I was fresh out of secondary school and
was looking forward to a different valentine celebration. After six years of
picking names of housemates/classmates and presenting them with gifts
previously bought on the fourteenth day of February, I needed something
different. The fact that I was out of school was for me a license that I could
celebrate with the opposite sex. It really did not matter that I was yet
to receive my School Certificate result all that I was that legally of age?
The good lady
who raised me burst my well thought-out bubble.
“No way! The town is going to be too rough.
You cannot go out on Friday”
I don’t know how she came by that
information but she held on to it so strongly that I found myself spending
valentine that year at home. It was that time when I had to obtain formal
permission to leave the house, so when the lady said to stay at home, there was
no way around it.
I do not know if it was that event that
made me indifferent to valentines but I have never had a remarkable valentine
day. I mean a valentine day spent with “le boo” and overloaded with gifts. The
closest to that was a robust gift days before the main date because le boo (as
he then was) had to work far from where I lived. I remember how my effort in
trying to get special from valentine day had led my roommate and I to bake a
cake for ourselves. It was one of those valentine days that found us alone
after all other roommates had traveled for valentine day celebration.
You can say that I outgrew trying to get
special out of St. Valentine’s day or even that I gave up when Special was not
forth coming. You can also fast forward to fifteen years or so after that
uneventful Valentine’s Day celebration with my siblings. My place of work would
ensure that we had cakes and drinks to celebrate that day and I would after work
hours retire to my apartment either to watch a movie or sleep. My love for
sleep is a topic I would discuss on another occasion. My approach to this noble
day which is also coined, “lover’s day” should not be taken to mean that the
temptation to make it special does not come because it does. It come in form of that 'friend' who wants a different version of that celebration my roommate and I did
years back to the endless red dresses on display in shops in the month of
February and being worn on that day by almost everyone on the streets. I see
those temptations and shake them off. The known fact that the streets and all
notable public places are always rowdy makes the shake off very easy.
I wish I can predict how my Valentine
will turn out this year. I have an idea though. Being a Saturday, it is obvious
that there will be no official cake and drinks. It is possible that most one
day lovers would not be able to celebrate the as they used to. Fast food joints
and other recreational hang-outs will be empty for most part of the day. This
is all thanks to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Most adult
Nigerians will be at the polling booth to decide who presides over the nation
that day. If we are lucky, there will be no violence to characterize the day
dedicated to love. And even if one decides not to vote, the best option will be
to be confined to any neighbourhood activity-nothing public. Political sympathizers
will be so caught up with election fever to even bother that valentine has been
effaced. Oh need I mention that some people will be glad that INEC came up with
this arrangement?
I do not envy those who would want to
make sure they celebrate “publicly’. Knowing the town I live in, all public
places will be over crowded that day. I mean ALL, without any exception. Even
places that do not have cold drinks will have its own crowd. I hope to have new
stories to tell. I hope also that this day of love produces for my country a
president that loves us.
Let’s Keep Faith as we vote.
