Anita was still trying to come to terms with Nduka’s proposal. He wanted to ‘something more serious’ that would lead to marriage. He was a caring and hardworking young man. A dealer in spare parts, in the ever-busy area of Alaba International Market in Lagos, Nduka was blown away by Anita’s beauty. That day, she had had asked him for direction to a place. That marked the beginning of their friendship. She would have considered him but he was younger.
“Who would know that I am six years younger?” He said in his thick Igbo accent. She liked him. He was such a hard worker and knew how to turn every situation to his favour, making him a genius. Physically, he was well-built- the evidence of hard labour from menial jobs. He was just right but the age thing was the deal-breaker.
If there was anything that endeared her more to him, it was the way he spoke. He was a proud son of the soil. Not for once did he deny his ability to complete his University education. He had had to drop out in his penultimate year because of financial constraints. Nduka soon became the breadwinner of his family.
Raised by a single father, he had not known his mother. He learnt she died during childbirth, leaving him and his twin sister in the hands of his father. As a military officer, Nduka’s father strived to make life comfortable for his children. He thought of remarrying but he was unlucky with the women who came his way. It was either a gold digger or heartless woman who cared less about his children, He wanted the entire package. That is, a woman who loved him and his children as well. It was difficult to find one genuine.
The unexpected happened when Nduka’s father was shot on the leg during military combat, leaving him amputated. That was the beginning of their family’s woes. His condition consumed their finances, and life became difficult. They got a nurse for their father. Thereafter, the nurse started molesting him as a teenager outside her shifts. This was right under his father’s roof without his knowledge. Meanwhile, his twin sister had gone to live with his grandmother. Left alone, he had to ‘hustle’ while staying with his dad.
So Nduka became very sexually active as a teenager. He found out he got more attracted to older women. While pursuing his studies to become a mechanical engineer, he lived a reckless sexual life. It took some form of divine intervention to get his acts back together.
That was six years ago. Here he was with the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He has always wanted to end with an older lady. Somehow he felt they were more matured and can handle life. But Anita was no longer privy to his desires.
Dated March 10th, Anita wrote in her diary- He is six years younger, can I handle this? I have always dreamt of my man as much older, maybe five years at most. Would I leave him heartbroken and move on? Or just accept and make things work?