Today, I'll be hosting an ace writer who happens to be one of my mentions in the previous post. This is a personal letter but I feel it's too interesting to enjoy it alone. So with his consent, I share it with you. He wrote:
"It has been over a year since I sat down to write anything like this. This is because I write mostly when I'm inspired. I get inspired by experiences, life issues, people or most times, how I feel. One could think me to be a writer when I say “I write”, but I see myself more as a scribbler and this is not because it also sounds like my name (he laughs). I decided to write this because something happened to me over the past weekend. I’ll try to be short as much as I can.
I had a very busy week at work that also took a lot into the weekend. My Saturday morning was filled with chores, errands and activities that got me tired even before it was noon. I got myself so engaged that I had to call it a day before 3pm, so I decided to ease out stress by hanging out that evening. I made my way to Bode Thomas Street in Surulere where I usually have lunch at the Sweet Sensation Café, then crossed over to the Leisure mall to see a movie. After the movie, I made my way out of the mall, but with my mind on my little toy (called cell phones). I was reaching out to a number of missed calls and messages, that came through while my phone was in Silent mode, inside the cinema. They say we gravitate to people with like interests and attractions but my case was of the former not the latter.
A group of four ladies were walking ahead of me, and as we made it to the exit foyer, they stopped to take some pictures. That was when I noticed one of them. She wore a blue blouse, a pair of black jeans and some good looking pair of sandals that made her lovely feet glitter. I'm saying this, just to express how I perceived what got my attention. I decided to speak to her after the snapshots but I got distracted once again by a text message from a colleague of mine. When I looked up and away from my phone, I realised that the ladies had already gone down the stairs and heading for the gates. I trotted down the stairs, caught up with them at the gate and asked to speak with her. She was snobby at first, which is a major turn off for me (no mature and exposed person should act that way, you know). It’s just uncontrollable pride for me. Well, I just probed a little longer because I believe in second chances and also did not want to make assumptions. She did what plenty ladies would do (keep you waiting for a while), but in the end, gave me her Facebook ID to contact her (even though I just wanted to make her an acquaintance and maybe, chat with her one on one before heading home). I got turned off again when after giving me her Facebook ID, she said she always accepts all friend requests sent to her. This meant that she was likely to have an uncontrollable number of friends, and here was I thinking that I had met a lady with high standards like yours truly. No offence here, and with no sense of pride. Did I mention that I draw lines for a living? Yes, you got me right, I'm an Architect. I get paid to pay attention to details. Let me not bore you with the details but just the summary. I took the Facebook ID and we parted ways.
I got home that night and checked her out on Facebook. I also sent her a friend request and a message. I still wanted to sit and chat with her but not over the internet. I could do more on phone calls rather than chat on a social network. My busy schedule does not allow me long periods of typing text over the internet. She did accept my friend request three days later, but has not replied my message up till now (and who in the world still does that?). I think this is because she has over 4000 friends on Facebook (FRIENDS- Not fans? Are you D.Banj?). We usually have less friends and a lot more acquaintances, fans or admirers, but her case was different. I got this manuscript ready a day after she accepted my friend request, but I could not just find time to type this up (please understand how difficult it is for me).
My aim of writing this now is to appreciate the lady that inspired me to scribble again after this long while. One lady who made me check the meaning of the word ‘Radiant’, like I never knew the meaning before. She is a writer, singer and trained medical doctor. A lady who I strongly feel radiates vigour, brilliance, humour, intellect and content (and did I mention that she is very fair in complexion?). I won’t call her beautiful, but I am sure she is pretty. I am not as good a writer as Chimamanda Adichie (who I grew up with), Linda Ikeji, and Ibe Chidiogo Radiant who inspired this. I never received any formal training in writing though I have a collection of songs and poems I think are good. Please pardon my punctuations also, I just wanted to type and send you this ASAP. You never really know someone until you relate, communicate and understand their person, before you can have genuine opinions about them. If I did not check her profile and blog online, maybe my perception about her would have gone left and never right (you know what I mean). Funny, she said I was a “Chyker” in her blog, I guess she never knew I would take much of her time by making her read this (if she ever gets to check her message from the 4040th friend- he laughs).
Chidiogo, if you ever reply this, just know that I still want to sit and chat with you for I believe it’s the most effective means of communication. I could wait a while for you to reply, hoping sooner than later, for I know that we are friends on Facebook, does not really mean that we are friends. I do not have people on my account that I do not relate with. You can be the first person to prove me wrong by having a thousand plus friends and still know something about them all.
Cheers,
Be Good, Be Strong…"
An interesting one, right? He prefers to remain anonymous.
©Radiant~September 2014
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