Late To The Moment That Mattered.

The plan was solid, Emeka had already circled the date on his calendar for many months, the reunion with his secondary school classmates was finally going to happen , and he had promised himself that he would not miss it for anything in the world ,not just because he wanted to see old friends but because of Ada, the girl he had crushed on for almost 10 years now,and she was going to be there too.

It was his chance, this time, he was going to talk to her properly,no shyness, no delay, he was finally going to ask her out.

But as usual, life had other plans for him....

That morning, his alarm rang late, or maybe he thought so , because he woke up later than he planned, NEPA had taken light overnight, and his phone battery had died, “Not today abeg,” he muttered, already feeling a bit of tension in his chest.

He jumped out of bed, took a quick shower, and realized his best shirt the one he planned to wear was still in the laundry, damp and smelling of detergent.

“Wahala no dey finish,” he sighed, dragging out a less impressive shirt from the bottom of his drawer.

He managed to look decent enough and booked a ride. The venue was at a hotel about an hour away. His Bolt driver, Uncle Samson, seemed to be in no hurry.

“Abeg, oga make we try move fast small, I don late already,” Emeka pleaded, checking his wristwatch like every two seconds.

“Ah no worry, young man. We go reach there,” the driver said calmly as if Emeka wasn’t already dying inside.

As if the universe wasn’t done, halfway to the hotel, traffic jam held them tight. Serious one. The kind that doesn’t even move.

Emeka leaned back and closed his eyes. “Why today of all days?”

He finally arrived at the event venue almost an hour late , he immediately rushed in , scanning the room that was filled with laughter, people hugging each other , old jokes flying across the tables , Some faces looked older and some others had not even changed at all, he was panting ,looking around like he had lost something.

“Emeka! Guy you finally showed up,” Uche, one of his closest friends from school, came over and pulled him into a hug.

“Where’s Ada?” Emeka asked almost immediately.

Uche gave him a strange look. “You no see her on your way in?”

Emeka shook his head quickly.

“She left about 15 minutes ago. She said something about having to catch up with someone. You really missed her.”

Emeka just stood there, frozen. “You mean… she’s gone?”

“Yeah bro. And she looked really nice tonight too, you for seen am. She asked of you sef, said she hoped you’d show up.”

That was the final blow.

Emeka tried to hide the disappointment that night , but it was showing all over his face , “I for no sleep last night o. Omo...., I for iron my shirt. I for...” he trailed off, just too upset to continue.

Uche put a hand on his shoulder. “Next time, you show up early.”

Emeka forced a weak laugh. “That’s if next time go even come.”

So he stayed for the rest of the reunion ,he joined in the group photos and videos , laughed at some of the old classroom stories, but his heart was not really there, It was stuck on Ada, and the chance he had missed.

As he left the venue that night, he looked up at the sky and whispered, “Next time, I will be early,I no go dey this kind pain again.”

But deep down, he knew some chances don’t come twice.

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