The Weekend Bite™ Online...November Recap

Hello Friends, It's December, the concluding month to a great year. Let it be a month of refreshing and open heavens for us all. Here's a recap of #ExcerptsofTheWeekendBite for the month of November (runs bi-weekly on Twitter).

First we spoke about #Timemanagement

Time management signifies the 'ability to use our time effectively and productively' whether at work or in our daily lives. It means putting our time to good use and ensuring maximum output.

Time waits for no one. The clock ticks whether or not we chose to lay on our beds or wallow in depression. The world moves, people get ahead and if we don't learn time management we may be left behind.

So how do we master this time management?

First, we need to discover what steals our time the most. Is it procrastination, laziness, depression or some other distraction?

Once we are able to determine this, the next step is to eliminate it. We need to force ourselves to get busy even though we don't feel like it. It's like a yoke; once broken, we are able to get into what we are meant to be doing and concentrating on same.

Having to do lists, daily goals and checks may also help. Further, introducing accountability mechanisms to keep us on track will do a lot of good. Ask yourself: At the end of the day or week, do you have a long list of things you haven't done or the opposite?

Effective time management is a life skill worth having and will be beneficial in every aspect of our lives, work inclusive. So let's get a grip of our lives today and make the best use of our time. It's the day to day journey towards fulfilling our dreams.

Then we spoke about #Goingtheextramile

Going the extra mile signifies doing much more than we are required to, putting in more effort and being more dedicated. At the start of the year, we may all have goals and plans but sadly fail to achieve much by year-ending.

This is partly because we don't do enough and partly because we fail to maintain commitment to our goals and to push ourselves. You need to come to a point where your mindset is not to be satisfactory but to be better everyday. Self motivation and improvement are key.

Of course, if we do not stop to assess ourselves, we are bound to fail or to be underachievers. Check how far you've gone and go farther. Where you see you're failing or slowing down, reassess your strategy, quicken your steps and push yourself to do more.

In the race of life, the medal doesn't go to the swift or strong but to those who ensure to do more than they could yesterday. Go the extra mile with your goals, plans or work, being the best version or yourself at all times.

Everything is possible. You can become the successful person of your dreams, but first you need to make going the extra mile your watch word. Sacrifices will have to be made to get whatever you desire.

Aim for the top,
Push yourself up, 
Don't ever stop or give up,
Until you get to that top.

In conclusion, let us work towards managing our time better, and accomplishing more than we did yesterday. If we have hitherto been only satisfactory in the pursuit of our dreams, it's time to go the extra mile. Success is ours as we do so!

The Weekend Bite™ Online...October Recap

Hello Friends, Sweet November is here, the penultimate month of the year! If there are any unfulfilled expectations or unattained goals, don’t be discouraged. A lot can happen even in the last two months that can define the entire year. Just keep believing and working hard.

Here's a recap of #ExcerptsFromTheWeekendBite for the month of October (runs bi-weekly on Twitter).

First we spoke about #Knowledge

Knowledge has been defined as 'facts, information and skills acquired through experience or education'. It is also the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject; and the application of wisdom.

Knowledge is our arsenal in life's journey. It is successfully gathered from our own experiences, the experiences of others and our learning or observations from factors in our environment.  

Knowledge goes beyond mere information. It is practical and has to be applied rightly. The amount of knowledge we have can set us apart from our peers and serve as our secret to success. People make mistakes, experience unnecessary losses and setbacks all because of the lack of knowledge. The more we learn and expose ourselves to knowledge, the greater our ability to take caution and make the best of opportunities that come our way. Suffice to say, with all your getting, get Knowledge.

In addition, it is important to connect yourself with mentors in your field. Read books from experienced authors! Live to Learn! Do not go into a marriage, business, or career blindsided! Spend time to acquire the right knowledge about your area of interest and put it to good use!

Finally, get Knowledge only from renowned sources. Don't eat from a decayed pot. It will only mislead or derail you.

The Weekend Bite™ Online...September Recap

Hello Friends, it’s been a great October so far. Wishing you extra-grace to achieve great feats this month!

Here’s a recap of September's #ExcerptsFromTheWeekendBite (now bi-weekly) on Twitter

First we spoke about #Favour. 

Favour is simply an act of kindness, goodwill or blessing that comes our way, not because we deserve it, but because the person showing that kindness, has decided to be merciful and favourable to us.

This is not some religious cliché but a reality and something we should recognise when at work in our lives. Favour can be received from authorities, organisations to which we have applied, in our offices, or even in our homes. If we humble ourselves enough, we will recognise that there are some things that come our way which we ordinarily do not deserve or qualify for.

However, Favour is not an excuse to be lazy. We must always do our best to remain diligent in all we do. Favour only opens the door for us while our diligence takes and keeps us in. No matter how much favour is working for you with your employer, if you consistently fail to do your work properly, that employer will soon put it aside to kick you out! Let us thus be mindful of our disposition and commitment wherever we find ourselves.

It is usually the diligent and kind-hearted that attract unprecedented favour. Even in such instances, they don't deserve the favour they receive; that's what makes it favour! It is not earned or demanded, it simply is.

I pray for favour upon us all, that opens doors and causes prayers to be answered. Favour from God, favour from man. Let this favour be ours this month and always.

Then we spoke about #Integrity 

Integrity signifies uprightness, truthfulness, high moral standards and honesty. It has also been defined as 'the state of being whole and undivided' as a nation i.e. territorial integrity/territorial unity.

Integrity is not based on race or religion. It's a personal decision we all must make for ourselves and our nation's future. Although Nigeria, like some other countries, has been plagued with bad leadership, corruption and other ills, all these can be traced to the lack of integrity.

Many of us would choose to blame leaders at various levels, but this problem starts with you and I. If every citizen can strive towards developing a heart of integrity and avoid treachery at every level, it will on the long run reflect in our society. If very home invests in instilling the right values into children, then they will behave differently when in the marketplace, no matter how strong the temptation or persuasion is.

In our little areas of influence can we show some more integrity? Can we have men of integrity in the police, schools, government and other offices? If each person invests in having integrity, surely there is hope for the integrity of the nation.

You may have every excuse to throw integrity out the window but chose to remain faithful in what you do. One day, favour will locate you and your integrity will speak for you.

This month of Nigeria’s independence, may the words of the second stanza of her national anthem become a definite reality! 'Oh God of creation...help our youth the truth to know, in love and honesty to grow, and living just and true...'

 In conclusion, we all need to invest in having the right values of honesty and integrity and encourage others to do the same. When the time is right, favour will locate us where we are and elevate us. 

Wishing you all the best this month. 

Cheers!

©LAW Afolabi, October 2015.

THE POWER OF CHOICE

As I scrolled through my news feed on July 26, 2015, the numerous status updates, several selfie posts, and recent news items; one headline stood out above the rest: 'Bobbi Kristina Brown dies at 22years'. Suddenly, a familiar emotion filled my heart. I remember having it once before, when I saw a similar headline three years ago: 'Whitney Houston is dead!' Was it pity or grief? Did I know them personally? Not at all! But I couldn't shake off this sadness and strong belief that these women deserved better and indeed should have had better. 

I look at the circumstances surrounding their lives and deaths, I am further convinced of that fact. Whitney Houston, a woman blessed with such an amazing voice; such great talent and such promising future. Things were going great for her; then she met a young man and fell in love. Both were in the music business and theirs seemed like a perfect match. They got married, remained over the heels in love and things couldn't have been better. Then she started looking very thin, and people started to suspect. At first, it was brushed aside because she 'had always been thin'. This continued until evidence started pouring in. Drugs! That's why she looked the way she did.

Years seemed to pass in the twinkle of an eye as it started getting worse and the public started showing concern. It was obvious that the love she cherished so much had now become a bad influence. She had adopted a lifestyle of drugs and she was now in too deep. People reached out to help her and compelled her to end the association before it was too late but she was in love and chose to stay with her man. It got a lot worse and it began to affect her career. Her health was at risk, but she chose to stay put. It went on for so long and soon we all began to forget, until we heard later on that she had finally left. She found herself again and was indeed refreshed; a new album was released to celebrate this fact. We were all happy, Whitney was back! But we wondered why it took this long, after so much damage had been done.  Nevertheless, we prayed for a restoration of her lost years.

A child had been born in the midst of all that chaos; a beautiful cherry, with so much promise. A singer and aspiring actress, we wished her success with the exploration of her talents. Unfortunately, soon came the sad news of her mother's death, found unresponsive in her home. After her death, we waited for the autopsy and prayed it wasn't drugs, but traces of same were found in her system. What depression this young girl must have had to go through!  Then she fell in love with a young man who she practically grew up with, having been raised by her mother. At some point, we believed they got married until we learnt that they weren't. Nevertheless, the relationship continued. He reportedly began to present himself as her husband to exert excessive control and take over her relations, including other instances of alleged abuse. Bobbi Kristina reportedly made a phone call to an unnamed person to say her boyfriend was not the man she thought he was and was to discuss the details before she was found unconscious in her bathtub. Her boyfriend later admitted they had both done drugs that morning before he left her. We hoped to learn more about this as we waited for her to wake up from the long coma. We all prayed for a miracle but were saddened by the news that she didn't make it. Now, the young man is being accused of the circumstances that led to her death, because he ought to have known better than to acquire drugs for her when she had a drug problem. That was the same issue her mum had and it is just too sad. Quelle dommage! We wait to see the turn of events but still wish things could have gone another way.

What happened to these women is still very relevant today and like it or not, it relates to us all. The choices we make have a lasting effect on our future and several times, our loved ones. When dating, our eyes may notice several things about our partners but instead of addressing them, we sweep them under the carpet under the guise that 'he will change', ‘I love him’ or the more common 'I will change him'. Then we get married and these problems intensify and begin to affect us in several other areas. Our careers, our self-esteem, our minds and self worth, all crumble under the weight of these issues. Victims of verbal and physical abuse choose to remain in such relationships until what is left of them is simply a shadow of themselves or nothing at all. The men will seem fine and well, while the women remain affected. Bobby Brown is still doing great today, remarried and recently had a baby. Nick Gordon is also very alive, although there are speculations that he may be tried in court for involuntary manslaughter of Bobbi Kristina Brown. Choices are delicate! So don't make a choice at your own expense! Although there was no evidence of abuse in Whitney’s case, the negative influence was quite apparent, as her drug use, which her brother confessed on Oprah to have introduced her to, only worsened in her marriage to Bobby Brown.

Don't get me wrong, I am not an advocate for divorce but I will never encourage a woman to stay put with a man who abuses her. Such relationships are best ended before marriage; but even in marriage, the issue must still be addressed and not ignored. The wife of Akolade Arowolo had suffered abuse and even had scars but she kept going back after those fights, until it led to her being stabbed to death, which Arowolo has been convicted for (even though he denies same). If your man is ready to undergo counselling with you and make effort to address whatever is causing the abuse, why not? Please save your marriage! But if you have no say and he declares himself ‘an untouchable’ where no man can speak to him, then my dear, please give him time to cool off. Your life is too important!

I remember listening to a message where the Pastor referred to a ‘Christian fellowship brother’ who was beating his wife and had been counselled against same several times, but he chose to continue. Then, a few of the fellowship men who had tried everything, received the wisdom to try a rather unconventional method. They took the man to a secure location and gave him a taste of his own medicine. He never raised his hands against his wife again! Lol! (P.S, I’m not endorsing violence and battery o!)

On the other hand, it is important for us to develop strong personal values, such that we are able to withstand negative influence and refuse detrimental options, regardless of who is introducing the option. This is very important! Whatever you get yourself into, or adopt is your decision and irrespective of contributory factors or influence from these people in your life, what you say yes or no to is entirely your choice. If you invest time in developing these strong values, they will guide your decisions, including the important decision of choosing a life partner.

They say love is blind but those are simply words. This is your life! You can't afford to close your eyes to these things. Wear a pair of glasses and choose rightly! The signs will be right there in front of you before you say 'I do'. I'm not talking about little things you can afford to compromise, after all no man is perfect. Rather, I'm referring to those major things that can eat away at you forever or demean and destroy you. Any man that is not interested in adding value to your life or encouraging and helping you to be better should take a walk! Any man that thinks that communication should only be one way and enforces his opinion with a slap or punch, should also take a walk and you should run far away from such.

Your choice is extremely important, so please open your eyes wide before you step in. Sometimes you just have to put love aside and decide what is best for you and your future, no matter how difficult that is.

RIP BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN! RIP WHITNEY HOUSTON! RIP ALL OTHER WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF THEIR CHOICES!

With all the sincerity in my heart and a bucket full of roses!

©LAW Afolabi, September 2015                                                 

Disclaimer: The thoughts represented above are the opinion of the author, with a few references to publicly available facts and information about the persons mentioned. They thus do not represent fresh allegations about such individuals and the references have only been used to express the opinion of the author and convey the underlying message.

Sources of facts and individual pictures: dailymail.co.uk, etonline.com, people.com, mirror.co.uk, huffingtonpost.co.uk, rollingstone.com, s2smagazine.com, dailybeast.com, eonline.com.

The Weekend Bite™ Online... August Recap

Happy new month! Wishing you open doors and abundant blessings this September; let it be #ASeptemberForRemembrance. Here is a recap of August’s #ExcerptsFromTheWeekendBite (now bi-weekly) on Twitter.

Firstly, we spoke about #StartingOver

 Starting over is simply beginning again. Trying out something new or employing renewed effort at what you do. For some, they are two dreaded words that imply difficulty and delay. While others cannot fathom even a remote possibility of success with same.

Should the thought of starting over make us afraid or actually bring us new hope? It presents a  fresh opportunity to do things better and succeed where you failed at first.

Some will rather stay in the worst situations because of the fear of the unknown. I believe a common saying is 'The devil you know is better than the angel you don't know'.   The uncertainty tied to the thought of starting over is enough to keep such people where they are. Thus, many only get a fraction of what is in their reach; they settle for less because they are too afraid to try starting over.

You may have a job that hardly covers your transportation expenses and despite your education and experience, you chose to stay, rather than take the risk of starting over with a business of your own. The idea of job security is heavily overrated especially in a country like Nigeria. It makes trained lawyers with great grades and several years at the bar settle for a salary, the equivalent of about $200 a month, because of the certainty attached to 'regular pay'. 

For you, it might not be a job, but a no-good relationship. You might chose to ignore all the signs and abuse and hold on to a false hope of a future, because of your emotional, monetary and perhaps physical investments.

Whatever the case, wake up and smell the coffee. Do a proper assessment of your situation and decide for yourself whether you are where you are meant to be. No matter how far you've gone down that road; if it's a wrong one, you need to get yourself off it and try starting over on the right track. 

You can do it if you try.


Then we spoke about the need to #Persevere

When you begin a journey or start something over, you are bound to meet various forms of challenges on your path. These challenges may come in the form of rejections, limitations, stagnancy, failure, slow pace and many more.

But what do we do when faced with this? Do we summon courage and push again? What if even after we do this, things still seem difficult? Do we just quit and run away, thinking we'll live to fight another day? Or do we suck it up and persevere?

It might be difficult, you might feel distraught as a result of the failures and losses but don't give up. Joy comes in the morning!

Sometimes you just need more information or a better strategy. Or maybe it's not just the right time.  Maybe you need to speak to someone with a bit more experience in that area for some guidance and just pray. Whichever case, you must persevere.

Your future is too important for you to give up now. If you have a conviction, persevere, cos #somethingsgottagive. When the time is right and all things are rightfully in place, your success will break forth like the dawn and you'll thank God that you were able to #persevere.

Persevere to the very end, 

persevere my dear friend,

to life's struggles do not bend, 

until you reach your desired end

In summary, there is a time to try starting over and a time to persevere, it is wisdom with which we tell the difference. A proper assessment of your situation is critical. Don't be afraid to take a dive and when you do, ensure you swim all the way. Don't get out at your first chance because the water seems cold. A little sunshine is all you need to warm it up and that is sure to come!

Wishing you all the best this month. 

Cheers!

©LAW Afolabi, August 2015.

The Weekend Bite™ Online... July Recap

Hello friends, it's been ages! The Weekend Bite™ Online has been on sabbatical and is currently on maternity leave. Therefore, being able to write this comes with an awesome feeling of revived fervour. This is because if we stop writing, we inadvertently close the tap on expression and the opportunity to bless others with same. Remember, the water that accumulates without flowing soon begins to stink!

Happy new month! Wishing you a burst of freshness and newness this August. Here is a recap of July’s #ExcerptsFromTheWeekendBite (now bi-weekly) on Twitter.

Firstly, we spoke about #Plans.

It's a good thing to take time out to draw out a plan at every point in time. It offers many advantages including time saving, guidance, direction, progress measurement and much more. However, our plans can sometimes be good or bad and in other cases may seem ridiculous.

Ridiculous plans can either be good or bad, it depends on what comes out of it. Some of the inventions we have today were borne out of ridiculous plans with many of them failing repeatedly before tasting success. What distinguished those inventors was their ability to learn from mistakes, look over their initial plans and make amendments. There is nothing stopping you from going back to the drawing board to re-strategize, the real failure is you giving up and failing to re-plan.

We may have a carefully crafted plan which we want to stick to by all means but we need to be observant of the signs that surround us and know when a new or revised strategy is needed. It's not for us to give up at every sight of obstacles or challenges but to amend our plans when necessary, so as to ensure maximum success and manifestation of our dreams.

Then we spoke about #Communication.

Communication is the passing of information from one person to another about a particular subject. It is something we cannot do without every day. Whether we communicate by words, actions or gestures, the important thing is that we communicate effectively i.e. the information we intend to pass along must be received accurately by the other party.

On the road to realising our dreams, we can plan and strategize all we want but we must endeavour to spend time and invest in effective communication of our brand. That's why brand strategists charge so much and social media platforms are making so much profit. People and brands that invest in communication, coupled with improving the quality of their products and services, reap the benefit in soaring sales.

Communication is not just important for business but our everyday lives. Sometimes we choke when surrounded by great opportunities and people. We miss out on certain things because we are either too proud or scared to speak up. Other times, it’s because we don't know what to say. Don't be afraid to speak about yourself or brand, especially when you meet liked minds or someone that is where you want to be. There is no benefit in you having a need and being silent when a potential benefactor or someone who can offer great advice is in the room. Speak up but speak wisely!

In summary, you need to plan, review your plan and act! In doing so, effective communication to the right people is necessary to ensure success and fulfilment of your dreams. Be armed and ready when the opportunity presents itself, so you don’t miss out on anything! Wishing you all the success in the world!

Cheers!

©LAW Afolabi, July 2015.

Glorious Woman

God took his time to think of you

And saw the need and plan for you

He made you much more specially too

Glorious woman

Though the enemy tried to displace you

And frustrate God’s beautiful plan for you

God’s Glorious grace in Jesus came through

Glorious Woman

In God’s divine plan you played an active part

You gave birth to kings & raised them from the start

Even when you were despised, rejected& torn apart

Glorious woman                              

A heart so precious, it glitters more than gold

Your words so rich, laced with wisdom untold

Hands so strong, they do not grow weary or old

Glorious woman

Your altar of prayer burns and never goes dim

The chances of your failure are forever slim

With Jesus on your side and the Spirit within

Glorious woman

You organise your home and get things done

Make sure your clothes sparkle and are not outworn

Your children too shine bright even as the sun

Glorious woman

A voice to the nations, a messenger of peace

Still a champion at home, your dedication does not cease

A will that endures all hardships and doth ever increase

Glorious woman

You are influential, outstanding, a woman of worth

You take territories over; rid them of evil sorts

Fulfilling purpose in all areas; dominion’s your lot

Glorious woman

On your account, a lost people are saved

By your words and prayers, troubled hearts are stayed

Your compassion reaches out to help the swayed

Glorious woman

God’s love for you forever endures

You are celebrated today and forevermore

A treasure to all, you remain ever sure

Glorious Woman

©Lola Agbaje-Williams ©LAW Afolabi, February 2015.

All Rights Reserved

A Tale of Two Love Birds

"Enitan, my sweet love....my one and only...”

Josh couldn't get past that one line no matter how hard he tried. How in the world was he going to get ready in time for tomorrow?

He stared at the bin in front of him, with more confusion in his mind. The shredded sheets with wasted ink filled up the container and left no room for more.

Enitan....Enitan...how in the world was he going to express the feelings that dwelt deep inside his heart like a soulful melody within that he never wanted to end.

Beep went his mobile. 'Not now! I'm trying to concentrate.' He thought to himself.

He ignored it and tried penning down some key words. Another sound soon filled the room, this time it was his office line. He couldn't afford to ignore this.

"Hello!"

"Josh what have you been doing all day? How come the Jackson file is not yet on my desk?” Asked his boss impatiently.

"Sir, I'm working on it."

"I must have it before the end of the day!" Click went the sound of the phone on the other end.

He had a lot of work on his desk...this writing was not going to work right now.

His mobile beeped again. This time he saw it was Mama calling. 'What could she want o!' He decided to pick the call.

"Mama, kedu!"

"Odinma my son. I hope work is fine."

"Mama, what is happening? You know that I'm at work."

"Yes, I know. But I need your help my son. The container I was expecting with my goods has landed and the money to clear it is much more than I expected. I need to get it done today because some customers’ goods are there and they want it by tomorrow. "

"Mama, I can't leave the office, I'm already swamped with work at the moment.”

"I'm not asking you to leave work; just send me some of the money to balance what I have."

"Ok mama, how much."

"It's just ..."

Mama's words blocked Josh's ears. How was he going to sort this out today of all days?

______________________________________________________________________________

"Mama how would you ask me for such a sum at this last minute?"

"My son it's just 500,000 Naira. Besides I will give you something when I'm able to sell the goods."

"But mama, I don't carry that kind of money on me. Or have you forgotten that we have all gone cashless."

"No o. You will never be cashless in Jesus Name. "

"Yes I know mama. I mean I will have to go to the bank to effect that transfer to you. I can't trust anyone in this office and I have so much on my desk to do."

"I don't have anyone else to call now. You know your sister has forgotten me ever since she followed that oyinbo man to Germany. Now I don't have anyone else. If only your father was alive..."

Josh knew he had to stop her before she started sobbing again. That was the usual reaction once he complained about her pestering him.

"It's Ok mama. I'll handle it!"

"Thank you my son. You know how to make an old woman smile."

"No problem mama. Let me try to take care of things here."

He ended the call and made a loud sigh. 'All of this… today!!!’  But it was true, mama had no one else to ask for help and he couldn't afford to get a query at work because he failed to complete a task. Well today, he had to put on his superman costume and perform wonders. He tried to look at the file and see if he could do something before heading to the bank... He made another sigh, it was going to take all day!

Josh glanced quickly at his watch. It was already 3.30 pm. He had to dash to the bank quickly and hope he won't be spotted by his boss. First, he thought it best to check his account balance. As he scrolled to the last text alert, he kept hoping to God that today was going to work out.

'Chimo!' Josh screamed

_________________________________________________________________________________

His account balance was just a little over 500,000 Naira. And he had promised mama.... 'Chei!’ Josh exclaimed.

What would be left for him to handle tomorrow or to survive after that until payday? And there was Enitan to still think about, yet he couldn't even find time to do that. Ah! The troubles of a man with responsibilities.

After thinking deeply for 10 minutes, he decided to sneak out of the office. His James Bond skills were sure to get him out of this prison unnoticed. With his set of skilful moves, he got out and headed straight for the bank. He was there before 4.00 pm. He made the transfer to Mama and hoped some miracle would happen before tomorrow.

He was back to the office soon and dug his head into his office work. A thought of Enitan breezed by but he quickly dismissed it. He needed to concentrate fully, if he was going to complete this assignment on time.

********************

Enitan brushed her hair as she sang along to her favourite love song. Josh had been her angel this past year. She recalled how they met; so randomly, yet so divinely ordained. Since then, it had been such an amazing journey. Sure, there were times when he drove her crazy but that split second of madness which was always followed by an apology was nothing compared to the love and understanding he showered her with. She couldn't wait to see what he had in store for tomorrow. He always went all out to make her feel special and she knew tomorrow won't be different. After all, it was Valentine's Day and their one year anniversary. She had gotten some gifts but was looking for something to make it extra special. Her phone soon beeped. She quickly reached for it in case it was Josh pinging to say hello.

"A BC? Mschew!" How she hated them!

She was about to discard it when something caught her eye. This might as well be the special thing she had been looking for.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Josh was exhausted when he got home. There was no way his brain could conceive anything anymore. He still had some change. Maybe he'll just take her to a restaurant after work and give her the dress he got for her last month. He'll explain everything to her, after all she could be very understanding. He had always prayed for a woman that would understand him for who he is and accept the fact that he had responsibilities. As far as he was concerned, God had answered that prayer. So far so good, Enitan proved to be just that and more. That's why he always wanted to make her feel special with every opportunity he had.

He looked at some pictures of her before going to bed and tried to go through some unread messages. There was one that stood out. Why didn't he think of this before instead of trying to be Superman, Batman and Luther Vandross, all in one? He quickly drafted a message. He knew it was quite late but he hoped his order would still be taken against tomorrow.

****************

Enitan woke up feeling great and expectant. Josh had already called her at 12.01 am to say how much he loved her. She had taken the week off from work to rest. So she had nothing to do but wait till she met with Josh later that night. First, she made sure she sent an email to her sweetheart, along with an attachment that would speak volumes.

****************

Josh was lucky to get a reservation at their favourite place because of his frequent customer status, and some promises to his boy there.

His day wasn't going too bad. His boss was in a good mood and even commended his work yesterday. There was not too much stress at the office because everyone was smiling at their screens and phones. It seemed that love was truly in the air. Mama was able to clear the goods and kept calling to say thanks. Just one more thing was left to make it all complete.

'Beep' went his phone. Josh rushed for it and gave a wide smile as he quickly rushed through his mail box. He spotted a mail from Enitan but decided to settle this first. His order had been processed on time, how fantastic! He promptly downloaded it and went straight to Enitan's Facebook page. After all, there was nothing like a public display of affection to warm a girl's heart.

After the deed was done, Josh scrolled to Enitan's mail.

"Wow, I can't believe it!"

His mobile rang out loud. He recognised that ring tone immediately.

"Hello honey."

"Babie, I saw your post on my Facebook wall. Thank you so much. Those words spoke straight to my heart. I love you so much."

"I love you too honey."

"I can't believe it, we used... "

"…the same people." Josh finished her sentence. "Yes I wanted to say the same thing. I guess our thinking is somehow synchronised now."

"At least we got to say what we really wanted to say"

"Yes we did. I loved yours too...I love you"

"Can't wait to see you tonight"

"Me too"

They blew each other kisses and ended the call with smiles still beaming on their faces. There was love, but more than that there was contentment, joy and peace. As they both looked forward to their rendezvous that night, they remembered to send a message to the people who made this possible.

"Thank you Peach Expressions, let's do this again soon"

The end!

©Lola Agbaje-Williams ©LAW Afolabi, February 2015| All Rights Reserved