As we walked to the bus stop from the jamb coaching centre, I couldn’t help talking about him. My friend was not interested in what I had to say and literally brushed me aside. That did not deter me. I spoke on. No, I chattered on. She even tried to distract me with roasted corn! I was not having it. I buzzed in her ear drums till we made it home almost two hours after. Poor her!

My elder brother noticed some changes in me. His gentle, quiet self could not bring himself to ask. Guess he knew he wouldn’t get answers from me even if he did ask. Poor him!!

My mum, oh my mum. Why wouldn’t she just let me be?! “Times have changed”, I thought. She had her suspicions. She was near catching me at some instances. We were always a step ahead though. I would smirk when I ‘won’; or so I thought. Poor her!!!

“Daddy, I know you really love me; you’ll love me forever and be by my side”. These words form part of the lyrics to a song, a lovely tune. They also embodied my reality. Though I usually told him any and everything, he had no clue his daughter was helplessly in love. Poor him!!!!

Thing is, I knew how precious I was to my loved ones. Perhaps that formed part of the problem. I was daddy’s girl – I could literally walk on air! Oh what a feeling! As I look back at yesterday, I see that I was a recipe for disaster. As the weeks rolled into months, the ground beneath me could no longer hold; the sky above me would no longer conspire to conceal all that I had become. Things changed. So fast; so soon. Then all they had said began to make sense – ‘all that glitters is not gold’; ‘never trust a stranger’; ‘no one can love you like we do’; ‘it’s too early to fall in love’; ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’. Poor me!!!!!