The first meeting
664 Words
The entire week felt unusually long for Collins.
Every morning he woke up with only one thought on his mind.
Friday.
It was finally the day he would meet Ruth.
For two months, she had only been a face on a phone screen and a gentle voice that brightened his evenings. Today, she would become real.
Collins could hardly concentrate at work.
"You've checked your watch at least twenty times this morning," his colleague Musa teased.
Collins laughed.
"I can't help it."
"So she's really coming?"
"Yes."
Musa shook his head with a smile.
"My friend, just be yourself. Don't try to impress her by pretending to be someone you're not."
"I won't."
"And don't forget, respect comes first."
Collins nodded.
"That's exactly how I want her to remember me."
---
Immediately after work, Collins hurried to the market.
He wanted everything to be perfect.
He bought fresh vegetables, eggs, bread, beverages, fruits, and ingredients to prepare dinner.
As he walked past a supermarket, his eyes fell on a bottle of Odogwu Bitters and a bottle of stout.
He smiled.
"After all this stress, I deserve a little drink."
He bought both bottles and continued shopping.
When he reached home, he cleaned the apartment one last time.
He arranged the sitting room neatly.
He sprayed a light air freshener.
He even bought a small bouquet of flowers and placed it in a vase on the center table.
Standing in the middle of the room, he looked around proudly.
"It's not a mansion," he whispered, "but it's clean, peaceful, and filled with love."
---
Meanwhile, several kilometers away, Ruth stood at the motor park with her small travel bag.
She wore a simple blue gown and white sneakers.
She wasn't trying to impress anyone.
She simply wanted to be comfortable.
Her best friend, Esther, hugged her tightly.
"Remember what I told you."
Ruth smiled.
"I know."
"Share your location with me when you arrive."
"I will."
"And if anything feels wrong..."
"I'll come back immediately."
Esther nodded.
"Good."
As Ruth boarded the bus, she looked out of the window and whispered a short prayer.
"Lord, guide this journey."
The driver started the engine.
Slowly, the bus pulled away from the terminal.
---
Collins arrived at the city motor park almost forty minutes before the bus was due.
He was too excited to stay at home.
He checked his phone.
Ruth: We'll arrive in about twenty minutes.
Collins smiled.
"I'll be waiting."
Every bus that entered the park made his heart race.
He looked carefully at every passenger stepping down.
None of them was Ruth.
Then another luxury bus rolled into the terminal.
Passengers began getting off one after another.
An elderly couple.
A young mother carrying a baby.
Three university students.
Then...
A young woman stepped onto the pavement, holding a small travel bag.
She looked around, searching the crowd.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, the noisy motor park disappeared.
Neither of them spoke.
Collins couldn't believe what he was seeing.
She was even more beautiful than her pictures.
Ruth smiled first.
"Collins?"
He finally found his voice.
"Ruth..."
He walked toward her.
For a second, they both felt shy.
Then Collins stretched out his hand.
"Welcome."
Ruth smiled warmly and shook it.
"It's so good to finally meet you."
"The pleasure is mine."
As they walked toward the car park, the conversation flowed naturally, just as it always had on the phone.
There was no awkward silence.
No pretending.
It felt as though two old friends had finally reunited after years apart.
As Collins helped her place her bag in the car, he looked at her and said with a smile,
"You must be tired."
"A little."
"Let's go home."
Ruth smiled.
"Lead the way."
Neither of them knew that this simple drive from the motor park would become the beginning of a love story that would one day be tested by distance, heartbreak, and a secret neither of them could imagine.
- Writer
