Yay! It's xmas!

...And new year in exactly one week.

I thank God, for sending us Jesus, the reason for the season.

So many things I'm grateful for this year. You know, the gift of life, good health, favour, grace, friends...and most of all, the gift of love.

Last year, in July, after I finished my internship in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, I learnt I was going to be posted to a place in Eastern Nigeria for my national service. Had to get a map to find the location of a place called Ebonyi. This was after, in the normal Nigerian spirit, I had done all I could to 'work' my posting to Osun state or somewhere in the South-West.

I went through the Elizabeth-Kubler Ross stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance. However, thank God for some wonderful friends I met there who made my stay worth the while.

Early January this year, I think 3rd to be precise, walked in the reason I'm writing this blog. Even though she had traveled in from afar, and she had this wearied look on her face from having dragged a giant and heavy (yeah, I carried it...as per gentleman) traveling bag...she was still radiant. I knew I had found someone special. Don't ask me how I knew...I just knew.

She was synonymous with perfection. The way she stood, her carriage, her elbow's carrying angle, her smile, her eyelashes, her eyebrows...her spirit...it made me understand what Michael Jackson meant by his song Speechless. For all my recent attempts at being more 'social', I couldn't come up with an intelligible conversation. I offered her part of my burger that day, when she said no, all I could think of was how nice it would be to share food and everything with her one day.

Days passed, because we lived in the same building, I was able to see her like every 2 - 4 days. Either when she goes to the well to get water, or when she comes back from work and someone needs to open the gate for her (always tried as much as possible to be that someone). Still, the most conversation I could come up with was 'Hi!', 'Long time', 'Did you travel?', 'Someone is addicted to malt' and some other lame stuff.

One sunny afternoon, while waiting for a cab to take home from work, she was already waving her hand in front of my face before I saw her. That threw me off balance. I would have loved to see her like 2 kilometres away so that I could brace myself. Yours sincerely started sweating profusely...Haha...my shirt started to stick to my body, my tie became uncomfortable, my shoes felt like furnace. A cab came and we got in for the 5-minute ride...all conversations finished in 2 minutes. I didn't even remember to be polite! It was freakishly awkward. All I could dream of was being able to talk about everything with her one day.

Fast forward to February, mid of the month...my close friends were leaving as they had completed their service. I was lonely, I needed a friend...and she was there! That Saturday saturated with sweetness, we had the longest conversation since that time I saw her first. We talked for hours...but it felt like minutes. It was a wonderful day for me.

On Valentine's day, we had a random pairing of males and females in our compound for the day...I fervently prayed for her to be mine, but fate had other plans.

We had and still have a lot in common, so it was easy for us to become closer and closer. As time went by, we started sharing everything. She started to care what I think and say about her, neighbors started teasing us, we started hanging out more. I still remember the first time we held hands...it was perfect.

I knew I had to do something. I had to tell her how I feel about her. After I had rehearsed for days, which turned into weeks...courage or opportunity letting me down many times...I finally told her. She kept me in suspense for 3 days. And then she made me the happiest and luckiest guy in the world. Since then, it has been good progress for us. She made my year, she made my life.

Every single day, I cant but thank God for her. I was short-sighted. I didn't want to go to no jungle for service. What did I know?

If you are wondering who the angel is, her name is Emenena...meaning 'my own'. She's truly Emenena.

My Numnums, I love you always. Merry Christmas.