996, we finally stated dating. A month after she finally said yes, we were coming from one of her friend’s birthday and in a public bus, and she placed her head on my shoulders, smiled the Smile…. Then I knew I had my babe.

P.S:Really, I don’t think I actually deserve Femi, but she said she prayed and fasted before settling for the relationship. I can only think that if God said I was good enough for her, then in His infinite wisdom, He must have seen something good in me-something worthy. While we dated, she stuck to the no-sex issue. I thought she’ll yield with time but after one year of ‘active persuasion’, I realised I was in for a long wait.

Seven years later, December 2003, in front of God and Man, the Smile looked into my eyes and said ‘I do’.