Thread by @GbengaWemimo

It started with a look
She was just fourteen
But that look
That look
That look was timeless
It says just one thing
'You are special in my eyes'
He was 16
Her reaction to that look baffled her
She didn't know how
But she acknowledged it
He got the message
Her sister saw it all

Her sister told her mother
Her mother called her
Mother: Is there anything between you and that boy
She: No ma
Her sister: There may not be now, but there will be. I saw them
Mother: You have calling eyes, so I don't doubt your sister. If you bring me shame, I will kill you

They drove the fear of God into her heart
Of course she doesn't want to get pregnant
Of course she doesn't want to bring shame to her family
But his reach for her felt very natural
Her response was all warmth and glee
Her mother would kill her
Holiday ended quickly
Escape!

They had barely returned to the city when the first letter arrived
He wrote well
Not the erotic nonsense other girls whispered about
Real issues
How his day went
His school
His preparation for GCE
He wrote her into his world
Sometimes her mother found his letter
Talk. talk, talk

She never wrote back
She filed the letters by date
Whenever she was bored or lonely
She would read them one after the other
They made her feel loved
Knowing someone took the pains, the time
To write to her persistently
To think of her
To want her
It was very flattering and warm

He wrote for four years
She gained admission into the University
Met a guy on campus
Was trying to test out the waters
Her first real relationship
He arrived at her school
She was confused
He loved her
She liked him
But he couldn't just burst on the scene like that
Wetin sef?

She told her campus love he was her cousin
He took her out
They talked
He was in 300L
In another university
He was making plans
Making plans for their future together
She couldn't believe it
She does not even know what her own future looked like
She had a lot to do
He left

He remained in the background
Always writing
Her relationship failed
He: Give me a chance
She told herself, 'I love him but I want to enjoy myself
Let him wait, he is the one I will marry'
She jumped into another one
He heard
He was hurt
His letters started coming once in a while

He went for NYSC
She noticed something was missing
She was restless, unnerved
She would got to the mail room and search
The letters had stopped
He had written her steadfastly for eight years
She: I will see him at the village during the Christmas break, we will iron it out

Christmas came
She got to the village
Her sister was the first to scream
'His real wife is here'
She didn't understand
Her friends flocked her compound
People gathered to see the drama
What was going on?
He arrived
He looked at her
He said, 'I am getting married'
She fainted

The story didn't add up
It was like a fuzz in her head
Her lover, her friend, her man is getting married to someone else
How?
He: I am sorry
She: But you know I -
He: Do you want me to call the wedding off. I will, if you say so
She: No problem. You can marry whoever you want

As he left
She knew she had made a terrible mistake
But her pride wouldn't let her call him back
The scandal would be too crazy
People would say she shattered someone else's dream to build her own
What was he thinking?
Impregnating a girl.
What was he thinking?
Must he marry her?

Its been eight years
She is single
Suitors rarely come
Those who came were just not it
She is miserable
He married
He had not known a day of bliss
The marriage was a total disaster
He is miserable
And yet
On the day the full moon rises
All they can do is look at the moon
And cry!