Garlic ,Chicken and Love

CredoWriters: Wakdok, Samuel Stephen

... Luv Skool Stories with the Principal.

I met a beautiful lady in my second year in the university shortly after we resumed from a strike that punctuated academic activities. One of My friends introduced me to her and within two weeks of our pioneer meeting we kept bumping into each other in different places on campus. I got to know that she was a third year student of Law while I was a mass communication student.

On a faithful Tuesday morning she came to the boys' hostel to collect notes from one of her course mates and saw me brushing my teeth on the verandah of my second floor. We exchanged warm greetings and I informed her that my birthday was the next day. I had planned to host my friends to a dinner and I had a large number of friends, she was invited any way and she obliged to be present.

My birthday came and it was fun to gather all the friends who could make it. My room was more like a hall in the hostel with friends always coming in and going out. When Jennifer arrived , all heads turned to see the model who came in.

The room party was thrilling, we caught some fun, ate and drank and I got some pleasant surprises from friends. When the crowd started retiring at about 11 pm, I managed to walk some to the door since I had a lot of guests. My two room mates also helped me to walk some, but when Jeny wanted to leave, I had no choice but to walk her all the way to her room in the female block of the hostels. On the way we chatted and even held hands and we got so acquainted as if we had known for a longer period of time. When we got to her door she wanted to me step in but I declined since I left others in the room. I thanked her for coming and left.

Two days later I had cause to go and visit my fulani course mate Aisha in the female block who coincidentally stays opposite Jennifer. Aisha was one of my closiest friends in school and I could visit her without notice, she was not in so I decided to say a quick hi to Jennifer. When I entered we got gisting and she was so lively that I didn't know when an hour had passed.

We talked about so many things and started talking about ourselves. I told her I was sure she had a prince charming especially with her beauty. She blushed and asked me who told me. I went further to ask her many questions in the negative which put her on the defensive. Finally I told her that if I asked her to date me she would decline and she said " No , I wont decline". That begun a very romantic relationship that will transform two people to become one.

We went every where and did everything on campus as a couple. Jenny as I fondly called her was a sweet lady. I was not always bouyant but she did not care. They little we had we shared, but there was only one snag, Jenny loved kissing and I loved kissing too. But while Jenny could not do without garlic , I hated garlic with a passion.

Garlic ,Chicken and Love II

How could I be head over heels in love and not kiss the lady whose sweetness has exuded so much passion ? How will I kiss when the smell of garlic hangs so thick in the air, in the breath of my lover? Jenny had a choice to do away with me or with garlic, she chose the middle road of keeping me and reducing the quantity and frequency of the garlic she ate. She only eats it when she is sure we won't see or puts just a very little amount. But garlic has a strong smell, it can last for a while. But love meets the lover half way, as long as I love Jenny, I must also learn to accept what she likes, or hate it less.

Sometimes the pressure of academics makes it difficult to see Jenny, we were on two different campus and and though we could see in the hostel sometimes we spent a day or two without seeing. Some days the crunch of poverty bit harder and hunger comes handy. This was one of these days that Jenny came from her auntie's home. She prepared dinner , of rice and stewed chicken. It is not everyday that students cook full chicken and for sure Jenny took her time to prepare a delicious meal. As I walked into her room that Monday evening, I knew what hunger did to me during the day. Now I had an opportunity to not only take a jibe at hunger but to take some hard bites at this chicken. Jenny was all smile, she was sure I would leak my fingers from the aroma in the room and the way I reacted right from the door. Jenny loved me and I loved her too. We both love to talk and smile and roll over her foam on the ground, it helps to know that the spring bed which makes so much noise when lovers hibernate was not present in her room, there is just a plank partitioning the rooms and a curious neighbor will keep herself busy counting the number of creaks the bed makes.

She had not eaten,waiting to share the meal with the man she loves. I kissed her and told her how busy my day was. We had a test which was going to take up 30 marks of our assignment and the lecturer only set one question. One question carrying 30 marks was a kind of assessment we all dreaded. You could be lucky but if you got unlucky, you have to work triple hard in the exams. Jenny served us dinner and she opened the plate I was enthralled by the chicken parts I saw. Sight may be seducing but sense of smell was stronger. The smell if garlic blinded my eyes and I sat confused. I was hungry, when last did I see chicken staring at me like this? Jenny saw it in my eyes and apologized, she explained that she only put a little flavour of garlic as a seasoning because she hardly enjoys meat without garlic. She couldn't avoid the temptation of not putting just small, just small which she hoped I would not notice. I understood her plight perfectly, because before I came along she ate it without any remorse, infact she delighted in it. I looked at my sweetheart , looked at this well garnished chicken and I heard the rumbling of hunger from my stomach. Eating garlic just this once will not kill, will it? After all she just put a very little quantity, don't I kiss her and lie in her arms, wrapping her in mine? This garlic can not come between this delicious meal and I, a meal specially prepared by someone I love.

The mind can be very strong willed, Inspite of the tears in Jenny 's eyes and the sound of hunger rumbling in my stomach, I decided not to eat the garlic laced chicken.


Garlic, Chicken and love III


I didn’t know what to do. To either abandon the food Alex refused to eat because I had put a little garlic or just go on and enjoy my meal. It is not every day one gets this kind of food in school especially towards the end of the semester when the pocket is dried up. Alex has just spoilt my mood by I was bent on concealing my emotions. I loved him but I will not betray my emotion by letting him know how bad I felt, I quietly pick my spoon and ate after I fought back the tears.

It is not as if I am addicted to garlic, I did not always eat it, I only got used to it after a certain experience when I was in secondary school. I was always having an allergy that no drugs seemed to cure until one of my form master told me to try garlic. It was difficult for me because I never liked the smell; unfortunately I was left with it as the last option so I had little choice unless I wanted the allergy to continue. Within two days I saw great improvement and ironically I started enjoying the flavor too. My friends complained about the smell, I continued to take it until we left school. At home my mum had little resistance because she knew what I suffered when the allergy was traumatizing me.

I never really cared what the few boys who came my way said because I was not really interested in guys when I came to the university. My mum had told me to be weary of boys; I entered school with the mindset of minding my own business. But campus life was alluring and could be very tempting especially when your friends had boyfriends. I met two or three guys with nothing seriously attached until I met Alex. He was a jolly fellow and I had no reason to say no to him. I did something I had not done before by making sure I do not eat food with garlic hours before we were billed to see, and when I cooked I put just a little. If he is coming for dinner I will not put at all but when I cooked on this day, I knew I would not enjoy a meal of chicken if it is not flavoured, just a little.

I ate my food in silence and anger. If he loved me as he said what is in garlic that he will not eat? That was also his line of argument, if I loved him that much why can’t I just stop totally? After that meal I knew I had little time to make a final choice, I could see how he sat quietly through the meal, despite his hunger and the temptation of the chicken he was still able to resist. It dawned on me that this guy was serious, I could have prepared indomie for him to eat but I was determined to punish him for what he had done to me that evening. He rejected my food, a meal I took my time to prepare; I was sure when he gets to his bed that night he would pay for what he has done.

How will I choose garlic over a human being, a person I loved? I had to give it up and Alex proved to be a loving and caring guy. We had a long courtship and left school together. While I was in Law school he was serving and he got retained with a private TV station. Not long after we got married and whenever I think of the chicken incident, I try to imagine if he would have remained in the relationship had I insisted on eating my garlic. Would I have married garlic?

We had our first baby girl and named her Whitney. She is so beautiful and full of life. Alex and I love Whitney so much; Alex says she looks like me and he sees me in her. I was on maternity leave for four months after her birth, each morning as my husband sets to leave for work, he would kiss Whitney in her sleep and when he returns, he plays with her to make up for the hours he spent away. The duo became fun to see and have around, I am so happy when I look at the two people who give me joy. Alex made it a duty to kiss Whitney when he returns from work and at every moment he can and she got used to it as she grew up month by month. When she was 15 months old she caught this cold that would not go away. We went to the hospital thrice over a month and the doctors prescribed different anti biotic each time, the cough at night made her uncomfortable. She played during the day but you could see how her sleep was disturbed at night and that made us not to sleep too. I spoke with my mum who told me to remember my own allergy and how garlic cured it. I became more worried because I knew my husband disliked garlic, how would I even broach that topic to Alex?

I went to the market and got some garlic after years of not touching it. I prepared it for my daughter as a drink, she is my daughter and I love her just as I love her dad. I happen to be the one in between again. I did not want to risk Alex refusing the smell of garlic in the house if I asked. I gave my baby and was prepared to apologize when he comes back. I prayed seriously for it to work so that I will not have to go through a disappointment and my husband’s wrath.

When Alex returned from work I explained what I did and I secretly prayed he will not be crossed. Whitney who sleeping woke up not long after her dad returned and walked up to him, to my surprise he picked her up and kissed her as usual while she smiled back. He loves his daughter this much to still kiss her with the smell of garlic years after he made me to stop eating garlic, that was when I became jealous.

He laughed at me and told me he loves me and also loves our daughter. “Much as I hate garlic, I can’t compare my disdain for garlic and my baby’s wellbeing. If you loved me so much to choose me over garlic, why won’t I choose my daughter’s health over my dislike for garlic?”

“Why did you refuse my chicken way back then, since it would not have killed you? I will make sure I prepare chicken with garlic by tomorrow and if you do not eat, I will leave this house for you and Whitney”

“You know I will not eat it, even if it was a cow”

Though he has not changed, each time Whitney catches cold, Alex will ask me to give her garlic. When I remember the incident that happened in school about the garlic and chicken I cannot help but laugh at everything, I thank God for love, for my husband; Alex and my daughter; Whitney.



Concluded

However, this is purely a work of fiction.