Last Sunday, just after having lunch, I was pretending to read a book, while actually dozing in the compound, when suddenly, I was jolted awake. In my half-asleep state, I couldn’t tell whether it was a dream or reality, I had seen the most beautiful girl on earth walk right in front of me.

What had jolted me awake was the scent! I could have imagined the girl, but that scent, that classic perfume was certainly real! I sat bolt upright and turned my head to the direction my illusion had taken.

And there she was, though I couldn’t see her face, what I could see told of exquisiteness. She was headed towards my house, sorry, my mother’s house, she was in her compound. For a few seconds, I wondered whether to follow her, but since I was in my mother’s house, I decided that would be disrespectful. I didn’t even know who she was, for all I know she might even be my relative!

So, I sat there and waited. Waited for I don’t even know what, because after knocking on the door, she entered the house. I waited for the girl to come back out, so that I could know for sure who she was, but I must have dozed off during my siege-laying because when I opened my eyes again, it was evening already. I rushed inside the house and obviously, she wasn’t there. She must have gone while I was sleeping, walked right past me!

Without any tact, I asked my mum; who was that visitor? And trust her to always know what I was thinking, she laughed out loud and told me, "she was a visitor”. And she went quiet.

I didn’t want to appear too interested, so I let the topic drop. But, she didn’t drop from my mind. I just couldn’t stop wondering who she was, and how I could get my mum to tell me about her without telling her anything! And besides, my mother already had an impression that I was the kind of man who broke girl’s hearts.

So if she was a good girl, my mum wouldn’t definitely want me to tamper with her, lest I broke her heart! She was my mother, but she knew her son wasn’t the best son in the world! Certainly, that girl wasn’t a bad person; my mum couldn’t stand spoilt girls. So, that left only one other option; she was a relative. But, a relative who was that pretty, I wouldn’t forget about her, no way!

I run into her when I least expected it. I was looking over the fence, wondering how to cut the hedge when I saw her again. Just the next compound, my immediate neighbour to the left! She was seated on a recliner, reading a book. She didn’t see me at first and I am embarrassed to say that I stayed there for about 5 minutes just looking at her.

I probably would have stayed like that for hours if my mum hadn’t called me. Forgetting that I was on a ladder, I turned and clumsily, I slipped. I grabbed onto the hedge, and that’s when Miss pretty-hot-neighbour noticed me; me, on the hedge, staring at her! I am sure that wasn’t an impressive sight, I mean I must have looked like a stalker!

My mum called me again, and I dropped down from the hedge. Now I knew who the girl was; she certainly wasn’t my relative, we didn’t have girls that pretty in my family! She was a neighbour! I wonder why I had never seen her. My mum must have known that I had seen the girl, because even though I didn’t tell her, she told me, "stay away from that girl”.

She was my mum, and she must have known that I was already planning on getting myself acquainted with the girl. But, I had no plans of staying away from any one that is unbelievably pretty!

Ends