What have been some of your life's greatest surprises?

The greatest surprise I have ever had was when I just returned from an event I was reluctant to go to. I didn't like night parties but my girls pleaded with me to come along with them. One of us was supposed to get an award at her faculty level so I thought it only fair that I would be there for her. She would do the same for me if I was in that position.

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“Besides, it's going to serve as one of our girls' nights out,” Lily told me pleadingly. I didn't like the idea and I had just the perfect means to execute my reluctance.

“I don't even have what to wear. The last dinner gown I got doesn't size me anymore”

“That's not a problem” Lily walked up to my box and took out one of the simple gowns I wore to church, “even this would do”.

I eyed her warily and picked one of the most beautiful of my simple dresses which I could lay my hands on. Since it was a dinner, heels were inevitable so I wore the lowest one I could find. Then we made our way to the event, my face completely void of makeup, just the way I liked it.

I was upset that the dinner/award night ended by 3 am but just as people were exiting the hall, I heard a familiar tune play from the DJ stand. It was the traditional “Happy Birthday” song. I didn't even remember that it was my birthday already.

The girls around me suddenly took out mint notes and began to spray me with it. I held my mouth open in shock as the dispersing crowd stood back to watch the drama. I didn't know how to feel or which of the emotions raging within me to express.

When the birthday song stopped, my friends came over to hug me one after the other. Our cab driver was already waiting outside for us so we hurried to join him. The whole anger I was feeling towards the four of them dissipated immediately.

We soon arrived at the house where we agreed to spend the night. It was Zara’s house, the house of the girl who got the award of excellence. When she handed the key over to me at the door, I raised my brow at her. She pleaded with me to help her open the door while she took her shoes off. I didn't mind so I turned the key in the lock and went in first.

There were white balloons hanging everywhere in the room with some special golden ones that said “happy birthday” and on the bed, there was a cake carton seated prettily along with some other gifts.

I was both stunned and elated.

I already knew that there was no way my birthday would be boring but I wasn't expecting these girls to do this for me. It was way too much.

“Madam event planner, e shock you abi?” Florence, another of my girlies asked while I was still trying to process what was going on.

“Don't mind her, she's always planning surprises for other people. This one is small, one day we'll do a surprise that will make you faint” Lily said causing the girls to erupt into cheers and laughter.

That day, I didn't just receive those gifts from my girls. My brother called me to the house to gift me a brand new hp laptop and my sister sent a pair of boot heels which I always wanted.

It was as if all my wishes came through and that has never happened before, whether it's on my birthday or not.

Another significant life surprise came when I was ten years old. I remember that I had just finished my primary school education and had written the common entrance examinations to be admitted in a prestigious secondary school. My choice school was more expensive than my parents could afford so I put in a different school as my first choice during the exams.

When my results were out, I noticed that I had been given admission into the expensive school I always wanted to attend. There was no way that was possible because I didn't apply to their school. The school I applied to had not even brought out their admission list so we didn't know if I had gotten admitted or not.

My mother went to the school to make an inquiry about what was going on and the admission officer told her that I had applied to that school and was admitted.

I then concluded that I must have mistakenly applied to that school while filling my form even though I wasn't too sure.

My mother and I were quite unhappy because we knew there was no money to pay such fees but the very next day, my admission letter to the school I applied to came out.

Everyone was shocked.

As if that was not enough, the headmistress herself offered to pay my entire first year school fees if my parents would allow me to attend the school.

Till date, nobody can explain what happened there, but I attended that school throughout my junior secondary school education and only left when my father enrolled me in a boarding school in my first senior secondary school year.

These experiences and so many more have remained my life's most surprising experiences so far.