***My Young Friend***

Two years ago, I was on a business trip to Abuja when a young acquaintance visited in my hotel suite to introduce his fiancée, one vivacious dark-eyed beauty. Since it was the first time I met the girl, I just kept quiet and listened to her spar with her young man. Though I didn’t say much, I felt the young man had chosen the wrong type of beauty – the insufferably insouciant “bia tiem m’elee” type of beauty.

After they left, I felt sad for the young man knowing that marriage was for the long haul. In the time-honoured tradition of elders, I called the young man the following day and obliquely told him to look well before he leapt. It was the last discussion we had. Probably piqued that I did not enthusiastically endorse his choice, he rashly torpedoed the bridge between us and I did not hear from him for two years...that is till yesterday night. He married his girl, by the way.

I was having a quiet dinner yesterday night when my phone rang; it was my long-lost young man! His wife had just packed out of the house. There was a lot of sadness in his voice; but I could sense then...there was a lot of wisdom there too.