The Perfect Val's...Or Maybe Not

It was a sunny monday afternoon. I had just gotten back home after running some errands for my mother, and I was exhausted. I kicked off my shoes and settled in the reclining chair in the living room, right beside the open window ready for a mid day nap.

Hardly had I closed my eyes in preparation for my much needed siesta when I was jolted by the shrilling of the buzzer. "Hello, is anybody home", the cultured voice said. I had gotten used to this question from the buzzer whenever we had a visitor. Rolling my eyes, I got up grudgingly from the comfortable chair after what must have been a few good seconds and proceeded to the gate.

There he was, 6ft 2" of chocolately goodness. My face lit up immediately, what was Bobo doing away from work and at my doorstep on a monday afternoon?! Still with a silly smile plastered on my face, I watched him as he walked towards me, box of pizza tucked under his left arm, until I saw the bouquet of flowers in his right hand. "Bobo, what's going on?", I asked. Don't blame me, as a naija babe, a man with flowers was a strange, if not suspicious sight to behold. He smiled as he drew closer and kissed my nose, "Happy val's day baby", he said.

Oh snap! In my running around I had completely forgotten what day it was. The much celebrated February 14th. "Somebody sure looks fetching", he joked as he took in the sight of my faded jeans and rumpled hair. Far from embarrassed, after all I was in the presence of Bobo, I grinned and replied, "oh you fancy huh?" Which left us both in fits of laughter as we walked into the house. He handed the flowers to me and I bent my head to take in the smell as I had often seen them do in movies, and graced him with a sweet smile and a, "oh Bobo, you are the sweetest thing", to which he replied "of course I am", with a wink.

Flowers safely in a vase, I returned to the living room, where Bobo had made himself comfortable, pizza on his lap. Taking my position beside him on the rug, "I thought you said you couldn't make it, with the meeting and all...", I began with a bemused and quizzical expression on my face. He shot me a look, "Did you really think I was going to pass on the opportunity of seeing you, val's day or not?" And without waiting for an answer, "besides my boss let me off early", he continued, as he fed me a bite of Debonnaires "something meaty" pizza. As I laid my head on his shoulder, I couldn't help thinking with a smile on my face, what a perfect valentines day it was turning out to be and laughed out loud as a thought crossed my mind. "What's the joke?" Bobo demanded as he tickled my feet. "Oh nothing really, I was just thinking what a perfect val's present your presence is and imagined the look on Louisa's face if her boyfriend put up such an appearance on vals day without an array of gifts in tow", I explained. This illicited a loud cackle of agreement from Bobo. "She will kill Charles", he commented of our mutual friend Louisa and her boyfriend Charles, if he were to pull such a stunt on her.

"And what about you?", he asked, " Don't you even feel the slightest bit expectant?". "Hmmmn, not really", I began, pretending to ponder over the question. " You know to me, vals day is just like any other day, and besides, you spoil me just fine as it is" I replied, as I fondled with the beautiful 24 carat gold locket on my neck, he had gotten me the previous week.

He was about to reply with a witty comeback when the shrill of the buzzer interrupted. "Hello, is anybody home" it went. First time. Second time. Third time it repeated the same question. I finally stirred and took in the environment. Where was I? I wondered, as I looked around disoriented. It took a few seconds before it sank in. I was in my sitting room on the reclining chair, right beside the open window. I had fallen asleep just after running errands for my mom. "Hello, is anybody home?", the buzzer went for the fourth time, as I hurried to answer the person I had kept waiting.