Chapter 1:The Day I Met Him

The first time I saw him, it was in Oshodi — where noise never sleeps and everybody is always in a hurry.

That afternoon, the sun was harsh, pressing down on the crowded streets like it had something to prove. Yellow buses lined the road, their conductors shouting destinations at the top of their lungs.

"Oshodi! CMS! Oshodi!"

Horns blared. Traders called out prices. The air smelled of sweat, dust, and roasted corn.

I had only come to buy tomatoes.

But then I heard the shouting.

"Thief! Thief!"

The sound pulled people like a magnet. Before I knew it, I was standing at the edge of a growing crowd, my fingers tightening around my bag.

In the middle of it all was a boy.

Young. Terrified. Bleeding.

Two men held him by his shirt while others slapped and kicked him from every side. His cries were weak, almost lost in the noise.

"Na him steal am!" someone shouted.

"Burn am!" another voice followed.

My heart skipped.

A tyre appeared.

My stomach twisted. I wanted to leave — I really did — but my legs refused to move. Everything was happening too fast. Too loud. Too real.

And then… everything changed.

"Stop."

The voice wasn't raised.

But somehow, it carried.

The noise dropped — not completely, but enough. People turned.

And that was when I saw him.

He walked into the center of the crowd like he wasn't afraid of anything. No hesitation. No anger. Just calm.

"Wetin he do?" he asked.

"He be thief!" one man snapped.

"And that means make una kill am?" he replied.

There was something about the way he spoke — not challenging, not begging… just steady. It made people pause.

The boy coughed, barely able to stand.

Then the man stepped closer.

He bent down… and helped him up.

Gently.

Like he mattered.

"You no go correct wrong by doing worse," he said quietly.

The words settled over the crowd. Not everyone agreed — but the anger lost its fire. Murmurs replaced shouting. Someone dragged the tyre away.

And just like that… the moment passed.

No flames. No death. Just people slowly stepping back, like they were waking up from something.

I stood there, staring.

At him.

At the man who walked into chaos and turned it into silence.

In a place like Oshodi, where everyone minded their business…

He didn't.

And I think… that was the moment everything began.

Because without knowing his name… without even speaking to him…

I had already started falling for him.

I fell in love with the way he protected a stranger.

It never crossed my mind to ask —

who would protect me from him?

To be continued…