In the course of my over 27 years on earth, Love has been unnecessarily difficult, it has always been a business venture. A game which involves the players bringing what they can offer to the table after which agreements are made. It’s a game where all the players flaunt perfection, their strengths and hide their weaknesses.
Love has been duly exploited as a loophole through which unsuspecting victims are ripped of their earnings. True love has become a commodity that is sold at A-list shopping malls. Love is only beautiful in songs and in movies. The actors and the music artistes create works to appeal to the minds of the audience but deep inside, their actions are not real to them.
My relocation to Lagos gave me a bitter taste of the highly monetized love system, with the female players playing the role of the Central Bank of Nigeria. They set absurd rules in a relationship that is fast becoming a financial system some ladies make a career out of. It’s so appalling that only your payslip or your bank statements could unlock the hearts of the beautiful ones. They mostly make enquiries about your job like they have a better option for you. This confirms the popular Statement "Every Woman is a prostitute, the only major difference is the location they all stand''
I hate to apply that statement or debate on its validity due to my respect for women. But we can't sideline the elements of truth contained in the statement. Every man ends up gaining access to the woman's honey-pot by paying in cash or kind. Some pay through lies by giving her an assurance of a future far from the liars. Respect to every woman reading this, regardless of the prevailing circumstances that could have ruined the image of the Nigerian women, every woman is a goddess.
On this note, I have so much respect for the resilient Nigerian ladies striving hard to take place of men in the society by being independent financially. Several may never achieve those aims but they are making an encouraging statement. I salute every Nigerian woman giving a chance to amateur footballers and fielding them on a world-class stadium to see what they can offer. I have so much respect for that special lady nursing that diamond in the dirt. Cleaning it fervently and hoping it would shine as well as be a great and lucrative asset that would bail-out her family from the enclaves of poverty. These sets of people will be forever respected by the men till their dying days. Cristiano Ronaldo will forever be grateful to Manchester United for giving him a pedestal to shine, such as Thierry Henry will forever have Arsenal in his hearts and Gareth Bale would forever sing the songs of Southampton Football club where he kick-started his career.
I am of the conservative belief that people hardly change. The attraction for financial benefits over behavioural attributes or futuristic gains has been preached in Churches, movies and in tales by aged people. We all enjoy the climax of the story and ignore the reality of it. It’s very difficult to change the perception of people. Men are beginning to strongly imbibe strong financial considerations in making their choice of relationships. No man wants to marry a woman who will be just a good money spender. My friend's father said love is beautiful and powerful but the sad thing is that love can never prepare a soup. That is really blunt and truthful. It buttresses the emptiness and lameness of love without money.
Love is now a highly-prized commodity at the market place only accessible to buyers with the required financial base.
During my lonely moments, I thought about visiting my village to pay the bride price of one local and unexposed village girl to take her as my wife. At least she will save me the pains of spending my life savings on the marriage ceremony and honeymoon abroad as desired by the educated female folks. Then again, I thought about the menace of vicious village men that could go as far as demanding for the head of President Muhammadu Buhari as the bride price of their daughter especially if she is beautiful and endowed. You can't underrate them too, they are civilised in a backward manner.
On an ending note, I will like to talk about my personal life. On the 20th of September, 2015, someone fell in love with me for reasons I am yet to ascertain. She fits the picture of the woman I have always pictured in my dreams. I knew deep inside of me that life could never be nice enough to present a vivid image of such a lady to me in reality. I mean a very tall, light-skinned, beautiful, clean, soft-spoken, financially-independent and loving lady who will be so excited about me despite my unqualified nature. I mean someone that will look above my shortcomings and embrace me.
In my first week in Festac, Lagos, I met this cousin of my housemate that matched that description. I was killed by my imaginations when I accidentally opened the gate for her thinking I knew who was knocking the gate. On seeing her, I smiled to myself saying ''only in your dreams'' She was just too perfect for my liking. As fate will have it, we met again at a surprise birthday party her friends threw for her at Elegushi beach on the 20th of September. It appeared she liked me. On the 26th of September, we were already in each others' arms. I don't want to face reality right now. I don't want to see the loopholes in this union. We are still strange to each other and the feeling of being with her makes me sleep well at night.
I am like a happy fool right now but I do love the feeling. I can perceive a lot of dead aspects in my life coming to life. Being with her is magical. It’s all I crave for currently and if you are reading this, I urge you to pray for me. I just want to be happy; I am fed up being with ladies I am unconnected to.
