It was around 5:30pm on a Friday. Work had been terribly stressful, and to make matters worse, I got to the station and there was no car. That was expected. It happened to me every time after work. Sometimes I had to be in a queue for hours before it gets to my turn to board the bus. The queue that day was very long and messy. When I got there I asked, “Who is the last person?” No one answered. I stood there for a while and asked again. A lady said, “I may be the last person but I don’t even know who I’m after. The queue is messed up around here.” I said, “I’m behind you.” 

I left the queue and went to sit under a shed. I did the maths, “The way this queue is, it’s going to take five different busses before it gets to my turn.” Anytime a bus came around, I didn’t rush. I just sat there and watched as those in front struggled to get in. It got to a point I realized everyone was fighting to get in. The queue was not being respected. It became the strongest survive. I left the shed and went to stand behind the lady I spoke with. For several minutes, no bus came. Standing idle makes your mind wander. I looked at the back of the lady and my mind was drawn to her immediately. 

She was beautiful from behind just as she was from the front. I didn’t say a word to her until she started complaining to me; “I’ve been here since 4pm. It’s getting to 6pm and I still have no car to go home. It’s beginning to look like I’m going to sleep here today.” I told her, “Don’t worry, we’ll be on the next bus. She laughed. She was more beautiful. She said, “Look at the queue. It will take a miracle for us to get on the next bus.” I said, “Don’t you believe in miracles.” She said, “I will believe in a miracle if Jesus is involved but clearly he’s not here today to help.” It was my turn to laugh. I said, “Just make up your mind that you’ll fight for a spot in the next bus. That’s all.”

We kept talking until the next bus arrived. The bus was full before it even stopped. The men entered through the window. The women in front also rushed in. We were left standing there waiting for another bus. I asked her, “Ain’t you tired?” She said, “I’m really tired. I’ve been here for over two hours.” I said, “Then follow me. Let’s get a seat. Come what may, we are going with the next bus.” She sat next to me and we talked for several minutes. I was looking at her. How her eyes sparkled when she laughed. I loved the way she said my name when I mentioned it to her. She was in a middle of a statement when I saw a bus coming from behind us. I threw my bag at her and jumped into the bus. Immediately I sat down, I reserved a seat for her. It was hard but I had to fight a lot of people off until she came to sit next to me. 

She exhaled. She said, “Thanks a lot for being kind.” I said, “What are friends for?” She said, “Thanks for being a friend.” The car moved. The traffic was thick. She started dozing off. I looked at her and said in my head, “What will make a girl like this say yes to me?” I lacked the courage to even asked for her number. She got to the place where she will alight. She said, ”Thank you once again. Nice seeing you.” What I wanted to say was, “Can I have your number?” But then I couldn’t. I said, “Nice meeting you too.”

All weekend I was thinking about her. Anytime I was in a bus and it got to where she alighted, I looked at the spot and regretted not asking for her number. Weeks later, I was in a bus at the station when I saw her entering. I did the sign of the cross. When she got to my seat, I said, “Hey Tilly.” She looked at me for a while before remembering my face. She said, “Osei, right?” I said, “Yea, that’s Osei.” I was grateful she could remember my name. She sat next to me. We talked throughout the journey to that same junction again. When she was about to get down I asked, “Can I have your number?”

We exchanged contacts that day. She was the first to call that evening. She asked if I lived far from where she alights. I said, “Yeah, it’s far.” She said, “Oh I thought it’s a place you could walk to.” I asked, “Do you want to come around? She said, “Naaa, I’m only asking.” We talked for several minutes. I got to know about her work and she got to know about mine. We talked about the things that made us happy and the places we’ve visited. We planned a meeting.

A few days later, we met at a place different from the bus station. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She didn’t have to do so much to look beautiful. Beauty came to her when she hadn’t called. I could feel the connection between us. It felt like we’ve been friends all our lives. She talked about her life freely, like she was talking to a childhood friend. I loved that about him.

Another time, I visited her place. She cooked. It tasted just like she looked—beautiful. We talked every day yet anytime we met, we had something to talk about. We were friends for two months when I decided to shoot my shot. She had done a lot of things for me to know that she might be interested in me too. One evening, we were on the phone talking when I dropped my proposal, “Tilly, what will it take for you to be my girlfriend? I’m in love with you and will do anything to have you in my life.” She was quiet for a while. She asked, “Since when?” I said, “Since the very first day.” She said, “And you haven’t said anything about it?” I said, “I was waiting for the right time and I think this is the time.”

She was quiet for a while. She said, “You’ve asked so many questions but one question you never asked was whether or not I had a boyfriend. The truth is, “I have a boyfriend. We’ve dated distantly for three years. So currently, I’m not available.” It hit me like thunder but something about what she said gave me hope. She said, “The guy lives abroad. I met him online but I’ve seen him once. He looks like a cool guy so I’ve decided to give him a chance.”

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It didn’t sound like the relationship had a strong base. I gave myself hope. When one day I saw her and she wasn’t looking good, I thought she had broken up with her boyfriend. She wasn’t ready to talk about what the issue was but I was praying it should be breakup news. A few days later she was better and smiling again. Six months after my first proposal, I proposed to her again. I said, “Tilly, a bird in hand is worth more than a thousand in the forest. Look at it that way and give me a chance.” She said, “It makes sense the way you said it but the heart isn’t a bird in the forest. He’s a cool guy. He’s serious about me so the least I can do for him is to remain committed.” 

We were friends for a year when one day she called and said, “I have happy news but I know it wouldn’t make you happy. I can’t keep it from you so I have to say it anyway. I’m getting married.”

I can’t describe vividly how I felt. It was terrible. It was a sense of loss mixed with deep sorrows. It felt like a spasm of vertigo. Indescribable. I said, “I’m happy for you.” But the look on my face didn’t correspond to the words from my lips. She said, “I know but you have to be happy for yourself too. You’re a good man. You’ll find someone new.”

When we departed, I said to myself, “This is the last time I’m going to see her.” But I couldn’t. When I was trying my best to stay away, she did her best to stay closer. The more she stayed closer, the more I loved her. September 11th was her wedding day. I was there. I wished her luck and left the scene never to return. But I’ve learned something new. I’ve come to accept that we don’t always get what we want, including love but comes what may, we have to move on and make someone else love us just the way we loved the one who said no to us.

–Osei

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