“This one is free,” he muttered. “Lagos people have been scammed.”
He picked up a cutlass, trying to look serious, then whispered, “I hope this thing knows I’m a CEO.”
As he walked through the farmland, admiring the green beauty, he smiled slightly.
“This place… it’s peaceful.”
Then suddenly, a loud voice shattered the peace.
“Hey! Hey! God! Ah, my life is finished!”
Jackson froze. “What again?” he muttered.
Not too far ahead, a girl was walking with a basket of tomatoes on her head. She was singing loudly and proudly.
“My husband must be rich, tall, handsome, and fine—”
Then—slip.
“Jesus, take the wheel!”
Her legs slid on the muddy ground. The basket flew. Tomatoes scattered like they were running for their lives.
And just before she hit the ground, Jackson rushed forward and caught her.
She froze in his arms.
He froze too.
Their eyes met.
Silence.
Birds chirped.
Wind blew.
A romantic moment.
Then the girl screamed, “Ah! Who are you? Why are you touching me like this?”
Jackson nearly dropped her. “You were falling!”
“And you decided to catch me?”
“Yes!”
“What if I faint from shock?”
Jackson blinked. “So… I should have let you hit the ground?”
She thought for a second. “At least I would have fallen with dignity.”
Jackson couldn’t hold it.
He laughed.
A real laugh—the first one since his heartbreak.
The girl suddenly remembered. “My tomatoes!”
She ran around dramatically, picking them up. “Ah! My mother will use my head to count these losses!”
Jackson bent down to help. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be sorry,” she snapped. “You distracted destiny.”
“How did I distract destiny?” Jackson asked, confused.
“You appeared from nowhere like a village ghost!”
She squinted at him. “Wait. Are you new here?”
“Yes.”
She stood up, hands on her waist. “Ha! I knew it. Because no normal human being would catch me like that without permission.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Next time I’ll send an application letter.”
She nodded seriously. “Good. Include your passport photograph.”
They both burst into laughter.
After gathering the tomatoes, Jackson handed her the basket. “I’m Jackson.”
She tilted her head. “Jackson what?”
“Just Jackson.”
