Episode 12.
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Peter tried Ize\’s phone again for the umpteenth time. It rang out twice but she picked the call on the third try.
\”Hey buddy,\” he said trying to make his voice sound casual. \”Where have you been?\”
She gave a little laugh and he could not tell if it was real or forced. \”I\’ve been around. Been a little down that\’s why I\’ve not been in class.\”
Try as he would, he couldn\’t keep the note of concern from his voice. \”Really? What\’s the matter?\”
She laughed again. \”Oh. Nothing serious,\” she said in a voice of dismissal.
He tried again. \”Did you see my messages?\”
\”Oh. I saw them,\” she said her voice clearly disinterested. \”I\’m sorry I haven\’t been able to reply.\”
\”Ok. When are you coming back to class?\” he said trying to keep his voice from sounding defeated.
\”Very soon, I hope.\”
She ended the call and he stared at the phone. Where had he gone wrong?
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It had been two weeks since he had told her. Remi did not know what to do so she tried not to think about it. After expressing her shock to Fola, she had got up from her spot under the tree and told him to give her some time. Time to process what he had told her. But the thought of them as a couple seemed…ridiculous. Fola was her best friend. Both of them in a relationship would just complicate things. Or wouldn\’t it? She kept away from James too. He kept asking her what he had done but she couldn\’t put it into words. She couldn\’t explain that she had that feeling that their \’relationship\’ could not last. Chidera and Ruth kept asking her to make up her mind and she did not know what to tell them. Just that she could not shake the feeling of impending doom.
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Chidera hesitated as she stood in front of Richard\’s door. She had taken a few weeks to think about it and she was convinced this was the right thing to do. It would not be easy. It would be tough on both of them but it was the best thing. She briefly wondered if a phone call or chat wouldn\’t have been easier. Then she mentally shook her head. It was better done face to face. She knocked on the door but no one answered. She knocked a couple more times. Dissapointed, she tried turning the door handle. It opened and she went in.
\”Richard?\” she asked, her voice echoing in the silent room. She gave a gasp when she turned towards the wardrobe and saw Richard on the floor of his room. He had passed out. She knelt down beside him to check his pulse and reached for her phone.
When one truly loves someone, they are the sun around which the earth of one’s emotions revolve. It is indeed a blessing if they feel the same.
Most of the time however, it is one person in a couple who is truly in love at the beginning. Time and shared experiences may awaken those feelings and commitment in the partner.
Asking a classmate out is a bit tedious, and asking a friend out is even more so. One never knows where the chips will fall, and many a young man would dread the potential coldness and aloofness that may complicate a refusal, hesitation or rejection.
It is the duty of men, and it is our essence, to face the uncertainty.
It would help young men to realize that women are also anxious and fretful about having to reject a potentially good suitor. Their reasons are varied and sometimes ill-defined.
Young women have a duty to clarify the possibilities early in a friendly interaction, subtly or frankly, and save young men unnecessary heartache. They can’t have their cakes and eat them.
Fola should relax and work towards achieving other life goals….
And, I hope Richard did not harm himself because of Chidera. No one is worth that sort of trouble. Well, maybe…
Ur comment is indeed insightful@queenihila