"I am Anna. The most single girl in my city I suppose, or as people make it seem. I have been single for over two years quite alright but there are people who are more single as I am. I just turned 20, months back so I'm still a kid. People said being in my last year in the university meant getting a man and settling down but I disagree. Let me take you on a journey through my last relationship."
Mike was the guy I met in my first year in school. It was few weeks after I broke up with my first love, David. He was a friend of my friend, Ella who happened to be in another department. On this faithful Tuesday evening, after a long day of lectures, I happened to bump into Ella and two other guys who she said were her friend. One of which was Mike. The moment I set eyes on Mike, the eye contact we exchanged sent chills over my body and I felt the feeling was mutual. I flirted with him and watched the way he responded. At some point, I felt I was wrong for moving on from my ex that quickly, but you know, karma always has a way of punishing people. Ella gave my contact to Mike and we continued talking from there.
The Nigerian University system is a very weak one and we had to embark on an indefinite strike few days after we started talking. I think at this point, I should properly introduce myself.
I am Anastasia Chike. The second child of an Igbo family in Nigeria, Western Africa. I was born and trained in Northern Nigeria because my father was one of the boys who was trained in the Igbo apprenticeship system also known as "Igba boy". Living as an Igbo in the North is not as difficult as people make it look. The only awkward moment is when you tell people you were born in the North and the disappointing look on their face when you say you can't speak Hausa language. Well I've always survived it and will always do. Don't get me wrong though, I'm in the process of learning the language. Asides that, I was okay with living in the state until when I graduated from high school. My parents pressured me into studying in the same state they were in with reasons only they understood.
"She would spoil if we let her go to the East to study." My mom will always say like I was immuned to getting spoilt in the North.That was in the past because I'm now studying in the "best" university in my state. Thanks to Dave, I got to settle in the university properly without any issues. David was my first love and the only boy that I have genuinely loved. Though there is not really much to say, because he was boring and all that. You wouldn't believe we kissed just once in our two years relationship. Awkward right? I can imagine the look on your face. Well I just loved his personality and the good boy that he was because I was also naive and a goody-girl. Two years, cut-short, we broke up few weeks after I moved into the hostel in my first year because he always complained of me not visiting. I'm just a girl who is few kilometers away from home for the first time and he wants me to visit him daily or probably move in with him, it's not adding up. And once I asked for a break to breath, he accused me of infidelity because he saw me walking with a guy few meters away from my hostel. In his words, "I see how you are enjoying your break" Well I ended things with him because he was becoming overbearing. And the guy I was talking walking with, his name is Sam and we would be talking about him later.
It was few weeks after I broke up with Dave, that I met Mike. I felt it was a way of the universe repaying me for my loss. Our first few days was about getting to know each other.
Mike was the third child in a Yoruba home. Unlike me, he came to the North for studies and as such was just getting used to the harsh weather condition which he complained of frequently. Mike was the first guy I dated outside my tribe and religion. Despite the differences, I saw a future with him. A future I didn't know what it held.