The post below is written with absolutely no malice. My only annoyance with Galileo is that he insists on spelling my beautiful name with a double 't', not a single 't' as is actually the case. I am placing what some people may consider a 'private' matter on my blog first and foremost because it is my blog; I think the story makes good reading; I want to vary the content of my blog slightly; I am an amebo...
There's a little storm brewing in a teacup involving yours sincerely and a former classmate of mine from great UNIBEN. You see, Galileo was one of the most hard working students I ever came across, unlike yours sincerely who was by and large uninterested in a lot of the gibberish the lecturers were spewing. On a personal note, I've known him since secondary school where he was a year ahead of me. My cousin Nkechi (apologies to those who started monitoring her blog, she now has a magazine column somewhere and says she has forgotten the password to her blog) who was his classmate back then hated him. He was one of her closest rivals, and back then she complained that he had this 'annoying' habit of taking each person's script after each test (those who beat him that is) and comparing theirs with his. If he noticed any discrepancy, he would immediately lodge a complaint with the teachers and ask for a redress. I don't know if he carried that habit with him to UNIBEN, because my scripts weren't amongst those that needed to be vetted. Yes, I was that bad a student. Anyway, back in secondary school, I used to be a good student, so I always told Nikky that if I were in his shoes I'd do the same.
Unfortunately, in Galileo's case, unlike the case of Baba T and Slim Shady two other first class men, his social life suffered terribly. Myself, Maestro and a few other loafers used to have a nice laugh at his expense back then.
Anyways, all is well that ends well, he made off with his First Class, I barely escaped with a meek 2:2 (I almost made a 3rd!), while Nkechi in her own department (elsewhere) made a 2:1. Maestro like me ended with a 2:2 (barely missed a 2:1). Now Galileo's working for a multinational, making big bucks, Nkechi's stuck in a bank making some cool dough as well, and myself and Maestro are students once again. Can you imagine? Me that hates school so much! Who says hard work doesn't pay?
My class of UNIBEN has a mailing list (or forum) which was started by yours sincerely (see, for all my lack of academic seriousness, I was the resident class geek. My problem wasn't lack of brains, it was lack of interest), and one of the areas of concern for us over the last few years was lack of news coming from Galileo on the female front. What we kept hearing about instead was dogs and
other animals. One by one, members of the mailing list have found better halves, and we were beginning to attend the weddings of some. There have been other weddings since I left Naija.
Some months back, a member of the fairer sex in my school, who happens to be of Nigerian parentage was with me in the library. Upon perusing through my album, she latched on to Galileo's picture, and liked what she saw. She asked for his email address.
I publicly asked his permission to give it to her, and he gave his approval, so I did. Sad to say, things didn't work out between them. Reason: he told her that 'he is too busy for her'. When she reported this to me a month later, I was alarmed. So I raised the issue on the forum. 'We need to help this guy,' I said. Sadly, that didn't go too well with Galileo, and this morning on returning from my Internet exile, I saw a not too nice mail from him to me, routed through the forum of course.
My reply:
Galileo,
For someone with the processing power that your brain has which I admit is more than that packed by the vast majority of us mere mortals, I wonder why you are being extremely daft. I have told you time without number that my name is Chxta with a singe 't', not with a 'tt'. Is that so difficult to comprehend?
Now, over time and in this rather unfortunate incident concerning A you have shown a recalcitrance that is not only sad but very depressing. Let us for the sake of clarity reiterate what has happened, and what has not before I settle down to answer the questions that Galileo raised in his last email.
About two months ago, I sent an email to this forum in which I told Galileo that I met a Nigerian girl who on seeing his picture liked it. I clearly asked for his permission in order to give her his email address. The first reply to that request was from Maestro when he kind of predicted what would follow. He said:
Chxta don't do that......you are threatening us with another season of "Galileo & and the Animal Kingdom"
Maestro, you were dead right, and I wish to the Lord most High that I had taken heed of that piece of advice. Instead I sent her the address as Galileo gave his permission that I do so. What followed was none of my business. I assumed that they had hooked up on-line, and I never asked her how far, neither did I ask him how far. I just boned. However, earlier this month, I ran into the girl in the library, and naturally, the issue came up. She complained about him in not too flattering terms, so I asked her to forward the cause of complaint to me, which she did. I duly forwarded to boys under the title 'We need to help Galileo'.
My mail went thus:
No malice intended here, but this fine girl that I introduced to my guy is disappointed. She told me so in no uncertain terms, and forwarded a mail thread between them. The problem is not that she didn't try, but he has no time for her.
Guys what can we do?
I am still hard pressed to find where I insulted Galileo in that mail. Can anyone point it out to me?
Anyway, the following people replied in which they kind of agreed with my position: Kaylala, Ray2kee, Stevie B, Maestro, Texazz and Whizzkid. The only dissenting voice was from Emon. His own dissent stemmed from the fact that i) her spelling was bad, and ii) that Galileo truly was busy as he implied. However, he went on to also spare some advice to our 'beleaguered' brother. My reply to Emon on that clearly shows that I agreed with his position. For clarity, the reply is as follows:
Emon, on the issue of friends, I can see with Galileo. One's career is very important, and I told A as much. She can't expect him to abandon his career because of a girl whose picture he has only seen once.
(But she was pissed, he failed to complement her on her looks. Galileo my man, that is something that girls don't like. You could have at least said she looks good after she sent you a picture.)
However, what I don't agree with is the family bit. Loose your family because of a job?
Emon, yes or no, do you support that?
I clearly stated there that I don't expect him to abandon his career because of a girl he had never met. I also in the good nature of the entire banter offered my own advice concerning the said babe, then went on to say that I don't agree with the point where he talked about loosing family. Two weeks later, my position on that has yet to change. I don't think you should 'lose' your family for anything.
That was how the whole light heartedness of the situation continued. Things started getting serious when my guy Galileo (as is his inalienable right) entered the conversation with this retort:
Mis-match Maker Chxtta,
Thanks for the Greek gift you gave me – I really appreciate it!
Now you have showed this forum her character – a private discussion between two people was turned into a public debate for all. I will like you to show everyone her appearance-forward the picture she forwarded me to everyone let us get a holistic view (apologies to Ebianugo of Production Engr.) of the situation. You must have it-since you have all our correspondence!
Beware of girls who will take pillow talk to public places. Of course such girls will never rest on my pillow! I will rather let my dogs !!!!
With disappointment,
Galileo
Now, the first thing you notice from his attack there was to call me a mis-matchmaker. I had earlier agreed in response to R2Ray, and I still agree, that I suck when it comes to getting people together. And like I said before, I shouldn't have attempted. In case of next time I will tell whatever girl that I've lost contact with the guy (KarlNedo, Maestro and Othello make una no vex). That way I would have my peace. However, in the same email, he goes on to attack said girl. Now that is grossly unfair.
Galileo, if you know anything about life outside your small little world, you would know that girls in the Western World tend to be forward while girls in our part of the world tend to be coy. A girl this way has no qualms about seeing a guy, approaching him, and 'toasting' him so to say. Which is the reason why she asked for your email address. She was born and raised here, and has a red kpali. That makes her British, with all their bad habits. A girl born and raised in Naija would never have done that. It doesn't make the girl bad, it is a cultural difference. Please learn.
In the email, he asked for a holistic view. That her picture be displayed for all to see and make their judgements. Initially, I was quite unwilling to do that, even when he sent an email saying (not implying) that I am a coward. For clarity again, that email is what follows:
Be a MAN Chxtta!!!! Show her picture to the world!!!I know you are a coward most of the time-but you can not afford to be one this time.
I did not say she was ugly - just complete the evil work you started!!!
Let others access her physical appearance- we all know her character very well know!!!
You need to be holistic about life! You must conclude what you started.
A final advice, go find another job!!!!! You have ZERO TALENT for match making!!
Number one, that was the first time an insulting word had been flung in this entire banter, and it definitely wasn't me that threw it.
I have already admitted that I have zero talent for matchmaking, so I was and am willing to let that slide. Initially, I was also willing to let the reddened parts of the email slide even though that was downright insulting. My initial reply 'that God gave me a dick so that makes me a man' is more than enough confirmation of my state of mind at the time. Maestro's reply changed all that however, and I realised that I was actually doing myself a disservice by not responding.
All and sundry should please note that calling a man a coward is one of the biggest insults you can fling at a fully grown man. People have fought to the death because of that 'little' word, and that is why after Maestro responded, I had no choice but to respond to Galileo's challenge. I did that. I not only put the picture up on this forum's photo album, but I mailed it so that all and sundry saw the girl in question. The following people have confirmed from their responses that Galileo's implication that she is a 'Greek gift' is absolute rubbish: KarlNedo, Dre, Emon, Texazz, Ray2Kee, Wiseman, Maestro, Whizzkid and Don Vik. Maestro even went as far as asking if Galileo is a closet homosexual. The only person who didn't see the girl as all that was Othello when he said, 'she be like imbi'.
Now, I felt that this issue had gone as far as it could go and was over. So I was shocked to see the mail from Galileo this morning. I want to answer as well as I can the questions he brought up in that mail:
I do not know the agreement between you and that girl A girl. But if she is so good and so beautiful , why don't you go for her?????
Galileo, I have made it quite clear that A and I are just casual friends. Your picture is on my laptop as are those of a lot of members of this mailing list. There is no agreement between myself and her concerning anyone. She does not need me to get her a guy, and as far as I could tell from the last time I saw her which is a week ago, she is doing quite well on her own. However as to whether I should go for her, you very well know that I'm otherwise engaged to someone I love very much. I have never hidden that fact from anyone. I talk about her all the time, and I am not going to jeopardise that relationship by having an affair even if 'just' a fling with anyone else.
The way you have been attacking my character in the past weeks because of a girl I did not have time to reply her mail is uncalled for.
I have never attacked your character. If I have done so please show me where. On the contrary, by calling me a coward, you attacked my character. As I earlier said, that is a statement that no man in his right mind will ignore. You didn't even have the decency to imply anything, you said it outright. Please what example(s) can you point to in order to prove that (idle) statement? If you fail to come up with well backed up proof that I am indeed a coward, then be a man and apologise.
I do not owe you any explanation for my relationship decisions.
I never asked or implied thereof that I was looking for an explanation from you concerning your relationship issues. Regretfully, I did what I did, and it has ended up brewing a storm in a tea-cup. That is very sad. We are (I still hope) friends. I have known you since 1993, and I will not compromise that for anything. I certainly hope you feel the same way. If I can afford it, I would definitely be at your wedding, and I hope to the highest heavens that you haven't so quickly forgotten how we all tried to be as helpful as we could during the time of first, D, then that cute girl in Optometry whom you decided to call a giraffe.
My last word on this issue- I do not believe in the philosophy of 'RELATIONSHIP OR QUARREL'. IT IS NOT BY FORCE..................
I certainly hope that this isn't your last word. I have raised questions that need to be answered, and please answer them, don't beat around the bush.
No one ever said that a relationship is by force on this forum. We are all buddies. If tomorrow, things go wrong between U and myself (God forbid) this is one of the places I would expect to find solace. Same way as when we are getting married, I would expect some members of this forum to be at that wedding come what may.
Lastly, there is a serious allegation (and/or implication) that you are yet to address because you seem so fixated with the idea of Chxta being an enemy: Are you gay?