A first date is something that one anticipates for especially for the singles. You buy the latest cologne, shop for the perfect dress and stilettos to make sure that your crush at least notices the beauty without, just before your claws begin to show up. This was how Sophia felt when Robert, a tall, dark but not Sudanese lawyer by profession asked her out. She had been praying for this for long, mentioning it as a prayer petition among her friends who were also ‘saved’ as they call them in the Pentecostal churches. She had been told for so long to wait on the Lord if she ever desired to see her prayer answered and this is what she has been doing until Robert showed up.
They met in church, were friends for a while before they agreed to start dating. On the d-day, they agreed to meet at the hotel directly. Sophia arrived first, dressed in a short black,polka dot dress with red stilettos to match with. In her right hand, she held her clutch bag tightly and matched confidently to the reserved seat crossing her fingers that she doesn’t trip along the slippery floor. It was the first sign that she met on the door as she entered. She arrived at the reserved seat, looked at her fake gold wrist watch and discovered that she was thirty minuted early before the agreed time. It has always been her norm to be on time. In fact, this is one of the reasons she dumped most of the men in her life. She had this motto,’ If you don’t respect my time, you don’t respect me,’ and would leave without waiting for any explanation. hence, she expected something different from Robert.
“Sorry am late,” Robert said panting heavily. Fury was written all over Sophia’s date, and Robert could smell it. She stood up to give him a hug and a peck which were all distant. Before he could even explain what had happened, Sophia interjected and gave him a long lecture on keeping time and how she has made him wait for one whole hour. Robert’s mood for dinner was just about to be spoilt before he had a light bulb moment on how he could salvage the situation. The comic that he was, he began sharing funny stories which at first made Sophia angry but later on, she warmed up to the jokes and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks. It was the first time a man made her laugh this much.
“I didn’t know you were this funny,” Sophia told him, smiling shyly, avoiding eye contact with him. She was a shy girl since her childhood despite the fact that she possessed a strong personality which not many people knew about.
“When I saw steam coming from your ears I knew that I had to do something very fast or else I would miss a chance to know you,’ Robert replied, firmly gazing at her face. This criminal lawyer had developed the habit of maintaining eye contact with people trying as much as possible to detect their mood and emotions.
Dinner was served. They both ordered for chicken tikka as they did not have the habit of experimenting things. Sophie opted to eat with her hands instead of using the forks and knives that were on the table. Robert was shocked. “That’s gross, he exclaimed trying to hand her the forks and spoons,his face expression looking as if he was embarrassed by the act.
” I just hate those things. I can’t use them. why should I be forced to use them as I try to satiate my appetite while its un-african to do so?” She responded adamant, continuing to eat in the way she knew how. The truth was Sophia didn’t know how to use the cutlery. Once, during a work party, she wasn’t able to employ them and this made her boss to ban her from all bashes. From then hence forth, Sophia has never used the cutlery and always defended herself with that un-african statement to make her sound as if she knew what she was doing. to save her face from the disgrace of not knowing how to use the cutlery.
Myriads of thoughts cascaded Robert’s mind even as he tried to finish the food which he was regretted to pay. It was mid month, hence paying such a lot of money on food and then throwing it away was not something the he desired. At the back of his mind, he thought of the numerous dinners with the whos and whos in the society and how Sophia would embarrass her with her lack of etiquette and style. That despite the fact that she was intelligent, this one thing made her miss the mark. He thought about her reaction when he came late and justified the reason why she shouldn’t meet her again. This was the first and the last date.
Like a gentleman, he took her home in his posh black BMW which he was heavily paying for it as a loan. Sophia was mesmerized by the fact that the dude had a car and thought of the reaction of her pals when she told them that her “soon-to-be” boyfriend and future hubby was driving and the fact that he was a gentleman and funny and how he was that one man who broke the jinx of breaking up with men who could not just keep time. She was in love. On the other hand, Robert was thinking of how that night was his worst ever. He opened the door of the car for her and gave her a push up to the door of her house and when she noticed that she was expecting a kiss, he gave a lame excuse that he had to run home and that he was going to call. But he left and never returned again.
Leave a Reply