It was the early dry season and the vegetation was still very green. The cold wind breezed smoothly, suiting my heated skin. I was happy for two things: the first being that I made lots of money from my freshly tapped palm wine today. The second being my trap caught a giant grass-cutter and it was on the fire.

Any minute from now, I would start eating the fufu I bought from Mama Nkechi, with the native soup I cooked earlier in the day, garnished with grass-cutter and washed down with the fresh palm wine I kept for the purpose. I began salivating on the sumptuous meal ahead. As a young single guy who loves village life, I left the city to the village to lead a village life although I had a booming business empire in the city. I asked my mom to help me run it and it was doing pretty well.

Soon, it was time to devour my meal. I prepared the table, arranged and re-arranged the dishes to fancy my style. I then washed my hand and said a short prayer. I dug into my plate of fufu and cut a generous morsel, moulded it and baptised it in the soup. I closed my eyes and brought it closer to my already salivating mouth, when I suddenly heard the most angelic voice on earth.

I froze, with my hand in mid-air. I opened my eyes and the most beautiful creature I’ve ever set my eyes on was right in front of me. She was going to the stream to fetch water. She saw me and waved. I waved back, my taste and hunger for food vanished into thin air.

I managed to drink a bit of the palm wine, wrapped myself up and stood by the roadside, waiting for my angel. Out of the blue, I saw her coming with a graceful step. She soon got to my position and I tried to start a conversation.

She wasn’t the boring type so the conversation was alive. I escorted her and returned back home.

Days ran into weeks, weeks ran into months and when I couldn’t bottle up my feelings again, I voiced them out only for her to tell me that she was already engaged. I knew that I had to do something, especially when I later found out that the guy she was engaged to was a strong drug dealer. He claimed to be a business tycoon who owns oil wells. She was being pressurised by her family to marry him.

When I made my intention known to her family, I was thrown out like a piece of shit. But I was determined to marry her, come what may. Though a risky choice, the battle with a drug lord was close.

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Tell us: Would you marry a drug lord’s partner?