2 True Love

The crowd went tumultuous! They were chanting his name and singing his praise; some young men had quickly entered the ring to carry him up on their shoulders and were dancing around with him. N na nna, Di mgba! N na nna, Di mgba! Nna nna, Di mgba! Nnanna was still up on their shoulders when he noticed a beautiful damsel he had seen so many times before, but who was looking exceptionally beautiful. Maybe the euphoria of his victory is making everything seem much more brilliant. From where she stood, he could see her flashing him a smile and he couldn't resist grinning back.

Her name was Ego; a beauty with an hourglass shape, a soothing voice and a burnish complexion. She had eyes that made the moon jealous; with a joyous personality, always dazzling everyone with her smile. It's a pleasure to watch her walk, talk, and smile; in fact, she's a joy. People said she was given a private bath by Nma, the god of beauty. She was proof that beauty comes from birth and not something you get from what you eat or what you wear.

But Ego's physical beauty was not what made her special; it was the beauty of her soul. Though born without a silver spoon, she did not allow it to blur her view of the world; she saw herself as a good soul in a world full of wickedness and greed. Born with a heart of gold, Ego was generous to everyone and would help anyone without hesitation no matter the time or place; consistently treating all those who surrounded her with respect. She was industrious and candid in all her dealings.

You know they say "For every man, there is a woman"; well Nnanna had just found his and that was how their love story began. He went after her as she left the Ilo and they began talking. She was shy at first, trying hard not to allow her eyes to meet him, while he couldn't keep his eyes off her. The rest of the world faded and Ego was all Nnanna could see. He was supposed to be with his friends drinking palm wine and celebrating his victory but right now, nothing else mattered.

He asked some questions and she answered him with respect; while she congratulated him on his victory, narrating the whole event, especially when his opponent almost took him out; and how she thought he was going to lose but to the surprise of everyone he got back his hold. Nnanna found the fact that she could remember the whole event, including the ones he did not even notice very impressive. She also told him of a certain young man that kept staring at her weirdly all through the event with lust in his eyes as he walked her home that evening.

Nnanna got home that evening and could not get Ego off his mind. She was all in his head like a song stuck on replay. He lay on his bamboo bed rolling from side to side; he couldn't catch any Z's. He could still picture her smiling at him at the square and his heart melted all over again. Remembering the little chat they had made him smile sheepishly. He had never walked that slowly before, and at the same time praying for the walk not to end. He could still recall their discussions; the inflexion of her tone and the sparks in her eyes. He even remembered the feel of her skin when Ego's finger had mistakenly grazed his hand.

Replaying those images in his mind was now making his heart to beat faster. He could feel the blood rushing down the lower part of his body. He couldn't understand what was going on; how could he be having a million feelings, a thousand thoughts, and a hundred memories just for one person? He had been with other girls, some far more beautiful than Ego but none of them made him feel this way. The feeling will go away before tomorrow morning he told himself before he finally fell asleep on this night of his victory. But it didn't; instead, as days went by the feeling intensified.

Some few days later, he and Ego had already become inseparable friends. Few weeks from that day, they couldn't go a day without seeing each other. They fought against all odds to ensure they saw each other on a daily bases. This they did on the way to stream, in quiet places in the bush and sometimes in the pathways, not bothered with who was passing or witnessing.

When that was not possible; Nnanna would visit her and from outside the compound, he would throw a stone on the thatch roof of her hut to alert her that he was present at their favourite spot waiting for her. Once Ego hears the crushing sound of the stone on her roof, she would silently sneak out of the compound to meet him through their garden at the back of her hut; without considering the dangerous reptiles that could be hiding in the darkness.

When they meet, she would quickly hug him and holding hands they would walk back to the Iroko tree at the centre of the market to lie and watch the stars together, narrating to each other how they spent their day. It is believed that Spirits of good children live in this tree waiting to be born. During day time, young women who desired children came to sit under its shade. Ego's mother Ajuka comes there to sit sometimes praying to the gods asking them to still bless her with one of the children inside of the tree.

The events of a particular night made them laugh whenever they remembered it. Nnanna had come around that particular night as they were not able to meet during the day. He threw the first stone into the compound and it landed on Ego's roof to let her know that he was around. Unfortunately, she could not sneak out because her father was sitting outside, facing her hut drinking his palm wine. There is no excuse that would make him allow her to step an inch outside the compound by that time of the night. So she lay back in her bed hoping that after a few throws and he did not see her, he would simply go away and they will see in the morning.