Episode 4
TOO HARD TO LET GO
I stared at the phone in my hand for close to fifteen minutes before I was able to digest what the text said… just a straight forward message.
‘Hi, Douglas. I know right now, you’re more concerned about me than you’re angry about what I did, I know that because you’re a good man.
That is why I have decide to let you know I am safe. Please, forget about me and move on with your life, I never deserved someone like you. Once again, I am sorry’
Just that?
I read it over and over again, like my life depended on it. Then, I swiped left and placed a call through to her immediately, but the line was still not connecting.
I couldn’t control the anger, welling up inside of me.
From the way she sounded in the text, one could tell she was really very comfortable wherever she might be at that moment.
Who does this woman think she is?. Infact, what does she take me for?. She thinks she can just jump into my life, messed it up and jump out again, without any remorse?. I was thinking as I paced up and down the living room in annoyance.
No, I have to do something about it. I must find her and make her pay for every single pain she has caused me. I had promised myself.
I swore I was never going to let my family know what I was passing through at the moment..like how am I going to tell them that after all my gragra, I couldn’t even live up to a month with the woman I threatened to take my life for?. My sister will never stop making jest of me.
So when my mother called the next day to check on us, I plainly told her we were doing fine, holding back my tears.
“Is your wife coming home for the women conference?”. She asked.
“No oo. I replied, abruptly.
…..we are still on our honeymoon, now, next year will be better”. I had suggested.
She hummed.
“Okay, I just said let me ask”. She said and hung up.
I sobbed after she ended the call. I wished we could continue talking and talking.
They, really tried their best to stop that marriage from holding. My sister even went as far as calling Lucy to tell her I already had a wife in the village. But I was very proud of her when she didn’t believe such lies… but right at that moment, I wish she did believe them.
“I will deal with Lucy, but now I have to fight depression”. I had said to myself.
But depression wasn’t easy to fight, I realized I was becoming more miserable everyday. It seems Lucy left with everything that gives me joy. My once peaceful home became a nightmare . As much as I tried to focus on my life, the house keeps bringing back memories of the times we had shared together, any time I look around.
It came to a point that I started avoiding my house like a pandemic, until it gradually turned into a sleep nest…the only thing I do there was bath and go to sleep.
I spent most of my time at work, when I close, I drove straight to an eatery. I sit there until very late at night before driving home to sleep.
The whole marriage stuff started looking like a scam to me, like I was doing alright, I have lived in that house for almost two years before I met Lucy. I had never stayed out past 9pm. But then, I would have to wake the sleeping security man every night before I could drive in.
“Neighbor, it’s been long I saw your wife. Seems she travelled or something?”. A female neighbor had asked one morning as I was leaving for work.
“Yeah, she travelled”. I replied, forcing a smile.
“She no even wait, yesterday yesterday wey una marry?”. Another neighbor added, jokingly.
I just smiled and rushed into the car, to avoid breaking down before them.
I thought of getting a new apartment, It may help me heal fast. So I contacted an agent for it.
I continued covering up, pretending as though everything was fine, until I came back from work very late one Tuesday night, to find my younger sister, waiting by my doorstep.
Charity was schooling in a different town from where I lived. Though, she visits often before I got married, but she hasn’t come without prior notice.
What could she be doing here?…
Typing 5…
ยฉ Joy Ifunanya
