Wednesday, 21 June 2017

ShortStory I A Dream Indeed!



A DREAM INDEED!
      “I told you, one day you must be my wife.” The just wedded Dabo cheerily ‘reminded’ the bride as he stepped forward to kiss her as instructed by the officiating priest, immediately after the exchange of marital vows by the partners at the altar of St. Martins’ Catholic Church, Ibadan situated in Oyo State, Nigeria, and eventually grabbed her lips by his.
       “One day I must be your wife?” the bride Sandra thought, starring the groom in silent awe as she reciprocated to the warmth kiss, managed to grin while trying to recall the occasion in which the dude made such a statement that wasn’t just optimistic but authoritative.
        She kept recalling the remark as they departed the altar for their seats right in the church. As she continued to make frantic effort to recollect a bit of the moment when he tendered the above utterance that could best be described as ‘weird’, she remained moody, seemed lifeless but pretended to be observant as she keenly fixed her gaze, albeit perturbed dazzling smile, on a procession comprising the congregants that were headed for offertory. As she thought over and over again, but couldn’t come up with something reasonable, she glanced at Dabo who was seated right beside her, turned to the procession once more and proceeded with her fake smiling countenance.
        Dabo, on his part, never knew he had made an expensive remark while at the altar, thus little did he know how thoughtful Sandra was at the moment. To him, the utterance was meant to serve as a reminder, unknowingly that there was never an event he issued such words to anybody in his life.
        Sandra was a schoolmate of Bisi whose parents lived about five yards away from Dabo in one of the prominent streets in the city of Ibadan, Oyo State. Bisi only came to the street to spend some time with her parents when she had a semester break or any other holiday that worth spending outside her school premises. In one of her breaks, she thought it wise to spend the holidays with her beloved friend and course mate, Sandra, thus she decided to take her home having sought her parents’ consent.
        It was exactly the break that succeeded their third year’s second semester; in other words, they just rounded off their three hundred level, and couldn’t wait to embrace the last lap of their academic pursuit that was meant to commence precisely in seven weeks time.
        It would interest you to note that Bisi had long been a secret admirer to Dabo’s personality. The latter was a practising journalist who had rightly carved a niche for himself as well as written his name in gold in the profession. As a promising and successful bachelor, he had told himself that he need not make mistake when it called for settling down, thus he had decided to remain very careful in relating with individuals of opposite gender. He never knew Bisi admired his person despite the numerous passes she had made to lure him into her net, probably because he was a very serious-minded human being who didn’t pay much attention to side attractions.
         The first day Dabo caught the sight of Sandra when he was driving home on one fateful day after office time, he instantly developed a soft spot for her. On that day, which was the very first day she came to Bisi’s place, both ladies were taking a walk along the ever-busy street to pick some food items from a certain shop situated towards the extreme. When he saw her, having developed an abrupt interest in her person, he didn’t know how best he could approach her, knowing fully that she was apparently the best friend of a lady whom he hardly noticed her presence in the street.
        It wasn’t that Bisi possessed indecent attitudes, or lived a wayward life; the truth remained that Dabo was not in any way attracted to her, perhaps owing to the instructions of his spirit he invariably listened to.
       “Hi dear!” Dabo exclaimed as he walked up to Bisi, the following day after he sighted her alongside Sandra.
        Bisi was standing alone at one of the shops in the street trying to purchase some stuffs. She felt so elated receiving a pleasantry from a man she had longed to be under his arms.
        “Helloo..” She responded in a jiffy, smiling.
        “Please, can I have a word with you?” Dabo requested as he stepped further.
        “Why not?” she cleared, ignoring her initial mission in order to pay him an undivided attention, hoping to receive good news in the process.
        “I saw you with a lady yesterday,” he hinted. “Please, who’s she?” He frankly inquired, though cheerily.
        Bisi instantly felt disappointed over the unexpected question, changed her mood. “Was that why you called me?” she said, sighed and turned her back on him.
        Little did he know that that was the least of the question the lady expected to hear from him, thus he was put totally off-balance by her sudden reactions. He had only saw as well as treated Bisi as his fellow dweller, but this very response of hers had sent a strong but contrary message to his senses. “I am so sorry if I have hurt you.” He tendered as she backed him.
        She hastily turned to him again. “Please…,” she urged, gesticulating. “Leave me alone!”
        At that juncture, he needn’t be told that all wasn’t well, thus ought not to wait for anyone to interpret the scenario. In view of this, he majestically took his leave, hoping for a better day.
        Days passed, Dabo tried to utilize other avenues to disclose his good intention to Sandra but all efforts proved abortive as a result of the barrier set in by Bisi, the aggrieved party. Bisi had vowed he would never get the attention of her friend; hence, she employed every means to actualize her motive. One of the mechanisms she used was that she misinformed Sandra that Dabo was a womanizer.
        In the process of hoping to receive positive reply from Sandra having eventually tendered an unalloyed proposal, Dabo had a very memorable and pleasant dream. He had dreamt of an occasion where he had a date with Sandra and in the outing, he told her, ‘one day, you must be my wife’. Luckily for him, his dream finally came to past as God would have it.
        So, right there at the altar, he was actually reciting the contents of that lofty dream he experienced many months back, unknowingly to the bride, Sandra.
        After the church service, they left for the reception hall. Therein as they were seated in their separate wedding seats, Sandra who couldn’t wait to verify the origin of the statement asked him when he once said she must be his wife someday.
        “Don’t mind me jari..,” Dabo responded hesitantly, though cheerfully. “I just recited a dream.” He informed, tenderly holding her left arm as he looked passionately into her moony eyes.
        On her part, she grinned, felt so elated and relaxed. Sure, she ostensibly needn’t the interpretation of the so-called dream.

FDN Nwaozor
_______________________
Twitter: @mediambassador
 http://facebook.com/fred4nwaozor
                   

No comments:

Featured post

UZODINMA AND BUHARI’S ‘WORKING VISIT’ TO IMO

by Fred Nwaozor The last time I checked, Imo was conspicuously at it again, hence needs to be re-examined by all-concerned for the good ...

MyBlog

Language Translation

ARCHIVE