Undefined

He was two years older than her and two 
classes ahead of her in school 
They were also neighbours 
His Father's house was directly opposite 
their own 
His mother had a nursery and primary school 
located about fifteen minutes walk from her 
house 
She worked in the school as a creche minder 
right after her graduation from secondary school 
Her parents were rather poor 
The house they lived in was uncompleted 
Her father bought the land with his first cooperative 
loan and started building the house until he was able 
to roof it 
They covered the windows with newspapers and
moved in 
She was nine years old when they moved in 
The only progress they made on the house until 
she turned seventeen was to put in wooden windows 
and doors and also erect the fence! 
There were five of them 
Four girls and one boy 
Their father was a cook 
Their mother a teacher
All of them worked to support the family in 
one capacity or the other after they became 
teenagers 
Her mother's insistence on having a male child 
left the family with many mouths to feed 
He, on the other hand, was the first of three boys 
His father was a major distributor of a tyre brand 
They were rich 
One day he came to the school to discuss something 
with his mother 
He saw her and greeted her warmly 
She was very embarrassed 
Of course, she knew his name and had gossipped 
about him with her sisters 
She didn't imagine that he knew her name or 
would act so kindly towards her 
His mother was not in the office 
He told her he had some money on him 
He wanted to drop it with his mother before going out 
He wondered if she could keep the money for him 
until later that evening 
She couldn't say no 
The money was half a million Naira 
Wow!
She had never seen so much money before 
She kept the money hoping he would come 
to their house to collect it later that night 
He didn't show up 
She didn't have the courage to take the money 
to his house and ask for him or deliver it to 
his parents 
She felt it would be inappropriate
So she kept the money 
Days turned into weeks 
Weeks turned into months 
She gained admission into the Polytechnic 
She didn't know what to do with the money 
On the day she was supposed to resume in school 
She left home with the money in her travel bag 
Instead of taking a bus to Eruwa 
She took a bus going to Ife 
She knew he was in school 
She knew his department 
She just wanted to see him and drop the money 
She got to Ife around two pm 
It was raining mangoes 
She had her huge bags and movement was difficult 
At around 5pm, she became desperate
She called his mother and told her she 
needed his phone number urgently
His mother sent it to her 
She called him 
He told her how to get to his house 
She got to his house drenched 
He welcomed her warmly 
She delivered the money 
There was no way she could have returned 
to school that day 
He made arrangements for food and all
It was inevitable that they would have sex 
She had made the mental deductions as soon 
as she got to his room 
The rain was the devil 
Everything in her bones cried for it 
He didn't even have to try 
She spent a week with him 
While she was with him, he opened a bank 
account for her
He didn't ask her out  
In fact, his conduct, in her view, was more of that 
of a brother 
She wasn't hopeful of a relationship 
It wasn't sensible for a girl like her to dream 
of such 
What happened was a freak accident 
All she had to do was return to school 
and start her own journey
Two weeks later he showed up in her school 
She was very happy to see him 
He still didn't ask her out 
He spent a week 
He spent his days in her room reading while 
she went for lectures 
They spent the evenings strolling and fooling 
around 
He made her happy but it remained undefined
She liked what they had 
But she didn't want to push it 
He was not a timid guy in any way
 He knew what he wanted 
When he was leaving, he asked her when she 
would be coming to see him 
She wanted to ask him to define it 
But the words stuck in her throat 
She just told him she would
Be with him for the weekend in another 
two weeks 
That was it 
Their undefined relationship 
They spent virtually every fortnight in each 
other's arms 
Nobody knew what was going on at home 
Whenever they were on break 
They met far away from home 
She was worried about it at first
But he was taking care of her 
He was the reason her parents were not 
stressing themselves over her school fees 
She told them she got a job with the school 
and was saving to pay her fees 
In reality, he was taking care of everything 
It went on for five years 
She graduated 
She got a job through him 
It was time to settle down 
She tried telling him so in a subtle manner 
She didn't want to be rude but five years of 
hide and seek was long enough 
She wanted to get into a serious relationship 
and settle down 
Enough of the hanky panky games
She really loved him but the more he
kept her hidden from his family
The more she felt he was just toying with
her
She didn't want to be seen as a gold digger
She had to be careful
It was up to him to make it happen
She didn't tell anybody in her family too
She knew they would just see her like a tramp
He didn't get the message 
She wanted to know his intention 
But she didn't want to chase him away 
She wished he would just propose 
He has been the only lover she ever had 
Although he had never cheated on her 
There was still a big gulf between them 
It can only be closed when he
says what his plan for her was 
She thought about it 
She called the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt 
She wanted a candid opinion 
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt told her to
 buy a ring and propose to him 
He said she should do it indoors 
Nothing defines a relationship like a ring!
He would either say no and walk away or
 yes and plans would get underway
 He came to her house on a Saturday 
She set the stage carefully 
She also prepared her heart
 It would be liberation for her either way 
Around 5 pm 
She hugged and kissed him 
She got on one knee and asked him to
marry her 
He pulled her to himself and carried her 
He laughed and laughed 
He opened his briefcase and brought out 
his own ring 
He had been planning to propose too 
But he had to wait for his parent's approval 
and he didn't want to get her agitated or 
raise her hope only to dash it
He said his mother had known they were 
dating for three years and had some 
reservations about it 
When his mother realized he was hell-bent 
on getting married to the girl next door 
His mother told him she wanted to take 
time to pray 
The praying time took almost six months 
and even his father had to intervene before 
his mother agreed it was the will of God! 
He said he had been praying she wouldn't 
give up on him and walk away 
She couldn't stop crying 
She was so nervous doing the proposal thing 
His reaction made her bubble over 
She just hugged him and cried
It was the most unexpected twist of fate for 
her parents 
They had no clue she had been seeing him 
Her mother was especially shocked that 
she kept him a secret for five whole years 
She couldn't tell her mother the truth 
that he was a secret because there was 
really no relationship

PS: Wedding took place in Ibadan, 2019
Event took place in Ibadan, Lagos, Eruwa and 
Ile-Ife (2012-2019)
The wedding was glorious 
Her parents completed the house before the 
D-day 
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt was at the 
wedding reception to tell them about the 
love of Christ 
As a couple, on their wedding day, they gave 
their lives to Christ 
Heaven rejoiced over them! 
Hallelujah