"Kunle was unpredictable", the Adikakas

 

                                      Disclaimer: This isn't their picture for privacy's sake.

By Yamilenu Bamgboye

Love stories come in many forms. Some begin with candlelit dinners, others with carefully planned dates or vacations. But sometimes, love doesn’t wait for perfect settings; it barges in at a Lagos market where the smell is a cocktail of orisirisi or on a bus between the noise of danfo conductors and unruly passengers, or the unexpected sophisticated babe who gets a patronising banter from someone she perceived was so not close.

This is the story of Kunle Adikaka, a Lagos hustler who never believed a woman could look at him twice, and Amara, a Nigerian of Igbo stock on holiday from the UK, who thought she was only here for vacation and family and nothing more. But what started as a chance meeting turned into a conversation, and that conversation grew into something bigger than both of them. This relieved memory captures the awkwardness, humour, doubts, and eventual magic of their unlikely romance. Two people. One city. A thousand reasons it shouldn’t have worked yet, fate decided otherwise, and against all odds, they realised their hearts had found home in each other. Enjoy.

What did you think when you first saw her?

Kunle: I thought she was definitely lost. No Nigerian babe walks into Jankara Market with braided wig, designer shades, and sneakers whiter than white sef (laughs). I swear, even the pepper sellers paused. Me? I was just looking for phone spare parts. Love wasn’t in my agenda.

Amara: I thought, "Who is this guy staring at me like I am not human?" He was leaning on a kiosk with dust on his jeans, but his eyes were sharp. Almost like he could see through my “I’m a tough diasporan babe” performance.

Did you think you’d speak to each other?

Kunle: No chance. Girls like her don’t look at guys like me twice. Holiday babes always have cousins to chauffeur them around and uncles to sponsor everything. I was just another face in Lagos market.

Amara: Honestly, no. He looked like the type that’d mind his business. But then my Google Map misbehaved, and he was the only one who didn’t try to charge me a “consultancy fee” for directions. That made me curious.

What was your first impression after talking?

Kunle: She didn’t laugh when I teased her about her accent. That shocked me. Most girls either blush or hiss. She just fired back in Yoruba like say guy, you nor dey look face? At that point, omo I reverse, I kom behave (laughs). But nothing like feelings. 

Amara: He didn’t look impressed. That annoyed me. Lagos men usually try too hard to impress or match up, but this one acted like I don't care about your status. That’s when I wanted to prove him wrong.

What surprised you about each other?

Amara: He was too humble. I kept waiting for the usual Nigerian “so what do you do?” or “when are you going back?” Instead, he just asked, “So, madam UK, you sabi peel yam?” Imagine!

Kunle: She was actually funny. I expected “posh gist" you know...London this, London that. Instead, she was joking about danfo conductors like she rode them every day. That’s when I realized she was real. Different. 

Amara: Actually, I did have a bit of that experience. Everyone in my extended family wasn't always comfortable, and my parents never discouraged us from visiting them.

Did you think it would go anywhere?

(Both rush to answer amid laughter.)

Kunle: Babe now...wait now...wait first. Me? Never. She’d be gone in three weeks. Girls like that don’t settle for guys fixing phones at Computer Village. I wasn't in Computer Village then; I didn't own this big store yet. In fact, na one pako I just put together where I was in Jakara. I was too sure she would forget me faster than a twinkle.

Amara: I told myself no. Maybe it was pride, I don't know. My flight was booked but my heart was planning an extension by the second date.

What moment changed everything?

Amara: The night we had our second date, he walked me home. It was a trekable distance from where I had told the Uber guy to drop us. Maybe I didn't want the night to end, or maybe I was feeling nostalgic already, I can't say. You know, it was mixed. I just enjoyed it while we walked and talked. When we got to my house, he didn’t touch me. He didn’t ask to come in either. He just said, “Text me when you’re about to snore.” For real, respect like that is rare, and it felt so sweet. (Kunle looked shy and smiled a little.)

Kunle: I think it's the day rain trapped us in that buka at Jakara. (He faced Amara)

Amara: Oh...what a day! (Laughs) I remember right.

Kunle: That she removed her designer jacket, rolled up her sleeves, and helped the mama there serve food. People were shouting, “Fine madam dey sell amala o!” I saw her heart that day, and the brightness melted mine.

Looking back, what did you really think of each other?

Amara: I agree, they are our moments. (Laughs) I thought he was impossible. But impossible is just another word for destiny in disguise. And Kunle... I still don't know how I came into this stubborn, lasting love.

Kunle: I thought she was a dream Lagos would wake me from. But Fate doesn't seek permissions. Here we are, two years later, married, still arguing about little things. I think those dramatic moments are our moments. 

What did your families think at first?

Kunle: My sister laughed. She said, “So, na oyinbo returnee carry your destiny?” Then my mum was worried. She thought Amara would get tired of Lagos life and vanish. I can’t blame her; even I feared the same. Today, she spends so much time with me that you'll think she doesn't have a job or has her own thing going. She is such a good time manager.

Amara: My dad kept asking, “So what does he do exactly?” Like fixing phones was a crime. My mum just smiled and said, “If he respects you, that’s already more than half the men in London.” And that was it. 

When did you know it was love?

Amara: I think it's the night he sang along to a Chike song at a bar, totally off-key, not caring who was watching. I think it was ''Running to You''. I laughed till my ribs hurt. You know...love is when you’re happiest in someone’s imperfect moments. That's just it.

Kunle: The day she ate roasted corn by the roadside with me, no complaints. Just laughter and joy. That’s when I thought, this woman fit live anywhere with me...village oh, city oh, heaven oh, or hellfire oh. (laughs)

What’s the one thing you’d never admit to each other back then?

Kunle: That from the first day, I saved her number as Amara Trouble because I thought she was trouble, judging by how everything went down the first day.

Amara: Well, it will shock him to know that after that first encounter, I googled “how to date a Lagos man without falling too hard.” 

Kunle: Oh my God! It's a lie! (Laughs)

Amara: Yuuuup, I did. (Laughs) I guess Google lied or the tips failed, either ways. (Laughs) But I'm happy this way, not that way. (Laughs)

Kunle: Now I'm getting emotional for real. (Laughs)