Chapter 2

How I met Nini was a little bit complicated. I wasn’t happy at her at first. There was this guy running after her. He was handsome. And he had a bike. But I always shook my head at the guy. He was an idiot. Maybe his mother didn’t know that she had mother a idiot as a son. And his father too. Which mean men are careless. We shouldn’t be allowing our son to be idiot. We should teach them how to attract women instead of them chasing and going in a roundabout way around them.

Every night the guy would show up. Bought all kinds of different things along. Some nights he bought nothing. Maybe he had better advisors those nights. But then all of a sudden he’s back to buying things. Lemon. Orange. Casava. Mango. Watermelon. Juice. Fried chicken. Fried rice. Jollof rice. Indomie. Then suddenly he would switch to suya and goat meat. Maybe he had even bought monkey meat and didn’t tell her. Maybe the guy knew we’d eat from the food. Because Nini was an apprentice, and her boss happened to be my tight friend, and I happened to be going there regularly, and the guy would see me and smiled trying to be friendly, in which I will grinned back at him, which makes me always felt that he knew we’re eating his food.

Stupidly they both continued like that. And sometimes Nini would come to me for advice. Since I’m a professional when it comes to jogging, I guessed to them it makes me qualified for other areas of life. And I will end up giving her all kinds of irrational advice. And she will end up taking them with smile all over her face, while sitting there and blinking her eyes like a child.

Giving her advice felt lovely. But my advice is destroying her life, gradually, because I was tilting her head in a direction of no return. I was manipulating the advice to make her develop feelings for me, in which she did, and I had sex with her the night she wasn’t even expecting it. Or maybe she was already expecting it. Maybe I was the one not paying attention enough.

I didn’t show up at my friend shop on that fateful day. The shop is my normal go-to when I’m bored at home. But I wasn’t bored at home today. I was having a date with a girl that tickle a fancy on me. She lives around the neighborhood. Always glancing at me when I’m going out for my long distance jogging. So I approached her one day and collected her number. We started chatting. And I asked her to show up. She declined two times. But out of the blue she texted me again and said she’s free and if I’m around she will show up. No worries, I didn’t give a damn about AIDS or some kind of diseases people talk about out there. And not like I would bite her when she show up right? And not that I wouldn’t use condom if we manage to reach that level. So I agreed and she came. And she was with me when my friend called.

“Møtherfûcker,” he said. “We don’t see you today, hope there’s no problem?”

“Not at all,” I said, pressing my palm on the girl ass. “Just got a visitor at home.”

He chuckled. “You should take your time then. And your girlfriend is also asking of you.”

“My girlfriend?”

“Nini of course. Since morning she’s disturbing me to check on you. She wants to know if you’re dead or alive.”

“Your father,” I cursed. “Why don’t you give her the phone?”

“You say? Did you run too much today? You want to burn my call card talking to my apprentice? Are you the one in one-thousand naira note?”

“God punish your mama,” I said and ended the call. But the bastard called back.

“You want to get your ass kicked now?” I said without even looking at the phone.

“Coach,” it was Nini voice.

My God! Did I just want to kicked a damn girl ass? The girl in my arm is now giving some kind of reaction. I squeezed her ass and patted her to calm down.

“Coach are you coming today?” Nini said, her voice was so sweet on the phone. No wonder this idiot guy keep on disturbing her.

“Do you want to take another advice?” I teased her.

“Yes. I want you to give me advice.”

I looked at my phone again as if I am staring at a gadget I didn’t know how to use and operate anymore.

“You can come then,” I said. “There’s no certainty I am going anywhere again today.”

“Yeah no problem,” she said enthusiastically. “I will call you with my number when I’m coming. It is GB right?”

I nodded. “Yeah GB.”

She ended the call and I was left speechless.

The neighboring girl felt ignored and told me she’d be going soon. I placated her and we had sex again. I already guessed she was on her ovulation period, that was the reason she texted me since I happened to be near to her immediate need. Was I being used? Whatever. If I got use in such a way that made me get exactly what I want to get right from the start, why not get used over and over again? A boyfriend is dying for her right? And the dumb head will be working his ass off somewhere hoping to earn some cash so that he can be a good guy to her. I looked at her again and kissed her. She blushed.

“You should be ready to leave right?” I said. I was still pinning her down with my dïck inside her.

“Because of that girl?” she said. “Is that why you want me to leave?”

I decided that lying is not good at that point. So I told her the truth.

“Yeah,” I said. “She will be here around eight o’clock.”

She was a little bit angry. But in the end she said, “Okay.”

We did nothing else after that. And I wasn’t in the mood to make her feel special anymore. I followed her outside and pecked her on the cheek. I told her to take care of herself. She didn’t reply. She just glared at me and left. Your problem, I thought.

My room wasn’t that special. No mattress. Just a small mat and carpet. I used to train inside sometimes, so I didn’t add anything fancy.

After freshing up I went outside to buy beans, I still have some bread inside. Nini called me on my way there. I directed her on phone and we both got back home together, she was holding my food in her hand.

“God, coach!” she exclaimed when she got inside. “So you didn’t lie when you said you don’t have mattress.”

I smiled. “Why would I lie? You people are not paying me for lying right?”

“Wow you’re different,” then she turned around, I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or just by mistake. Because the next thing that happened was my hand touching her hand. I wanted to pull back, but she hold me.

“Nini,” I said. “You can get hurt.”

“I know,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

That night she didn’t go home. We had sex. Her body felt light. I was all over her and she was happy I did. The next day she brought her cooking utensils and told me: “From now on I am teaching you how to cook.”

That was how it happened. She became my girlfriend.