It was the first time we saw each other in so many years and he won’t stop embracing me, saying “I’ve missed me so much”
Smiling, I repeated the same and that was when I saw the smile on his face; the same I have always remembered. “He hadn’t aged a bit”, I thought to myself as I tried to maintain a blank face to avoid raising any idea or giving away any inclination towards where my thoughts where headed.
“This feels weird”, I said to myself as we continually held each other’s gaze like we were both sharing unspoken memories.
“I have someone else” I reminded myself and then broke the gaze. That was when his sister rushed out screaming my name with shock and surprise as she ran to me. With outstretched arms, we reached for each other in a very warm embrace and as she pulled away after a while, she dragged me aside, whispering; “hmmm my dear gist full ground’’
“Really” I said as we walked to her room. I turned back for a final look at her brother, but he wasn’t there and something I couldn’t figure out flinched inside of me. In the unclear picture, I saw disappointment or relief for him.
Simi and I spoke for long hours while I ate, she kept on filling me in on the details of all that had happened years back and even when I was getting tired, my excitement at seeing her won’t let me tell her that I was, she wasn’t kidding when she said ‘gist full ground’.
Then she started talking about what led to her father’s death. She wasn’t even sad as she laughed through the story, I tried to draw her attention, to how she acted by calling her name, that was when she said “the man had changed and was owing me ‘gbese’ before he died’’.
This was crazy, as I did not understand my friend, she was acting strange, it was as if she read my thoughts and that was when she said; “please the man is dead, should I cry all the days of my life”.
I felt sorry and compassionate for her because she had grown cold; “the sudden death of a loved one often changes us in a way”, I whispered within.
It was time for bed, we would usually take a shower before bedtime and left for Simi she could take a shower five times in a row, but this time was different, as she did not want to take a shower.
“Something isn’t right”, I pondered and that was when she came clean.
“I’m scared okay”, she said, with her tone a bit higher than normal. I didn’t understand and it was written all over my face, that was when she told me that she had been scared since her father died, eve to stay alone in her room.
“So I have been staying with mother”, she added, but I still didn’t understand until I realized that everyone was going to bed by 9:00pm.
When I complained that it was too early for them to sleep, he came to where I was and said; “I’m the only one that stays awake till at least 1:am’’.
I was a bit relieved, I had company for a while before I would sleep off, we saw a movie together that was when things started to get awkward, he wouldn’t stop staring and it was becoming alarming so I just concentrated on the movie and pretended that I didn’t notice.
That was when he said; ‘’you haven’t aged a bit, you still look the same; smile the same and smell the same’’
As I tried to hide the warmth that was creeping to my cheeks, I felt him come close, I turned my face sharply, and he landed a kiss on cheeks. As he pulled away quickly, I thanked God because I had no strength for whatever that might have followed.
I was his first just like he was mine and we didn’t officially end it with each other, I had travelled and stayed there for many years and we just happened to drift apart with time. A lot had happened while we were apart, I had gotten pregnant and had it removed, that was when he turned to me and asked; “did you ever think of them”
‘’Them’’ I didn’t understand or maybe I did and I didn’t want to talk about it, he was referring to the babies as the doctor said I was having twins.
“They would be five years old”, he said.
That was when I answered, “yes, I think of them but it’s in the past now I’m not that girl anymore”
There are many things we often pass through in life that causes us to change in different dimensions via as our actions. Sometimes, we want to blame it on someone or ourselves. Hating and rotting away in fear and depression that we find ourselves just existing rather than living, forcing us to look for a reason to lash out at the world.
Here’s the thing, nobody’s world is perfect, everything we pass through gives us a better understanding of life, I would say it makes our success story more inspiring.
Never crawl up in a cave because something is not going the way it is supposed to, there is a God inside you, moreover, it is your life; if you don’t like it, change it.
Only you have the power
Blossom Obi writes from Owerri, Imo State. For comments and responses, reach her via obiblossom8@gmail.com
