When love happens....

A short story by Onuzulike Somtochukwu

Timmy loved women, they  were all so beautiful to him, the tall ones , the short ones, the plump ones ,the skinny ones ,the good looking ones and even the not so good looking ones , he loved them all without prejudice! To him, it had something to do with the soft warmness of their femininity ….but he preferred African women they had that extra sauce, The creator molded them differently, their skin shone like it was made of bronze and honey
…the roundness of their hips like the native clay pot..the smell of them, the look of them, the sound of them, he adored everything about them, not to say that he didn’t enjoy the exotic foreignness of other ladies but in the seven years he had spent in New York before returning to Nigeria, he had more intimacies with African-American women…than the white women, he just didn’t understand the fuss over them, his friends had white ladies..Some even had children with them.          
   They were all beautiful of course..he was not biased about his love for women, the variety made it more enjoyable…. perhaps that’s the explanation for the excitement  that coursed through  his veins , as he made his way across the huge hall used for the reunion party to greet one.., she had smiled and waved at him.. Signaling for him to come over…. Anita Peters
Timothy Anyanwu? She inquired..Thrusting out her hand… Timmy first noticed there was no ring on her fingers, then the dimples on her left cheek..he remembered how he had admired those same dimples back in the days, she looked amazing .. Voluptuous! Just the way he liked it, and he didn’t hesitate to state the obvious, she laughed. Flatterer!..she thought  also noting the changes he had undergone too.. he had somehow metamorphosed  from a scraggly  looking kid with a bad hair cut to what her friends would call ‘A fine man!!’ they talked, laughed.. and barely noticed anyone else, engrossed with each other , they talked about life generally ,talked politics, talked weddings , talked money ..Timmy felt the connection, she was smart, beautiful, had a life and most importantly she still had that rare effect on him, he was glad he was back home.. He was more glad he came for the reunion party  (class of 2003)
Adrenaline sizzled through Timmy’s blood, this was the second time he was going to see Anita, she had agreed to meet up with him … neither of them agreed it was a date, even though they both wanted it to be secretly … finally she showed up.. she wore a red snugly fitted dress that accentuated her curves and black heels, Timmy’s heart raced , he has met a lot of women in his life, and none had this unexplainable effect on him, he felt a like randy teenager, the evening went smoothly…..Timmy stared at her like she was from another planet , he made it no secret that he was impressed by her, he loved that he could make her laugh, he loved the sound of her laughter , and the way her dimple flashed, charm has always been one of his strengths of course   but with this one he didn’t have to try , it came naturally … the evening  was ending and none of them wanted it to, he placed a hand on hers gently ...A standard flirtation ploy,  she thought but she didn’t care, no man has made her laugh that much, no man gave her such jitters ‘but you have to be careful’ her instincts warned.. ‘Timmy had a reputation with women’…. he walked her to her car … then he watched her drive away… he was sure he wanted to see her again…
 Timmy stared at the mirror , smiling at his reflection ‘Anita’ he whispered, he had forgotten Aisha… never called or returned her calls … in fact he turned down Tracy’s offer to visit him, a gesture he would have jumped at some weeks back! All he thought of was Anita, the big brown eyes, the dimples, the little mole beside her mouth, the gentle sway of her hips as she walked, her unique scent.. they’ve met severally after that evening at the restaurant and each time was different and exciting she was spontaneous… he even went to her bakery shop… watched her bake, she had this way of looking sexy and tidy at the same time…he remembered their first kiss and shuddered … it was a dare, a dare he jumped at with great pleasure ….  She had dared him to kiss her if he had the guts to, and lord! he had overflowing guts, her small perfectly sculptured lips was set in disapproving lines…he enjoyed being disapproved of.  He touched his lips to hers slightly, he always liked to draw the pleasure out for himself and the woman involved..then he nibbled at them tasting their softness, and found them delightfully luscious, he sank into that softness… exploring deep with his tongue and almost lost himself, the taste of her was too exciting, deeply arousing, then she wrenched her mouth from his and he realized she hadn’t even kissed back not even for a second there did her lips move in acceptance ,the absolute absence of response was  like a slap to his ego…is that your best shot Yankee boy? She had asked with a cocked brow … “c’mon you’ve got a reputation to live up to” she said coolly, he had smiled wantonly this woman was something else….. He didn’t need a seer to tell him he was hooked.. He’d always been skeptical about commitments, but if being committed was the only way he can be with this woman, he was willing to concede.        
Months had passed , he wasn’t over the ‘Juju’ still… he was surprised , the more he probed the more he found more reasons to stay, the attributes he never saw initially surfaced, he knew he was going to do it… he was going to take the huge step, hell! He wanted to do it, he needed to claim her …he hated himself for finally falling, but he hated the thought of losing her more!
It  was her birthday, he organized a little celebration for her, but first he had to do something ,he drove out holding the steering in a death grip… straight to Nita’s Bakeries
  Annie! he called as he stood outside her bakery shop,…she peered from the window and saw him on the busy street, all the speech he prepared flew away as he saw her…he bent on one knee.. BE MY WIFE PLEASE he said simply, she clutched her heart, and raced out to the busy street towards him…..
Yes! She replied as tears poured… she hugged him fiercely , as he breathed in that special scent of her…his woman…if he had to pick one woman to get tied down to, he was glad it was this one! He couldn’t have done better..
‘I’ve got you now, and I’m never letting go’ He whispered.