Chapter 43—All My Fault

"David."

David jolted up immediately he heard his name. For a moment, he didn't realize he was sitting on the living room couch. He simply turned in the direction of the voice.

"Are you still asleep by time?"

He was a bit shocked to see his mum. Not as he was shocked to see that his midsection ached a lot more than the previous night when he tried to move. But then he remembered he didn't apply the hot rag Korede had prepared after she left. He had wallowed in despair and alcohol till he passed out on the couch.

"Good morning, mum." He made a sound under his breath and winced at the pain as he tried to get up. "What are you doing here…? And why are you dressed like that?" he asked after getting a proper look at her skirt and blouse.

Mama placed her hands on her waist and narrowed a glare at him. "Dressed like what?"

"Like you're going you're going to a party," David retorted. "Your annual August meeting isn't until…Well, August." He shrugged.

Mama chuckled. "No, Korede's mother invited me to the wedding," she explained. "I planned on going to the reception only, but I thought I'd come over so we'd go together."

David uttered another groaning sound. He made an effort to pick the empty bottle lying on the floor but refrained from it when a sharp pain tore through his head.

He cursed under his breath. It was the alcohol's fault. It should remain on the floor.

"David, are you okay?" Mama asked.

Just then, their eyes met, and she caught a glimpse of the Band-Aid on his face.

"Jesus, what happened to you?" she exclaimed, rushing towards him.

"I fell on my face. Too much whiskey," he said, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"Don't lie to me, boy." She held his face up by the chin to get a clearer look at the wound. "I raised you myself. You think I don't know when you're lying to me? And this doesn't look like an accident."

David gave her a stare before he removed her hand. "Well, that's what happened. Take it or leave it," he said and turned in the direction of his room.

"Where are you going to?" she asked.

"I'm going to bed," he answered without looking back.

"But what about the wedding?"

David clenched his fists and turned to her.

"Who cares about the wedding? I just want to get some sleep okay?" he sputtered. "You can go by yourself. I don't care." He paused as soon as he realized he was raising his voice. "Please help me lock the door on your way out. Also, I’d appreciate it if you don't mention my name there. Korede would like that too."

Mama looked at him with worry in her eyes. "What exactly is going on, David? Talk to me."

"You won't understand, mama," he said, then turned away.

"What won't I understand? You're hurt, yet you're still hiding something from me, your mother!" She slapped her chest. "Is this about Korede?" When he didn't budge, she raised her voice. "Can you just stop being stubborn for once and tell me what happened?"

Her words stopped David in his tracks. Then, he faced her again. "Fine! You want to know what happened? I screwed up! That's what happened!" he yelled. "You see this?" He pointed at his battered face. "I got this from Korede's fiancé, but now that I think about it, I did deserve it. I blamed Korede for breaking up with me in the first place, but what I realized last night was that it was my entire fault. She broke up with me because she thought I was going to end it one day…All because I was too insecure of our future together."

"Oh, dear." Mama's eyes were filled with a thousand questions. "Why don't we sit down?"

She came around him slowly and led him back to the couch with a hand on her back.

"Okay, now you let's go over this from the beginning." She set her purse down beside her. "And please start from how the fiancé gave you all these bruises."

David began by telling her how Mide invited him to the bachelor party. Mide had said his final goodbyes already and was about to heading out of his office that Wednesday when he came to a halt, like he forgot something. David who was about to take his seat had paused in midair too.

“Anything else?” he had asked.

“Uhm, I wanted to invite you to my bachelor party.”

"Really? What did you tell him?" Mama asked, cutting David off.

"At that time, I had no choice but to accept. Mide's kind of a sweet talker," he muttered.

"Okay, but you went eventually, and what happened?"

David continued his story without any interference from Mama. She still didn't speak when he got to the part about Korede coming to his house a little after midnight and how he had practically chased her away. She listened until he finished speaking. Then, she rose to her feet.

"Okay, then. Thanks for telling me. Now I understand."

David raised his brow at her. "Are you leaving just like that?

"Yes, it seems you have your mind made up already."

David made a groaning sound as he sat up. Mama was already heading for the door. "Ahan, mama, you're not going to tell me everything will be alright and comfort me?"

She stopped and turned around. "Listen, David. You are not a fool. I know that because I raised you. But all I can say right now is that you're being pretty foolish."

"Okay, ouch." David frowned.

"Yes, I said that so you'd hurt more," Mama retorted. "You are making the exact mistake you made last time, and if that isn't what describes a fool, I don't know what is." She paused to let her words sink in. They did. "You know what your problem is. You let your fears dictate a huge portion of your plans for the future. You gave up on her too easily back then because you thought maybe you two weren't meant to be after all, and that's what you're doing now."

David shifted his gaze from her to the empty bottle on the floor. "But it's too late. She is getting married," he objected.

"So what? You're going to leave her to the hands of another man who, from what you've said, clearly doesn't love her?" she snapped back. "At best, she might file for a divorce after five years. At worst, she will end up being a trophy wife. The outcome of both cases is the same: she won't be happy for a very long time."

David buried both hands in the hair and huffed. His brain was starting to ache again, but this time, his heart followed. He had thought he was doing Korede a favor by pushing her away, but now, he saw how wrong he was.

"Is that what you want for Korede?" Mama asked.

He thought deeply before he answered. Soon enough, he heard himself say, "No, I love her."

"Then loving her comes with you being honest with her, no matter what the consequences are—" Before she finished her statement, he had risen to his feet. "Where are you going now?"

"To the bathroom," he answered sharply. "We are going to the wedding."

Mama immediately wore a droll expression on her face. "I thought you were going to stay at home."

"Not anymore. I'm going to tell Korede the truth about everything and try to win her back."

Mama smiled. That's my boy, she thought.

"You still think that's possible? I'm sure the ceremony has started already."

"There's still time. I just have to get to her quickly…Before she says I do."