Reach for me [Writer's contest 2]

."and so I ask you all here today, What's the essence of going to the Church or Mosque if you can't do something as simple as loving your neighbour??? Be the better person to impress GOD and not your fellow man" he paused then he stepped aside from the podium on the platform then he said a friend of mine (Reet) once said "to grow is to teach and you can't teach when you can't be reached " and she was right, we have to make ourselves available to be learnt from and also be taught for one can never know it all. He studied the crowd once more, his mother's eyes met his he could see the tears of joy full in her eyes showing how proud she was "how I wish dad was here he thought to himself, the journey through this path was not a very smooth one but he managed to find his real self amongst the confusion, he was able to harness his thoughts and ideas, he could hardly believe he was the same guy standing in front of these lovely people, he saw his siblings, their spouses and their kids, all here to support him.

Almost all his family and friends came tonight, he looked to his right and saw his first lady, sitting there, smiling at him and she mouthed something like "I Love You" sometimes he could see what she felt in her eyes and they had both developed a kind of coded body language that neither of them had to speak before each one got the message the other was trying to pass... he smiled back at her like a well fulfilled man would. I am blessed with a happy, loving and caring family and most of all a wonderful and supporting wife. He couldn't have gotten this far without her, she was his backbone through thick and thin, his Eminado, his Muse, his Soul mate, his Elixir, his Personal Brand of Heroin. He couldn't imagine life without her though he had a life before he met her but it got much better since he met her.

A friend had introduced them, for him he just thought she was one of those girls maybe another trophy for him cause he was tired of being in any serious relationship. Most of the girls he dated wanted something different or were bent on rushing things beyond his control so he just got fed up and gave up on the so called "true love" but eventually fate has a way of proving us wrong.

They went on a few dates yet there was no bond, they couldn't really find a common ground for them to discuss and the distance made it harder too so he complained to one of his friends (Sally) who knew about them and he refuted on how boring she was and he had tried different methods to mend her to his taste but his friend laughed at him and told him " bros instead of trying to bend the girl your way, why not try to understand her, One thing I've learnt about relationships is that we are not perfect and usually we are selfish in the sense that we want the other person to be like us and the other person wants us to be like them but it doesn't work that way, there must be sacrifices but that doesn't mean one should change, it means we have to accept our differences and give up some things that we know won't affect our happiness for life.

If it’s blending, just give a little more time, maybe there's something about both of you that you need to understand. I think whatever you put your heart in will work for you...you can be in the same place and hardly see each other the most important thing as you said is communication and I feel network providers have made it easy for us, all you need to do is to build your communication skills, make sure each day you have something to talk about, forget all this "I love you" talk, let it not be the basis of the conversation bring up reality gist and with time you find out you're getting along gradually because that's when you know what she's going through and she'll know what you're going through as well, then u start assisting each other with advices, don’t hold grudges, iron every issue as it comes...like that, like that...I believe things will work out and don't expect it's going to be rosy but it'll keep getting better", that small lecture that night changed everything.

He found out more about her through her friends and family and funny enough she did the same but both of them didn't know until much later. Building up a relationship is never an easy thing but after all the bumpy ride and potholes they got to that great place. Once, he had told her that she had a spell on him for she was in his every thought and the she replied "you've spoken like a true gentleman but I’m not sure you're".

….Really? He questioned, I guess then you have to get to know me better to find out, with that he bowed down, took her hand in his and kissed it gently....she blushed. Time passed and after many moons of dating and getting to know each other their relationship that seemed almost impossible at the beginning blossomed into something other people wished they had. Every night he thought of many things to write to her to make her smile, keeping her happy became one of his major objectives, heart to heart talk was more important to him than anything sexual and he had kept it that way a long time that a friend's fiancée once told him that he was too nice to women and that he might hardly get a woman that way, but Heaven compensated him and he was grateful for that. On the day he was to propose to her he sent her a text in the early hours.

“The Gifts of Life are sometimes rare but very Important, Immeasurable and should be Appreciated especially when you have Lovely People around you that brighten up your day and illuminate your heart. You are one of those and a rare Gift too, a diamond amongst stones, the "Centre of Wealth" I am enchanted by your Illumination. Have a Lovely+Fruitful Day! Me lady". She replied telling him how lucky she was to have him, she never thought anyone could love her this much, later that evening he proposed to her via a flash message on one of her favourite Tv shows, and after she said yes came the surprise party too, life couldn't be any better, she reached for me and made me a better man, and that's how he got the idea of his book titled "Reach for Me" partly inspirational and romantic. Now happily married with three lovely kids, there she was still looking vibrant and in love as ever he never thought himself to be this lucky a chap but he was....

back to the present, he found himself in front of a friendly crowd - a dream he never thought he could achieve until now. "If only we knew how small the world is, or how related we are and how our lives flow into each other just like the running river. Life is simple, live it with humility and honesty, live it spontaneously" he read out from his latest book then he spoke to the audience again "most of you here have read this book and of course you all know I’m the author, somebody from the crowd shouted "Yes Bo$$!! We do!!!!, everyone cheered and laughed. He said though initially when I started writing this book it wasn't for commercial purposes but as time passed and I discovered that the economy had changed I decided that I wouldn't mind the money the crowd cheered and laughed again.

To himself he was happy that he still got his sense of humour intact but to the crowd they came here with expectations and he had to make sure they don't go home disappointed and they didn't, with that he concluded, the show was a wrap and the audience compensated him with a standing ovation...."i couldn't have done it without You GOD, for that I am forever Grateful " he whispered to his soul.

NAME: Shittu OlaTunji Idris