The early morning sun came bouncing into the room with the refreshing vigor of a bright new day. He rolled over in bed and reached for Emilia on her usual side of the bed instinctively, but drew back as the realization hit him. He opened his eyes slowly and drank in the beauty of the fresh new day. The potted plants, in the earthen bowl under the leaking air conditioner, were already pulsating with new life and vigor, their brilliantly colored petals, swayed softly under the gentle drill of the new day, their ultimate duty, to give glory to God.
He sighed, wishing he could just be like the flowers, grow and die, here today and gone tomorrow, and totally incapable of any feelings. Reluctantly, he dragged his eyes away from the flowers. As his eyes roamed the room, it caught Emilia’s enlargement picture standing conspicuously on the mantelpiece, he died a little. Immediately, he felt the memories come tumbling down.
He picked up the photograph, and all at once, his daddy’s words when his mother died several years ago came back to him. ‘Nothing good lasts forever…Amara, the pain you left behind will not heal in a hurry.’ He ran his hands across the surface and thought how appropriate the words were. ‘Emilia,” he muttered. “The pain you left behind will not heal in a hurry.”
It was almost a month since Emilia eloped with another man. He could still see her face on his mental screen as she packed her personal belongings the next day and hear her voice telling him she would not want to see him again. He could hardly believe that it was nearly one month of sheer pain, utter despair and loneliness since she left. But he was definitely glad that the savage reprisal had run full circle and ceased. He was glad to be alone again and to do whatever pleases him without Emilia fussing and bossing him around.
He spent the morning surfing the net and catching up on trends through his social media handles, being a Saturday and a work free day, he was not in a hurry. But by midday, he decided to go fishing, an adventure Emilia finds repulsive and which he has not indulged in for a long time. Even as he cruised down to Igwu River with his fishing rods, he felt his excitement building up. Looking back now, he wondered what kind of life it would have been like with Emilia buzzing around like a bee. 
Soon, he was at the river, and as he drove along the sandy river bank, he admired the beauty of the gentle flowing river, the seabirds hovering over the surface of the water and the animals playing in the trees nearby. He swallowed hard. The Igwu River has never ceased to thrill him ever since he was a child and he was glad to indulge in this childhood fantasy once again. 
He found a secluded place under a giant tree and pulled up. Hurriedly, he grabbed his rucksack and fishing rods and started down the river bank until he found the right spot. Carefully, he laid the hooks and sat down to wait. While he waited, he explored the river banks and found a couple of rabbit holes and animal tracks. Even in the trees, squirrels, orangutans and monkeys jumped from branch to branch, adding beauty and charm to the environment. Some were so close and seemed not bothered by his presence. He regretted not bringing his gun with him, or even a catapult. He took pictures, beautiful pictures he was proud of. Immediately, he uploaded them to his Facebook and Twitter handles before going back to the river to check the hooks. He was lucky. Four hooks caught one electric fish, two tilapia fish and a fairly big catfish. He removed the fish and just as he was about to replace the bait, he heard the bush nearby rustle. He turned and noticed movements and the rustling of dry leaves. He peered closely and saw a girl of about 21 or so, struggling to break through the interlock of shrubs.
He saw her at the same time that she saw him and for what seemed like an eternity, they stood staring at each other, unable to break the hold. He swallowed hard. She has one of the most innocent forget -me - not - eyes that he’s ever seen. While he stood there staring at her, he heard someone calling her before she recovered from her shock and broke the gaze. “I’m…I’m sorry,” the girl stammered. “I …I didn’t know I was in the way.” “Oh no, not at all,” he cried, but she had already disappeared just like she had appeared.  His enthusiasm drained out.
***
She was the first thing he saw that Saturday morning as he strode into the park with his weekend papers and magazines. He doesn’t always pry or let things get more than a fleeting attention, but he couldn’t help staring at her. She was sitting alone in one of the garden chairs under a young frangipani tree in a secluded part of the park, head bent into a novel she was reading and enjoying and a gentle breeze caressing her skin and sky blue gown. She didn’t even notice he was there as he took his seat in an empty chair opposite her, a great mistake that was, and watched her do her thing.
He had brought his weekend papers with him, but he has lost his traditional appetite for them. His new obsession was watching this paragon of beauty do her thing.
For what seemed like ages, he watched her as she seemed to have slipped into a world of her own, a world where no intruder, except the author and the people and places in the novel, can enter. Forcefully, he took his eyes away and tried to concentrate on the magazines only to realize that he has lost his traditional appetite and urge for them. His thoughts were continually wandering to the girl and racing with her through the pages she had read. After a long time, she turned the last page, and somewhere down the page, the story ends. She closed the novel and her face came up slowly from the book as if hating to part from it.
He braced himself up. It was time for action, he thought, walking over to her. On getting closer, he realized she was even prettier than he had thought. She was petite, clean, and has the most innocent forget - me - not - eyes. So, he decided to try an original line. “Excuse me, Miss, but I hope you wouldn’t be angry with me if I say you look just as beautiful as these flowers?” She smiled. “Oh my God! But…but why? I mean, Mama said flowers are the most beautiful creation on earth.”  He was happy. He has broken her cyst and walked into her world without jarring the fine cords of her serene arrangement. “Yes, they may be, but so you are,” he replied, smiling too. 
But it seemed something in his smile jarred her serene arrangement or whatever, but the smile died suddenly and the radiance left her eyes immediately. “Well, thanks,” the girl said and stood up. “I must leave now.” She was gone before he could stop her.
For a long time after she was gone, he stood staring at her disappearing figure like one in a trance, wondering where he had seen her before. An hour or so later, and over a bottle of beer, the penny dropped. She was the girl he saw at the riverside while fishing a couple of days ago.