“I am Mrs. Jenifa Brown and you are?” “Lola ma”, I stuttered, “Lola Akande”. Mrs. Jenifa Brown, a middle-aged woman came to give a talk in our sisters’ fellowship on campus. I was at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. I was enraptured by her testimonies.

I was blessed, I decided to get her contact to learn more about life generally. I was young and naïve and campus life was a big world on its own. Listening to Mrs. Jenifa, I felt I needed to know more about the world of men. This world is deeper than what you see, I heard her say severally in the course of her talk. She came to teach us on relationship matters, dealing with the opposite sex. Defining our relationship with close people. Setting boundaries and so on. She started on Friday and we ended on Sunday morning. It was our Sisters’ Weekend in NIFES Fellowship. We were richly blessed.

Here I was again, seeing Mrs. Jenifa Brown on a close range. I was a bit nervous. I braced up and after greetings pleasantries, I quickly opened up to her about myself. I wanted more counseling from her. I was in a relationship with a boy in 300 level. A geography student called Wale. He is a Christian, He goes to Church regularly but I was not sure if he has surrendered his life to Christ. He desperately wanted me to sleep with him. He has severally invited me to his school apartment off-campus, which I had always declined. I want to maintain my dignity or honor as a woman. I made a covenant of ‘purity’ that means I will keep myself and not allow anyone to defile me till I am legally married. I thought any sane man would love that but not so with Wale. He has been pestering my life day in, day out. He has always said, “And who are you keeping yourself for? Is it not for me? Who wants to sleep with a virgin on my wedding night? It will be messy. Let me enjoy what is mine”. I have always replied, “I have made a vow or covenant of purity, if you are in a hurry, you are free to go for another. If you claim to love me, you will keep my interest in your heart. Who goes to the market to taste salt, Maggi before buying? It is because they trusted the product. If you trust me, you will purchase what is yours legally before tasting. I told her everything I had been facing. I asked her to advise me.

“Hmmm, she bent down her head for some time, then she looked up shaking her head as if remembering some painful memories of hers. By the time her face met mine, I saw tears dropping. I was dumbfounded. What have I caused now! I thought in my heart. The tears kept on flowing uncontrollably for some minutes. Later she brought out a handkerchief and used it to wipe her tears. In a voice laden with emotions, she managed to tell me. “It is well my daughter. Please do listen carefully to the story of my life. It will benefit you if you do not fall into the same mistake I made several years ago when I was like you” she asked me if I am ready to listen to her story to which I replied “Yes” with strong nodding. It was very clear that behind the beautiful face was a woman who had suffered tremendously from unreasonable men. And I will be very foolish not to listen attentively to this great woman I had come to admire.

She then cleared her throat and began her story thus: I grew up to be bold and very beautiful. I was the daughter of Barrister Ray Pepple and Mrs. Mary Pepple now Mrs. Mary Robert.

I was the second daughter in the family and the darling of everyone. I was very intelligent and always topping my class.

I had severally represented my school in quiz competitions and literary debates both in my primary and secondary school. I was very good. I speak boldly in debates and had won several awards and competitions. I was adjudged to be the best right from primary school till secondary school.

I represented my school in a spelling bee. I won in the state and reached the final stage, representing my state with another boy from another school at the finals. We won, coming second best at the national level. It was extremely great. My parents were so proud of me. My father was always boasting to his colleagues and friends about his daughter Jenifa. ‘That’s my daughter; he would always say, when a child is bad, it is the mother’s fault but when a child is good, it is the father's.

I remembered the day I won the National spelling bee competition that took place in Abuja, the capital territory of Nigeria, with all eyes on me. I was giving a huge cash prize for representing the state. We moved from Abuja airport to Port-Harcourt. We soon landed in Port-Harcourt, my parents came to pick me, they were excited. I could recall that my father, mother, and siblings went to “Mr. Biggs” a popular restaurant in Nigeria with branches all over. We ate fried rice and chicken, my favourite meal. We went home with scotch eggs, cakes, and ice cream. It was a memorable day.

Let us talk about my beauty. Like I earlier said, I was very beautiful. I quickly added: “But you are still very beautiful now.”. to which she replied sarcastically “Beauty, is this beauty? This is a faded beauty. If you had seen me in my teens, then you could have seen real beauty. The flower had blossomed and faded away, or should I say fallen off”.

Like I was saying, “I was beautiful”, she emphasized it properly. The average height of 5ft 8inches or should I say a tall lady. Dark in complexion with glowing skin. A pointed nose (not flat) like a Fulani girl. I was an African beauty, an African Queen. Like Innocent Idibia song a.k.a Tuface is now known as Tubaba. Moderate stature, I mean slim but not skinny. In those days, people used to call me, “figure 8”. I had lovely, white, well-set teeth. I had a dimple, so whenever I smiled, my white teeth shows because of my smooth dark skin. While Mrs. Jenifa was talking, she quickly showed me one of her photographs when she was young. “Awwnn”, I exclaimed in excitement. You were exquisite you look like Genevieve Nnaji – the ageless African beauty female actor in Nigeria Movie (Nollywood star) she smiled, her dimple showed to my satisfaction. Faded beauty! But still a beauty. Truly, she was the epitome of beauty. Thank God for her life. She is not just beautiful outside but beautiful inside.

I told her, “you are still beautiful maybe more beautiful because you have passed through the test of life and have come out as a refined gold (beauty) you are more valuable in my eyes more than ever. You are a blessing to our generation “thank you very much my daughter” she replied in amusement.

“Ma, can you be my mentor?”. She was even more amused, to which she replied in the affirmative “yes” then, she continued her story. She enjoined me to listen more attentively because I will learn a lot of things.