Sugarboy

They met at the beach 
She went with some friends to 
do some amateur modeling shoot 
She wasn't a model, 
The photographer's friends were 
Aspiring models
She just tagged along for the shoot 
out of boredom 
The photographer was her "boyfriend", 
he talked her into tagging along for 
the shoot so that he can be serious 
He was bidding for a calendar project 
He needed to present his previous 
projects 
He didn't have any 
He was one of those guys who would 
start a project with enthusiasm but 
never completes it 
He had wanted to be many things in 
the past only to change his mind at 
the last minute or at the first hurdle 
She wasn't sure she wanted to be 
with him for a lifetime 
They were together as an excuse 
not to be alone 
She knew this as surely as she knew 
her name but while they were still 
together, she was determined to do 
everything to help him make a headway
in life 
He was the play and fun kind of friend 
The kind with whom you never imagine 
doing anything serious 
The type you can tell you are in love 
with another guy or you are developing 
feelings for another guy and all he will 
say is "As long as you are happy, it is fine" 
That kind of guy
They met at the art gallery in Anthony village 
She went to pick a birthday gift for her 
godfather who was an art aficionado 
She met him at the art gallery 
They talked a little 
She was caught in between two different 
but interesting portraits 
He helped her make up her mind 
In the process of negotiating the price 
He made her laugh selflessly 
She really liked him 
He was easy company and he made 
a difficult decision so easy for her 
They exchanged numbers and 
parted ways 
He called her later that evening 
around 9pm 
They continued where they left off 
earlier in the day 
That was how their story began 
She had high hopes then he just 
returned home from France and was 
hoping to set up an art gallery 
somewhere in Lagos 
Three months later, he had changed 
his mind He no longer wanted a gallery, 
he wanted to start an art magazine 
Another week went by, he decided to 
have a TV show showcasing artworks 
and artists 
From that he moved to books, book 
reviews and book writers and so on 
Within six months, he had changed 
his mind more times than an agama 
lizard would nod its head in a minute 
She found that nature unsettling
but he had his good side 
He spent recklessly (He came from a 
very rich background) and was more 
concerned about his reputation as a 
representing and talked about 
rich boy than building a solid future 
for himself 
He took everything lightly including their 
relationship
 He always told her he was in it for the
moment 
He was a free bird and didn't want to 
be tied down by life 
They had kissed a few times but she 
refused to have sex with him
She was aware he slept with other
girls
At first she was troubled about it
but she had to tell herself she had
no right to stop him from sleeping 
with someone else as long as she 
was not sleeping with him
Had it being they were sleeping
together, she would have the right
to be jealous or angry
She was more of a "touch& stay" babe 
She couldn't bring herself to be so 
sexually irresponsible 
It is one thing to be sleeping with a 
guy you thought you can build a 
future with and somehow things 
didn't work out 
It is another thing to be sleeping 
with a guy who stated clearly that 
he wasn't interested in a conventional 
relationship that leads to anything 
tangible
You just hang out together and flow 
with the tide... 
More like having sex just for the sake
of having sex and pretending there
will be no emotional issue afterward
She had hoped he would change his 
mind and settle into an ownership 
mode once they became very close 
So she worked on it 
She insinuated herself into his space 
for three months hoping to become 
indispensable and earn his trust 
It was fun 
He welcomed her moves and acted 
like her boyfriend until they had their 
first kiss 
Then he said "I know what you are 
doing, i played along because i like 
you but don't think you have found 
a Romeo, I want to be very clear 
before you start crying foul and 
dragging me on social media. 
I am a free bird, if you chill with me, 
you get to enjoy and have fun but 
there is no room for any long thing. 
When it is time to fly, i won't look back" 
His words made her feel very cheap, 
even though she had set out to do 
what he was saying, the way he 
said it deflated her 
She cried that day, his words stung 
her like a bee
She wanted to call it quits and let 
him go 
She was not a bimbo and what he 
really needed was a bimbo who 
would be there to do his bidding 
until he grew tired of her and 
discarded her like trash but she 
found herself slipping into loneliness 
and depression 
She was twenty-seven and all she 
had in her life was work and church 
She was by nature very reserved 
She needed him or perhaps she 
needed his company, so she 
stopped rejecting his calls and started 
hanging out with him again 
This time she told her heart not to 
seek love, only friendship
 And so their relationship was redefined 
She became the friend/babe to Sugar boy 
as he was popularly called 
She told him she would keep an open mind 
and keep him out of trouble 
(He had issues with substance abuse 
and the law before they met) 
He was 32 and he was a big headache 
for his family
The first time he took her to his parent's 
house, his father looked at her and said 
"What is a girl like you doing with him?" 
She knew what his father meant 
He was wild, like a badger while she 
was calm and soothing like honey
They were opposites 
Sometimes his parents would insist 
they must see her before they allow him 
take a car or have some money to spend
(Those days when he wanted to go out
in the best car in his father's garage
and show off his father's wealth at the
club or a show)
His parents naturally didn't deny him anything
unless they felt it could lead to his ruin
So they would ask him to bring her
and insist she must be with him throughout
the show or party
She was his conscience, his friend 
Their relationship was symbiotic 
He kept her out of the dark abyss of 
depression and loneliness 
She kept him out of the extreme of d
rugs and violence 
His time abroad had done a number on 
his mindset 
Capitalism is a curse 
9-5 job was slavery 
Everything was rigged against him 
She found herself hopelessly lost in 
between her extreme and his 
He was far from what she desired in life 
but he was all she had that season 
Then he took up photography and 
really bought into it 
He traveled to New York for six months 
to learn the rudiments 
His parents paid a lot of money 
He bought all the necessary equipment 
He was going to establish photography 
studios and make something of himself 
Finally, the aimless drifter was going 
to cast anchor by this time he was 34, 
they had been together for three years 
and even her parents were beginning 
to hope something tangible would 
come out of their undefined togetherness 
He applied for a loan with Bank of Industry 
He needed to present evidence of the 
viability and sustainability of his dream 
The competition was fierce 
All his father could do was get him a foot 
in the door of a textile company in need 
of some materials for their annual calendar 
If he could land the job, he would have 
something concrete to present at the bank 
It was a moment of destiny for him 
She had never seen him so serious about 
anything 
He practiced for many days 
Finally, he got the models and decided to 
do some shoot at the beach 
He made her tag along 
He knew his demons were not gone, 
they had only gone silent due to the 
purposeful channeling of his energy
He didn't want a moment of indiscretion 
to ruin everything 
He was busy doing the shoot when 
she walked off to get the novel she 
was reading from the car 
And there, right by the car, stood a
familiar face
The face looked at her and smiled 
She smiled back and waved 
He walked up to her and said "hello"
He was not a stranger
He was an usher at her church
They had seen each other several
times but never had the opportunity
to talk to each other
He told her he came as one of the 
volunteers to help with the teens
on their visit to the beach
One of the teens was being brought
by his parents
He was standing at the car park to
receive them
She told him she came to the beach
with some friends
She picked her novel
The teenager arrived with his parents
He invited her to come and partake
of the picnic and games, even if for
a few minutes
She figured she wasn't really being
missed at the photoshoot and she
could as well say hello to some of the
faces she had only seen in the church
since she joined them
She went with him and it was like
butter finding hot bread
She found herself fitting in and being
genuinely happy
She had been waiting for something
different, something real, something
meaningful to happen to her
She had been idling, waiting, coasting,
just tagging along for many months
She felt alive right there, in his company
In their company
She lost track of time
She stayed with them until they were
done
She would have left but she was too
shy to leave
She was always like that
When she was somewhere where people
were having so much fun with her
She hated to leave and spoil the fun
She also didn't mind the company
The teen event ended by 6pm
He walked her to the area where
her "guy" was doing the photoshoot
The place was empty
Her guys had left with his models
He didn't even bother calling or looking
for her
That had always been Sugar boy
The free bird
She told him her friends had left
He offered to drive her home
That was how they happened
It was like the meeting of the matchbox
and the matchstick
The fire was bright and blue
He was into landscape Architecture
He was thirty-five, single and willing
to get married as soon as possible
He came from a lineage of pastors
Within two months, her parents 
knew she had gotten into the real
thing
The buzz was high and the excitement
real
She was finally awakened from the
slumber of many seasons
Her guy called when he lost the 
photography contract
He wanted them to meet and discuss
his next move
This time he was thinking of going
into short movies and documentaries
He didn't even apologize for leaving
her at the beach
She met with him and told him
she was getting married
He said "Congratulations" and
continued speaking as if she just
announced she was buying a
chicken
As she left him that day, she
realized he was both a blessing
and a disappointment
He kept her company and helped
her cope with the loneliness that
she found too steep to handle
For that she was grateful but she 
was also disappointed that her time
with him felt like a waste
He remained the same way as the
day she met him
A drifter and a free bird, with nothing
to hold on to

PS: She got married nine months
after meeting her husband at the beach
The marriage is blessed with two
children
This event happened in Lagos, Nigeria
As for the drifter, he continued to
live his life as he had always professed
Moving from tree to tree and 
Flying from a branch to another

GSW's note: Song of Solomon 4:16