It is the 8th outing for MIP and it is not a coincidence it is the most important yet. Number 8 in the Bible is a new beginning, signifies hope, new horizons and a bright future. It is connected with Jesus and his resurrection, as he was resurrected on the 8th day to an everlasting glory. Amen?

For brevity’s sake, I would release this MIP edition in two parts, one today (my birthday) and the next on the 13th of August.

For obvious reasons, this brags to be the most peculiar of MIPs ever and trust me, it’s worth every read.

Man Has Progressed. It was the most appropriate title I could think of in the present circumstances – in the next two weeks, I’ll be marrying not just my best friend, but the woman of my dreams and absolute reality.

Before you ask me what it feels like, think how you’ll feel to have something you’ve always wanted all your life. Well, all my life, since my teenage years, I’ve always wanted to end up with someone exactly like her – Godly, modestly fashionable, progressive and homely.

How did I know these things early on?

So I grew up in a Deeper Life home where the Deeper Life Christian Women Mirror magazine is always in abundance, and like I’d written about my insatiable quest for reading, I used to spend good time reading all the editions as they come and one day I met an edition about the “Proverbs 31 Woman”. Their appearance and modest comportment greatly endeared me to them. The more I read, the more the image formed vividly in my head. Most importantly, they were portrayed to be Godly and build the ideal, Godly home with a loving man, who loved them like Christ loved the church.

Sometimes hymns accompany the editions and so A Christian Home was in this. One of the stanzas read:

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho’ days be dark and grim.

I told myself, though I don’t know her yet, but as the Lord liveth I’m ready to give everything in me to build a home with a woman cut from this same fabric. I was in Junior Secondary School at the time, so I still had a long way to go.

Apart from my Mom, any other person who I thought fitted that description was my Pastor’s wife who was in the choir that year. I always admire her composure and appearance. At some point I would get sad if she didn’t come to church. Thinking about it now, I would say I had a crush on her, until I snapped out of it.

I would later gain admission into UNILAG.

One fine Sunday afternoon, in my first year, Pastor Popoola (our campus Pastor) was conducting a worker’s induction service. After reeling out several names and their work units, I heard UKEY MARY and for a reason I still can’t tell till this very day, I wrote the name (even before I saw her walk up to the stage) in a red jotter I still have.

Barely minutes after I’d written, she walked up to the stage and I half laughed at myself when I saw the girl whose name I’d written. I kept asking myself why I wrote this name. I shrugged it off thinking maybe to write just dey hungry me jare.

We never spoke, never met. In fact, I’d forgotten about the name in my red note.

First Meeting
It happened in a church camp in the summer of 2013.

At the campus tent of our DLCC church camp on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, she was sitting in the next row. I wasn’t sure she was the one I’d seen at the induction months back, so I kept stealing  glances, because I kept telling myself: “This girl looks familiar!”

I hesitated until the last day, we were asked to re-arrange chairs and there she was with two of her friends, carrying chairs.

I walked up to her.

“Hi, I’m Oluranti, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“You’re already talking”, came the reply.

Omo! This girl mouth sharp sha!

After the most awkward of introductions, we chatted a bit while carrying chairs together and went our separate ways. Mans gats keep it short and simple.

We linked up months later in school and we became good friends, hanging out after church mostly. Occasionally, I’ll have to wait for her because she’s in one post-service worker’s meeting or the other.

For the next two and half years (plus ASUU’s 6 months strike), we maintained being friends, talked and hung out frequently. I was in a relationship at the time, so there still had to be some sort of restraint. I remember one of her chair-carrying friends, Ileri – didn’t exactly like me, for what it’s worth she’s now one of our biggest stans. Amen somebody?

After School
She was posted to Benue for her NYSC and I decided to stay back to work a bit before service. 

We still remained friends, spoke occasionally and hung out the few times she came to Lagos. Again, I was in my second relationship at the time, so there was only so much friendship we both could give. So we often went long periods without any form of communication, in fact, at some point, we actually lost contact.

My second relationship ended and at that point, I wasn’t sure I had any more relationship in me to give. 

Now, we had been friends for 5 years, visited each other’s homes once or twice, her Mom knew me and my Mom knew her too. I remember a funny incident when she visited our (new) house and my Mom in all her hilarity, offered her a “Malt of Love”. We all laughed it off cursorily.

We started being friends back again and it was almost like we never left off. A year later, I had some series of dreams and divine pointers in her direction, but I never took them seriously. Just once once call, text, vibes and all.

Until one of my female friends sent a picture of her with one Tobi Odemona to me and captioned it “Going, going, going…”. She’s never heard me say this, but I thought it was a good picture and I was all the more worried.

Immediately I lost my peace, “Is she dating this person?”, “Why won’t she tell me?” “Who is this guy to her?”

The sad part was that I couldn’t ask her without implying that I’m taking advantage of my friendship with her to poke my nose into her affairs and me I hate make girl dey wash me. So I kept it cool and mute.

Days later, I swallowed my pride and buzzed the same friend to do some snooping around, she came back to say they’d only attended a wedding together with other friends.

“Madam, so what’s with the Going x3 thing with you please?”

LMAOOO’ing away, she told me: “Oluranti, you obviously like this girl, so why aren’t you doing something about it??!! I pity you.”

I pitied myself too, then on, I told myself if I felt this way about her, then I’d be damned if I didn’t tell her.

After stalling for a few more months, and all my friends Ebunoluwa, Toheeb and co prodding me for the longest, one fine evening we drove to UNILAG, I told her about my dreams, my feelings for her and asked her to take her time, pray about it and we’ll talk when she’s ready.

Apparently, it turned out to be the greatest single mistake I (almost) regretted later on…

Let’s catch up on the 13th for Part B, watch this space!

Alexa, play me Stand By Me, the Skylar Grey’s cover.

Akerele Oluranti
3:12am, 01/08/2021
T: @Super_Akerele
IG: @superakerele