Looking back on my days in university, I simply cannot help but laugh at my own naivety. It is one of those stories that makes me want to travel back in time and give some meaning to my younger self. Let me tell you the story about Ejiro, a wonderful girl who practically served my heart on a plate, and I was too blind to see it.
Then I was a postgraduate student, buried in books and assignments when fate decided to play a matchmaker. Through group project tasks, I grouped with Ejiro or "eji", as we called her. A stunning 21 -year -old Nigerian Calabar beauty, 5'2 "tall, with a smile that could light up the darkest lecture hall. She wore these amazing clothes that somehow caused our boring university corridors to feel like a fashion parade weekly.
At first I thought it was just a coincidence, how she had always been sitting next to me. Even when the classes were moved to different halls, she would find me as if she had some internal GPS. She did this delightful thing - tilting tightly, whispering "Hey!" and settled down beside me. Man, my heart would make Somersaults but did I pick up those signals? No! Not a chance.
The signs were everywhere. She would find every excuse to be with me, laugh at my terrible jokes, and somehow caused any boring discussion of the project to feel as if we were in our small world. Other students noticed what I didn't see. They would winkle when they see us and whisper that we are a couple. Meanwhile, I was there, completely ignorant, probably discussing the terms of our assignment, such as the clueless fool I was.
Then came the moment that pained me to this day. One afternoon as we left the class, she turned to me with those beautiful eyes and said, "Hey, Fexo (that was my nickname then), would you want to come to my place? We could work together on our assignment. ”She even threw a flash of fireworks in my brain.
But what did I do? I panicked. As a deer in the headlights, I murmured something about meeting my brother, probably the dumbest excuse in the history of excuses. The look of disappointment on her face was gentle but definite. That was my time, my perfect moment, and I let it get away from me like sand in my hands.
Looking back, I realize that it was not just a friendly gesture, she was interested. All the time, she was looking for me, all the "random" meetings, the way she would find any excuse to be close to me, she was showing the signs that she needs me, and I walked with my eyes closed.
The worst part of everything was that, after my unpleasant rejection, things gradually changed. The spark in our interactions darkens a little. She still sat near me, but the usual moments became less and further between us. At the end of the semester we were just two people who shared a class and a story about what could be.
A few years later, I heard through mutual friends that she was wondering why I never showed interest. Obviously she thought I wasn't attracted to her. I, not attracted to this absolute goddess who practically gave me her heart on a silver plate! Ironic, it is enough to make me laugh and cry at the same time.
Sometimes I ask where we would be, if I were braver, less naive, more knowledgeable. Would we hit it? Could it be something special? I will never know it, and that's the part that still gets me.
If by any chance I could see Ejiro just once again, this is what I will tell her.
Ejiro, I'm sorry I was such a helpless idiot. You deserved better than my unpleasant attitude and missed signals. You taught me my most important university lesson, and it wasn't even in the curriculum: sometimes the biggest regret is not the things we do, but the chances we never take.
And to everyone else, when the opportunity knocks, open the door for heaven's sake. Don't be like me, and stand there wondering if you will be the one knocking in the first place. Life is too short to live with regrets.
The image used is AI generated.
This is my submission for today's prompt in the #febuaryinleo daily writing prompts.
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