“ loved it so much in Las Vegas, but LOVE was in Columbus. Not that I knew it then. There was this man called Emmanuel Okekeocha that my sisterRamlatwantedme tomeet. Sheworkedwith him.Well, I was in a relationship then, so I wasn’t really eager to meet him. I mean, it took a whole year for her to convince me to see him. She would often say to me, “Helwan, I am your sister, your best friend, I want the best for you.I know the man. He is different from any other man.” I remember asking her where he was from and she replied that he was Nigerian. I still wasn’t interested. She even took my picture to him at work and told me he was smitten with me. It is unbelievable, but my sister did not want Emmanuel to get a girlfriend. Shepromisedhimthat she would ‘catch’ me for him, but I did not take her seriously. However, I think Ramlat was so determined to play the golden matchmaker, because a couple of months later, she invited him to my brother’s party. It was as if she was saying, “You will meet him whether you like it or not.” Of course I couldn’t say “no,” when she asked me to go to say hi to him. And when I laid my eyes on him, hewas c-u-u-t-e! (Actually,when my dad first saw him, he thought he was in the military because of his stature.) And he was gentle. I remember walking up to him and asking if he was okay and if there was something I could get for him. Later, he would tell people that the first thing he noticed about me was my caring nature, then my physique. He is forever saying howhe used to tell Andwhen I laidmy eyes onhim, hewas c-u-u-t-e! (Actually, when my dad first saw him he thought he was in the military because of his stature.) And he was gentle. I remember walking up to him and asking if he was okay. I 11. US unemployment reached its highest figure since 1941 (12 million) but the economy later bounced back. 12. • UK saw the Brinks Mat robbery and a mass prisoner breakout from the Maze High-Security Prison. 13. Jerry Rawlings became head of Ghana and suspended the constitution, implementing conservative economic policies. 14. Nigeria expelled two million West African migrants, including Ghanaians, due to job concerns. 15. Dramatic rise in oil prices had global economic and political implications. A Year of Epic Shifts and Unforgettable Moments that Changed the World Forever 1983 20 The Birthday Journal
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