Top comedian and host of comedy show,
‘Teju Babyface’, Teju Oyelakin, is proud to
tell anyone that cares to listen that he
married the love of his life, Tobi. However,
four years after the couple signed the dotted
lines, Teju’s love for his wife continues to
wax stronger. The ace comedian, in this
interview, recounts how his wife told him off
the first time he approached her for a
relationship, just as the wife agrees that her
husband was not the only man that came to
ask for her hand in marriage.
On the issue of marrying my friend, the
truth is that we became friends after getting
married. I mean really good friends. Before
we married, we were friends who were
attracted to each other because of the
qualities we saw in each other. But it was
after we got married that we really started
to bond at the deepest level of marital
friendship. You know what I think? A
combination of fidelity and weathering
storms together brings about those results
and that kind of friendship.
Regrets
Not a single one. In fact, I wish I had gotten
married to her earlier. Perhaps two years
earlier. I often tell her that if I had married
someone else (whilst the opportunity was
there to marry her) and I saw her walk into
a room, I would have had the deepest type
of regret.
After four years in marriage
I believe you can tell from my answers thus
far that the experience has been instructive.
I won’t say that every single day has been a
picnic or cake walk. Heck, the sun doesn’t
shine everyday in life. That’s why they give
you an A grade if you score 75% in school.
No one expects you to score 100%. In fact,
no one can score that consistently. You be
God? So, we are at that 75% A grade level.
Before tying nuptial knot
Well, quite a number of things but one of
the most instructive ones was that she was
there when my father died. That was a big
one. I can’t even begin to put into words
what that did to cement our relationship.
She might have missed it too because she
had been out of the country and decided to
come in a day earlier. If she came in at the
time she had originally intended (a day
later), it would have been after my father
died and somehow I think that might have
taken away from the depth of bonding that
painful period afforded us.
Being popular and handsome
Well, my experience can be culled from a
saying of the Yoruba people which my father
used in counselling me several times before
he died: “Ni’gba ara l’a bu’ra. Enikan ki i
bu Sango l’erun” (Sango only answers by
thunder in the rainy season. Therefore, no
matter how devout, no disciple invokes the
god of thunder in summer and gets an
answer. There is a right time to do
everything). Let us just say I had my day
during my dating years and when that
lifestyle was no longer tenable, I was
blessed to not only know it but also to find
a wife, a good thing and my help mate.
First impression about wife
In fact, when I was less than charitable, I
would think she was arrogant. Why? This is
because she literally told me to buzz off the
first few times I approached her. I was like
‘ehn? me?’. Plus she always had a perpetual
scowl. I mean, it made her more attractive
but it was a scowl nonetheless. It all
disappeared the first time I saw her smile.
Sex before marriage
Lord knows I didn’t always live and behave
like that, but, somehow, I was fortunate to
discover not only the truth but also the
strength in keeping the marriage bed
undefiled before I got married to my wife.
My father was also very insistent that I
should not sleep with the woman I would
marry. He would say ‘look, one can even
make a mistake and slip up but don’t make
it a lifestyle!’ Plus my wife was having none
of it! For where?
Each other’s judgement
But of course. Who else’s counsel should
one trust? I mean, it doesn’t mean that I
always take her counsel (and she mine) but
the veracity of it is never in doubt.
What he doesn’t like about wife
There are even things I don’t like about
myself! Who is perfect? I wouldn’t say there
are things I don’t like. Let us just say there
are things I would change about her if I had
the power. Having said that, there are
things I would change about myself too and
I am sure she shares the same sentiment.
Having your spouse exactly the way you
want would make for a boring co-existence I
think.
We really bonded on the set of his Teju
Babyface TV show—Wife
Finding love
Of course it was. I knew he was a popular
person but I didn’t let that get into me. I
decided to take him for who he was/is and
of course there was love.
Sharing him with another woman
Not at all! I didn’t even see him that way.
So, it was a no brainier really. A non-issue
if you like.
Meeting him when he was nobody
Nobody? He was already The Teju Babyface
when I met him. In fact, we really bonded on
the set of his Teju Babyface show during the
first season recording in 2010. I had come
to fill in as a make-up artiste for their
regular person and that was when we really
spoke for the first time.
Before meeting him
I was an industrious young woman (if I may
say so myself), so it was always from one
audition to the other. I dated a bit but
nothing really deep or emotional.
Making a choice between numerous suitors
Again, I guess they were there, including my
husband. He likes to share a story of how I
never gave him the time of day when he met
me the first time. Lol. True somewhat. He
met me while I was working at an event and,
as I have said, I had industry firmly in my
sight in those days. So I didn’t really see
the suitors I guess.
Die to marry him again?
No way. We both believe in life in Jesus
Christ. We will live a full life here and hook
up again in heaven when we both go in
many decades time. No death anywhere
around us.
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