Love is a Virus

Chioma stood still, feeling bad over the barrage of despicable words she rained on poor Wale. As Wale halted on her command, turned around revealing his heart-broken face, her resistance was completely broken and she apologized immediately. She invited Wale in for a drink to atone for her misdeed and he accepted. Anything will work for him. When you hit rock bottom and need a shoulder to cry upon, forgiving others comes easy especially if you have a large heart. It’s not an entirely bad idea to invite Wale in either. Just like her, Wale has also been in Isolation for the past week so it’s safe to hang out and engage in a little chit chat over a bottle of wine. 

“You know, Cancer is…” Wale paused but continued again “I lost my Dad three days ago and the most painful part is that I couldn’t attend his funeral procession because of this Lockdown.” “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” a visibly terrified Chioma replied. At that moment she understood the magnitude of Wale’s problems, why he was banging on her door moments earlier. He needed to talk, to let it all out; to free all the negative emotions building inside him ticking like a time bomb. He was on the edge and he realized it, that’s why he came downstairs to knock on Chioma’s door. 

Wale had lost his mom to Ovarian Cancer when he was just two, his father moved back to Ibadan immediately after losing his wife but the need to make a living brought Wale back to Lagos. “A crazy, topsy-turvy sleepless coastal city where dreams come to reality if all the pieces fall in the right places for you,” his father would always say. Wale is a very loveable being making a decent life for himself as a Data Analyst in one of the famous ‘Big four’. 

In all his decency and uprightness, Chioma never fancied Wale partly because her heart belongs to Seun and also because her mind is preoccupied with something else at the moment. She eagerly awaits her Mom’s COVID-19 test result too. 

“Do you have something stronger?” Wale asked after finishing the content of his glass “What? You’re not getting drunk on me. No way in hell is that going to happen,” Chioma retorted and continued “Okay, I have an idea of fun, how about the BOP Daddy Challenge? We’ll act like couples and I’m sure we’ll get a few ‘God when?’ comments especially on Twitter,” Wale chuckled and accepted half-heartedly. Chioma picked up her makeup kit and a few clothes and they both left for Wale’s apartment. 

While they made a couple of short clips to be compiled later with Falz’ hit single in the background, Wale was visibly elated. Kind gestures should never be taken with levity and regardless of how far you have sunk even a few kind words at the right time can get you back on track. Wale was taking off his Agbada, the last of his collection for the video clip when Chioma noticed how ripped he was. Wale, with his nerdy glasses, is the last person you would expect to be a muscular, fit stud. Chioma was awestruck and couldn’t contain her amusement till Wale caught her. “I use the gym every weekend, ma fo,” Wale winked. The atmosphere became suddenly tense, everything moved slowly with Rachel Platten’s ‘Better Place’ lightly popping through the speakers in the background. Two Adults stared deep into each other’s eyes, locked lips, got lost in the emotions and made out. Sometimes life happens very fast, one minute you’re grieving over your father’s death and the next you’re making out with your stunning next door neighbour. Life must go on afterall. 

Some people are blessed (or cursed) with the ability to detach emotions from seemingly emotional engagements. One of such people is Chioma. Everything that happened in Wale’s apartment on the previous day was just a fling, nothing else. Other people cling on to such emotional engagements; Wale is your prime Candidate. He won’t stop checking up on Chioma to at least discuss if something could spring out of what they had but she would have none of it. The Lockdown meant they both have enough time to engage in talking but Chioma remained adamant, it just happened and nothing else.

With the novel COVID-19 pandemic running its full course in Africa’s most populous nation, reported cases rising at an astronomical rate denying Chioma the chance to see Seun for another week due to the enforced Lockdown. Chioma’s other problem is her mother who just arrived from the United Kingdom, self-isolated for the prescribed fourteen days but had to go test herself after observing a decline in her health condition.

Chioma picked up her phone the next morning and dialled Seun’s number, “Hello Seun, how are you?” she said over the phone. “Hi dear, I’m great. I was just thinking of calling you. If you don’t mind, will you be chanced next weekend? We can hook up after the Lockdown perhaps. Plus I’m building something huge and I want you to witness it, our usual spot,” Seun replied. The pieces are falling together for Chioma and if the overly-shy Seun won’t make the move, she will.  She imagined how she’ll profess how she felt for him and hopefully the feeling is mutual. Chioma always thought Seun liked her too, the way he compliments her, notices every bit of change in her and supports her. It’s obvious he wants her too but was just biding his time. “What do you say?” Seun asked again. “It’s cool, I’m bored to stupor here and I really could use a hangout,” Chioma replied jolting back to reality with Seun’s follow-up question. 

Talk about beautiful ways to begin your day, Chioma will undoubtedly hope for more of the same for the rest of her life. What brought her back to the physical realm was Maria Carey’s ‘Hero’, her Phone’s ringtone, it was her mom. She picked expecting the worst but the odds were in her favour yet again, her mom’s result was negative. After eulogizing her daughter for what felt like eons, she proceeded into boasting about how she knew she could never have contracted ‘a white man’s disease’. “Look my daughter, forget all these Oyinbo language we’re speaking, I’ve been fortified with herbs since childhood. My grandfather made sure our immunity was never in question and if I should fall sick, it means more than half of the world is dying.” Chioma rolled her eyes, already expecting that part to come. Her mom is too proud of her ancestry but for the moment Chioma will take her haughtiness. Isn’t it nice to let people to celebrate in their happiest moments? The joy they’ve witnessed at that point may never come again. 

Chioma heard knocks on her door but didn’t flinch. It was Wale again, he needed to talk to her one last time. After deliberating for a while, she let him in. Wale gave it his best shot but all his effort were futile so he gave up and moved on. Chioma’s thoughts crossed his mind often but there’s something crazy about love, you can’t force people to love you, you can only hope. And Wale was especially grateful for Chioma’s honesty. Chioma was not entirely honest however; it’s just that Seun’s allure is more appealing than Wale’s. 

The Lockdown was extended for another two weeks but Seun will have none of it; he moved his surprise from their rendezvous to his house, informed Chioma about it and gave her his address. After deliberating for a while, common sense finally deserted Chioma and she accepted his invitation. Humans do the stupidest things in one of two states of intoxications (or both), when they’re drunk or when they’re in love. The beautiful thing about intoxication by wine is that it takes a couple of hours before the effects wear off and you realize the – sometimes irreparable – damage you’ve caused. When you’re intoxicated by love however, the improbable becomes the easiest of tasks like swimming through a crocodile-infested water just to pick a treasure at the other end. How else do you explain the stories of the burnt lovers in Pompeii? Or Jack in Titanic? 

The day was upon them and Chioma found her way through different Police checkpoints dishing the same lines to the police, she was going to pick her mom from the hospital. Thankfully, she didn’t meet any resistance as she drove through a rare traffic-free Lagos. Chioma already had her lines ready; she imagined how Seun will react to her courage and can’t help but smile through. Wale’s thoughts crossed her mind as she approached Seun’s estate but she brushed it off, it’s what it is. 

Seun had invited a few of his closest friends over to celebrate them. He appreciated each one of them for going through the pain to come over and the buzz began. Just when Chioma was about to make her move Seun started talking “Ladies and gentlemen, another reason why I invited you here is to witness a bold step I decided to take today that’s going to shape the rest of my life,” he approached one of the invited guests and knelt before her, “Hadiza, will you marry me?” The whole thing was unexpected and only Seun’s younger brother knew of the plan. Everyone went crazy as Hadiza replied in the affirmative. Chioma was rooted to her spot, trying to swallow the bitter pill life had just served her. She smiled just so it won’t appear like she hated the good news. But really she hated it, how can she hold herself together? How can Seun do that? Making her witness it is cruel and makes it even harder to accept. 

The rest of the occasion was a sad one for Chioma who promptly left in the middle of best moments of the evening. She cried all through the night cursing her luck and how she always missed out on the best things she desired. 

As if that’s not enough, the worst happened when she tested positive to COVID-19 two weeks later after feeling sick. One of Seun’s friends from the other night has a brother who just returned from Italy and they stayed together for a week before the occasion, he had contact with Chioma and she got the Virus. Nothing can be truer than the age-old proverb ‘Misfortunes always come in pairs’. If only Chioma had declined the invitation. The whole thing turned out into the typical proverbial “Trouble dey sleep, yanga go wake am.”

As she lay on her bed in the Onikan Isolation centre, all she could think about was Wale, the unlucky guy who really felt a thing for her. She hoped he still loves her and can go back on his word when (or if) she gets back home.