What does this toasting actually mean? 

As a lagos teenager , I never expect to be approached by a reasonable man.

Wait, why am I thinking about men. I am just 14 and I would be crucified if my mother peeped in my head and found out about what I was thinking 

Talking about my mother , “THELMA OGHENE!!!!”

My mother screamed my name which made me jolt up from the mattress I was laying on . With puckered lips and squinted eyes I ran towards the booming shouts of my name .

“Come and wash the fish and help me start prepping for tomorrow’s food “

Mummy Oghene, my mother is the most hardworking woman I have ever met in my life because she took care of me and my two younger siblings from infancy and now I am fourteen and by younger brothers are both ten year because they are twins , Mayo and Maro.

My mother got her famous name as “mummy Oghene “ in our neighborhood because of how religious she is , maa could stay up all night fasting and praying over an argument she had with a neighbor, she was a very religious woman , maa was built like a man or atleast she grew up like a man because our father left us when he realized she had twins and that never stopped her from taking on the role of a father in the house while also being the mother figure of the entire neighborhood. She was a very warm and loving woman but at the same time very principled and stern .

“Thelma! ,gbe eyi” (take this) “ go and buy locust from kaba junction , be fast. My mother always likes using Urhobo when she is conversing with us because she was Urhobo and she obviously wanted to pass down the heritage but I don’t think we were that interested. We could barely speak it but at least we understood it .

“Ya Werey” “Ma Gbaru ehn “ , as I strolled down to Kanta junction I could faintly hear the bustling argument of two conductors in Yoruba  struggling to get a passenger but that could be the least of my problems . I was absorbed into my own thoughts again as I recalled the series that happened in school the day before .

Me! Thelma! Being Toasted! I still couldn’t believe this , this had awakened a new sense of belonging in me , I never thought I could draw the attention of a boy , talk less of a man ! 

“Oh Sammie” , I thought to myself . He is not even bad looking , I call sammie a reasonable man because, I have never seen him do childish things , he was always so reserved and quiet.

Samuel Ejiro , the tallest boy in the upper grades that had the  aura of a graceful prince , with a lean  stature that made him stand out against all his peers. His riveting sense of maturity speaks volumes whenever he walks by and always with hands in his pockets giving off the resilience he is supposed to just with his strides . 

I was almost at kaba junction when I realized that the person I was just thinking about was some few steps away from me . Sammie suddenly took interest in me when we resumed back from holiday because apparently the girls in my grade gossip that I fully blossomed during the break and matured into a young lady with an appealing figure .

“An absolute lie “ I thought to myself . Sammie toasted me because he found me pretty and most likely elegant , I couldn’t help the fact that I was adorable,

“ Thelma !, Hi, “ Sammie spoke immediately his eyes landed on me and gave off a small smile .

“Sammie, how far “ , “ how is your weekend going?” I spoke too many words at once , giving off a desperate vibe , making me mentally face palm myself .

“ I wanted to actually see you thelma, Can I show you something? I promise , just 3 minutes. I couldn’t resist his charming request subconsciously agreeing to his whims.

“I am not going to take long , just 3 minutes, I am sure maa wouldn’t mind “ I convinced myself and followed him ,

We went to a little abandoned building and the next thing I hear is “Will you be my girlfriend?” With a slight peck on my cheeks.

“Eh?”