by Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo
As his gentle palm gripped mine, I tightened a little. That had never happened before. I always looked forward to his touch; in fact, I was often the first to lock my hands around his arms. I knew something was wrong with me; I just couldn’t decipher what it was.
– Read Episode 1 of the compelling story HERE.
– Read Episode 2 of the compelling story HERE.
– Read Episode 2 of the compelling story HERE.
EPISODE 3
As I sped towards David’s hostel that night, the image of his disapproving face was all over me. I tried imagining what he would say to me. Upon second thought, I felt that perhaps I was taking the matter too far. After all he was still my friend. I didn’t need to feel so guilty for ‘abandoning’ him for a few hours.
‘You are just one complex being’ I said to myself. A few minutes earlier, I felt guilty for and not long after, my heart raised justifications. I remember a cartoon I saw while young. A boy needed to make a decision whether to do a good or bad act. Two ‘angels’ rested on either side of his shoulders; one wore white and the other red. They gave advice as to what to do and rather than help the decision making process for the boy, they worsened situations. And that was the same dilemma I faced: should I lie to him or say the truth. What is the essence of friendship if sincerity is scarce? I would rather he hates me for the truth than he adores a deceptive me. So that was it, I decided I was going to explain the events of that day in order not to jeopardize our friendship, I would apologize duly and make it up to him.
On seeing David, my heart melted. He was looking sad yet happy to see me. Like it is said, you cannot stay angry for long with people you love. Even without tendering an apology, he looked ready to forgive me.
‘Babe, how are you? He said.
I immediately went apologetic ‘David, I’m very sorry for today. Joo ma binu simi. I messed up real good ok, I know I did’
‘Relax joo, I’m not gonna eat you up. Have you had dinner?
Yeah, I had Rice and chicken at Suppy’
‘Cool. We can talk then’
I nodded my head to indicate my consent. He took me by the hands as we walked towards one of the quiet spots outside his hostel; we had named it ‘safe haven’ sometimes during our second year on campus. We had a similar spot around my hostel but it wasn’t as reserved as safe haven. We had other competitors so we named it ‘lousy market’. Nick naming things or places was fun for us. For instance, we nicknamed the Restaurant by the side of my hostel ‘Suppy’ because they served the best soup sauce on campus.
As his gentle palm gripped mine, I tightened a little. That had never happened before. I always looked forward to his touch; in fact, I was often the first to lock my hands around his arms. I knew something was wrong with me; I just couldn’t decipher what it was. We got to the spot and settled in. It was then he asked me why I ignored him all through the day. He listened quietly as I recounted the events of the day. He didn’t for once interrupt me. In between the recollections, I sandwiched my humble regrets for standing him up and leaving him stranded. He asked to know some details about Gboye and that was it.
He accepted my apologies saying failure to keep to appointment that it was not in my character. So he wouldn’t hold it against me. When I told him how guilty I felt, he said I was unnecessarily hard on myself but that it showed how much I regard him. I promised that such wouldn’t repeat itself. I was happy again as all my tensed bones and frayed nerves relaxed. However, I was not prepared for what happened next. Not in my wildest imaginations did I imagine it would be on a night I had kept him stranded.
‘Adenike, I haven’t ever told you this but I have had enough time to think about it and there is no better time than now. I have delayed it for far too long’ I looked him in the eye and all I could in it was a crystal clear picture of myself.
Under normal circumstances, I would have melted just at those introductory words haven waited so long for this moment, but there was something weird about that day and night; I simply felt indifferent. I thought I was going crazy; maybe I was out of my mind. Why wasn’t I excited?
‘When I first met you, I felt you were an idiot who loved to show off and oppress people with her intelligence; I was however amazed by this amazing girl who had common interests with me because I always knew I was a weirdo. We became friends and you taught me a lot of things and helped smoothen my rough edges, you successfully unguarded my hitherto jealously guarded soul and when you unlock my heart, you came in and threw the key away. You locked yourself within me and ever since, no one else has ever been able to enter in. I realized you are the one for me but I was scared. I was scared you would say no but it dawned on me that I would never be able to say until I actually asked. So Adenike, will you go out with me not just for now but for the rest for our days. Will you be my one and only love? He gave a loud sigh of relief as if saying those words drained him of his strength.
All the while, my heart kept pounding but my head was clear; as clear as the early morning sky. My heart was pounding but unfortunately, it was not for David. Thinking about it now, I wish I can reverse who my heart chose to beat for but it’s impossible. An egg once broken can never be retrieved. I once heard that when you love someone, your heart beats faster than it should and your blood pumps at a greater speed. Indeed, my heart was beating and pounding. Painfully, it was beating faster for a complete stranger. Oh the folly of that …………….
To be continued……………….
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Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo is a Christ-follower..simple.. friendly.. music lover..writer..arsenal fan..Lawyer in equity..curator at http://paarapo.com. He Tweets from @tosinfat
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