IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
I was at a friend’s place one Saturday afternoon. We were gisting and our conversation went from the latest movies to cool, crazy, meaningful and meaningless music, to happenings in the country and abroad etc.
And while we were talking, the next song that came on from the playlist he had on hit me. It is a cover by Westlife titled If Tomorrow Never Comes. The song was originally recorded by American country music artiste, Garth Brooks. Written by Brooks and Kent Blazy, it was released in August 1989.
And the lyrics of the song just struck me. The particular words that hit me were:
“And the thought crosses my mind / If I never wake in the morning / Would she ever doubt the way I feel about her in my heart
“If tomorrow never comes / Will she know how much I loved her / Did I try in every way / To show her every day / That she’s my only one / And if my time on earth were through / And she must face this world without me / Is the love I gave her in the past / Gonna be enough to last / If tomorrow never comes
“So I made a promise to myself / To say each day how much she means to me / And avoid that circumstance where there’s no second chance / To tell her how I feel
“If tomorrow never comes / Will she know how much I loved her / Did I try in every way / To show her every day / That she’s my only one / And if my time on earth were through / And she must face the world without me / Is the love I gave her in the past / Gonna be enough to last / If tomorrow never comes.
“So tell that someone that you love / Just what you’re thinking of / If tomorrow never comes.”
Although it was a love song about a man who lies awake at night, thinking about what would happen with the woman he loves if he were to die the next day, it had a different meaning for me.
If tomorrow never comes.
We all will leave this world one day. And when we do, what would we have left behind? Would the love we gave to our loved ones be enough to last?
As I contemplated these lyrics, memories of a few LGBT brothers and people I’ve lost came to my mind. These were young, fun, interesting guys with beautiful souls who lived in the moment.
I remember the first time I met you Zito Komolafe. We were in SS1 and he joined us as a transfer student. He was good looking and reserved. Something about his personality drew me in and I said to myself, “I have to talk to this new guy. If not for anything than for him to be my friend.”
And when I spoke to him for the first time, he was friendly, receptive and turned out to be a really loving person.
I learned of his demise on Facebook. He’d died an abrupt and violent death, when he went to Terminus Market in Jos the day when there was a bomb blast.
*
I met Felix as first-year students in the university. We were all of freshers getting to know each other, and I remember the eagerness he exuded that first time we talked. He had an exuberance about him, like he couldn’t wait to conquer the world. He asked me my name, and when I told him, he spent a good portion of that time trying to pronounce it correctly. It was funny. I eventually gave up teaching him the correct pronunciation of my name and told him we didn’t have to spend one hour learning my name.
We were at serving the Motherland during NYSC, when the news of his death made the rounds. It was devastating. He’d been such a force of nature that almost everyone I knew grieved by putting up his photo on their display picture.
*
Vincent had a room that was opposite mine back in the university. He was very effeminate, but he was stronger and more courageous than most macho guys I knew. I especially admired his strength, courage and talents. He was a fantastic cook, an awesome dancer, and a gifted singer. In the instant we first talked, we both recognised who we were and that was it.
He was away from school for a while and the next time I saw him, he looked as though life had roughed him up more than a little bit. I remember the words he said to me when I asked him how he was doing: “Mehn, this life is short oh! Just make sure you live in a way that’s worth the while.”
And not long after that, he was gone. There hadn’t even been any chance for goodbyes.
*
Chris had to be the best dancer that ever moved on God’s green earth. His body moved with such grace, so fluidity that I could swear his element was water. I had just arrived Lagos after quite a while, and I wanted to have fun. So, I called Obi for a hangout and to take me around. Obi came along with Chris. That day would be our first time of meeting, and yet, he carried along with me like we’d been friends forever.
A few weeks later, his passing was all over the internet, regarding how hospitals could not do anything to save your life because they didn’t have oxygen to give the support you needed.
I was devastated. Like I was devastated by all the losses I’d known. I had questions I wished I could ask God. Like, why are the good ones dying? Why are amazing friends passing away? Why are the ambitious and talented leaving so soon before they could get a chance to impact the world with the good they have?
And why do they have to leave before we can get a chance to let them understand how much they’ve meant to us?
Why?
If tomorrow never comes.
What if tomorrow never comes for us? Would we have shown enough love and kindness to last the ones we would leave behind? If tomorrow never comes, would they know how much you loved them?
Some of these candle lights went out violently and without warning. Some because the darkness of life swallowed them whole. Some were snuffed out because of their illness. All of them gone way too soon.
Knowing that life is like a ticking bomb this way, we should learn to be an extension of love, care and attention, passing it on to the next person as a token for the creation of good in the world we will one day leave behind when tomorrow stops coming.
Written by Nimdee
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15 Comments
Delle
May 17, 08:09*candlelight*
Fred
May 17, 08:54“If tomorrow never ends” we’d never have a “together again” to look forward to.
ken
May 17, 09:57Those westlife songs that can give someone depression that year.
If tomorrow never comes, i think i will be happy with my today tho. Thats why am not a supporter of the “live for today” philosophy. You must live your today for tomorrow. Dont live like u dont owe nobody nothing, bcos u infact do. No man is an island. what u do, what u say, what u even think affects more people than u realise. Also u must plan your end from the beginning. stop living in fantasy land or fake life. God bless us all
Black Dynasty
May 17, 10:52“Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one” is my constant reality check when I catch myself getting worked up over things which really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes we forget our mortality….
Thanks for the write up, a well written reminder. It’s very necessary to remember what’s truly important. I hope all the friends who we’ve lost over the years are resting in peace ?
Nimdee
May 17, 13:18?
demi
May 17, 12:06Dawn!! Nice article.. IjoKris was a force.. His death struck us all really hard.. It’s unbelievable how someone so close could pass on just like that, we were all a group in ife then.. I remember all the parties and gists and how well and long we all wanted to live life but well all we have now is his memories.. May his soul rest in peace and all our departed ones..
Nimdee
May 17, 13:14Thanks….ijochris * was that who I was talking about*?
demi
May 18, 00:55Yes.. He was, D whole story about oxygen.. he once danced for keffi, even bisi alimi waded in a certain way with some news surrounding his death.. He was a close pal..
Máçnúèl
May 17, 16:21Wow!!! Kris was like a school father then to me at poly those days trying to always protect me also wanted me to go into modeling he did teach me how to work but damn I just wasn’t into it, he was just a sweet personality and so lively but he can be a bitch too ? in all a good soul gone. Rest on bro.
Bells
May 17, 21:27This is deep!!!! Sending me on memory lane.
Malik
May 18, 04:46If tomorrow never comes, thank you PP for this blog.
That Ghana Boy Rudy
May 18, 19:35I couldn’t over emphasise the timely appearance of this write up “If tomorrow never comes”. Got wind of the demise of a lover the same day after reading this article. Indeed “if tommorw never comes”, someone I saw just a month ago but didn’t break words with him cos it’s been long since we parted ways, we both stared at each other and passed by only to hear of his demise yesterday. Now I’m stuck with Mariah Carey’s song “One Sweet Day” as a reminder of the sweet moments I had with him. Rest In Power Jefferey. How I wished we had tomorrow.
*sobs*
chukmax
May 20, 14:01This is so deep… made me sad and reminded me why i should live my life for me and be happy………………..
Temi
May 20, 15:45This is so emotional,
Let’s live today and make an impact.
May the almighty rest the souls of the departed ???
Arya
May 20, 20:03Wow….. A beautiful and emotional piece . Well written