LARA'S ROSES

I can’t breathe!! I'm trying to talk but my tongue feels like it has been laden with a rock. No, no, no…. THIS cannot be happening! My eyes begin to sting and I can feel myself drifting. I’m going to that place I haven’t been to since I met Duke. “Ahhhh…my enemies have killed me oooo. Lara please don’t do this…”, I hear my mother say but my body needs this rest. As I continue to drift, I hear voices call out my name. You see, I do not want to come out of this place of ‘peace’ because I don’t think I want to continue living. Not after what just happened...

It all started a year ago when I met Duke. I felt he was the most handsome man on the face of the earth (don’t mind me, I have a thing for good looks). He walked up to me in the super market and said “hi I’m Duke but my friends call me D1, pardon my intrusion but I just can’t let you pass without telling you that you are the most stunning woman I have ever seen”. As the ‘local babe I am na who has not been in the dating game for a while, “hi” is all I could say and I kept staring. Yes, I have seen him in the grocery aisle the last time and I was like damn this guy too set! But I didn’t think he even saw me.

Don’t get me wrong, I have the body that make heads turn and I try my best to hide my curves because it had never gotten me anywhere. At age 37, I feel if I was destined to find love, I would have by now. I mean, what don’t I have? I’m what people will call ‘filthy rich', I have the family name that opens any door that I want opened, I have what my mum loved to call a heart of priceless pearl, well educated, vastly traveled but all that has brought me is all sorts of men. I remember this guy my sister in-law, in good faith, introduced me to. His name was Dotun. Dotun was a child of a Nigerian ambassador to France so he thought he is the best thing that would ever happen to a woman after tampons! And yes, he liked to tell his arrogant self that he was traditional. He expected me to always cook his meal, and still open my legs whenever he asked me to. Initially, I felt ‘why not, you’re doing it for the man you will be spending the rest of your life with’ until one Friday he asked me to come cook for him.

“ Dotun I will be going to Kaduna to spend the weekend with my mum”

“Is your mum going to marry you?”. He asked sarcastically which I chose to ignore.

“The soup I made last weekend should still be in the fridge since you didn’t eat much at home during the week and—“

“Really?! Do you think I didn’t know there was soup remaining when I asked you to come and cook? And you want me to marry you? You must be a dreamer".

At that point, my pride had risen above any marriage talk so I said “thank you and goodbye Dotun”. He didn’t call me after that and I never bothered to call him back. I later heard from Chenemy, my sister-in-law that he said I wasn’t a wife material. Eight months later, he was married to a daughter of a business tycoon. At first I laughed over it but 10yrs later and still not married made me think if he was right after all.

So there was I, given up totally on love, and some handsome dude is telling me I’m stunning in a grocery store. The initial thrill left me and my guarded self came out. “Thank you for the compliment” I said curtly and made my way to the cashier. I paid out and left the store. As I was walking towards my car, I heard his voice calling me.

“Excuse me ma'am”

I turned and faked a smile that didn’t reach my eyes, “yes?”

“I sincerely apologize for the way I approached you in there. I have never done this before, I’m sorry”

I looked into his eyes and saw a man who meant every word he just said. I sighed and said “my name is Maimunah Ogunsanya but I go by Lara”

“Nice to meet you Lara”, he said and smiled. He had the most perfect dentition I have ever seen. Oh gosh, Lara get it together! He asked for my contact and I gave him just to get rid of him. I got into my newly acquired Range Rover 2017 LE and drove off.

I got home, brought out my phone and saw the boldest and sweetest message I have ever received from a guy. It said “Lara, I know we just met but I would love meet you again and again cos you made my heart skip a beat. I don’t mean to scare you but I guess we all know what we want. So can I take you out this evening?”