Soon the days passed and it was time for me to move to Nottingham. Mr turned up at my doorstep on the evening of 17/09/04 to help me move all my stuff. We finally left London around 11.00pm in the night. The journey was fun though. I remember being so excited about the year ahead. I was glad to be out of the 9 - 5 work life and be going back to student life.
We arrived in Nottingham around 2.00am and popped into a filling station to buy the essentials: a map and two bottles of water. We finally located my flat after about 15 minutes squinting at the A to Z. My flatmate had already moved in, so she had put some things together. She had gone to her parents to spend the night, so she wasn't around when we got there. Fortunately I had the keys to the flat and we were able to get all my stuff in. Mr and I stayed up all night trying to unpack and arrange my stuff. Eventually we dozed off at about 5.00am.
Early the next morning I made a shopping list of things I needed for the house cos it came partly funished and it was almost bare apart from the basics. We popped out to go to Ikea (the haven for student furniture!) and Argos to get stuff. Then we went to the supermarket to stock up on groceries enough to feed an army for a month, lol.
That afternoon when we got back to the house, my flatmate was there with her parents. We introduced ourselves and they left. Mr and I got talking about visiting each other and stuff. But we both agreed that with him in Essex and me in Nottingham, we really couldn't meet up often. And I also knew that with a hectic schedule of lectures and school work, I couldn't really afford to take many weekends off. I remember feeling a bit sad too, cos that day was our second anniversary. Seemed like we had been going out for ages, really it had just been 2 years! We celebrated our anniversary with lunch and a kiss, then it was time for him to go. We promised to speak to each other everyday. I waved him off goodbye and that was it! I was now on my own in Nottingham. Fortunately I already had a group of friends there so I didn't feel too lonely.
First day of school was spent doing the normal stuff: registration on the course, getting my university username and password, registration in the library, the surgery and a welcome lecture from the Vice Principal of the Business School etc. During all these necessary trips, I met three Nigerian Masters students and I found out one of them was on my course! We swapped phone numbers and became friends at once, and we are still good friends now. We went to the freshers' fair together, signed up for the AfroCarribean society and a few other societies/clubs, located where everything was, and caught a bus tour round the university park. It was all cool stuff.
Gradually I settled into life back at uni, woke up to the shock that Masters was a whole different ball game from undergrad and made more friends. My housemate was very cool and we got on quite well. She was training to be a teacher, so she was a responsible level-headed girl. She had a boyfriend who lived and worked in Sheffield, so he came to visit once or twice a month.
Mr and I didn't see each other but we kept in touch over the phone every evening. I don't think a single day passed in that whole year that I didn't talk to him once or twice. Thank God for T-Mobile free call allowances! I missed hanging out with him though, but we made the best out of what we could.
A month after I moved to Nottingham, I invited my friends round for lunch and a discussion and from then on, it became a monthly occurrence. I'll talk more about that in future posts.
Showing posts with label anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anniversary. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30
Wednesday, February 14
One Year and a Surprise
It's Valentine's Day today! I thought it would be perfect to write a happy, oh-so-romantic post today. So here goes.
Before we knew it, time flew by and Mr and I had been going out for a year. I remember looking back at the year that had gone by, how much I had grown, how many things I had learnt and being so happy that I was a better person that I had been the previous years. We talked on the phone the day before. I suggested we should celebrate our anniversary by going back to the cinema where he had asked me out a year ago, and actually watching a movie this time. It sounded like fun. After the movie we hung out in the car (like in the beginning), swapped anniversary presents, and talked about the past year. I teased him about when he was asking me out then, hoping and praying that I would say yes. He teased me back saying I was already "jelling" for him so I couldn't resist. Had a right laugh about it all. I couldn't stay there till 3.00am though. I had to wake up early the next morning cos I was ushering at a wedding.
Besides we were meeting up in the evening anyways. The event was a party at his older brother's house. He had told me a week before that his brother was having a small get-together and I was invited. Initially I told him I wasn't sure I was going to make it because I had to attend and help at the wedding and my family was going to be there. He came back to me and said that my family had been invited to the party too and they had agreed to come, so we could all come to his brother's place after the wedding. That was cool by me, so I agreed to attend.
The next day I had a busy but nice time at the wedding. I like hearing the couple making vows and dancing and the whole point of getting married. Throughout the day lots of people were teasing me saying, "you are next!" and I was thinking "you people need to slow down". At the reception, I remember watching the happy couple having their first dance and thinking, love is sweet o! Little did I know.
Eventually I rounded up my family and we left the wedding to go to my future in-laws house. When we got there, I met Mr there already, his brothers and their wives were there getting things ready. I offered to help in the kitchen but they said I shouldn't worry, I should just go and chill with the kids in the living room. While I was playing with the kids, Mr's second brother got up to give a speech. I think it went like this. "Thank you all for coming, and many thanks to the family for bringing Favoured Girl* here. Let me not take too much of your time. I'll just step aside and allow the person that called us here to do what he wants to do". I looked up in confusion, wondering what was going on. Then I saw Mr who was sitting beside me, fiddling in his pocket. He brought out a ring, knelt down in front of me and said "Babe, you have been the best girlfriend I've ever had. The past one year has been wonderful (I was in a complete shock, it wasn't really sinking in, I managed to hear a few words) ...... official..... like to ask you .... ..... Will you marry me?" He must have waited for ages before I recovered and finally said "Yes!" and then he hugged me and put the ring on my finger. Then everyone came round to hug us and congratulate us. The rest of the party passed like a blur cos I was floating on some clouds all the way home.
Before we knew it, time flew by and Mr and I had been going out for a year. I remember looking back at the year that had gone by, how much I had grown, how many things I had learnt and being so happy that I was a better person that I had been the previous years. We talked on the phone the day before. I suggested we should celebrate our anniversary by going back to the cinema where he had asked me out a year ago, and actually watching a movie this time. It sounded like fun. After the movie we hung out in the car (like in the beginning), swapped anniversary presents, and talked about the past year. I teased him about when he was asking me out then, hoping and praying that I would say yes. He teased me back saying I was already "jelling" for him so I couldn't resist. Had a right laugh about it all. I couldn't stay there till 3.00am though. I had to wake up early the next morning cos I was ushering at a wedding.
Besides we were meeting up in the evening anyways. The event was a party at his older brother's house. He had told me a week before that his brother was having a small get-together and I was invited. Initially I told him I wasn't sure I was going to make it because I had to attend and help at the wedding and my family was going to be there. He came back to me and said that my family had been invited to the party too and they had agreed to come, so we could all come to his brother's place after the wedding. That was cool by me, so I agreed to attend.
The next day I had a busy but nice time at the wedding. I like hearing the couple making vows and dancing and the whole point of getting married. Throughout the day lots of people were teasing me saying, "you are next!" and I was thinking "you people need to slow down". At the reception, I remember watching the happy couple having their first dance and thinking, love is sweet o! Little did I know.
Eventually I rounded up my family and we left the wedding to go to my future in-laws house. When we got there, I met Mr there already, his brothers and their wives were there getting things ready. I offered to help in the kitchen but they said I shouldn't worry, I should just go and chill with the kids in the living room. While I was playing with the kids, Mr's second brother got up to give a speech. I think it went like this. "Thank you all for coming, and many thanks to the family for bringing Favoured Girl* here. Let me not take too much of your time. I'll just step aside and allow the person that called us here to do what he wants to do". I looked up in confusion, wondering what was going on. Then I saw Mr who was sitting beside me, fiddling in his pocket. He brought out a ring, knelt down in front of me and said "Babe, you have been the best girlfriend I've ever had. The past one year has been wonderful (I was in a complete shock, it wasn't really sinking in, I managed to hear a few words) ...... official..... like to ask you .... ..... Will you marry me?" He must have waited for ages before I recovered and finally said "Yes!" and then he hugged me and put the ring on my finger. Then everyone came round to hug us and congratulate us. The rest of the party passed like a blur cos I was floating on some clouds all the way home.
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