
Love Unrequited- Take 7
CHIMAMANDA- present day
I was dreaming. I must have been dreaming. I got home and found my father connected to machines to breathe. The man that had caused me so much pain was standing in front of me, wanting to see me, to talk to me. I must be dreaming.
“Chi, how have you been?” His voice sounded distant, even though he was only two steps in front of me. My mind had gone to sleep, it was too exhausted to think or to even be present. I must be dreaming.
“Chi? Chi, are you here?” His hands briefly bruised against my shoulders. My eyes began to register his face. What a beautiful man. What a waste.
“I came as soon as I heard. I know how much he means to you.” I am certainly dreaming. The man who is trying to access my father’s wealth through my baby sister was standing in front of me, trying to comfort me over my father’s ill health. Am I missing something?
“I told your gateman to call me as soon as you come in. Where have you been? We were all worried. No one could reach you. And then the minute your father falls ill, you show up like a spirit. I envy the bond you both share.” He went on and on. We both knew I wasn’t really listening, but he kept going anyway. I just stood there and kept taking it all in. I must be dreaming.
Then he made a terrible mistake by putting his hands on my shoulders. He touched me and just like that, a switch went off in my head.
“In your life! In the full length of your unfortunate life! For as long as you draw breath, never! Never you ever put your hands on me!” Like a volcano, I had erupted all over him. I hated how seeing him always made me bitter. At first.
He just stood there and watched me. I shook him. What were you expecting? I could see from his eyes that he partly expected my reaction. What game are you playing this time around? I thought.
I drew a deep long breath in the bid to calm my nerves. It didn’t work.
“Emeka, why are you here?” I finally asked.
“I came to see you.” By the stern look on his face, I knew he wasn’t joking.
But I didn’t care, I couldn’t. “What have you come to see? You’ve come to see if I’m hurt? To see if marrying my sister would break me? To see if losing you made me bitter? To see if I’m still stable? Well Emeka, take a very good look at me. I am more than what you made me out to be. I am ten times stronger than your mind can comprehend it. My world does NOT revolve around you. You are not indispensable. All you are is a stack of mead, laden with a corrupt mind. You are such a disappointment. The greater disappointment though would be for anyone to appoint any importance to your existence!” I said to him, with venom in my words. I hated the emotions I felt.
As I spoke, I remembered things I really shouldn’t have, things I swore I had forgotten, things I prayed I could forgive.
I remembered the first time I saw him after secondary school and how he convinced me that I got things mixed up. I remembered catching him with a girl in his bed two weeks after that, a girl he swore was his cousin.
I remembered the first time I saw him in my sister’s arms, one month after he said he wanted to give us a shot. I remembered the pictures my sister sent to me to show off.
I remembered getting the wedding invitation, one week after he said that he was ready to make things right. My memories of him were so crippling. What am I still doing here?
“I’m sorry Emeka, I can’t do this with you again. It’s not worth it, not for you and certainly not for me.”
I walked out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. I knew if I stayed there long enough my heart would somehow convince me to listen to him. He had gotten what he always wanted. He can have the house and all of my father’s wealth if he wanted. That was not the fight I was interested in. Let Ada and her greedy husband deal with that.
“Chi please wait!” He called out to me. “Chi, please wait! I’m sorry!” I kept walking. “Chi I didn’t go through with it! I didn’t marry her!” That stopped me.
“I didn’t go through with it Chi, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do that to you! You are the only one I can be with! You are the only one for me!”
Jesus Jesus Jesus. Jesus save me. I’m finished!
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EMEKA- present day
It was now or never. If I miss this, I’ll never get another chance. Now or never.
As the words came out of my mouth, I realised how desperately I wanted her to accept me. I had gone through too many women to get here. I knew there was nothing else left for me out there. It’s now or never.
I watched as the words I spoke shook her. I was surprised that she didn’t know that I didn’t go through with the wedding, even after four months had passed. I was certain that someone would have mentioned it to her by now. Unless. Unless she didn’t care. Have I lost her?
Amidst tears, she said, “Emeka, I’m sorry but I don’t understand why you did that. All I know is that I can’t do this with you. I’m too old and I’m too tired. I just can’t!” With that, she walked out and I knew I wasn’t meant to go after her. I knew she would be back. There is hope.
“Emeka.” Someone I thought I had sorted out called my name. When I remember all the things that happened between us, I knew I had to change. I had to stop allowing myself be used and I had to stop enjoying the thrill of getting something out of it.
I took a deep breath and I turned to face her. Her eyes were red as usual. Nothing has changed here. This girl was skilled in the art of emotional blackmail.
“Nedu, how you holding up.” I asked, not that I cared, but because it was the right thing to do.
She stared at me in disbelief, holding back tears. Here we go again. “How am I holding up? I don’t know Emeka, you tell me. Four months ago, I was the happiest woman in the world, I was the one you chose. You picked me! Four months ago, I was to be your wife! Me! Four months ago, I came down to a decorated church without a groom. My would-be husband had absconded. No word, no explanations, just gone.”
She started walking around in circles. “You didn’t need to explain to me though. I knew why you did it.” She continued. “I just don’t understand how foolish you could possibly be to make a decision like that. You left me there for a woman that doesn’t want you, a woman that could NEVER want you. You chose rejection over me!” Right on cue, she started wailing.
I had to close my eyes to protect myself. She had played on my emotions for too long not catch on to what she was doing. She grabbed my shoulders, so she could have us face to face. Be strong boy, be strong!
“Emeka, look at me! Emeka! Look at me! Look at the woman you’ve made me.” It was at that point that I looked at her. How dare she!
“Nedu?” I slowly removed her hands from my body. I stepped back and I look at her, astonished by the words that had just come out of her mouth. “Nedu?!” She dropped her face and was looking away. She knew it was about to get bloody.
“Nedu, how?! How did I make you. I, the man you guilt-tripped into dating you. I, the man you lied to for so many years. I, the man you drugged and took advantage of. I, made you?” I chuckled and shook my head. “Nedu, whatever game you are playing is up. I don’t need you, your money or your manipulation anymore. It’s done.”
She started crying again but this time around her charm had worn off. I walked out of there with what was left of my dignity. It was time for me to start afresh.
As I sat in my car, ready to drive off, I got a strange text message. It was supposed to be from Nedu’s father but that couldn’t be possible. He was in a coma. He gave strict instructions that I knew I had to follow, his life depended on it. The message filled me with fear. Something was terribly wrong.
