SPRINGTIME WARMTH

Amidst the muddle of several drivers honking, disorderly driving and heavy traffic of Lagos road, with loud exchange of banters by drivers and commuters alike, pedestrians dangerously crossing the road, none of these commotions seemed to aggravate a cab driver driving on Ikeja road, heading towards Muritala International Airport. His attitude during this trip was very uncanny; for he was known for letting out streams of invectives on other road users while driving his cab. However, this afternoon he was grinning as he surreptitiously watched through the rear mirror his passengers, two young lovers kissing. Their romance had pushed him out of Lagos into the sweet reminiscences of his youth.  Those good old days when he used to have the younger version of his wife by his side without thoughts of school fees or house rents. He smiled thinking of their sneaky way of meeting at their favorite meeting point, behind a popular restaurant where they kissed. He dared not try to kiss her that way again; she would push him away in anger reminding him that they don’t have time for such romance again. Then there would be numerous complaints flying in the air about one thing or the other, mostly, about children’s school fees or their overdue house rent. Lost in thoughts, he bumped into a huge pothole, and then the lovers, Femi and Esther, turned their angry faces toward him before Esther said, “Take it easy now.”  Instantly, the mask he had been wearing fell off his face and his normal angry face swiftly evolved while he snapped back at her. “Am I the government that refuses to fix the road?” They didn’t retort back bearing in mind that they would rather spend the little time they have together than to exchange words with an old man  who seemed tired of life.

  At the back seat of the vehicle, the romance continued. But this time the cab man wasn’t concerned even as Esther shrieked with laugher while she enjoyed the warmth of Femi’s breathe as he nuzzled against her face. After the laughter died, she muttered into his ears that she missed how his bushy beard used to brush her face. She was livid the first time she discovered that his beard was all gone, but once he put in perspective the likelihood of him not gaining entrance into the United States while looking like a terrorist, her anger quickly turned into a bird that flew far away from her. America was their only hope. So she caressed his clean-shaved face having nothing to pull, as she kept telling herself, ‘it is for a while’, and when the words came out unbidden, he looked to her face, there were tears settled at the corner of her eyes. He wanted to cry too, but he knew if he did, she would cry for long and their tears would flood the vehicle. He pulled her into his arms, hugged her tightly and breathed in her perfume before he said, “I will be gone for just three years, in fact, and it could be less. I promise to work very hard so that I can quickly send for you and then we will have a lavish wedding in Miami and then when our children come, they would be Americanas, they will only speak fone. Dear, we would have to listen patiently to make sense out of their words.” Esther laughed boisterously thus triggering Femi and the angry cab man into laughter.

  “Okay,” she said loudly before she muttered into his ears, “I will store all your warmth into my body and once I get home, I will transfer it into my Eleganza warmer so that I can always have your warmth anytime I am cold. I will hold your clothes closely to drink in your fresh scent. I will do anything to keep you closer.” Femi laughed gently at her eccentric words.

  “Honey, what are you saying? You don’t have to do that. We will talk often and once I get a correct smart phone, we will do more of video calls.” He paused for a while before he added, “I will work very hard so that I can quickly send for you. Darling, in four years, we would be in America together and forever. We would have a good life in America.” Esther nodded in agreement; she had absolute confidence in their dreams.

 While they were in the University, they drew out so many plans about how they would work in well paid organizations for a few years before they would put their heads and capital together to start their own business, E&F Group of Companies, which would have branches all over the country. But life laughed at the grandiosity of their dreams. After graduating, Femi couldn’t secure a job, even though Esther had so much faith in the course he studied; Petroleum Engineering. She had always imagined that he would be gainfully employed by one of those multinational oil companies where workers earn huge salaries which she often called ‘armed robber salary’. Even though she was employed, she wasn’t better off since she wasn’t able to scrimp and save for her house rent.

Femi started to think about their life in America when his cousin returned from the United States in an ambiance of wealth. “Ko easy now,” was his cousin’s response when he told him how much he would love to relocate to America. But Femi snapped, “ko easy, but you are counting dollars while I dey open mouth for Naija air to fill my grumbling stomach.” After several persuasions, his cousin agreed to help him, and when he informed Esther, she danced around the house like he had gotten the visa he hadn’t even applied for.

 A night before his interview at the American embassy, he laid still on the bed, but his mind was crowded with thoughts of what was going to happen if he was denied. But Esther’s optimism gave him the hope that kept him flying above his fears when he went for the interview, lo and behold; he got a two year visiting visa. But he laughed at the thought of  the ‘two years visiting visa’ because he was determined to stay till he would tap his own honey and milk from the land filled with milk and honey. For many days he told everyone who cared to listen how other unfortunate applicants gaped at him with respect like he was Dangote when they learnt he wasn’t denied. While Esther told the testimony in her church not only for the reason to express gratitude to God, but also to notify all her gossip friends that the man they had nicknamed ‘Chelsea boy’ because he often wore a threadbare Chelsea jersey, would soon be called Americana.

Reminiscing on how it all began, for them it was love at first sight when they first encountered each other at a night party. Esther’s face was always expressive with smiles whenever she narrated how they met.  Shivers of excitement had rushed through her lean body the first time their eyes met, and then she shyly looked away, she tapped a friend by her side before she muttered; “see how that guy standing by Akin looks like Will Smith, that fine American actor.” Her friend had trouble searching for a guy who truly looked like Will Smith, until Esther mentioned the colour of his shirt. Then Esther’s friend smirked as she told her how much she enjoyed exaggerating. But Esther jokingly told her that she couldn’t have easily identified the fine guy she was referring to because her boyfriend was ugly. Coincidentally, as Esther wished for, Femi walked up to her to ask for a dance. She was taken aback and for a while she assumed she was in a dream state. It was only in American movies she had seen such a scenario wherein your crush would be having a crush on you. She didn’t turn down his offer, although she knew her friends would call her a cheap girl for not playing ‘hard to get’.

They danced bashfully to a TuFace’s song, ‘True Love’; Esther felt that the DJ must have been in the same spirit with them. He took her hand in a firm clasp as they danced,and their eyes stayed glued to each other. When they hugged for the first time, Esther felt a special kind of warmth enveloped her. Years later, Esther would depict that kind of warmth as springtime warmth more especially after she experienced her first spring in Calgary, Canada.  Her first spring in Canada brought a kind of warmth she would forever be grateful for; just like the kind of warmth she experienced the first time she hugged Femi. For her the warmth she felt from Femi was truly like warmth in springtime that melts snow, causes flowers to bloom and  rejuvenates  nature. Sadly, regardless of how beautiful springtime could be, there would always be winter. In a strange way the intermittent nature of the weather brought a form of consolation to her after several years Femi left for the United States but never returned to her.

                                            THE END

                  
Image credit: www.wikipedia.org