It was supposed to be my birthday party but I was skeptical about having a party. I had few friends in the opposite sex but I was encouraged and assured by the likes of Yinka Salami Adedapo that plenty babes will attend 😁. Yinka had the connections with the girls and the girls will draw in more girls .. or so I believed. Yinka was more streetwise than I was as he had a sister in St Louis and my guess is that he was hoping to ride on that. Moreover, there were many St. Louis and Fiwasaye girls in our area then😎. We banked on them and believed thay too will also bring their friends along. Salami was quite popular in our area then. He was well known for his academic prowess in Primary School then. So he was stilling that to muscle everyone then 😁. The plan was so well mapped out and with plenty assurances from the girls in our area that we became very confident and decided that only St. Louis and Fiwasaye girls will be invited. We decided not to extend invitation to any other girl outside those from these two schools. Big ambition 😱.
On the side, the boys to be invited was controlled. There was a control on those that can attend the party. Not everyone was invited but there were more that heard and wanted to come. Hence, there were invitation cards and code to get into the party. There was a dress code for those that turn up. Black trousers and white shirts. You don’t have it, you don’t get in🥶…
Cometh the day, cometh the hour. All roads led to Ala. The party was planned to start around 12pm on-1pm. Our parents at work, and the anticipation heightened. The party was held at one of the flats in Ala Quarters. The flat was occupied by Male Youth Corp Members who yielded the flat to us for that day to hold the party. The guys were friendly, receptive and very welcoming. We always admire their dressing, the blaring music from their apartment, how babes throng their flats and the freedom they enjoyed.
On that fateful day, after 2 hours of kick off time, no babe showed up oh. Not until the only babe that eventually attended arrived. A slim, cute and very pretty babe. Very friendly and accommodating. If my memory serves me right, I think her name was Aretha. Her arrival bolster our confidence and raised a lot of hope. Before her arrival, we have moved round our area and tried hard to get those babes that made us promises to fulfill it by attending. They just continued to promise to be their soon which later turned out to be just "posting" . Realising their deceptive agenda, we turned to babes from other schools living in our area whom we initially intentionally left out of our plans🥺. We extended an emergency invitation to then but it was met with mockery, laughter and outright rejection🥵.
Back to the only lady that graced the party. Left with no choice, we had to take turn to dance with this babe oh. It was like taking a tally in the bank then and waiting for your turn. She was gracious enough to be accommodating and dance it out. Everyone wanted to be with her and engaged her in conversation. If it were to be today, I am sure everyone would have collected her number and taking selfie with her. She was that nice yet uncompromising. We all had our eyes on her but she had hers on only one person and one person alone. She's apparently attracted to my good friend, the big boy Wumi ibembe Adu himself. Wumi was cool and quiet at the party yet had the full attention of the only lady in the house. All others tried to throw their hat into the ring by showcasing different dancing skills but all to no avail. At the end if it all, the big boy carried the day. When the babe eventually decided to call it a day and go home, Wumi was there to offer her a ride home. Once she left, we needed no one to blow the final whistle for the party. It naturally came to an end. Na so Adu Gbangba carried the day oh. Some of the boys went home disappointed. Some got home to get the beating of their lives for going out and not declaring where and coming back later.
Back to why the party was a flop. Unknown to us which we later discovered, the Corper's Lodge we used was a slaughter slab. Many parents in our area warned their daughters to avoid the place and the Corper guys. Many of the girls may sneak and visit them at odd hours but none has the gut to visit the lodge during day time. And our party was held during day time..
Parties. There were a few after in different locations with most vivid, at Lafe Inn. More girls, less boys. The right balance? That is confined to our memories or imaginations...
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