Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

21.5: Yusuf and Linda's Tale

Linda and Yusuf met in Benin in May, 1994. She was twenty-two and he was twenty-seven. While she had completed her nursing degree, he was completing his Ph.D., serving as a lecturer in the University of Benin.

They met in the pharmacy she worked at while awaiting employment from all the hospitals she applied to. He had come in with Isa to get blood tonic and she kept them entertained with jokes until it got to their turn to pay. They left impressions on each other so it was no surprise Yusuf kept coming back to buy one drug or the other even when it was not needed.

She got accepted into the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and whenever he closed from work, he went over to say hi. On the days she was off duty, she went to the university campus to know his office and also say hi. Sometimes, they visited each other with gifts. Other times, they just enjoyed each other's company while taking little walks or eating in nearby restaurants.

Linda introduced him to her parents first and two weeks later, Yusuf was introducing her to his. No family member had any objections and their relationship was solidified. Yusuf never hid the fact that he wanted to marry her and Linda played hard to get just for the fun of it. She knew he'd be patient and he was.

The crack in their relationship came nearly a month after he reached out to her family to fix a date for his family to come down and ask for her hand in marriage. Health talk had come up and they took the opportunity to trade necessary information they were aware of before going to the hospital for more tests after the proposal was accepted.

They were both AS.

As learned people, they knew AS individuals were to not get married no matter how in love they were, unless they wanted to take the risk and deal with sickle cell children who'd spend most of their life on medications and hospital trips. They knew how deadly that risk could be. Not everyone was lucky.

The breakup was inevitable and Linda left Benin almost immediately, unable to stay in the same city with him. She got employed at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) which was then known as Otibhor Okhae and she used work to get over the heartbreak. Yusuf stayed in Benin, completed his degree and got promoted.

They did not communicate with each other. It was too hurtful to even do so. They accepted the fact that they may never see each other again so they did all they could to move on. They met other people but the relationships never lasted long. The relationships never got deep enough to consider getting married even though they and their partners were compatible in more ways than one.

In June 1996, Linda was asked to attend a seminar in Lagos. As fate would have it, Yusuf was in that same seminar as one of the speakers on physical and health education. She tried to flee when his lecture ended but he knew her well enough. He easily caught up with her and succeeded in getting her to have lunch with him.

It was the most awkward meal they had shared. When her plate was cleared and he said he'd pay, Linda stood and picked her bag. She was more than ready to leave. She, however, stopped when he spoke.

"I haven't been able to move on, Linda. It's not the same with anyone else."

With teary eyes, she turned around to face him. "It won't be the same with anyone else, Yusuf. We can't be together and you know it."

"We can try." There was desperation in his voice. "We'll be lucky In Shaa Allah. I really can't be with anyone who isn't you, Linda. You know that."

"Yusuf –"

"I've been praying to meet you." When he was met with silence, he sighed and pushed back his chair so he could stand. "When my second relationship after you ended, I kept praying to meet you if it was the best for us both. I wasn't supposed to be here, Linda. The lecturer stepped down last minute and I was put on the next bus coming to Lagos. Out of everyone in the hall, you were the first person I noticed."