You still remember the first time you told a colleague you didn't like Sugarcane.
She had a bewildered look as she raised her head from her computer to look at you.
"Really? What woman doesn't like Sugarcane?" She asked.
"I prefer Bananas", you said. "They are easier to eat."
She gave a wry smile and said "now I see, you like them curvy and smooth instead of just straight and rough right?"
You let out a guffaw as you realized that she wasn't referring to the actual fruits. She had misconstrued your statement and sexualized the fruits.
You had to explain to her that you were referring to the fruits. You didn't like Sugarcanes because you didn't see the point in stressing oneself to bite into a fruit, suck out the juices and then spit out the stalk. Bananas were easier. Soft, easy to peel, sweet to the taste and you could swallow everything.
Weeks later, you had the same conversation with him. It was three days after you both met at the birthday party you attended. You didn't know the celebrant who had turned 60 but an older friend had invited you, so you went for it.
As expected, it was a gathering of big wigs. Drinks flowed so much that one would think all the drinks in the city had been purchased for the event.
You were on your third glass of Champagne when he walked up to your table.
"May I refill your glass?"
You looked up as you eyed him. And nodded.
He refilled your glass and sat on the chair next to yours. You both talked till you were set to leave. You liked the fact that he made you laugh.
And so when he asked for your number, you didn't hesistate. He became a regular caller, spending hours laughing on the phone with you.
But it wasn't just the laughter. It was the consistency of his calls and the depth of the conversations you had. He would spend hours xraying social issues like equal representation of women in politics and business, the role of the Nigerian civil war in defining nationalism or the lack of it today, lack of political will in making health care affordable and accessible, how globalization has redefined fashion and even simple things like funny memes.
3 days later, he noted that he was a nutrition enthusiast and as you both spoke about food and fruits, you stated your dislike for Sugarcane.
He then went on to reel out the health benefits - "it is good for the Liver", he said.
That weekend he dropped by with a pack of neatly cut Sugarcanes and Ice cubes. You admitted that those ice cold pieces, were the best you ever had.
Sugarcanes soon became a staple. He also brought the juice and you had it served with ice, sometimes he added Lime. And you grew to like it, alot.
You grew to like him alot too. The challenge though was that he was an unavailable man. He wore a wedding band on the day you first saw him and had it on a week later, when you had dinner together.
You ignored it as you reminded yourself that you would keep your emotions in check. You enjoyed the conversations and the friendship.
All was fine until that day he called to say he had something to tell you.
You still recall the look on his face as he spoke. He talked about his Fiancee that died in a car crash 3 weeks after their engagement, 3 years ago. The band he wore was a tribute to her - he didn't think he would be able to love another woman, but then you came along.
As he spoke he cried. You reached out to touch his face, cleaning the tears with your thumb.
He looked at you for a while and then revealed that he was dying. He had End Stage Liver Disease with a few months to live.
You laughed as you thought he was joking but the look on his face said he wasn't.
He went on to show you his medications. His condition made him love Sugarcanes as they are good for the Liver.
He took off the ring that day and that night you stayed over at his place.
You spent the following weeks reading to him, learning to play Badminton together, taking dance classes, doing Karaoke and painting abstract pictures in the name of art.
His health deteriorated and he spent the next months in and out of the hospital.
You were with him that morning at 5 am as he writhed in pain, you drove him to the hospital and was by his bedside when he died at about 3pm that day.
You wrote a Eulogy which you read at the service organised by his friends.
You picked the suit he was buried in and assisted in moving things from his house.
You spent the next months grieving him, the man who redefined friendship for you. He epitomized loyalty and loved you in simple ways.
Today as you stopped to get fruits from the market, you spot the man pushing a wheelbarrow full of Sugarcanes. They were evidently succulent but as you look at them, you feel a lump in your throat and you think of him.
As memories of him flood your mind, you realize that as long as you would never dance or laugh with him again, you would never eat Sugarcane again.
