LETTING GO

CHAPTER SIX

It has been a fruitful year of serving in Lagos and I have fell in love with the city but I prefer my peaceful and quite Abuja. I will be leaving for Abuja the next day and I am feeling all shades of nostalgic. I have built a strong connection with so many people here in the span of a year. It feels so surreal.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" asked Kabir

"It is in the evening, I get to sleep at least," I sighed.

"I can't believe you are leaving, it feels like you have been here forever. Can't even remember what it was like before you," voiced Bilal.

"Awwn! See who is going to miss me."

"On a normal day, I will deny it. But for today I won't, I am actually going to miss you, your trouble, your kindness and your rudeness," he smiled sadly.

I mirrored his smile because I was short of words, it has just been a year but Lagos has definitely been home.

"Nana, what is next after service?" asked Rukky.

"I am not even sure. I will definitely get myself a job before daddy kicks me out. I am so broke, so I need to fix myself up."

"See this girl, what of marriage?" mum chirped in.

"Uhmm! Mum I don't know about that o," I replied.

"How will you know? When you are not even open to knowing other people. These ones are always flagging around you like body guards and scaring potential suitors away," she accused.

"Mum! We are not scaring them away o, just looking out for her. She deserves the best and trust me that guy we scared away was trash. We knew him from back in school and he is very irresponsible," explained Kabir.

I mouthed a thank you to Kabir and tried stirring away from that conversation because when mum starts talking about marriage she doesn't stop. I mean I am just twenty-three, still a baby girl myself but this older people just don't seem to understand that.

Besides, I don't have a suitor, am I supposed to marry myself? Everyone just thinks I am sending the guys away. They don't get that I have things in my head about the kind of man I want and I am not going to compromise. I need him to fall into three criteria; he should be hardworking because it is just important to be that, he needs to have the fear of Allah in him, because with that he will always treat me right even when we fall out of love (God forbid) and finally I need a guy that will allow me grow in peace, a guy that understands that my career is very important to me and he will support me in every way possible. If not that, then boy bye.

"Mum! You just pray for the best spouse for all of us. With prayers, it will happen at the right time." I said.

She just nodded without saying anything. We kept on chatting for a while before Kabir left, after promising to come see me tomorrow before I leave.