Not An African Girlfriend

 

 

             

               Not An African Girlfriend

 

Ile awa dun, oko ni f'aso,

Ile awa dun, oko ni pon'mi,

Ile awa dun, oko ni l'ata

Ile awa dun, oko ni s'ise.

  

This was the first message Sola sent me the morning after the night I agreed to be his girlfriend.

Sola had been pursuing me for a while, and he was persistent. He had observed me through my last relationship and kept insisting that he was a better match than Tomiwa.

Tomiwa was a good guy, but his family was another story. I really liked Tomiwa, but his family was where I drew the line. They treated me as if I had ulterior motives, like I was after something my parents couldn't provide.

Not that my family had much to offer anyway.

The Adepojus, Tomiwa's family, could boast of owning a four-bedroom apartment in the remote outskirts of Ikorodu. The property wasn't even in the more developed part of the town. No, it was located in an area where only a motorcycle taxi charging you N1,500 could access.

The house was well-designed, considering Tomiwa's father was an architect, and his mother was an engineer. After their spacious residence, it was the only decent building on the rough street named after them.

It was evident that the house was the embodiment of all their architectural dreams. So, it wasn't surprising that they treated it as their most cherished possession.

The property wasn't exactly magnificent or special, in my opinion. I only considered it so because of its location. If it were in the heart of Ikorodu city, it would have faced fierce competition.

Well, they knew how to choose their rivals, but it was only a matter of time before they realized that the property wasn't anything extraordinary.

Now, back to Sola. This guy, who had me head over heels in love with him, stood by me through all the dramas of my relationship with Tomiwa. He was always there to comfort me and listen to my complaints.

One unforgettable experience that made me believe Sola might not only be the love of my life but also my soulmate was when I visited the Adepojus for a Christmas holiday.

By that time, I had been dating Tomiwa for three years, and I was well-acquainted with their home. Everyone in my family knew Tomiwa as well, so it wasn't just a casual visit.

However, the ten days I spent with Tomiwa's family felt like pure modern-day slavery.

Good Lord! What didn't I wash? I washed everything, from pots blackened by careless cooking to Jackson, their Rottweiler's kennel.

Tomiwa had two older sisters, Tayo and Tola, who took every opportunity to mistreat me and remind me that I was their brother's girlfriend.

"It's only a temporary position," Tayo sniffed, reminding me.

That particular visit was a nightmare. When I returned home after enduring their treatment, my parents had to take me to the hospital for proper treatment. I had lost weight, and my skin had darkened by several shades.

To top it all off, I discovered that Tomiwa had been cheating on me throughout our three-year relationship, and his family had thought of me as a gold digger because the other girl studied in London.

They knew all of this while I was busy preparing their meals. My younger sister joked that I should have invited Lot's wife into the kitchen each time they made me cook.

Well, I genuinely liked Tomiwa, and I wanted his family to like me.

I broke up with Tomiwa right from my hospital bed and buried my head in the arms of Sola, the love of my life.

Little did I know it was all a facade. Sola was a proper Yoruba demon.

To be continued…

 

 

 

Translation

Ile awa dun, oko ni f'aso,

Ile awa dun, oko ni pon'mi,

Ile awa dun, oko ni l'ata

Ile awa dun, oko ni s'ise.

Our home is sweet, the groom does the laundry

Our home is sweet, the husband fetches water

Our home is sweet, the husband grinds pepper

Our home is sweet, the man does all the hard work and house chores