Looking In (a Nigerian Story)

Chapter 1

      Freedom is my life, it's the air I breathe and the water I drink, I mean why would anyone wear something so restricting, or rather create anything so restricting since I'm the one wearing this freaking dress, 

okay, so it all started with a phone call from my best friend David Addo who invited me to be his dinner date for a friends' party, naturally I asked about his girlfriend Benita(I call her DB meaning dumb Benita, she still hasn't figured out what it means but she answers anyway, an irritating reminder of how a perfect girl should look, unfortunately, perfect is boring and it's not like she says anything smart anyway) who he said is unfortunately out of the country at the moment ; in Kenya(like why would you leave Nigeria and go to Kenya, I get it , the Safari , but I bet she hasn't been to Obudu Cattle ranch or Yankari Games Reserve, instead of her to invest in our country like a good citizen).

 Being the good friend I am, I agreed to go and when he arrived to pick me up of all the annoying things to say he said he suspected I'd dress the way I did (I wore a flowing dress, free from head to toe, more like shoulder to toes, but am pretty confident it looked gorgeous) and he brought another dress with him, I was so offended I told him I wasn't going, he apologised and explained that if I dressed that way I'd feel awkward at the party so I agreed to wear the dress he brought.

Now here I am two hours later wearing a really beautiful fitted (more like body hugging) mermaid dress in a hotel filled with mostly students of the University of Lagos trying their best at making this Black Tie event work ( I mean, we are Nigerians why are we having a cocktail party, STICK WITH WHAT YOURE USED TO!!!, that would have saved us all a lot of stress) and highly uncomfortable, I mean those cupcakes are calling my name I can just about hear them but eating them will probably cause this dress to tear. Looking across the room I see a girl (she looks familiar I'm too sure she's also a UNILAG student) struggling with her heels, I start laughing (I know I sound mean but it was just too funny) David gave me this why do you love embarrassing me look,

"come on, just look at that girl almost falling down over there" I tell him, at that exact moment the girl falls down and he rushes to her side, since he's the only person I actually knew (familiar with, talk to) I follow him.

"Sorry" he says as he helps her up,

"are you okay?" I asked the girl (not because I cared, I mean, it was awkward for me just standing there).

"I'm fine, I'm just so embarrassed, thank you my name is Amaka" the girl replied with a very thick Igbo accent, I couldn't help laughing cause her accent was so funny, I think David knew why I was laughing because he nudged my shoulders, the girl looked from me to David and back,

"sorry, why are you laughing?" she asked and again I had to keep myself from laughing, putting one of my serious face that I desperately tried to apply I replied with a little snort "it all just seemed funny to me, you know the way we are struggling so hard to emulate other peoples culture or say the way they party, I mean who does a cocktail party for their birthday" David nudged my shoulder again and I was like " what, its true" looking to Amaka for support and she just gave me the stop talking look, I was wondering why they were all being weird till I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw this really handsome guy (where has he been hiding himself ), I mean he was so gorgeous, tall( being a tall girl and considering the fact that am wearing heels, he's so tall, even taller than David), dark (not too black, just black enough, like a melanin god), his suit was a perfect fit, I mean I never saw a black guy wear a suit that well,

"hi, I overheard what you were saying and I just wanted you to know that this is my party", the first emotion I'm sure that flitted across my face was surprise and his response to that was a mocking smile, daring me to make a statement like that again, before I regained my composure, smiled and said,

"happy birthday then, I'm Omotade and you are?" with the warmest smile I could muster and trying my best not to look too enthusiastic to know his name (he's good looking after all), Amaka was laughing like it was so funny when she's the one who fell down

"hmmn, I'm Mide", he said not looking too pleased to divulge that information

"hello, Mide" David said,

"don't pay her mind, she's always like that, an antagonist, most times pessimistic and also my best friend, I'd have introduced you guys but she has already done that herself"

"how far bro, so she's your friend! I'll pretend I didn't hear all the things she said earlier". He then turned to me with his hand stretched for a handshake,

"nice to meet you, I can call you Tade right?"

"sure" I replied as I shook his hands, not too pleased about the entire scenario.

Turns out Amaka, David and Mide were all course mates, no wonder it looked like she was waiting for me to reply when she introduced herself, at least she knows my name now, I left them to get myself a drink, not like I understood any of the electrical engineering stuff they were talking about and I hated that. When I took the drink I felt the zip of the dress stretch (maybe it's time for the dress to tear, seriously, it's a freaking Joy stealer, all the comfort I'd have been feeling in my other dress evaded me, as someone whose philosophy of life is indulgence over abstinence this dress is really hindering me from a lot of things)

Walking back to where they were, I saw them still engrossed in their conversation and marched up to them (more like gracefully walked up to them, fucking heels, but I felt like stomping), cleared my throat loudly to get their attention, which worked as they all turned to look at me,

"Maybe we should talk about sociology instead, am totally lost and you guys are so engrossed I feel left out like the fourth person in a threesome" (oops, that slipped out, awkward alert) David started apologising on my behalf and I stopped him. Mide smiled at me (really nice teeth by the way) his smile tripped me (I think this guy knows he's handsome and is playing it to his advantage),

"will you be my girlfriend? I promise you'll be happy, I won't cheat and nothing like that, let this be like a birthday present for me, please" he asked me, the thought that went through my mind at that moment was that the guy was fucking crazy.

"no, like how long have we known each other, 35 minutes and stop joking" I replied, David was absolutely surprised and so was Amaka, the shock was evident on their faces

"I'm not joking, I think you and I might work" Mide replied "and I really like you" he continued

"sorry then, I don't do relationships, and even if I did I wouldn't date you, we just met, besides how sure are you that I'm single" (I have my reasons for not doing relationships actually, Reasons;

· I might cheat, I feel I can cheat, not sure I have the guts to follow through

· I like to keep my options open, remember indulgence over abstinence

· I've never been in a relationship, I think I'm commitment- phobic)

"I'd have said great party, but you already heard my opinion, nice effort though, I'd love to take my leave now" turning to David I told him it was time to go, said goodbye to Amaka and Mide and started out.

Immediately I got into the vehicle first thing I did was take off the damned heels, and unzipping the dress, thank goodness it was a side zip. David was angry with me but hey he was the one that invited me out and he knew the type of person I am, he however did not fail to tell me how proud he was that I turned Mide down (I guess he did not want his best friend to be in a relationship so he won't have to compete for my time the way I compete for his).

The journey home was hell, it was late (already 11pm, thank God my parents were not around, they went to visit my grandmother in the village that's the reason I went home, I'd have rather stayed at school), Lagos traffic was a big problem good thing the event held at Ikeja and not someplace further since Ikeja to Magodo was not that far (but traffic made the trip longer).

I felt for David since he was going back to school that night and it was quite far and it was already late.

"Goodnight", I hugged David and went inside, heels in hand.