He said:

He said:

My driver had a family emergency and had to be excused for the day

I got a call at about 9 am that I was needed in Lagos for a meeting with one of our engineering partners from Italy

The engineering firm I founded with four others while we were in the university has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, and we have a lot of partners in Europe.

One of them died recently, and his son took over the family business

The meeting was going to be between our team and the new management of that firm, headed by their new president.

I needed to be in Lagos, so I dressed up and headed out immediately.

When I drove out of Bodija Estate Extension, I had the option to head to Bashorun and link up with the expressway from there or link up through Ashi junction, but I found myself driving towards the University of Ibadan.

It was way off course, but I drove on anyway. When I got to Ojoo, I realised I was feeling sleepy behind the wheel.

It has been a while since I drove that kind of distance, and my body was feeling the pressure even before I had driven for twenty minutes

I was well rested, so it was not physical tiredness. It was more of a psychological response to the journey ahead.

I know I needed company

So I drove slowly and scanned through the passengers heading into the car park

That was when I saw her

A young lady walking with energy and carrying a simple bag.

I parked, wound down the windshield, and honked at her

She looked my way and smiled

I becoked on her to come closer and asked her if she was going to Lagos

She said yes

Then I told her I was feeling sleepy and needed a lively soul to talk to, and not someone who would sleep off once she got in my car

She said, "I can do that," and hopped into the car

And she did that.

She talked and laughed and screamed and argued and sang

She changed the music playing on my car stereo so many times that I eventually told her the Bluetooth password and asked her to connect her phone to the stereo and play songs from her playlist

Did I mention that she was twenty-five years old and I was forty?

I mean, her taste in music is absolutely different from mine, and the musicians she was listening to were unknown to me

I was single and unattached.

Not because I didn't want to get married, but because I didn't do so when I had the chance.

Once my business prospered and I began to make money, love became a dicey thing, and finding a wife became a problem.

The only woman I ever loved insisted I must abandon my company and get a job when the company was still at it's infancy

I refused, and she left

One year later, the company won its first international contract

I have dedicated my life to building the company without any distractions since then.

We talked as if we had known each other for many years. I was very aware of the age difference, and it didn't cross my mind to have any form of relationship with her.

She encouraged me to speed throughout the journey and would hoot whenever I overtook another car.

We got to Lagos, and I dropped her off at Unilag

My plan was to go to my hotel, rest a bit, and freshen up before my meeting at 10 pm.

She was the one who asked for my phone number when she alighted from my vehicle

She said, "Just so I could be sure you got to your destination safely."

I was resting when she called at about 2 pm, asking me to come and pick her up from the venue.

She didn't ask directly, and I must confess that I had been thinking about her

So when she called, my response was "I am coming".

I picked her up, but I didn't know what to do with her

So I asked her where she was going, and she said Ibadan.

I said I would have loved to ride back with her, but I had a meeting that night and would be returning to Ibadan the following morning

She said, "Hmm, I would like to ride back with you, but I didn't pack an overnight bag, etc."

I said, " We can buy whatever you want."

She said, "Okay."

So we went to buy.

After buying the stuff and having lunch, I decided to book a room for her at a hotel

I asked her which hotel she usually stayed at in Lagos, and she googled some and told me to take her to one in Yaba.

I did.

I paid for the room and gave her some money to get dinner, and left

By this time, it was about 5 pm

I was excited that I would be driving back to Ibadan with her

I got to my hotel at about 7 pm due to traffic, and she called

She said she was bored and would like to come over to my hotel

I like that about her

She had that childish directness when she communicated

She would just say what she had in mind

I told her I couldn't risk driving through traffic to pick her up because of my meeting

She was not taking no for an answer, so I told her to come over

She came in at about 9:15 pm

I was waiting at the reception with her copy of the key card and some instructions

I hated to be late for a meeting.

My office had also sent another driver to take me to the meeting by this time

I just hopped into the car, and we rushed off to the meeting

I couldn't stop thinking about her

I am not talking about thinking about her in terms of sex or relationship, No.

I was just intrigued and awed

I got to the meeting, and it turned out to be one of those very long ones

We left the venue of the meeting at about 4:30 am

I rushed back to the hotel and met her sleeping in the hotel robe

I sat and observed her for a few minutes before waking her up

She rubbed her eyes like a baby and rushed into the bathroom to freshen up and change

I sat at the reading table and peeked inside her jotter, which was on the table

She also dropped some money, a key, her purse, and ruffles on the table.

She came out of the bathroom fully dressed

She then said, "At least brush your teeth before checking out. It is not good for a big boy like you to talk to people, and your mouth will be oozing."

I laughed so hard

But I went into the bathroom, and she followed me into the bathroom and watched me as I brushed my teeth.

Who does that?

When I indicated that I needed my privacy

She laughed and said, "I am the woman, and I should be the one feeling uncomfortable with a man. Why are you being such a girl?"

It was all clean and not flirty or seductive

She was just plain, you know, when they say a person has no guile? Yeah, that was what I saw in her that morning. I enjoyed that a lot

We checked out of the hotel, and I slept all the way to Ibadan.

We got to Ibadan at about 7 am

Her parents' house was just after the Polytechnic, Ibadan. Eleyele Area.

We dropped her off, and that was supposed to be that.

I got home, and suddenly my house felt empty

I immersed myself in work

Traveled to Lagos several times and even to Abuja for meetings and project supervisions

She told me she was engaged, and I didn't want to encourage any form of familiarity

Anyway, weeks went by, and one evening, I felt it was safe to call her and say hello

I did, and she answered as if she had been expecting my call

We talked for a few minutes, and she said she has been waiting for my call

That statement really helped.

I said I would drive over to pick her up, and I did.

I took her to dinner

She said she had broken her engagement and even resigned from her job

She said she had packed her bags and given many of her things away to her younger sister and some friends

I asked her why

She said, "Because you are my husband and you want me to be a stay-at-home wife."

I think that was the night we had our first kiss

She came with a precision that I value so much

She followed me home that day

It was from my house that we went to meet with her parents

It was from my house that we went to the registry

When her parents insisted that she could not come to the traditional marriage from my house, and she insisted she was not leaving, I had to make a compromise.

We moved to a hotel close to her parents' house for the occasion, and when we were done, we came back to my house together.

She is forty years old today

I mean, today is her fortieth birthday, and we decided to share our story with you and your readers

We have four children and a very happy home.

Let me also state that we were both not Christians when we met

The Christian concert she went to attend was just for entertainment, and even though I was also born a Christian, I never gave my life to Christ until after we had our first child

I think we both gave our lives to Christ on the same day

PS: Happy Birthday to Mrs. Abigail Maforikan

I find their love story refreshing

She told me her story, and I decided to hear the story from her husband's perspective, too, so that I could see both sides of the coin.

Some know when they meet the one, and some don't

Noah released a raven, and it could not find a place to nest

Noah released a dove, and it found a place to nest

Such is the way of men and women when it comes to love.