Debbie unlocked the front door of their 4-bed duplex, thankful that she had the house to herself for just a few more minutes.
“What a day!” She sighed as she sunk down deep into the couch in her living room. She needed a moment or two to fully process the events of today.
No sooner had she settled down; she heard a loud bang on the door. Then a crash as Titi her best friend of over 30 years barged into her home.
Debbie sighed “That’s what I get for having you as my neighbour”
“And giving me a set of your keys for emergencies.” Titi laughed heartily.
Titi, had long since dropped all forms of propriety when it came to her best friend’s home especially when she was sure Jacob wasn’t around.
She jumped on the couch alongside Debbie, packing up her long-braided hair as she continued to speak,
“Leave all those regrets for later. Now for the important stuff … How did your catch up with dreamy Tunde go? Kaaiii I still remember him well. Even then, I could see all sorts of fyne boy potential. Remember then I told you I was going to have his kids one day? … aaahhhh good times!”
She stopped when she noticed Debbie’s silence.
“Wait, what is wrong? Does he have a pot belly and wear a nose ring? Or God forbid an earring? Oh God please nooo!”
And Titi dramatically raised both arms in the air in supplication. Debbie had to laugh. This was Titi, you couldn’t stay serious with her for long.
“Stop it silly” Debbie giggled. “No, he doesn’t have a pot belly nor does he wear an ear or a nose ring… quite the opposite. He turned out really nice Titi, even more handsome…”
“Hmm I knew it” Titi sighed and closed her eyes “Dreamy Tunde didn’t disappoint.”
“… and obviously a gym rat. His chest is rock solid…” Debbie continued
“Wait what?” Titi’s face fell “What’s with knowing the structure of his chest?? Girl, when you left this house it was to catch up with an old friend briefly. What happened? tell me!”
“He said he loved me”
Titi jumped to her feet her hands on her chest then immediately sat back down again.
“Okay… let me not jump to conclusions. Love you like a sister? As per childhood friend?”
“No, he loves me. loves me”
Titi was on her feet again
“The idiot! That imbecile? What game is he playing at? I thought you said he was married. Is he divorced? Is he looking for whose life to destroy?”
“Why would you say that?” Debbie looked up at her friend her eyes wide. “He didn’t mean any harm, he just wanted to tell me how he felt all those years ago.”
“Oh ok, but if these feelings are in the past why bring them up now? Like going down love memory lane or what?” she sat on the chair opposite Debbie and drew herself closer to her friend.
“Well the feelings are not quite in the past!” Debbie said looking away.
“What?” Titi slammed her palms into the seat. “So, what exactly does he want?”
“He doesn’t want anything! Titi please calm down. He just wanted to get it off his chest. He said he regretted not telling me all those years ago. He knows we are both married and noting is going to happen.”
“No! no! no! I don’t like this at all. This is not good! That is an extremely dangerous game he is playing. What if you were not happily married? This could have caused something else. Just sown bad seeds where there was no need. I hope you made it clear to him that you are fine and happy.”
“Titi, relax I did. I told him that. I knew what I was supposed to say”
“Supposed to say? Girl. it’s the truth. … isn’t it?
Titi sat abruptly. A frown etched on her forehead. “Is there something you are not telling me about you and Jacob?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know! You are the one making shady comments. Has Jacob changed or what?”
“Jacob? He hasn’t changed, he is still the same, yesterday, today and forever.”
“Why do you say it like it’s a bad thing?”
“Because I AM TIRED OF IT! There is no excitement with him, no surprise, no thrill. We have been married 8 years and I already feel like an old married woman.
“Haaaa! Debbie what are you saying?” Titi stood, her hands on her hips. “Shame to bad people oooo. Come Debbie. Is it because of the poison that Tunde spewed today?”
“It wasn’t poison. He was just telling me how he felt.”
“You are defending him?” Titi gasped
“Yes, I will! You make him out to be a monster.”
“Only Monster? That guy is an agent of darkness. It’s all these overly handsome people that the devil uses to destroy homes.”
“Oh, Titi shut up! If that was the case will I have let you into my own home?”
They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds and burst into laughter.
“You are a stupid girl. Titi said as she sat down beside Debbie on the couch. “How can you be abusing me and complimenting me in the same sentence?”
“But it’s true now. Using your logic, my unmarried beauty Queen best friend and neighbour. Does it make sense for me to be close to you? But I trust you with my life. I trust you with everything I hold dear. So why assume Tunde is out to destroy me.”
“Okay okay. I will try not to judge him too harshly. Back to you and Jacob though, you guys are happy, you are good together, where did this come from?”
“I agree we work well together, but where Is the spark? We go through the same thing everyday nothing new ever happens. We never go anywhere. Even our sex life is boring.”
“Ahhh babe easy o… you are nit-picking, have you spoken to Jacob about any of this?”
“No, but why do I have too? Isn’t he in this relationship with me? can’t he see?”
“How will he see if you do not tell him. Maybe he is actually content with the way things are and doesn’t think anything is wrong.”
“Well isn’t that a problem in itself?”
“No, it isn’t. it just a communication thing. Share this with Jacob. He loves you so much. he will do anything for you, and you know this?
Look at how he is with the kids, my heart melts just looking at them together?
As kids growing up, when we hear daddy is around, we dive behind chairs and under tables? When your kids hear daddy is around, they trip over themselves to get to him, doesn’t that count for something? Look at the way he works hard to provide for you guys? You and I know you have everything you want. My friend. You don’t have a husband; you have an angel. You know this. Tell me, why do I need to remind you?”
Debbie stared at her folded hands on her lap. She was massaging each finger and finally settled on her wedding finger and began to roll her band around and around.
“I just feel so sooo… I haven’t felt tingles like I got when I spent time with Tunde today. When we hugged when he whispered…”
“Look I am really trying not to be upset with Tunde right now for this stuff he has done. Its messing with your brain.”
“It’s not just today.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tunde and I were always close remember?”
“Of course, I remember, I was so jealous then. Whenever we show up at a hangout, he always made a bee line for you. We all thought you guys were going to eventually start dating. What with the way he will always stand by your side? Your very own James Bond. Ha-ha. Titi laughed hard as she reminisced. “The ungrateful fellow. After I offered to have his kids.”
“Hahaha! I remember that day. His mouth almost fell on the floor. You are such a rascal Titi and it didn’t start today. I think you made him even more afraid of you.”
“Oh well it’s his loss. Our kids could have been dynamite.”
“…anyways, we would spend hours on the phone just talking and talking. I almost took it for granted that as we grew older something would happen. I had imagined our wedding day. Our first kiss. Debbie sighed deeply; her eyes took on a faraway look. “His family relocation was so unexpected. When he left, I felt such a deep sense of loss. Then after a few months I got a letter from him.”
“You did? you never told me.”
“I’m sorry, it was just so special I wanted to keep it to myself.”
“Ok, I can understand that. What did the letter say?”
“It was beautiful letter, telling me about his settling in woes. His struggles trying to fully fit in a new country. He said he missed the gang so much. He was still trying to find a church family like he had here. Etc …”
“That sound sweet. But what is so special about this letter.”
“It wasn’t the letter. There was a small note attached to it…
𝐷𝑒𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑒, 𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑏𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛.
𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑇𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒.”
“Hmm now I am worried that you are quoting this note almost two decades after”
“I read it repeatedly for years. Years Titi. Deep down. If in that letter he had said ‘Debbie wait for me’. I will still be waiting untill today. You know technology wasn’t what it is now. It was phone calls and letters. My father cut our land line because of all the international calls I made. Communication eventually died down. He couldn’t make calls; I couldn’t make calls.
Last year we connected via Facebook. Just before he got married. Then Monday as you know I got the call that he was in the country and would love to catch up. I now find out that he still has feelings for me. It makes me wonder if I had waited a little longer. … what if??
“What if what?? look honestly Debbie this all sounds overly sweet and romantic. But WAKE UP!! Get this maybe, shouda, coulda, woulda gaze out of your eyes! You have a good thing right in front of you! You have a lovely family. A stable home. Fine there are no sparks as you say, sister listen to me, firewood is not self-starting. Get the stuff required to start a flame together and light this thing up!”
“Ok I hear you Titi.” Debbie turned away from her friend. “I really need to be alone now.”
Titi got up slowly, placed a hand on Debbie’s Shoulder
“I will leave you now but please remember this; you are not just a friend to me; you are my sister. And I love you. Be careful this path you are considering. It will only end in pain.
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟒: 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡
©Ogugua Ajayi
