My 'Next house' neighbour

Lagos I must say is a very crazy place. In the event you don't know, Lagos is a state in Nigeria, my beloved country in green and white. It is only in Lagos that the sole difference between day and night is the colour of the sky and the presence or absence of the sun and moon. Otherwise, the city is constantly bustling with activities, the streets are flooded with people. It is, for this reason, it is called the city that does not sleep. Mama will always complain whenever she comes around. She complains about the constant noise of cars honking, horns blaring, and music blaring from speakers of different models and sizes serving as commercials or entertainment at local bukas, restaurants and bars. For me though, I don't have much of a problem with all of this. I kind of like the city, it has my vibes you know. I've always been a chatterbox, I've always been agile and many will say hyperactive and so, I was never bothered by the noise of the city that was its centrepiece as far as I was concerned and the people's crazy behaviour was a plus. But, who can blame them, in biology we were taught that for an organism to survive it must adapt to its environment so there you have it, mad place mad people? For me though, I think the environment will have to be the one doing some adjusting so that it could keep up to my rhythm. 

I recently moved into Lagos and I have over time formed the habit of walking when I can afford to so I could get used to my environment. Today's walk was particularly spectacular. Let me give you the full gist. I had just rounded the bend to my street when I saw this guy walking from shop to shop seeking to purchase some household items I suppose. Gosh! I think the Oxford English dictionary needs to look into the possibility of adding in new words as perfect seems to be too small a word to describe this beauty. Let me begin with his gait. He walked as though the earth were his subordinate taking steps like he was making a show of his level of supremacy with shoulders a perfect square and legs that were shaped like Cupid's bow. To make the movement more spectacular, the sun was setting just right behind him shrouding him in its last-minute glow giving him this Ethereal glow like a god landed on earth. His neat buzz cut hairstyle was a perfect fit for his delicately sculptured diamond-shaped face with a thin chin strapped beard running along the side of his face accentuating his strong jawline and conjugating at his chin. His lips were small and a little pouty giving his dominant male frame a childish touch making him even more appealing. As he talked to the woman in front of whose shop he was currently standing, flecks of light from the shop's light bulb reflected off his ivory white teeth, Oral B seems to have made the biggest mistake by not using him as their model and then he smiled, wow! wow!! wow!!! the sun seemed to instantly pale behind him knowing very well it was no match for this beauty. He walked closer the breeze blowing his scent over and I bet I would have given him my nose for a souvenir if he'd asked for it. He smelled like a heady mix of male musk and something so faint and sweet that I could not place. He got closer and the miracle of the day happened. We bumped into each other or better still he bumped into me in an attempt to avoid being hit by some rascal Lagos driver. I fell backwards and halfway to the ground he caught me and for that still moment we looked like two tango dancers at the end of the dance staring inquisitively into each other's eyes seeking out each other's souls. I guess he felt the awkwardness of the moment and so he decided to let me go, helping me balance myself properly on my feet. Since I almost fell I guess I could say he swept me off my feet. Not just me though but my nylon bag too 'cause it slipped out of my grip spilling out all of its content to the ground. This to you may sound a cliche but the scene was the climax of the evening and let's see if you guessed right; we reached down to pick up my stuff at the same time and clumsily our heads collided. He looked into my eyes and I looked back in his and whoa! I felt like I was being hypnotized. His eyes were like a whirling pool of caramel catching the headlight of an oncoming car it sparkled entrancing me in a hypnotizing stare. He came closer and closer and putting his lips to my ear, he whispered my name the sound so soft it could have been the wind speaking. Lily! he kept on calling my name repeatedly the volume and urgency increasing and strangely it soon started sounding feminine. Lily! Lily!! I realized it was not him calling me when I heard the person call me by my full name Ayomide Lily Akinwande are you going to wake up or should I call your people at the office to tell them you're not interested in resuming with them because your dreams are more interesting to you than your reality. Stop smiling with your eyes closed and get off the bed you have only an hour to go. With this notification, I quickly sprinted out of bed. Taking my bath and dressing up in a hurry. Breakfast did not make its way to my compulsory list as I even had to delete my priceless early morning makeup well it's a good thing I actually look like a sunflower even in my sleep or how did that guy put it?. I half walked and half ran to get a bus to my place of work and luckily for me there was no traffic today. Already settled in at my desk and not having any task I had to instantly attend to, I decided to ruminate on last night's dreams. Hmmmmmmmmm

Later in the day, I smelled a scent that seemed all too familiar. I know this might sound crazy but it was the exact same heady mix of male musk and something so faint and sweet that I could not place. The same scent the guy from my dream had. I raised my head and I saw a young man He wore a burgundy suit, black trousers and a Black Tie. He walked as though the earth were his subordinate taking steps like he was making a show of his level of supremacy. Shoulders a perfect square and legs that were shaped like Cupid's bow. He had a delicately sculptured diamond-shaped face with a thin chinstrap beard running along the side of his face accentuating his strong jawline and conjugating at his chin. His lips were small and a little pouty giving his dominant male frame a childish touch. He was now talking to one of my coworkers revealing his ivory white teeth which should earn him the spot as the Oral B brand ambassador. And I knew without any shred of doubt that it was him, the guy in my dream, my new neighbour next door or better still my 'next house neighbour'. He walked closer, the breeze blowing his scent over and I bet I would have given him my nose for a souvenir if he asks. As he walked past my desk, he flashed that same smile that makes the sun seem pale in comparison, he looked into my eyes and I into his and then he whispered my name so softly it could have been the wind speaking Lily! Lily!! Lily!!! I jumped out of my daydream to realize he had long returned to his office after flashing a harmless smile in the direction of my colleagues and me. The other girls were now staring at me and giggling; well for me, I didn't care. At least he's a man worth crushing on and the fact is clear for all to see. Later that evening after working hours I decided to ponder a little on this 'I don't know what to call it' kind of coincidence. A new guy moved into my street who I clearly had a crush on appeared in my dreams yesterday and happened to be part of the company I had just been employed in. Could fate be saying something, could the hands of the sisters be weaving a new thread?. I knew fate had a role to play when he walked past me at the parking garage giving me the you're sighted look. I stood rooted to that same spot. The same spot where he met me minutes later asking if I'll like to join him on a ride home and I'm sure you know I did not refuse. 

Just so you know, tomorrow is our wedding and I dreamt about him proposing to me the night before he did. In that dream, I was in my house wearing a loose blue top over black jean shorts. I was sitting down watching a movie when I heard a knock at the door. Surprisingly, the knock seemed to become louder and each knock was accompanied by the sound of someone calling out my name and once again it was my roommate. This time she was calling out to me to answer the door. I must have been having one of those dreams again. I opened the door and standing before me with a hello neighbour package was Oluwakayode Rotimi the main character in all of my dreams and my next door... sorry next house neighbour. Well, let's see how it goes.