THE EX FACTOR #4
Miracles
come in different forms, shapes and sizes.
On
a lonely dark road, somewhere between 12AM and 12:30AM, a grey coloured Toyota
Camry sat at the extreme corner of the road, with screeched tires, unscratched
car body but awkward car position and most importantly, two scared-to-death passengers
staring at the each other for some time in utter disbelief at the incomprehensible,
unrepeatable flash drama that had left another innocent road user screaming “BASTARDS!”
some few moments ago.
“What
the fu…”
“I’m
sorry” I cut in before Titi could swear. She never did except on extreme case
scenarios and this was more than extreme.
I couldn’t imagine what my shocked face
looked like but I almost haven’t seen Titi wear that look ever before. I wouldn’t
blame her though, considering the fact that I just almost killed us both, a few
moments ago.
What was I thinking?!... How could I get
so carried away?!... What exactly is my problem?!...
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was
thinking” I wouldn’t think it twice if I had to apologize a hundred times.
“You
nearly got us killed. For real!”
“I
got carried away for just a second and it nearly resulted into that. I’m sorry”
“Tell
me. I wanna know what exactly you were thinking. Talk!”
“I
was thinking about us” I replied, hanging my head like a school kid who has
just been caught stealing… Like in the act.
“Oh…
Urrrh… Okay” She seemed lost for words and emotionally disengaged like soldiers
who have just reached a truce.
The
next look Titi gave me was one “I have seen that face before look” The first
time I ever drove, it was I and this same person. She knew, she hopped into the
car and allowed me toy with our lives for no special or spectacular reason. I missed
an oncoming bike man with four passengers and I managed to park. She gave me
this same “I trust you” look.
That
look has always been priceless.
Slowly,
with confidence regained and head knocked out memory lane, I started the car
and made for my place.
------------------
7 Minutes Later --------------------
I
held the door of my apartment as Titi walked in. She stopped, turned around,
looked me in the eye and whispered with a smile “Sweet Gentleman”.
Not
knowing if that statement needed a reply or exactly what the reply was if it
needed, I assumed I didn’t hear anything, closed and locked the door behind me.
I
headed straight for the little cabinet fridge beneath my gadget shelf and drew
out a bottle of Amarula and set it on the table
“Just
give me Smirnoff except you’re planning to get me drunk” She said as she
returned the bottle back to where I picked it from.
I
smiled as I remembered that she could get drunk even by smelling someone else
sipping his or her booze. One thing though was that she has never, except just
once, gotten drunk in my presence. She always said she owed it to her self-control.
I
set the Smirnoff Ice on the table with a little subconscious shrug; it was a
ladies drink anyways. She poured herself a glass and sipped like there was more
to the drink than just well, the sweetness or something
“How’s
your relationship with David” I asked in a really rhetorical tone.
“Not
bad, Dave is nice and caring. He’s a good listener and the very tolerating
type. I sometimes feel lucky to have a man like him and I’m sure he feels the
same way about me too. He’s also the always buying gifts type. He never gets
tired, as much as his pockets allow him. He’s really a good man. I only wish he
was more adventurous…”
“How?”
I asked like I didn’t know what she meant or rather like I wasn’t expecting her
to say that.
“He’s
just too calm and gentle in the sense that my man can stay indoors for like
eternity. Sometimes when you guys hang out, and he finds an excuse to stay
back, he really isn’t doing anything. If I ask him, he’ll say he’s just not in
the mood to hang out. We are parallel lines on that. I like going out and I mean
even a lot more than you used to know. He complains but who cares. That’s me
and I’ve tried to drop that part of me for him, I realized I just can’t. I’m
never tired of being adventurous. You know that and I guess you either installed
that in me or brought it out. I don’t know which. Asides that and some other
blind annoying arguments he argues at times, he’s the really loving type”
I
listened keenly and all through, I fought back the question I feel only females are
supposed to ask their ex. I took another sip and before I knew it I found
myself asking.
“Is
he like me?”
Titi
looked at me for like a minute or two, and as usual, I couldn’t predict what
was running through her mind as she did. She dropped the glass that had
journeyed half the distance from the table to her sexy lips, sat forward in her
seat, pierced my gaze with hers and held my hand like we were about to pray
over something.
I
shivered a bit.
“Nobody
has ever been like you. Nobody”
“Hmm
Hmm” I cleared my throat.
“Dave
is the third relationship after you and I’m still hoping to find someone who’ll
make me forget you and those times. Dave is trying but I’m still hoping for the
best ‘cos you were the best I ever had”
“I
don’t know what to say” I said in the in the lowest audible tone possible
“You
don’t need to say anything, except you feel I’m not being truthful”
I
moved close to Titi, stretched over the table in-between us and her eyes got a little
bit wider like it used to. I moved closer, my lips drawing and imaginary short straight
line to hers. Around two centimeters between our lips and closer…
…
Her phone rang
“Huh!...
Sorry, excuse me” She said as she jerked up to where her bag was. She fumbled
with all the this and that in her bag before finally fishing out her phone.
“Hello”
She said and cleared her throat at the same time.
“I’m
still at the bar. No! Just leave it in the freezer and go to bed if you want. I’m
not going to stay much longer though. I’ll be home in a few minutes so don’t lock
the door. Thanks dear. See ya!” She hung up, turned around and smiled.
Simultaneously
as she spoke on phone, all what was going through my mind was the thought of
what just happened or what almost happened.
“Guy! What are you doing?!... what
the hell man?!... Who does that?!... She’s your ex and your friend’s girl. Get that
into your skull…”
“That
was Mercy” she said walking back to the seat she stood up from.
Mercy
was her little sister and the last of their parent’s three children.
“How’s
she?”
“She’s
good… I only hope she’s still good if she mistakenly
locks me outside” she dragged the ‘mistakenly’ and it made me laugh.
Titi
took her seat back opposite me and raised my glass to my mouth.
“Drink
up” she said
“I
have hands” I replied
“I
insist”
I
sipped the drink in the same awkward manner as she had raised it to my mouth
and the drink tasted somehow sweeter like she had touched it with a magic hand.
I
was very nervous ‘cos this was the first time since our break-up… No!... separation
that we’ll be together, as close as this.
“I
should be on my way”
“Yea
you should!” I exclaimed like I just found a way out of a tunnel.
I
grabbed her keys and handed it over to her as she made for her hand bag and
adjusted her dress.
“Thanks
for not killing us tonight”
“Seriously?!”
I laughed like it was the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. But it was quite relieving
we could make a joke out of it anyways.
I
shoved my phone in my pocket as I walked her towards the door. I held the door
open and she as she walked half way through the open door, she stopped and
turned around.
The
extreme closeness between us made me catch some undefined feelings. Like a
magnetic force, I drew closer and we were chest-to-chest.
She
raised her face to mine as I looked down.
“I
miss you” She whispered and made for my lips…
“No…
we shouldn’t be doing this. I’m sorry”
I
moved two steps back and she shook herself out of her romantic mood.
We
walked hand-in-hand to her car, and I waved her goodbye as she zoomed off.
I
stood aloof on that same spot for approximately three minutes before finding
the momentum to walk back inside…
…
As I made my way back, my phone rang.
The
vibration made me jerk around like someone who was forced out of a bad dream,
forced my phone out of my pocket and picked up the call.
“Hello
Dave, howfar na?”
“Guy!... Believe me when I tell you I have
really fucked up!”
Mature Minds Talk.
THE EX FACTOR is a weekly publication from the MMT JOURNALS.
Click HERE for previous episodes.
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