IMAGE IS MINE
It was on one valentine's evening that we discovered the beauty of the street. My guy friends from way back as usual, had come to help my single life by not letting me spend valentine's day alone. It's kind of like a ritual for them, they'd come to town and give me a call to hangout. While lovers enjoy their valentine in posh restaurants, us single boys' and girls' association of Nigeria, Delta state chapter were having our best lives in the street, literally lol.
Before the street, we'd try to hangout in cinemas, clubs or restaurants but we are often left not enjoying the moment due to the crowd. So, on this faithful Valentine's evening after driving to various posh locations and seeing the place jam-packed and filled, one of my guys, Tega, suggested we hit the street.
I had my reservations because I had thought nothing fun or exciting would happen in the street but boy, I was wrong because when we hit the hood, that was when the mad fun began. We didn't have a particular destination as the car became our clubhouse.
We would drive to various food stands, with the car stereo blasting each of our favorite songs in a shuffle. That night was a fantasy for me because I did all the things that I love and ate to my heart's content without having to conform to the etiquette of fine dining. In the street, there are no rules and somehow that's the fun part.
No one is telling us our music is too loud, and we could control our playlist. At one point, we had some passer by vibing to the tune at the location we were parked. I had the best suya that night, (roasted meat). It was fresh as it was fluffy and tasty in the mouth. How about the noodles and omelets? Priceless cuisine prepared to taste. I had masa and tofu for the first time that night and was basically getting the anything you want princess treatment because the edibles were very affordable. The thing is my guys were working with the funds that they had budgeted for the classy restaurants plus clubs, since we opted for the street, which was way cheaper, we had more money to spend.
In all my experience that night with the street food, the drinks, the music and our private space, what stood out for me is the darkness which brought out the ghetto vibes.
I can't believe I would say this but at that point, the lack of electricity in some areas in Nigeria, made every light on the street stand out. Is it the bush lamps being used by the local food vendors? Or the open fire the meat is being roasted with? Is it the headlamps of cars driving past? That night, all the lights seemed to shine differently and beautifully too if I might add.
Not the sort of valentine experience one would expect but it was thrilling for me. Somehow, the setting reminded me of my childhood when my friends and I would run around under the moonlight before retiring our various houses. It was also a pitch-black setting with no electricity, and one gets to see how beautifully the moon shines. Again, it was a time where life isn't as complicated as it is and just like my childhood, after cruising around the hood in a car, my friends took me back home to retire for the night.
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Have been wanting to read your post on Valentine to see the man who once again, thank you break your heart am going to break his head but glad you had fun