Chapter 8 — Hurdles

The week went by really fast and turned out to be a very busy one, the department had asked for the final chapters of our work to be submitted because the date for project defense was scheduled for Monday the coming week. Everyone was busy going back and forth with their supervisors. I and Michael were able to see a few times when we were at the department to see our supervisors and we didn’t have time to talk at length so I couldn’t tell him about Raphael.

It was Friday and our date was tomorrow. I really couldn’t wait for Michael to ask me out officially because school and everything was coming to an end. If he was going to ask me out it should be in school, where we first met and I am glad he felt the same way too.

We agreed to meet up in the evening after we had submitted copies of our work to the department in the morning. I couldn’t wait to tell him about what Raphael had said, I hate keeping secrets from him. It always leaves guilt hanging in my chest.

“I love your dress, you guys look so good” I said to Florence and Sonia, my roommates who both happened to be course mates. Their Faculty had a brunch and award party. They were also final year students and their own department was pretty fast with everything except the social life of course. They had done their final defense already and all that was left was this one brunch party the faculty had set up and convocation which was coming up for every one of us.

“Thanks girl” “Thanks love” they both replied “Hmm, now you guys have me wishing we haven’t had our faculty dinner yet, I could have suggested this brunch thing to them, our dinner night was so short because we had to keep up with the lights out of the school” Jackie said to them as the flashlight of her phone’s camera covered their faces I stayed on my bed thinking of how I and Michael met, I didn’t ever think we’d get close because of how I was introverted but somehow every time I’m with Michael I find myself talking tirelessly, I mean, the energy was different. My soul needed him around it’s like our souls speak the same language. He was asking me out tomorrow, that moment will be one of the best moments of my life and I really couldn’t wait.

****

It was past seven in the evening and I was anxiously waiting to hear my phone ring. I’ve called Michael a few times but he didn’t answer my calls I was worried because this was unusual and I also have a bad feeling about everything.

It’s been 1 hour since I last called him, now I hear my phone ringing out, it showed incoming call from Michael I slid it up to answer his call immediately.

“What’s this whole thing I’m hearing about making promises to Raphael?” he said angrily “Wait. What! Not really, it’s all a misunderstanding” I replied, standing up from my bed.

“And you couldn’t tell me about it Ladi?”

“I wanted to, but we’ve been so busy all week Mic” I sounded so sorry “Oh, right, so busy but you still had time to send love messages to me and all that BS but for something this important ‘you wanted to’?”

“Mic you’re not thinking this through properly we need to see so I can explain”

“Explain what ladi? What’s there to explain” he paused, before I could reply he continued “did you see him on Sunday?”

“Yes, I did but it was to…” before I could complete the sentence he cut me off with “Well, that explains everything.” He ended the call My head was spinning now. My heart was somewhere far and tears started rolling down my face as I sat on the floor.

“Ladi what’s wrong” Jackie said as she hurried towards me. I didn’t even have strength to reply I just stayed there crying. The relationship I looked forward to so bad, had ended before it started.

***

Michael’s POV

Maybe I get a little too over reactive towards certain things. I’ve heard my friends tell me that. But for this issue I wasn’t, I know I definitely wasn’t, I loved this lady too much and this is all I get in return.

Betty had been warning me about Ladi and how most girls in her hostel had more than about two boyfriends and one was the main while the other was a backup, but I always cut her off and tell her Ladi was different.

This evening Betty asked to see me urgently and said she had something important to say about Ladi, I felt reluctant about seeing her at first but a part of me was curious as to what she wanted to say so I decided to go. Apparently one of Betty’s roommates was dating Raph’s friend who he confided in about Ladi and his feelings for her. Raph’s friend who couldn’t keep it to himself told his girlfriend all about Raph’s ordeal.

At first I thought it was one of betty’s pranks or maybe Ladi was right and she was against I and Ladi being together, but she seemed very serious and swore her friend heard the gist from her boyfriend so I decided to call Ladi to ask if all I heard was true and she said yes, I was desperately hoping she wouldn’t know anything about it and it would all be a lie, hearing her admit to it awakened all sorts of toxic emotions within me, I felt rage and hate all at once, the fact that I had to hear all this from another person and not Ladi showed that Ladi was playing a game and hiding a lot of stuff, and who knows maybe I was the ‘back up’ guy while Raph was the main.

“With the look on your face, I’ll take it to be that she admitted to it, I’m so sorry Mic, I was going to tell you about how I saw her with some guy last Sunday, I guess that was the Raph guy but I didn’t want you to feel bad and I assumed they were just friends, till I heard what Tolu told me”

I heard betty’s voice, I didn’t give a reply I had a lot going through my mind, I just didn’t get how I let myself get played or how Ladi could ever hurt me.

“Look Mic, I know girls like her, they are very manipulative, if you give her a chance to talk and clear things out she would tell lies and cry till you give in and forgive her, as a friend who cares I’d advice that you avoid her in the best way possible and try your best to move on, and be glad this happened before you asked her out and poured your soul into the relationship” I feel her hands on my shoulder “It’s going to be so hard betty, so hard, I love her so much, how did she manage to play me all this while, no wonder she asked that we remain friends”

“I bet she’d be laughing about this right now with her roommates” Betty scoffed I had a lot going through my mind if Ladi was truly innocent and didn’t have an ulterior motive she would have told me immediately. At this point I made up my Mind, I wasn’t interested in hearing her justify her BS so I was done, I’m glad all this unfolded before I had asked her out.