She was head over heels in love with him, so much that people started to get worried.
'It has to be jazz' a friend quipped. 'Else why would she tell her parents she's going to have his baby out of wedlock, if they don't give their blessing?'. This is not normal anymore.
To her, it wasn't like that at all. Far from it. She knew she was taking a chance and maybe taking things a bit too far with her parents but then again, what she had with him was worth it. In the end, she would be spending the rest of her life with him. Not her parents, not her siblings, not her best friend. Just him...
They had been together for about 2yrs. Including one year of long distance that he made possible through frequent trips and commitment and she knew that deep down, he was the ONE. He had been there for her through everything, I mean EVERYTHING. From deaths in the family, to her parents separation, to the fights, roberry, rape,finances, new gadgets, you name it; if it went wrong, he was there to pick up the pieces. Worst part is, everyone knew. They all loved him as the 'perfect boyfriend' but now he was ready to commit for life. He wanted to marry her and all of a sudden there were 'flaws' that no one mentioned before.
'He's too dark, his great grand father was a traditional worshipper, his father is a chief who has 2 wives, therefore he'll marry 2 wives as well...'
She thought that her parents were too educated and enlightened to think this way but she was wrong. Her mother already said no and there wasn't much else that anyone could do... Her father trying to be diplomatic as usual, didn't approve either but with a smile on his face and a little bit of 'well, it's your choice'.
She was torn between the man she loved and had loved her for two years, who she hoped would love her for all of eternity and her family who she had know all her life....
But she had decided, she would walk away..., from everything she'd ever known or believed, she'd leave everything behind and she would marry him.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Monday, 16 May 2011
My Air Nigeria experience
I once heard someone say that if it flies in the sky and has Nigeria as part of its name, it's doomed.
If you think back to when virgin Atlantic started flying Nigerian routes, everything seemed as smooth as can be; then Virgin Nigeria came along and it went down hill for me from there. The issues I had with the airline scarred me for life. From not enough fuel to not enough seats to not enough planes... I mean, anything that could or couldn't go wrong with an airline went wrong with this one and this was just the beginning...
Virgin Nigeria changed to Air Nigeria probably while I was mid air to Gambia cause I boarded a Virgin Nigeria flight and by the time I landed, it was Air Nigeria. I have had a number of painful experiences with Air Nigeria but I'll just go with the most recent.
Now, on Friday, May 13th 2011 (note the date) I made my way to the airport with B, after spending 3 days in Lagos. Got to the airport at about 5pm and got a flight on Air Nigeria which was scheduled to leave at 7pm.
3hrs and two 30 minute delays later, B is called up to customer service and after what seems like a lifetime, they tried to get B off the flight cause we booked last minute apparently. Obviously if you know B, then you know how that conversation went.
Come 10pm, we are still at the airport, highly irritated and watching everyone curse at the airline. Friends are being made and alliances are being formed incase there was any need to sue.
Finally, we are called to board the aircraft and first thing we notice is the lack of first class seats and a bunch of pissed off first class ticket holders.
B and I go straight to the back and watch drama unfold.... People fighting over seats and who should seat in front based on political achievements, etc. About an hr and a half later, and a few threats to disembark the aircraft, we finally take off. Take off time: 10.50pm
30 to 45minutes later, we experience some turbulence that can only be described as spiritual. I scoot closer to B who takes my hand and we say a prayer or four.! 50 minutes into the flight, we are told that due to bad weather in Abuja, strong winds and poor visibility, we will be unable to land, so we'll have to head back to Lagos.
B and I look at each other and burst out laughing. I'll let you imagine the reaction of all the other passengers. At this point, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Gisting with B all the way back made the journey bearable. Arrival time in Lagos: 1.05am.
We get to the terminal and wait to be addresed and the speech goes like this. "we are sorry for any inconveniences caused, due to bad weather in Abuja, we were unable to land but the good news is, we are ready to go back because the weather is better now". I look at the time, 1.45am. "please pick up your bags and we will check you in again, and take off when the plane has been refueled. Also note that the current pilot is tired so the director of operations will wake up from sleep and come fly the plane himself." so we are looking at a departure for about 5am. On the other hand, there was an option to reschedule the flight for the next day...
B looks at me and we both know we are not waiting for this flight. Not tonight, not ever. So we slip out of the airport quietly to go salvage what's left of the 'night'.
If you think back to when virgin Atlantic started flying Nigerian routes, everything seemed as smooth as can be; then Virgin Nigeria came along and it went down hill for me from there. The issues I had with the airline scarred me for life. From not enough fuel to not enough seats to not enough planes... I mean, anything that could or couldn't go wrong with an airline went wrong with this one and this was just the beginning...
Virgin Nigeria changed to Air Nigeria probably while I was mid air to Gambia cause I boarded a Virgin Nigeria flight and by the time I landed, it was Air Nigeria. I have had a number of painful experiences with Air Nigeria but I'll just go with the most recent.
Now, on Friday, May 13th 2011 (note the date) I made my way to the airport with B, after spending 3 days in Lagos. Got to the airport at about 5pm and got a flight on Air Nigeria which was scheduled to leave at 7pm.
3hrs and two 30 minute delays later, B is called up to customer service and after what seems like a lifetime, they tried to get B off the flight cause we booked last minute apparently. Obviously if you know B, then you know how that conversation went.
Come 10pm, we are still at the airport, highly irritated and watching everyone curse at the airline. Friends are being made and alliances are being formed incase there was any need to sue.
Finally, we are called to board the aircraft and first thing we notice is the lack of first class seats and a bunch of pissed off first class ticket holders.
B and I go straight to the back and watch drama unfold.... People fighting over seats and who should seat in front based on political achievements, etc. About an hr and a half later, and a few threats to disembark the aircraft, we finally take off. Take off time: 10.50pm
30 to 45minutes later, we experience some turbulence that can only be described as spiritual. I scoot closer to B who takes my hand and we say a prayer or four.! 50 minutes into the flight, we are told that due to bad weather in Abuja, strong winds and poor visibility, we will be unable to land, so we'll have to head back to Lagos.
B and I look at each other and burst out laughing. I'll let you imagine the reaction of all the other passengers. At this point, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Gisting with B all the way back made the journey bearable. Arrival time in Lagos: 1.05am.
We get to the terminal and wait to be addresed and the speech goes like this. "we are sorry for any inconveniences caused, due to bad weather in Abuja, we were unable to land but the good news is, we are ready to go back because the weather is better now". I look at the time, 1.45am. "please pick up your bags and we will check you in again, and take off when the plane has been refueled. Also note that the current pilot is tired so the director of operations will wake up from sleep and come fly the plane himself." so we are looking at a departure for about 5am. On the other hand, there was an option to reschedule the flight for the next day...
B looks at me and we both know we are not waiting for this flight. Not tonight, not ever. So we slip out of the airport quietly to go salvage what's left of the 'night'.
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