How we met
Kemi’s story
It all started one night in Dec ’07 just after Xmas. I called my friend (Damilola Abayomi) just to have our normal girly chat, then she told me her cousins were around from Netherlands and Germany, but I only knew Ife who was from Germany so I spoke to him and we started catching up on old times as I hadn’t seen him in a while. Somehow Ife started talking about his cousin (Tope) and while all this was happening my dear Tope was busy doing was he does best… Sleeping. At that point in time it was all a joke and we all laughed about it and I never thought about it after that night.
The next day I called Dami’s phone to talk about her trip to Leeds to visit me…lo and behold a young man answered the phone and I immediately assumed it was Ife and I said hello asked him where Dami was and the person on the phone replied saying this is not Ife this is Tope so I was like Ife stop Jo please give the phone to Dami I need to speak to her about her trip to Leeds. Well…
I was brave enough to decide to leave the UK all by myself to meet the person I had only met over the phone. The night before I first met Temitope I was too restless to sleep, I asked myself a million what ifs…what if I don’t like him or what if he doesn’t like me… but I just thought the worst thing that can happen is me getting a hotel to stay for the weekend- I had my ‘vex money’ Just in case things don’t go as planned. The world belongs to the brave…lol
On the morning of the 27th of March 2008 I stood there at the arrival lounge of Schipol airport just by Starbucks waiting for Tope as he had to drive from Eindhoven to Amsterdam. I was too excited to sit down…then came the ‘what ifs’ thought again, Suddenly I saw someone that looked like the person I was waiting for walk my way; at that point my heart was beating so fast I could feel it in my palms. He stopped in front of me and gave me a hug and we immediately made our way to the car park and drove back to Eindhoven and that was it…
I met Temitope at a time I was completely confused. What I saw in him during those times were truth, love and happiness. I found a dream in you Temitope, I could never have wished for anyone better with a heart as large as yours.
To have met you was divine
Being your friend was a choice
I found in you all I love
Falling in love with you was beyond my control.
You loved me as a friend and now want me as a wife…. I feel blessed to be your best friend.
Tope’s story
I got to know Folakemi before I met her in person. She is my cousin’s (damilola) friend. I was in London in December 2007 visiting family, my cousins Ife and Dami were around we had a chat about Folakemi. I told Dami that I would like to meet her friend but Dami was like she was not going to let that happen because she thought I wasn’t serious.
(Funny thing is Folakemi doesn’t about this part of the story prior to me writing it so I am sure I have some explaining to do later).
Well after some coercing and making promises that I wasn’t going to hurt her friend, Dami agreed to make it happen. While I was asleep that evening, Ife and Dami were on the phone with Folakemi and the next day I was told that most of the initial work had been done (I’ve got great cousins). The first time I spoke to Folakemi on the phone, her voice was the warmest I had ever heard,I still look forward to hearing it daily.
I still had to win her over though, she had been Dami’s friend for years and had heard a lot of unbiased information about my past so it took a while to convince her that I was ready to be serious and commit to the relationship. We met a couple of months later and I knew I had found someone I can spend the rest of my life with.
The best part of it is that we are friends, I remember my mum’s prayer always went. You will find someone who will be your wife, your mother and friend. I have found these and much more in Folakemi and I can’t wait to start the next phase in our relationship.