This is a play of a telephone conversation between two friends about love just because it is a day marked for love.
(PS: I wrote this originally as a playlet in 2021. I changed the name, don’t be alarmed. You can listen here).
Ife sat on her bed, head resting on the headboard pondering over the weird conversation she had with her niece. She thought hard but wasn't satisfied and decided to speak with her friend about it.
“Hello.” Ife started on the call.
“Hi baby girl, how you dey?” Eleojo answered.
“I dey alright o, hope you are good too.”
“My guy, I dey. This one you are calling me inside this hot sun, what’s happening?” Eleojo asked.
Ife heaved. “Have you ever fallen in love?”
Eleojo’s heartbeat caught, causing her to pause for a few seconds. “Huh? Repertoire? Which kind of question be that this hot afternoon?”
Ife chuckled. “This was the exact question my nine-year-old niece asked me out of the blue.”
Eleojo chortled. “Are you serious? You mean Akudo asked you that?”
“Yes, she did. And besides being shocked that she could ask me something like this in the middle of solving her quantitative assignment, I was too shy to admit to anyone that I may never have fallen in love.”
“Wait, what?”
Ife disregarded her outburst. “I took the best and most appropriate measure by rebuking her with the usual questions of ‘where did you hear such a thing from?’ and what do you know about love?”
“Omo, but what could you have possibly answered to that besides what you did? With kids these days, once you answer one of their inquisitive questions, they come up with a dozen follow-up questions.”
“I dey tell you.” Ife acquiesced.
“But to answer your question, of course, I have fallen in love. Have you really never fallen in love?”
Ife scrunched her nose, “Abeggi, shey na love we go chop?”
“Madam wetin concern love and chop?”
“See babe, I have never put love among the list of necessary things in choosing a life partner let me be honest.”
“Oh my God, what?!” Eleojo exclaimed.
“Why are you now shouting? It’s not like love is a must-have to be in a happy relationship now. Plus, millions are happily married and there was no love at the beginning.”
“Wow! I am honestly shocked. So let me ask o, if among your list of necessary things na money, fine or let’s say general comfortability, what happens when all of that goes away, would you leave then?”
Ife rolled her eyes. “I never think reach that part but how do you even tell that you are in love though?”
“Now you are talking because it will be a waste if you do not get to experience love, great sex and orgasm.”
“Surrrre…” Ife said in jest. “Who says those two can only be achieved by being in love?”
“Oh. My. God!” Eleojo dragged. “Yes, babe! Yes!” She added in a high-pitched voice.
Ife chuckled. “Ah ah! Are you cumming? Eh, calm down jare. Sex can still be amazing without love. At least my lady parts are constantly getting some action.”
“You say what? Shut the fuck up, listen and learn. Imagine the sex you’re having right now and having a deeper level of connection with the person.”
“Eleojo, what I have right now is great, thank you!”
Eleojo shook her head. “You know, I don’t believe that you have never fallen in love sha. You may be guarded right now.”
“Ehn, no! I don’t think so except you call having a crush on people love.”
“It starts from there babe. The unsettling feeling in your stomach, the warmth in your heart or the thudding of your heart against your chest. The way your face lights up when you see or hear from them. The sleepless nights, pondering over something sweet they said to you, caressing a gift even if it’s not worth much but because it came from them, you feel like it is the most priceless possession you have ever owned.”
“Eleojo ooo, no be crush abi attraction be this one like this so?”
“Na here e dey start from now and if God come bless you join e go come permanent. Love, attraction and feelings make you put this person on the same level as you. Wetin you no fit do to yourself, you no go do them. You make sacrifices for each other constantly and perfect understanding go come dey too. Trust me Ife, having a deeper level of feeling for someone makes everything about them better. You only have eyes for him and the constant need to always have them around you. Even touches or romance become more intense. Think of being in love as someone with mild symptoms of covid 19.”
Ife guffawed. “Covid19 keh.”
“Yes now. But how would you say you have never had your heart do backflips for someone you already have o, no be new person wey you just see cos that could be lust.”
“I think I have been there sha,” Ife added softly, dragging her phone away from her eyes in expectation of what is to come.
“I knew it!” Eleojo exclaimed.
Ife rolled her eyes. “It only lasted two months and in the end it was unrequited if he could just leave like that.”
“That is love for you my love. Being heartbroken is part of the journey to finding love. That you got hurt countless times is not enough reason to shut off your heart. Loving is God’s gift to mankind and even God go vex say because Mr ‘I-thought-he-was-the-right-one’ break your heart you no want come open yourself to express am.”
“But e hard. E hard my sister.”
“I know. I’ve been there too, you know now. But the crazy thing is we’ve been talking about erotic love, yet there is one kind of love besides God’s love that most people do not realize is the same as falling in love.”
“You done start o, advocate of love, which love again?”
Eleojo chuckled. “The love between family. It sounds weird right, but trust me, the love you have for your siblings that makes you want to take a bullet for them or make sacrifices of your time, meal, money and comfort are what most people do not talk about enough. You love them so much you could almost give your life in place of theirs. So you can’t even say you have never fallen in love.”
Ife tutted. “But that one na normal thing now.”
“Normal wetin? Do you think all the families all over the world love or even like one another? There are so many broken families all over the world and I am telling you that it is not normal to have that sense of love amongst yours and yes, it means you are in love every day.”
“Well, if you put it like that then it makes absolute sense. Then, I have fallen in love more than a thousand times and I am still in love. I love this!”
“Exactly! So babe, open yourself to loving even when your heart gets hurt, it can withstand it. You deserve someone that loves you wholly for you, someone that thinks the world of you, someone that would never jeopardize what you share. It is not happening right now doesn’t mean it would never happen. Anybody can give you sex and orgasm, but trust me it wouldn’t last. Love is the ultimate commandment God gave us.”
They laughed heartily.
“Preacher!” Ife exclaimed.
“You think I made it up? Make I quote the bible verse for you?”
“No allow God strike you now.” Ife retorted.
Eleojo laughed. “Whatever, you sha get the gist, abi make I start from the beginning again, I get the time o.”
“I got you sis but wait o when you start this new relationship wey done dey shark you for head?”
“Who says I am in a relationship right now? No be me and you dey this single pringle together?”
“Scam! So you just made me believe you are currently in a relationship.”
“I did not make you believe anything. Na you assume. I only answered you honestly and I am not waiting for love to find me, I am finding love too. The point is to be open to recognize when love is staring you in the eyes.”
“Hmm, I suppose.”
“Anyways, never be ashamed to admit you’ve been in love and you’ve had your heart broken. It doesn’t mean you are weak, it does mean you are strong enough to keep putting yourself out there. I have to go, someone’s at my door.”
“Thanks babe, talk to you later.”
“Bye Ife.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Remember that being in love doesn’t always mean sexual relationship. Extend your love to your sisters (all women in the world), your family, your neigbours, and everyone in need.
With Love,
Mara.