THE EX FACTOR #19
Welcome back to the a world, where everything is much more twisted than it seems.
[Recap]:
The man who was bold enough to flex a few hours of sex with his ex and
the next thing is chickening out of the resulting stress and headache
without even the courage to confront his fiancée and tell her what went
down and what's going to be the way forward. - T.E.F #18
'I thought you said we were friends Jay?... You are not my friend if you
know something that can harm me and you refuse to tell me about it. Its
all good and let's just say that's how you payback for whatever offense
I've committed against you. - T.E.F #17
She was almost walking past the escalator when she got a light tap on
the shoulder. It was the same lady who helped her with the fragrance
choice. She wore a very straight face with distaste written all over it. - T.E.F #16
"Hmm... Kate!" I thought. "Kate could be the person to solve this June's
scooby-doo mystery by putting my doubts to confirmation and collecting
answers to most of my questions. - T.E.F #15
"Ok dear, what do you want me to do? Tell me anything you have in mind
but like I said, no abortion... Its one of the scariest thing on a
woman' s path and I'm not ready to die for you or us. - T.E.F #14
The longer the truth takes the to be let out, the more the damage lies must have caused in the meantime.
Dave took a glance at the
wall clock for the third time.
9:15PM
"And why isn't she
picking up her calls for crying out loud?" He thought to himself as he
picked up his phone and dialed the number again.
"Hello?"
Dave let out a huge sigh of
relief before saying anything.
"Titi what's wrong with
you?"
"What?"
"I've been trying to
call you since God knows when ago. Its really not cool believe me, the way I'm being
treated by you. I said I'm sorry and you know I really am and I
meant it when I said it but..."
"I'm driving bro. You
can call me in half an hour please. You know the driving rules in lagos so
thanks a lot for understanding."
"Arrggh!...Alright. I'll call you
back, I only pray you pick up." He replied dejectedly.
"Later."
Just as Titi hung up, Dave
slumped back into the couch he had stood up from and remained motionless as he
subconsciously began to regurgitate on the events of the past weeks that led to
this low state and his desperate fight to restore not only his relationship,
but pride and esteem.
****************
Titi entered the house, flung
her handbag on the chair and made straight for the room. Dave sat at the edge
of the bed scribbling on his ipad.
"Welcome dear."
No reply.
Titi slipped out of her gown,
grabbed her towel & made straight for the bathroom and in no time, the
shower was running.
Dave dropped his ipad and
made his way into the bathroom to find out what exactly was the cause for the
attitude.
"Babe what's
wrong?" He asked, leaning at the extreme right corner, sparsely out of the
reach of the spraying water.
No reply.
Dave slowly removed the only
piece of clothing he had on- his boxers and joined Titi in the shower, slowly
wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Talk to me babe."
"June's presence was the
only thing asides work that I use to keep my mind off your nonchalance and
strange behaviour of late. Now she gone back to abj and I feel like I'm stuck
choicelessly with you. If I had the chance, I might just have followed her off
so you can have the time and space to reminisce, soliloquize, meditate or do
whatever it is you do these days."
"But I already..."
"And when you need me
back, you'll let me know."
Titi spoke in a very low
voice and without making eye contact, which was unusual. She wriggled herself
out Dave's arms and wrapped herself in a towel. Dave knew it was now or never,
the cat be better let out of the bag now or left to suffocate to death. Titi
didn't really want to what she's about to hear but in all fairness, she
deserves the truth. It been long overdue and she hadn't pestered, made trouble,
threatened or fought.
As Titi sst in front of her
dressing table with her back to Dave, he made the sign of the cross, cleared
his throat and stood a few inches to the chair.
"June is my ex. I don't
know how you both stumbled into each other but she's my ex and she's the one
that kept on calling me persistently some few weeks back." Dave paused.
Titi remained in the same
position, not a flinch or emotion or reply. She just sat there brushing her
hair, picking and dropping this or that. Dave took it as a sign to continue and
he went on, narrated the hotel room scenario, how really bad he felt after
having unprotected sex with June in a bit of an effort to put a little sugar to
the vinegar and how he had been contemplating and gathering the courage to
break the info to her cos he did not want to hurt her. Dave was using his best
sober voice hoping that would also reduce some measure of Titi's reaction to this
very sorry news of his.
Titi continued what she was
doing, dusted some powder off her face, and she moved to her finger nails.
Dave didn't know if to
continue or to stop, if to cut it off there and begin apologising or to say it all
and clear the air. Confusing was an understatement to how Dave felt to Titi's
reaction.
"Did she know all what
I'm telling her before?... Why isn't she shouting on me or clawing my skin
off?" Dave thought for a split second and continued his confession.
He narrated all the pressure
I had put on him to confess and how he had been procrastinating and allowing
fear to grip him anytime he came close to spilling it. Then how he had gone
back to arrange framing June's number one suitor in Abj for the pregnancy.
"Jay had nothing to do
with that plan though... I just thought I needed a way out and it was best to
keep you out of it. I know you were going to feel very hurt and disappointed in
me and that was why I set out of taking care of my mess myself. It was a stupid and
silly mistake, I know. One which should never even be heard of, let alone
happening. I'm very sorry baby. Whatever it is I can do to restore the trust
and love you have for me, please tell me, I'm hundred percent ready to do whatever
it is to make it up to you. From the depth of my heart, I'm really sorry for
everything. Not just for what I did but cos it took me this long to summon up
courage to tell you."
Titi still didn't stand up,
turn around or give a reply to all what Dave said and the silence that
prevailed for around two to three minutes was the loudest ear and mind piercing
silence Dave had ever experienced.
"Babe!... Babe won't you
say anything?... Baby?" And just as Dave attempted to move closer, it all
happened in a flash. Faster than the speed of light- Titi stood up, tears
streamed straight down her eyeballs over cheek down to her chin and just as
Believe was about saying "I'm sorry" for the ninetieth time, two hot
slaps landed on his face. They were quick, sharp, not noisy but they stung.
Dave felt as if quite an appreciating number of bees had began feasting on the
right side of his face the strings of pain pulled back a bit to affect the back
of his neck.
"What a flexible palm
she has." He subconsciously thought on reflex. The magic of slaps
Without uttering a word, Titi
found her way to her corner of the bed, slipped under the large bed spread and
slept off. Dave attempted going to wake her and continue apologizing but on second thought, he quietly stole to the side of the bed and
slept. Only in the morning did he realize Titi didn't actually sleep. She just
waited for him to, stood up, packed her things and left. Although she did him
the favour of leaving him a note. That was the last time Dave saw his fiancé as
all effort to bring her to the negotiation table both by him and by me had proved
futile. Nothing seemed to get to her, not even the news that Dave was seriously
ill and been on bed rest. All she had to contribute was a reluctant "God
will give quick recovery."
****************
I dropped my phone and thought
for a while. How do I break the news that's just reaching from Kate's
intelligence unit to Dave? How do I tell him that his plan was already a no go
area in just two days June arrived in Abuja?
This is really going to break
his heart or whatever is left of it. I could only hope he had a contigency plan
for a "just in case" scenario.
I shrugged, picked up my
phone and dialed his number.
"Hello?" Dave
sounded like someone who just woke up from bad dream.
"Hey bro... Are you
ok?" I asked.
"Yeah sure... Sorry, I
didn't hear my phone ring."
"Then why do you sound
like a pregnant woman who just suffered a miscarriage?"
He didn't reply and the ten
seconds silence made me realize I just cracked a terrible joke with a totally
one sided sense of humour. He wasn't going to laugh at that kind of joke and I
knew it.
"Err... Sorry, so how far with
Titi?" I quickly chipped in.
"She's just there at her
place. She has started picking up my calls though but every time I call her,
she's always having this or that reason to jump off the phone. I don't know
what to do or say to her again. I'm giving up cos I've tried my best. Is it
until I crucify myself before someone knows that the other person is sorry?...
Or is anyone bigger than making mistakes?"
"It is well. I think
she's just punishing you for the whole lot of time you took before coming plain
to her. You took too long man."
"I know and I've
apologized for every thing... Anyways, what's happening?"
"I have bad news bro...
& I don't know if you wanna hear it now or I can call back at a more
suitable time."
Dave pause for a few seconds
and just as I about saying "Hello?", he replied.
"No. Now's a good time.
Tell me what it is."
"Your plan with June is
not gonna work sir and that's why I'm calling now. In case you've got a Plan B,
I think now's the time to implement it. Sorry about that bro."
"But why?..." Was
all Dave could reply with, which would've sounded funny but for the present
mood on ground.
"Tunde, the Etisalat guy asking
June out in Abj is not in Nigeria presently and won't be back from... I think
Australia or Switzerland till a month's time. That was what I heard and thought
you've got to know. So I don't know how you want to do it but the frame up plan
is already cancelled."
"Oh!... Oh Lord!"
Dave said and hung up.
After a while, some let you
go. But some little mischievous evils won't but follow you everywhere like
chicks and mother hen.
Mature Minds Talk.
0 comments: