EVERY WOMAN'S DESIRE

 

 

They crossed to the other side of the road, walked past rows of  shops with glass doors displaying various kinds of product lining the pavements that make pedestrians  squeeze through the narrow opening they left for them. They entered one of the shops with the inscription SWEET BAKE & COFFEE boldly written on the swing doors and at the signboard above it.

A  pudgy matronly woman walked up to them with a smile after they sat on two empty seats at the far right of the medium sized room. She returned with their order of hamburger and  steaming cups of coffee.

'What is wrong, ' Tina asked her friend who is lost in thought looking at the item in front of her as if she is expecting them to somehow materialize into her mouth.

She sighed, took the cup but suspended it in mid air wondering whether to take a sip or just  put it back on the table. In the end, she chose the latter. Another sigh escaped her lips before she decided to unburden her mind.

'What do these men really want', she asked, her frustration embodying every word.

Tina turned to look at the back. When she saw there were no men behind them nor any  around the six tables except women, she turned her gaze to her friend, a little confused.

'What men?' she asked, taking another bite and following it up with a sip.

'Bode has not proposed yet', she said with a frown.

Tina dropped the remaining hamburger on the plate, wiped her mouth and hands with a serviette.

'Are you surprised, Ugonna', she said with a mirthless short laugh.

'You think it is funny', Ugonna' said eyeing her.

' Aren't we in the same shoes?'

'I thought you and Benson are already tiding up your wedding plans'

'Which wedding plans? Each time I bring up the talk about his coming to see my people, he flares up like a bomb on rampage.

' What is the problem with coming to see your people. After all you guys have been an item for quite awhile.

' Seven solid years my sister',  she emphasized with a count of her fingers almost screaming.

'I  thought he will propose to me on my birthday when he took me out to a restaurant. Instead, he said goodbye after entering my pant,' Ugonna lamented.

Tina shook her head before speaking again.

'It is their way. They like the sweet part but manning up to take responsibility and doing the needful, they develop cold feet. Benson is no different. He sneaks up into my room every Friday night and bang the hell out of my pu...' the rest of the words hung in her mouth when she noticed the disapproving look on the woman who served their orders.

Ugonna  traced the look on her friend's face  to the woman and scoffed. Both of them laughed like school girls teased about their secret boyfriends. Ugonna unfurled her hair that was tied with a ribbon and shook her head to spread it. She took the hamburger and began to eat it with a new energy. She felt a bit light now that she had unburdened her mind. They ate in silence until someone spoke.

'I heard all you were saying', a voice with a  face that had everything in large proportion said. She grabbed a chair and sat close to them without waiting to be invited. Her baby clung to her arm as she suckles her breast making a pouting sound in the process. Both ladies listened while she rambled on.

'My husband is the same. He never remembers my birthdays neither does he buy me flowers even after I reminded him. You see I love flowers. I even insisted he  propose to me with a bouquet of flowers before I could consider him for marriage when we were courting. The best he knows how to do is to sleep on top of me and snore when he is fully satisfied. I have already told him I am done making any more babies. I have four children already. This one will be my last child. She pointed at the baby who is now sleeping and snoring quietly.

'At least you are married', Tina pointed out. We are not and our men are not looking in that direction just yet. All they want to is a relationship without commitment'. 

The woman hissed and shook her head.

'If they are not ready, look for other men who are ready', she slammed.

Tina and Ugonna exchanged glances. It was Ugonna who spoke after taking a bite and washing it down with the coffee.

'It is not that easy. My boyfriend and I have been dating since we were in higher institution. We graduated last year.  I know him more than any member of my family. But propose, he will not and it is making me look like as if I am desperate'.

'Is he working and have  his own apartment', the woman asked  wiping the sweat on the forehead of her baby.  

'He is o', said Ugonna spreading her hand as one does when one is surprise and angry at the same time.

'Then he is just being selfish', the woman said with a tone of finality.

Silence descended among them until Tina looked at her wristwatch. She whistled. Her eyes widened when she realized it was past midday.

'We need to go now', she announced to the woman who had already stood up. We have taken more time for break. She stood while Ugonna  went to the counter to pay their bills.

He was muttering as he ascended the staircase, throwing his hands up to emphasize his displeasure until he entered the room without realizing it. The two men inside didn't notice him until he announced his frustration.

'I can't cope with Tina again', he bellowed seating himself dejectedly on a  sofa opposite  the men. One was scanning the pages of a newspaper while the other was pressing  his phone.

'What has she done', the one with the newspaper said without looking up. He adjusted the glasses that sat comfortably on the trunk of his nose.

'Can you imagine Tina telling all her friends every thing we do in our relationship '.

'What else do women do', asked the one with the phone who had now put it in his breast pocket.

'They gossip', replied his partner without looking up.

He hissed, crossed his right leg to the left and back again before straigtening both legs and crossing it at the feet.

'It is not like that'.

'It is like how', the other two interjected.

'I....mean... she is now getting crazy about this marriage thing and... and... announcing to all her friends that I am just using her...and.. stuffs...'

' At 37, what do you expect her to be thinking about?'. It was the one reading a newspaper who spoke, who has now folded it  and slapped it on a stool beside him. 

Benson is speechless for  few seconds before he found his voice again.

' It is not as if I don't want to marry her but...you know how my job is... it can barely take care of me. Let alone another person.'

'Well, you have a point there but keeping her waiting is not a good excuse. After all, when I married my wife, I had no job not even a room to my name. But today the story is different'. 

'Tunde...Tunde... don't push the young man to that risky faith of yours. It worked for you years ago but you dare not try that in this present day Nigeria.', warned the other.

Partly relieved that one out of the two older men see reason with him and so he continued.

'I only told her to give me some time to sort myself before embarking on that journey'

'There is no more time to waste. Two of you can marry without elaborate party and start the journey. It won't be fare that you kept her waiting this long. If care is not taken, she might go with another man who is ready.

Benson couldn't mask his anger at Tunde's last statement that Tina would find another man.

'But she can't do that', he said.

'Anything can happen these days', Tunde emphasized picking up the newspaper again.

'Now that you are asking him to marry her, how will he go about it. These things cost a lot of money you know'.

' That is if you want to spend a lot of money. Meet her parents alongside your people let them dialogue and reach an agreement.'

Benson thought about it but the miserable money he earned as salary triggered a pain in his heart that frightened every iota of manliness in him.

He kissed her forehead but she sat rigidly without any emotion to it.

'What is it', he asked studying her expressionless face.

'When are you going to propose to me?' Ugonna snapped.

The question caught him by surprise and he couldn't help but collapse on the bed in rib cracking laughter.

'It is not funny o', she thundered trying every effort not to let  teardrops mar her makeup.

'Is that what this fuss is about?' He sat up from the bed  expecting a response from her that never came and so he went on still smiling.

'I can do it right now if that will make you happy. But the only problem is that I don't have a ring here. Let me just go on one knee and pop the question. He went on one knee and held her hand but she yanked it from him and said instead.

'I am seeing someone else'.

The statement dragged him up. The smile on his face froze into a disbelieving shock that forced his mouth open. She watched his reaction with one corner of her eye and smiled inwardly now that she had caught him as it were, by the balls.

                                                                            THE END

Thank you for your continuous visits. You will agree with me that the desire of women are not that much. Just a little more commitment will do. So, on behalf of all women, I say, men please, press the propose button, follow it up with a ring or bouquet of flowers and end it with marriage. With that, you and her will both have peace. 

I am Yours Truly,

Julius Topohozin