In 1986, my Dad's Volvo dropped me at Yaba where he thought I was going to buy some clothes to take to school. Of course, I had wanted to buy some clothes, but not for myself. It's for Remi, my newly found heartbeat. The apple of my eyes. Finally, my bet money has a purpose.
We met when she came to our school for her brother's graduation. I had boasted with my friends that I was going to be the first guy to marry a lady whose father owns a car. For the record, my dad was a taxi driver, and he is very stingy. So, the only way I can survive in school was to devise another source of income.
If you must know, #10 (ten naira) was our bet. That would buy the world at that time. Seeing her, Remi, alighting from the Mercedes-Benz, I ran to call my friends and added #5 to the initial betting. This is before talking to her. They were so certain that my nativity would deprive me. Little did they know I was smarter. They judged me by my small stature. They forget I am a boy with a small body and a big engine.
The family lodged not too far from our hostel, and all effort to have a chat with her proved abortive. The father was a soldier. Two soldiers were always standing close to her.
On the day of the graduation. Felix and Abass threatened me so much that they were going to win the bet. It looked like that. That money was my entire money for the semester.
As the whole place was rocking with family mingling and dancing around. I ran to meet Ayanfunto, the magical talking drummer, and I would love to be his boy for that day. I explained the situation I found myself in, and he offered to help.
As we were jamming from tent to tent, we kept collecting money. We eventually got to Remi's family's tent, and there Ayanfunto changed the song.
“Remilekun fun mi lomi,
Remilekun fun mi lomi
Omi ife Remi ni mo fe mu…
Ife re pami bi oti!
Remilekun fun mi lomi!”
(REMI I need some water
REMI I need some water
Your love is the water I need
Your love is driving me crazy
Remilekun, I need some water.)
As the drum was dishing out more quantum rhythms, more people joined to spray us, and I used that opportunity to hand over the letter I had written to her. Her smile almost took off my soul.
September 7th, 1986
My dearest, sweetest, fondest, fantastic, Extra-ordinary, paragon of beauty a.k.a. Remi
I hope this letter meets you in a fabulous state of metabolism, if so, doxology.
As I pick up my pen from the ocean of love, my principal aim in writing this letter to you is to gravitate your mind towards a matter of global and universal importance, which has been haunting my soul. The matter is very substantial. Even as I am writing with my golden pen, my adrenaline is 100 per cent on the Richter scale, my temperature is rising, the wind vane of my mind is pointing North, South, West, and East at the same time; the mirror in my eyes has only your divine image.
Indeed, when I sleep, you are the one in my medulla oblongata, and I fantasize about you. I went out to sea in my dream, and I saw you: surrounded by H20 and you in your majestic rose from the abdomen of the sea like Yemoja, the avatar of magnificence.
Please OluwaRemilekun, let me be your Romeo. Make me Adam to your Eve.
You love me, yes or no?
I bet if you say no to me, you would have succeeded in sending me far into the abyss of depression than into the comforting arms of your love and I will end up like Salah meat.
A man without love is like a fish out of water. I know you are a sagacious girl.
If you like the veracity of what I am saying, please fill out the attached form and let me have it pronto. The mark at the bottom of this page is a kiss from me to you. I remain your pet, faithful, loyal, Only admirer.
OluwaDamilare a.k.a. Dammylove.
Her reply was emphatic, Yes, and I won the bet. My friends begged me to give them part of the proceeds, but I had other plans.
After my Dad left, I took a bus to her parent's house. I don't know where I got the confidence from. She came out from the Barrack to meet me, and we decided to go to the National Theatre together… Love has been underrated over time, but when you see the person you truly love, you will enter the barrack without the fear of the uniform men.
We watched some beautiful stage plays by Olu Jacobs, Joke Silver and Ade Love. We saw some other legendary actors and actresses like Mrs Philips (Mama Rainbow), Lere Paimo, Alex Osifo, and many others.
On our way back, Remi told me she was feeling heat inside her chest. I removed my shirt to blow her some air, coupled with the ones coming from outside. She held her chest so much and gripped her face to depict pain. I was confused. I didn't know what to do. The only thing we had was popcorn and Soda. Before I knew what was going on, her temperature increased, and she stopped breathing. She died right in my arm, inside the bus.
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