CHINA TORI

E get one aunty wey I dey always buy doughnuts and eggrolls from for that ehm, Leventis – Ikeja side. Talk about interesting people. This one is not your regular kind of girl. I mean she is not just tough-looking, she also sounds and breathes tough. Yeah, that’s what’s up!

When you take a good look at her, you will see the black lips, the hollow in her eyes and the square in her jaw. She resemble pesin wey don suffer pass and who resorted to marijuana as a means of escape at some point. You know how pesin go suffer suffer sote everytin for im body go con strong? Ehen, naim.

I don reason say maybe she be one of dose girls wey man don show sege or pesin wey other pipo don push sote im back touch wall. So now the heat wey dey burn inside her ehn, e fit parboil rice. The smallest sarcasm translates to insult to her and the vehemence with which she fights back ehn, e go shock you. Kai, if na man trouble change dis girl to wetin we dey see now, I no sure say she ever gree marry.

I dey tell you say this na girl webisay from the first day wey I see am, I knew there was something about her. You would know, quite alright, that she is a woman but somehow her aura screams man! It is in the way she walks and in the way she talks. God, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that girl smile. There was this hardness to her that said she must have really had it rough in life, and worse, may still be roughing it to make ends meet.

Ever ready to take on anyone who challenges her, na small tin dey make her spark. And as she dey there so, e be like say dem don see her finish. The mechanic guys and other traders for the area dey avoid her like pesin wey carry disease. Na so she dey always sidon alone. She usually sits at her spot and sings – loudly. My guess is that she tries to give the impression that she is happy all by herself but, the look on her face and the tone of her voice? They give her away. Aunty is lonely and she cannot hide it. People say she yaf pursue everyone who tried to come close with her bad agwa.

So you cannot imagine my surprise when I was passing her spot yesterday and found her in a different position. True to God, Aunty was not sitting quietly with the usual frown on her face. She was standing with a man and there was this softness in her countenance. E shock you? Me too.

Na so I switch o. Me wey been wan just pass because I no get money for hand, I change my mind. I stopped and called out to her because I was ready to spend my last card to get the full gist. I no wan hear say dis story pass una, my loyal followers. So I stopped and called and aunty did not answer me. Ha!

Aunty was busy complaining to her knight in shining armor about her neighbor. From what I gathered, she shares a space (for packing things) with someone else and the woman was beginning to take more space than she has been apportioned, so she needed someone to call her to order. The funny thing is, in between, they were trying so hard to speak in hush tones but the igbo wey dem don smoke tire don spoil their voice; so we could still hear them.

Uncle smiled and screamed, “e fara bale now”. For the first time, my people, Aunty obeyed someone. She heaved a sigh and kept quiet. Abeg, who be dis man?

I saw Uncle stagger and then stabilized himself by placing his left hand on Aunty’s shoulder. Again, something must be wrong somewhere because Aunty suddenly broke into a smile and went coy and, to God, every single thing was wrong with that. She was flipping her two months old long and rough hair and something was also off about that. Maybe one small fly flew into her eyes, because she was also batting her eyelids upandan. Mogbe. Aunty really liked this one and there was no way to hide it.

“My name is Emmanuel and God no dey ever leave me”, Uncle said for the fifteenth time. “I go run am for you. No be me tell you say make you no worry? Forget, my name is Emmanuel and…”

“I don hear”, Aunty said to cut him off. Him mentioning his name like it was a big achievement was becoming awkward. She shrugged and stylishly ran her hand over his left arm. His bloodshot eyes dimmed in a smile and he bent down to give her a peck. That was when Aunty burst out. Aunty started laughing. She laughed so hard it became awkward too. You know the way all these village girls react when they are told “I love you” for the first time, it was the same reaction. The laugh, most probably, was to hold down the butterflies or to cover her shaking legs.

I have no doubts that Aunty is in love with oga Emma and I think I was the last person to realize it. Those who have been exposed to TV love were busy doing “awwwn” upandan and I was curious. How long has this been? I turned to the lady standing next to me and that one had a distant look on her face. “Wetin dey happen?” I asked. “No mind Joy. She dey always like to use her gragra spoil everything. Thank God say dis oga no look her face. Thank God o.”

So, my people, this love has been a long time coming. Even though Aunty tried to stop it from becoming, it triumphed. Maybe now the temperature of Aunty’s blood will reduce small, maybe she will fancy makeup and maybe the edge in her tone will be taken out.

Wait, why am I telling this story again? Oh, I remember. Love is true, love is patient and love is strong. Yes, love can find anyone irrespective of their social status. Say you no like am no means say another pesin no go like am. E no matter who you be, e get one person wey go be your mumu button and get person whose mumu button you go be.

Image: Joseph Ngabo