Playing Perfect
Somewhere Not So Far Away
The weather alone should have told them it was going to be a horrible night. The sky was dark, clouds heavy with rain. The cold wind whirled around them consistently, as if urging them to turn around; ‘Gooo Hoooome’ the wind seemed to be hissing.
But they trudged on obstinately. It was the one day in the year when they actually tried to remember why they fell in love. Except New Year’s of course, but they usually got really drunk before any reasons came up. They were a very attractive couple; he was tall and broad where she was petite. She had her left hand through the crook of his arm while her right hand tried to prevent her full skirt from dancing around her head in the wind. He looked down at her pretty face and smiled; she glanced up at him and returned his smile.
‘Oh, why did she have to change?’ he thought to himself.
‘Oh, why can’t he just change?’ she thought to herself.
They finally stepped into La Rio de Janeiro. Raymond had been here earlier in the week for a 'business date' with Natasha. But Layo didn't know that, of course. The place was crowded but he strode up to one of the waitresses dressed in black and white. At his tap, she turned around to face them with a very wide, red lipstick-ed smile. She had a matching red rose on her chest, the size of the rose and the amount of revealed cleavage competed for attention.
'Damn, now that's a feast for the eyes!' Raymond forced his eyes back to her face. “We have a reservation. Raymond and Layo.” ‘I remember when Layo bothered to dress up for me’; he looked down at Layo and mentally added, ‘when it’s not Valentine’s day.’
The red waitress walked them over to their table and Layo watched Raymond watch her skimpy black skirt. “Honey, the place looks beautiful!” Layo said. ‘Though you haven’t noticed that. Why don't you invite her to join us? Moron. I remember when you looked at me that way.’
When they were settled at their table and the red waitress and her tempting wiles out of sight; Raymond reached over to hold Layo’s hand. “So, do you like the ring?” ‘What choice do you have, it was bloody expensive! And Natasha picked it out, she has good taste.’
Layo smiled; “It’s beautiful. I absolutely adore it!” ‘You never listen to anything I say. I wanted a necklace. Besides, Dapo got me a similar thing, with matching earrings!’
“I’m so glad we could do this tonight. You’ve being staying late at the office these days.” Layo said. ‘You cheating idiot; you could come up with a better lie.’
“Trying to make money for us.” He forced a laugh. ‘Come home to what? You never let me touch you anymore! Ice queen!’
An hour and a half later; they were about ready to give up on their phony smiles and empty conversations. The red waitress had shown up far too many times than was necessary; reminding Raymond of the days Layo had fought for his attention and reminding Layo of the days Raymond had eyes for her only.
“Shit! It’s raining! And we’re parked down the street. We have to wait it out.”
‘Oh Lord, make it stop! I can’t take this anymore. If only he’d talk to me; I’m sure we could make this work. I could make him happy.’ Layo thought.
‘This bloody rain had better stop now. If only she understood me; this wouldn’t be happening! We could be so happy.’ Raymond thought.
Thunder clapped and the rain fell in torrents; leaving the estranged lovers staring at everything but themselves.
***
I’m sure some of y’all read this and didn’t even notice what was wrong here. Yup. This is probably the default mode for most couples out there and it’s just sad. I remember while I was on the Moments With Mo show, Dolapo Oni said something that sort of stuck. She asked why are so many people scared to be single? Like if it isn’t working and you’re sure you’ve tried everything, kitchen sink and all, why stay there and just pretend (married women with kids, please don’t give us that 'we do it for the kids' excuse).
The scenario above highlights something I've always preached about. For me, the three key elements to making relationships work are: Trust, Understanding and Communication (I should do a post on this). Don't just think of these things on the surface. I mean, think 'absolute trust', absolute communication. Meaning, even to the silliest things like "Oh, babe, I'm so ashamed but can you believe I was trying to fart and erm... something mistakingly erm...." yes, that level of detail is what will help you say the harder stuff like "I'm not really feeling you in bed, can I give some pointers" or "Honey, I'm sorry but your mom has stayed long enough, she has to go."
Ok, you get my point; I'm done preaching. It's time to read your thoughts on this. Why is it just so hard to express ourselves in relationships? How come we end up playing pretend when we can just speak up or leave? Are you scared of being single/alone/divorced? Tell us why. You know the drill, use the comment box to express you.
