EPISODE 6.
🍒 (UNPREDICTED LOVE) 🍒
(C) Judytex_Stories
As Deji almost choked on the water he was drinking, Roseline turned to him and slowly rubbed his back.
“Babe, are you alright?” She asked while slowly rubbing Deji’s back.
“Yes. Sure,” Deji answered with a nod.
“So about Annabelle, I just had to find out that she’s a single mom. Gosh, she’s so young and beautiful that you won’t even know if you’re not told,” Raymond continued.
Hearing this, Deji who was now feeling so uncomfortable about the whole discussion, quickly straightened his tie.
“Really? I don’t know her personally though. But I’m very excited to see how well she is handling her work and raising her child on her own. Because obviously being a single parent isn’t a piece of cake,” Roseline said.
“I agree with you. Because her case is pretty pathetic.” Raymond said.
“And, why is that?” Roseline asked.
“Well, her baby daddy doesn’t want to have anything to do with her five-year-old son,” Raymond said.
“Nah…that’s not nice at all. I really feel for her, though,” Roseline said, shaking her head sympathetically.
“And you needed to have seen how smart and outspoken her little son is. My goodness! That little boy is something else, I’m telling you,” Raymond said.
“But why would you men impregnate a woman and leave her to take full responsibility for the upkeep of the child?” Roseline asked.
“Hey, now you’re beginning to generalize it. I believe this thing is everywhere. Both in men and women,” Raymond said.
“All the same. But some men are just unbelievable,” Roseline said.
At this point, Deji who was now completely uncomfortable where he was sitting, got up quickly, excused himself, and went to the bathroom.
(In the bathroom)
Deji banged against the wall angrily, trying so hard to contain his anger.
“Urgh…!” he yelled, clenching his fist in anger.
“I can’t believe Annabelle had the nerve to tell Raymond her story,” he said. “That loosed mouth shouldn’t ruin my plans because I won’t take it lightly with her” He raged.
He later came out and joined them in the dining. Then Roseline introduced him to Raymond who interviewed him a little as they ate.
Shortly after they had finished eating, Raymond who was about to retire to his room, met Roseline standing at the door of his room.
“What’s going on?” He asked.
“I would like to have a word with you,” she said.
“Alright then, come in,” Raymond said pushing the door open.
When they entered the room, Roseline sat on his bed with her arms crossed.
“Now that you have seen my man, so tell me, what do you think of him?” Roseline asked, staring at him curiously.
“Hmmmm” Raymond sighed, sitting down on the chair next to his bed.
“Why the sigh? Don’t you like him?” Roseline asked.
“I don’t have any problem with him though but I’m just curious about a few things,” Raymond said.
“Which are?” Roseline asked.
“I’m just curious to know how you guys met, why he fell in love with you, and what he’s like?” Raymond said.
“But he already told you everything,” Roseline said.
“No Roseline. I want to hear it directly from your mouth” He insisted.
“Okay, we met while studying for our masters abroad. And for what made him fall in love with me, I think he is in a better position to answer that. Because he hasn’t told me what made him fall in love with me. And, for what he is like, I think he’s a down-to-earth guy, focused, caring, loving, and considerate,” Roseline said.
“Are you sure this guy really loves you?” Raymond asked.
“Absolutely. I mean, he’s proven himself countless times,” Roseline said.
“And are you sure he didn’t approach you at the time because he already knew your background?” Raymond asked.
“Not at all. He had no prior knowledge of who I was before he made advances toward me. My only problem right now is that I don’t know why Dad refused to let him proceed with the marriage plans. We’ve been together for five years and engaged for two years. Isn’t that enough for us to get married?” Roseline asked.
“Maybe your father has a good reason for delaying your marriage to him. You never know. Maybe he saw something that you and I can’t see. And I think he’s doing all this to protect you. So just trust him and be patient,” Raymond said.
“Until when exactly? Until I lost my youth? For Christ’s sake, Deji and I are deeply and truly in love with each other. So letting us get married won’t change anything, you know?” Roseline said.
“Marriage is not a child’s play Roseline. It’s a matter of eternity. So I advise you to take your time to find out why your father is delaying you from getting married in the meantime. I think that way you’ll be able to understand him better,” Raymond said.
“Why can’t any of you take my side? Deji is completely different from all the guys I’ve met. He’s considerate, humble, sweet, caring and most of all he genuinely loves me for who I am and not for what I have,” Roseline said.
Being left with no choice, Raymond then said,
“In that case, since you’re so sure of him, then I’ll try to speak to your father. So he can let you two get married,” Raymond said.
“Really?” Roseline winced with delight.
“Yes. I will do that for you,” Raymond assured.
Then Roseline gave Raymond a heart hug with excitement.
“Thank you very much” She cherished him with joy in her heart.
Later that night, he went on to have a heart-to-heart discussion with Roseline’s father who told him that he was only delaying Roseline’s marriage because he wasn’t sure of Deji’s feelings.
“That boy is from a poor home. And I can’t help but think that he is just after the price that comes from marrying my daughter” He said.
“Why don’t you give him a benefit of the doubt? Besides, you won’t be dying anytime soon. And he won’t be getting a penny till you rightfully hand over the company. So you still have much time to study him. And letting him marry your daughter can also be a trap to get him to reveal his true intentions and identity. But the truth is, your daughter truly loves that young man. And I think you letting them get married will be the best thing you will ever do for her” Raymond said.
“I will really need to think about this” Mr. Tobi said.
“I understand,” Raymond said tapping his back.
Early the next day at work, Roseline went to break the good news to Deji as soon as she saw him enter the company building.
She hastily ran towards him as he walked in through the front door.
“Good morning darling,” she called out with joy.
Deji, confused by the whole scenario, kept wondering what had triggered the sudden excitement on Roseline’s face.
“Good morning,” he greeted, still trying to understand what was going on.
“You know what?” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“What makes you so excited this morning?” he asked, holding her waist.
“Well, I spoke to Raymond about us last night and he promised to help me talk to my dad about letting us get married. And guess what? Daddy gave us his approval this morning,” Roseline announced.
“Really?” Deji yelled as if he had won a trophy.
“This is good news. So we’re getting married soon?” he exclaimed.
“Yes, darling. We’re getting married soon,” she said with elation in her heart.
At that moment they heard something hit the ground.
Looking behind them they both saw Annabelle unknowingly dropping her bag on the floor in shock at what she had heard.
As soon as Deji’s eyes met hers, he saw the tears and pain in her eyes. And out of guilt, he quickly looked away. Annabelle continued to stare at Deji from behind until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
When she turned around, she saw that it was Raymond.
Raymond bent down, picked up her bag, and handed it to her.
“Why do you look lost? Did you see a ghost?” he asked, smiling.
Annabelle quickly composed herself. Then she shook her head and said:
“Nothing. I just got carried away with some personal thoughts,” she said.
“All right, no more thinking. Let’s go inside,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
This act shocked Annabelle, who kept staring at his hand, wondering when they had become so close.
As they both approached Deji and Roseline, Annabelle said her greetings while Raymond introduced her to Roseline and Deji.
“This is the lady I told you about last night. Isn’t she just young and beautiful?” Raymond asked Roseline.
“Nice to meet you, Annabelle. Raymond told us some exciting and pleasant things about you last night. Honestly, I have to commend you for being such a strong woman,” Roseline said.
Annabelle didn’t say a word. She just replied with a smile.
“By the way, thank you Raymond for playing a crucial role in convincing Dad to finally agree to us getting married,” Roseline said, grabbing Deji’s arm.
“Really? Did he finally approve of it?” Raymond asked.
“Absolutely. I and Deji will be getting married soon. And it’s all thanks to you,” Roseline said.
Just then, Annabelle, not wanting to hear these conversations, quickly excused herself and walked away while Deji stared at her.
She quickly found her way to the toilet where she cried to her heart’s content.
★★★★★
From Annabelle’s point of view.
When I walked into the company that morning and heard that Deji and Roseline were getting married, my heart ached so much. In a way that I couldn’t explain.
I thought I was over him. I thought it was all in the past now. But when I heard that he was going to marry someone other than me, I suddenly realized how much I loved him.
My heart was ripped into pieces that morning. I felt like I wasn’t good enough and never could be. If only I could predict the end of our love, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe I could have avoided this misery.
It’s strange how quickly the night changes, how quickly feelings and emotions turn into hate and disgust. How quickly two lovers become strangers. Love, feelings, and emotions are unpredictable just like people.
Will I ever find love again? Should I be happy for them? Or should I just confront him and tell everyone that he’s the father of my five-year-old son? Will it make me feel better or worse? Will that change anything at all? All of this and more went through my head.
My only crime was falling in love. And loving with all my heart. Love is indeed cruel.
