The Beach & a Beautiful Stranger

Oct 30, 2024

Lasgidi Hut was not the kind of place that caught the attention right away. It was a small shack at the edge of the beach, hidden by some tall palm trees.

The sign above the door was faded, barely legible, and the paint of the building had been chipped away by years of salty ocean air.

It was on the quieter side of the ocean, far away from the more crowded beach sides where tourists and local visitors liked to mingle.

From inside the hut, you could hear and see the waves crashing against the shore; the full glory of the Atlantic in view. The smell of grilled fish was constant in the air and Alté music was always playing in the background.

It was the kind of place you would visit to escape, to let down your guard for a while, if not for the scenic view, then for the clean oxygen you would breathe for those few hours.

That was where I found myself one breezy Friday evening, sitting by the window with a cup of Guinness in my hand. I cannot seem to remember what drew me there that day.

Maybe it was because I desperately needed some quiet and solitude as Lagos had started to suffocate me again.

But sometimes I think fate just wanted to bring you my way.

I did not notice you at first.

I was lost in my countless thoughts, watching the waves crash against the shore and sipping the beer slowly from my glass.

I was fine being by myself, then you appeared out of nowhere and asked if you could join me.

Your voice was soft and firm and when I looked up at you, you took my breath away.

Your dark skin glowed under the soft, dim lights of the bar, and your hair was styled in long dreadlocks, falling and framing your face. The dress you wore was a simple flowery gown that wrapped around your figure perfectly, with the hem flowing slightly with the breeze.

However, what struck me the most was your smile. It was white and beautiful and genuine. The type of smile you would give to an old friend.

I do not know why, but I immediately felt at ease with you. The air around you was comfortable and your presence was inviting.

My voice faltered slightly as I accepted your offer to join me and I internally berated myself for lapsing in my composure.

You slid into the seat opposite me with an effortless effort and I watched you lean back into the chair. You were so relaxed and everything you did carried a quiet grace about it.

You gave me another grin as you thanked me, then you stretched out your hand and I shook it. In that moment, sitting across from me, you looked like you were exactly where you belonged.

I forgot about the waves and ocean and the noise in my head.

All I could focus on was you.

You asked if I came there often and I could not hold back my laughter. You laughed along with me and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, I swear that I still hear it ringing in my ears.

I answered your question with a no and you told me that you did not either. When I asked you why you were there on that night, you told me that you just needed to get away for some time.

We were on that beach together that day for the same reason. Maybe it was indeed fate that made our paths cross.

I complimented your hair and you thanked me with another smile. This time you looked away with a slight blush and I felt a rush, a tingling sensation flow down my spine. It was like having my first crush all over again.

I had so many questions to ask; Who you were. Why you came to sit with me. Why you were so damn beautiful.

I felt this sudden desire to know all there was to know about you.

When you looked back at me, I could see the colour of your eyes. They were brown, or hazel, I cannot quite remember, but it seemed like they were piercing deep into my soul.

A man approached us with a menu and asked us what we would like to eat. I told you to choose for the both of us and after you scanned through the menu, you ordered two plates of Catfish pepper soup and coconut water.

It was an odd mix but I did not question you. I noticed that this man was staring at you for too long and I had this sharp urge to bury my fist in his face.

I am not the violent type so that impulse really surpised me

We sat in silence as we waited for our food, Odunsi's soft voice flowing from the speakers and filling the air between us.

I wanted to say something, anything, but every line in my playbook just seemed too inadequate to be used with you.You were not like the other girls I flirted with. No. There was something else about you. Something more profound.

My friends would have laughed at me and called me a “dead guy” if they were there with us that day. Your friends would probably have done the same too.

Luckily for me, the man returned with our order before the silence between us became awkward and we both turned our attention to our plates.

I stole glances at you while you ate and drank, and it was all I could do not to stare.

When we finished eating, our plates were cleared and we settled into an easy conversation. And if you remember, we did not stop talking for the rest of the evening.

You and I talked about everything and anything.

You told me how you were a writer, hoping to get a publishing deal before the end of the year. And even though I had zero interest in books, I listened to you talk to me for a long time about your stories and big ideas.

Eventually, you stopped talking and you looked embarrased as you apologised for “rambling”. I wish I had told you then that I would listen to you "ramble" for hours without end anytime you wanted.

When encouraged me to talk about myself, I told you how much I hated Lagos and its never dwindling population of people. I also told you I was a visual artist and I shared my plan to someday break the Guinness World Record for the longest hours spent painting in one go.

I had never told anybody about that dream before. To me, it was a ridiculous feat to try to break, but you smiled and told me that attempting to fail was better than failing to attempt.

I wonder if you remember any of these things I am saying.

For hours, I did most of the talking. I had settled back into my element and I was throwing off jokes and pick-up lines with ease. You held my eyes with a steady gaze as you laughed at my jokes.

You understood all my references, even the football ones, and it made something swell in my heart. You told me you were a Spurs fan and you laughed at me when I said I supported Manchester United.

You rolled your eyes and said that supporting United was a "red flag", but you would let it slide because I was “an attractive guy”.

I replied that supporting Tottenham was in fact the biggest "red flag" ever but you were “awfully gorgeous” so I would also let it slide.

Something changed between us that instance and we stared at each other in silence for a long moment after that. The air around us was electric and I felt the same pull I had been feeling towards you all evening.

Did you feel it too?

I took the chance to ask if you had a boyfriend and you shook your head. When I tried to ask you some more intimate questions, your answers were vague and it was like you were suddenly retreating into a shell.

I did not get upset about it, instead it left me wanting more.

Something about you had struck me all evening, something that was familiar but completely unknown at the same time.

I wanted to know all the things you were not saying. I wanted you to share your burdens with me and so I could tell you that we would figure them out together.

It was crazy.

I had never felt anything like that for anybody, definitely not for someone I had just met. But I did and I was not going to let you go easily.

We did not notice that so much time had passed until the man from earlier called out to us and said they were closing for the night. We looked around and realised that we were the only ones left.

Outside, the sky had turned black, dotted by a million stars and the last traces of the sunset had long faded into the horizon.

I felt a deep pang of disappointment as you stood up and picked up your bag.

I did not want you to leave and I did not want the night to end.

You were hesitant to leave too and there was a look on your face that I did not quite understand.

I still do not.

I just assumed that it meant you did not want to leave either.

I asked if I would see you again and you asked me if I wanted to see you again. I said yes, a little eager than I would have liked to, but it made you smile.

A soft, sad smile.

"Maybe you will," you had said.

Then you leaned in and you gave me a fierce hug, your frame leaning perfectly into mine. I hugged you back, silently inhaling the smell of cocoa and vanilla that generously ebbed from your hair.

You mumbled some words into my chest as you put something in my hands, but I did not hear what you said.

When we broke apart, my arms immediately yearned to hold you again but I restrained myself. My heart ached, but I told myself that I would see you again tomorrow.

"Goodbye, James."

Those were the last words you spoke to me that night.

I should have offered to take you home or to at least walk you to where you would get a ride, but I did not. I was scared to come off as overbearing.

So I just watched you as you walked out of the hut and slowly trudged across the sand until you were out of my sight.

I looked at my hands and it was a cute charm bracelet that you had placed in them.

That was when I realised that I did not even know your name.

The next night, around the same time, I was back at the bar, sipping another glass of Guinness.

Waiting for you was strange.

I did not even know if you would come.

Still, I sat at the same table with my drink and I waited patiently for hours.

The time passed slowly and you did not show up.

I did not want to jump to any conclusions. Maybe something was holding you back. I decided to order something to eat.

The sun had set and the bar grew dark, yet I willed myself to remain patient.

I held on to the hope that you would still come.

We had a good time together the previous day. We laughed and we joked and we could not take our gazes off each other.

Even after you started to grow distant, in the end, you were still reluctant to leave. I could see it and I felt it too.

And the hug afterward? The firm and sturdy way you held your body into mine, surely it had meant something?

I started to feel foolish.

It was irrational and I knew it. I did not know you. You could have just been out for a spontaneous evening of fun.

Yet there I was, waiting and waiting.

I almost laughed at the absurdity. I felt so ashamed.

The same man from the previous day, remember him? The one that at stared at you for too long, when he came over to clear my table, I asked him if he had seen you.

I thought maybe you had come earlier and you had left before I even arrived. I was not prepared for his response.

"Which woman? Oga, you dey alone yesterday o. You no dey with anybody."

"Alone?" I frowned, my mind racing. "I was with a woman right here yesterday, we were talking. You served us food."

He had shrugged in response, his face mirroring my growing confusion.

"Na only you sit down here yesterday o. You no even order any food, oga. You just dey stare at the sea till we close."

He asked all his co-workers and they all confirmed the same thing. I had been there that evening, but I was alone.

Nobody was with me.

I sat back in my chair, my mind spinning. His words echoing in my head over and over.

There was no way I could have been alone on that Friday night. You were with me. It was impossible that you were not. He had to have been mistaken.

I replayed our entire moments together, you and I. From the time you came to me till you left, everything felt real.

Your smile was real, your laugh was real, and the bracelet you gave me was real.

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, feeling the weight in my hands.

I still remember the longing in my heart as you broke away from my arms. I had felt it throughout the night and I could barely sleep.

That could not have been in my head.

"Goodbye, James."

I remembered your last words to me and that was when I realised.

How did you know my name?

I did not know yours because we had not exchanged names.

We had spoken about so many things, but for some reason, we just did not tell each other our names.

So, how did you know mine?

I looked up and saw some of the staff of the bar staring at me strangely. I must have looked like I was crazy, the way I was sitting alone and muttering to myself in confusion.

Maybe, I was.

Some nights I fiddle with this bracelet in my hand. Remembering your smile and your eyes and the softness of your arms as they wrapped around me.

It makes me ache with longing, and with loss.

I have not seen you since that night. Sometimes in public, I see someone and I think it is you, and the disappointment still stings when I realise that it is not.

I really hope I see you again someday.

The questions have not left me for months.

Who had I spent the whole evening admiring?

Who had given me this bracelet?

Who were you, that beautiful stranger at the beach?