~The Hanging Vine~
(episode 6)
A healthy relationship or friendship is one that is built on the foundation of trust, honesty and transparency. Once you begin to do otherwise from these three listed qualities above, that might be the beginning of the downfall of that relationship or friendship. It’s safe to say that I failed my best friend ‘Dora’ by hiding details about my friendship with Oscar when we both used to tell each other absolutely everything. The fact that she made a big deal out of the situation by walking away from me at the restaurant after she found out the truth is quite understandable on her part. She is human and has absolutely every right to feel however way she wanted to feel at that moment but one thing she didn’t have the power or right to do was detect to me whom to love or be friends with. That was completely not in her place to do such but that didn’t change the fact that I was at the verge of losing my best friend whom I didn’t want to lose under any circumstances. She was my ride or die and has had my back for so many years now. It would be despictable to lose such a precious friendship over a guy whom I wasn’t even such would be in my life for too long. What a messy situation I had found myself in.
After Dora walked out on Oscar and I, my heart dropped drastically. For a split second, I wanted to go after her just to explain myself better but had to comport myself so I don’t lose it in front of Oscar. He was equally shocked and confused but tried to calm me down.
“What was that all about? Are you ok?” Oscar curiously inquired as he held my shoulder. Despite still being shocked, I somehow managed to tell him everything that led to Dora’s outburst. I began from how she advised me to stay away from him because he wasn’t good for me, down to how I hid our friendship from her just because I was scared she would judge me for being friends with a man that had a reputation of being a womanizer, playboy, spoilt brat and an overly proud man that felt he had all it took to get any lady he wanted. We both knew Dora meant well but believed she took things a bit too far.
One thing that is constant in life is ‘Change’ so it’s best to believe that a person can turn a new leaf at certain points in his or her life. Most people you see with the worst stories have the deepest scars. That might not be the life they want but life happened to them. That is why it is always advisable not to judge a person from afar till you at least have a personal encounter with them. Despite the fact that everything Dora said about Oscar was nothing but the truth, the one thing missing was that fact that she hadn’t seen the other side of him that I had seen. It was the same guy with two different realities for two different people.
Shortly after telling Oscar all he needed to know about what led to Dora’s emotional outburst, he was a bit hurt but advised me to go and talk things properly with her and hopefully savor our long time friendship. I took his advice and headed to her house after we were done at the restaurant.
When I arrived at Dora’s apartment, she wasn’t home at the moment so I tried calling her on phone but she wasn’t picking up. Just when I got tired and was about leaving, she fortunately returned back home.
Immediately I saw Dora walk into her apartment compound, my face lit up with hope that we would work things out that same day because you know what they say about letting the sun go down on your anger? Well, I didn’t want that to be the case for us. When Dora saw me, she didn’t seem pleased to find me at her apartment: her countenance said it all.
“Hey, I tried calling you since I got here but you aren’t picking up. I believe we need to talk as I have so much explanation to do” I calmly said while Dora tried to open her door. Up until then, she hadn’t said even a single word to me and at this point, I was beginning to get frustrated. “Why are you making a big deal out of this? Why are you making me feel horrible and bad for something that in no way poses any threat to you, your peace and wellbeing?. I know I messed up by not telling you about Oscar but it wasn’t my fault. Trust me, you were the first person I wanted to talk to when I accepted to be his friend but was scared that you would judge me just the way you are doing right now. Oscar and I aren’t even dating, we are just friends so I see no reason why you are making a big deal out of this except there’s something you aren’t telling me” I sadly said with tears almost in my tears.
Despite all I said, Dora still didn’t utter a word to me and to be honest, I was deeply hurting. The fact that I knew nothing about why Dora was behaving such way was the major reason I was sad. It was when she entered inside her house that she spoke out for the first time. “Sophie, please leave me alone and go meet your new friend. So all of a sudden, I have now become an enemy to your happiness when all I have done all these years is protect, care and support you. What makes you think I have a problem with you being friends with Oscar? How is that supposed to make my life any better. My problem is the fact that I had to find out about you two the way I did. I only wanted to best for you by telling you to stay away from that chronic womanizer but I can see you don’t want the best for yourself so I rest my case. It’s obvious you are now one of his toys and it’s clear you are with him because of his money. I rated you very high but you have fallen my hands. When he trashes you like he does to every other girl he has come in contact with, please don’t run to me crying because my shoulders won’t be available for you to lean on. Hope you are still a virgin though because it would be a pity losing your precious virginity to that monster” she bluntly said.
Immediately Dora done talking, my mood changed and tears began to effortlessly fall from my eyes. Not in a thousand years did I ever imagine that my best friend would speak to me in such manner. The fact that she spoke about me in such a condescending manner showed how low she thought of me. I wanted to walk away instantly but not before I gave her a piece of my mind.
“Never you talk to me like that again in your life. How could you say such a thing to me? How could you speak so low and condescending about me after everything we have been through?. I thought you knew me well but it just dawned on me that we are still strangers to each other. Don’t you ever mention or talk about my virginity again in your life. I don’t blame you but blame myself for being an open book to you all in the name of friendship. Have I ever asked you for anything since we became friends years ago? Do I look like a gold digger in your eyes? Between the both of us in this friendship, who does things or spoils each other the most? After how hard you know I work for every penny I have and everything I have accomplished, then you stand here and indirectly call me a gold digger. Do you think I have ever asked that man for anything since I have known him? Is there anything anyone can give to me that I can’t give to myself if I what to? Do I look materialistic to you? What gave you the effrontery to say such a demeaning thing to me?. This right here is the reason I would never tell you another thing about my life ever again. You are toxic and I can’t deal with this level of toxicity in my life. After all you have just said, it would interest you to know that I would choose being friends with Oscar over again than to be friends with you because at least he is real to me and not fake. He might not be the best in character but he is a good person; something you are far from being. Whatever happens between me and Oscar is none of your damn business so do me a favor and stay the hell away from my personal life and business. Goodbye Dora, see you whenever” I said and walked away.
As I furiously walked out of Dora’s appartment, she tried to stop me but I was far gone in rage to pay her any attention. I knew she had began to regret all she said to me out of anger but it was already too late because I was done listening to her. A wise person once said “be careful what you say when you are angry because you can never take them back”. Dora had crossed the line and at this point, I didn’t know the status of our friendship anymore. I was hurting and needed space.
Before I got home that day, Oscar called to check up on me. I snubbed his call but later picked up after multiple texts. “Hello” I said while sobbing, he could immediately tell that I was crying and that got him really worried. “Why are you crying? Did she say something hurtful to you?” He curiously asked but I only cried the more. On seeing I wasn’t thinking on stopping the crying anytime soon, he informed me that he was coming over that evening to my house. I didn’t want him to come but he insisted.
An hour later, I got a call from Oscar notifying me that he was parked outside my gate. I put on my clothes and washed my face to reduce the puffiness and redness caused by the excess crying before heading outside. When I got inside the car, the first thing he did was give me a hug. “Stop crying, it’s ok” he said while tapping my back. The next thing he did was bring out a bag from the back seat and hand over to me. “What’s this?” I soberly asked, “A gift from me to make you feel better” he said and urged me to open it.
One look at the cute tiny box and I could tell it was a jewelry. I opened the box just to see a beautiful gold necklace with a shiny pendant. “Awwwn, this is so pretty” I said while trying to wipe the tears on my eyes. Oscar smiled and helped me to wear the necklace. “Do you like it?” He asked, “I Love it’ I replied. He pulled out a box of chocolates from the back seat and handed it over to me as well. “I heard chocolates helps with moods so I hope this cheers you up” he calmly said. We hugged again briefly before loosening our grip from one another.
For about three hours, Oscar and I spoke about so many things. We bonded on another level that day and it only just made our friendship stronger. Before he left, he asked me out on an official friendship date scheduled for the upper weekend and I accepted. You need to see the way his face lit up when I said “ok, I’ll come”. A day that was supposed to be one of the worst days of my life actually turned out to be a good day after all.
All through the next week, I and Dora barely saw eye to eye. I tried to stay away from her during school hours and would leave the class immediately lecture ended. She tried to talk things out with me but I wasn’t available to listen. Cut me some slack, I was still hurting due to everything she said to me and it would take only God for things to go back to normal between us. I still loved Dora but it wasn’t enough to remain friends with her.
Every void Dora’s absence created was filled by Oscar. He was always there for me and made sure to see me as often as he could. We both created a WhatsApp group for just the both of us. The purpose of the group was to discuss anything we didn’t understand in our daily devotion and bible reading. Our friendship outgrew the basic things and began to get deep in spiritual things that pertained to God. Most times, Oscar would school me in the things of God and most things, the reverse would be the case.
As our scheduled date began to draw nearer, I had no idea where we were going. He only told me to dress up and wait to be picked up by him. That day, I killed it with my outfit and was prepared to have a nice outing. I had no idea that day would be the birth of a new era in our friendship.
At last, the day for our first ever friendship date came and just as agreed, Oscar was at my house to pick me up on time. The ride to the location was a quiet one as the both of us barely spoke to each other. The suspense in the atmosphere was intense for reasons unknown. After what seemed like a 20 minutes ride, we finally arrived at a beautiful restaurant that had a garden theme and vibes to it. We sat at a hidden corner of the garden just to have some privacy to talk. Shortly after, our meals were served and we began to eat and talk while at it.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look” Oscar said out of nowhere and I blushed. “Thank you” I replied while still smiling. For about four (4) minutes, Oscar’s eyes were fixed on me. He looked at me as though I was some priceless piece of art in a museum. My heart began to beat faster whenever my eyes caught sight of his endless gaze. “Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked with a faint smile on my face and before I knew it, he dropped the cutleries and held both of my hands. “Sophie, there’s something I need to tell you” he said, “Ok, what’s that?” I asked while still looking into his beautiful eyes.
At that moment, the atmosphere began to get tensed and I knew there and then that Oscar was about to confess his feelings for me. As he held my sweaty palms, I could feel his heart beat from where I sat. After holding it in for a while, he finally let the cat out of the bag. “Sophie, I am madly, unconditionally and irresistibly in Love with you. I have never needed any woman in my life the way I need you. It’s gotten to a point where I feel the need to see you everyday. You are like a drug to me, I need you every second, minute and hour. I don’t want to lose you to another man. I am willing to be the man you want and need. You have no idea how long I have waited for someone like you. Every single thing about you drives me crazy and I mean this. I don’t want to live my life without you and certainly don’t want to let you slip away from my hands. Please give me a chance to prove to you that I mean business with you. Give me a chance to Love you completely. I need you Sophie” he said.
Oh my! Words would fail me to describe the state of my heart at that moment. I was vulnerable, weak and had all my guards crushed for the first time ever in my life. With each stare into Oscar’s eyes, I felt drawn to him like I have never felt for any man.
As the atmosphere got more heated. We could barely control our emotions and feelings at that point. Before I coud successfully take a deep breath in and out, Oscar leaned in and kissed me. “I Love you” he whispered afterwards, I reciprocated the kiss and replied “I Love you too”.
Tbc
