“Oh God of the Booless and Baeless, Oluwa, provide EBooBae.
It’s still 11:59 p.m. on Val’s Day. Fadalawd, I know that you can still change my story.”

Hian!

Valentine was my mother waking me and my siblings by 4 a.m. on a school day in 1998, to show us a spanking new VHS video machine. In it, she’d slotted in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
It was the first time we’d ever celebrated Valentine’s day. It was also the first time my mother would keep us home on a school day, for reasons other than sickness.

She prepared pounded yam and afia efere ebot, with that big, tasty, dry fish called inagha, goat meat, ponmo, ekporoko, big periwinkles and giant snails.

It was the best Valentine’s Day ever, and it began the tradition of celebrating Van’s Day in our home.

Valentine was Feb 14, 2008.
That day, Chigozie, Maureen, Chika, and I threw a Single Ladies themed party for friends and neighbours.
From our meagre purses, and with plenty of love in our hearts, we ate, danced, played games, drank, and made merry. We were single and perfectly happy as should be.
A truly memorable Valentine.

Valentine is February 11, 2017.
For years, I have begged my mother for this set of expensive cast iron non-stick pots. And each time I asked for them, she’d tell me to go and bring a husband, so she could give them to me as a wedding gift.

I’ve grovelled, quarrelled, sulked and pleaded for those pots to no avail. Then on Saturday, among the foodstuff sent to me, were those beautiful babies.

Honestly, words cannot describe how I feel!

I love my Mama, no be lie.

I’m going to launch one of the pots this afternoon with a correct unripe plantain pottage dish, with dry fish, roasted chicken and vegetables.

Don’t worry, I will post the pictures so you can lick your phone screen.

Oya, your turn.
Share your best Valentine story.
The best story will win a cash prize of ………..