CALLED BEFORE US (EP2)

Episode 2 – The Airport Encounter

The Benin City air felt different. Warmer. Slower. Thicker with memory.

Valerie stepped out of the arrival hall of Benin Airport and inhaled deeply. The scent of roasted corn from a roadside stand drifted faintly through the parking lot. A familiar hum wrapped around her chest- motorcycles revving, aunties shouting greetings across the pavement, taxi drivers calling out destinations.

“Benin! GRA! Ring Road!”

Her cousin waved from across the small crowd. “Val! Over here!”

Valerie smiled and waved back, but her mind wasn’t fully present. Lagos had conditioned her to move fast. Benin invited her to remember. She rolled her suitcase behind her, gold hoops catching the sunlight. As she walked, her eyes briefly scanned the crowd -  not intentionally searching for anything.

And then she saw him. Not clearly at first.

Just a tall figure in a White T-shirt that clung to his chest making very clear that this bro was a frequent customer at the gym. He was adjusting a camera strap across his chest. His back was turned slightly, but something about the way he stood -  relaxed but alert - pulled her attention.

She didn’t know why she looked twice. She just did. He turned. And their eyes met.

It wasn’t dramatic. No KDrama moment. It was just eye contact.

Purity wasn’t sure what made him look in her direction. Maybe it was the sand-colored outfit. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was nothing. But when he saw her, something inside him paused.

Her gaze didn’t flinch immediately like most people’s did. She held it - not boldly, not flirtatiously, just……curiously.

Then she looked away first. His lips almost curved into a smile. Focus, he told himself.

His younger cousin was tugging at his arm. “Uncle P! Daddy said we should hurry.” 

“I’m coming.” But as he followed his cousin toward the parking lot, he found himself glancing back once. She was getting into a car. And that should have been the end of it.

That evening, Benin City glowed under amber streetlights. Valerie sat on the veranda of her aunt’s house in GRA, her cousin’s introduction ceremony preparations buzzing inside.

Laughter spilled from the living room. Pots clanged in the kitchen. She stared at her phone screen but wasn’t reading.

Why did that feel… strange? It was just eye contact. Omo ehh, Valerie calm down. She leaned back in her chair.

“Valerie!” her younger sister’s voice crackled through a WhatsApp voice note. “You reached safely abi? Don’t go and meet one fine Benin boy and forget Lagos oh.”

Valerie rolled her eyes but replayed the voice note anyway. “I did not meet anybody,” she muttered.

But her mind replayed the airport. The way he looked at her. She hated that it lingered.

“God, please,” she whispered softly into the quiet night, “don’t let me overthink random encounters.”

Inside, her aunt shouted, “Valerie! Come and taste this soup!”

She stood quickly, grateful for distraction.

*******

Across town, Purity sat on his parents’ balcony. His mother brought him a plate of peppered plantain.

“You’ve lost weight,” she said, examining him like only Nigerian mothers can.

“I have not.”

“You have.”

He laughed. “Mummy, I’m fine.” His father joined them, Bible in hand as usual.

“When are you traveling again?”

“Next month. Rwanda.” His father nodded approvingly. “That is very good. Serve God while you have strength.”

Purity leaned back in his chair. His father had never forced ministry on him. Never pressured him into leadership. Serving God in their house was not by compulsion. They enjoyed it.

“Any woman in Lagos?” his mother asked casually. He exhaled through his nose. “Mummy…”

“I’m just asking.” He hesitated. There wasn’t anyone. But there had been… something. Today. Just a moment.

He shook his head lightly.  “Not yet.” 

His father smiled. “The right one will recognize you. And you will recognize her.”

Purity didn’t respond. Because recognition was exactly what it felt like. And that unsettled him.

^*****

Two days later, departure morning. The airport was busier than usual. Monday traffic. Business travelers. Students returning to school.

Valerie arrived early, dressed in high-waisted trousers and a soft blouse she had sewn the week before. She preferred arriving early - she hated rushing.

She queued quietly for security. And then she felt it again. That strange awareness. As if someone was looking at her.

She turned. And there he was. This time closer. Same calm expression. Same camera bag. Same steady presence. Her stomach dipped. What is this coincidence?

Purity blinked once, almost in disbelief. Again? He hadn’t expected to see her.

Certainly not on the same departure day. For a moment, neither of them moved. Passengers shuffled between them. A muffled announcement from one of the airport staff trying to force British accent that they did not have, came through.

“Air Peace Passengers for Lagos flight 5N 712, please proceed to boarding gate…”

They were on the same flight. Valerie’s pulse quickened. This is silly. It’s just travel. But something in her spirit felt… alert.

She adjusted her bag and stepped into the boarding line. A few seconds later, she felt someone step in behind her. Close enough to recognize his cologne. Subtle, clean, but not overpowering- the type that made you lean back to get a whiff of it again. 

Her hands tightened slightly around her boarding pass. Say nothing. Just board.

Purity studied the back of her head for a moment before looking away. Should he say something? What would he even say?

“Hi, we keep accidentally existing in the same places”? He almost smiled at himself.

But something restrained him. Timing matters. He’d learned that the hard way in other seasons of his life - forcing conversations, rushing connections. So he stayed quiet. And she stayed quiet.

Yet the silence between them felt… charged.

*****

Mid-flight.

The cabin hummed softly. The air conditioning was too cold, as usual. Valerie stared out the window as clouds rolled beneath them like folded cotton. Why does this feel spiritual? She hated even thinking that. Not every encounter is divine. Not every tall man with a camera is destiny. But there was a stillness about him, he acted and looked very mature. And maturity did something to her. It always had.

She swallowed. God, if this is nothing, let it fade quickly.

Two rows behind her, Purity closed his eyes briefly. He wasn’t praying about her. At least, that’s what he told himself. But his spirit felt… attentive. He had dated before. Beautiful women. Intelligent women. God-loving women.

But something about her posture - the way she carried herself - had marked him. He opened his eyes and stared at the seat in front of him.

If this is You, God… You’ll handle it. If it’s not, remove it. Simple.

***

Landing in Lagos. Humidity greeted them immediately. The organized chaos of Murtala Muhammed International Airport swallowed them whole. Passengers surged forward. Phones rang. Drivers called out names on placards. Valerie walked briskly toward the exit, determined not to look back this time.

But she did. Just once. He was standing near baggage claim, scanning the carousel. And at the exact moment she turned, he looked up. Again. Eye contact. Longer this time.

As if both were silently asking the same question.

Why do we keep meeting?

A group of passengers pushed between them, breaking the line of sight. When she looked again, he was partially obscured. Her Uber notification buzzed.

Driver arriving. 

She turned and walked toward the exit. Do not dramatize this. Do not attach meaning prematurely.

Outside, the Lagos air wrapped around her like thick fabric. As she stepped into her Uber, she exhaled slowly.

“That was strange,” she whispered.

Inside the terminal, Purity finally picked up his suitcase. He hesitated for half a second. Should he have said something? He shook his head. If it’s God, it will circle back. He stepped outside. And Lagos traffic immediately swallowed him.

Neither knew. Neither planned. But somewhere beyond their understanding, something had already begun aligning.

To be continued…

Thank you so much for the love on this story. The next episode comes up tomorrow by 5pm. Kindly restack, like, comment and subscribe for more