The Tailor and the Bread seller

In Bénin, on Sapele Road, there was a tailor called Osas. His shop was small, one machine, one chair.

Every morning around 7am, a girl selling bread would pass. Her name was Ese. 24. Always shouting "Hot bread! Hot bread!"

Osas never bought bread.

But every morning he would pause his machine to watch her pass.

One morning, Ese stopped.

She said, "Oga tailor, you dey see me every day, you never buy. You no dey chop bread?"

Osas said, "I dey chop. But if I buy everyday, you go waka pass quick. If I no buy, you go stop small to shout at me."

She laughed. "So you dey use my business do time-wasting?"

He said, "I dey use your passing do morning prayer."

Slow burn started.

*Week 2:* He started buying one bread every Monday. Only Monday. So she would remember him on other days.

*Week 5:* She started leaving the biggest bread for him. "Oga tailor, this one get extra butter, for you."

*Month 3:* He started mending her apron for free. Small tear there. "Bring am tomorrow, I go sew am."

*Month 6:* People in the street started calling her "Mrs. Tailor" as joke. She would shout, "Who be Mrs Tailor! I never gree o!"

But she would still stop longer in front of his shop.

*Month 11:* One morning, it rained. Ese didn't come. Osas didn't sew anything that day. He just sat, looking at the road.

At 3pm, she came, drenched, holding one remaining bread inside nylon.

"I say make I bring this one for you. Since morning I hold am, nobody buy am because of rain."

He looked at the bread. It was cold. Mashed.

He said, "Ese, marry me. Make I dey buy all your bread everyday, so you no go waka for rain again."

She said, "You don finally buy all the bread."

He did.

And till today, his tailor shop sign reads:

*OSAS & ESE - TAILOR AND BREAD*
One shop, two businesses.