Hephzibah and Hezekiah

She was the one that called off the relationship

She didn't give any sensible explanation in his opinion

They met at first on Facebook and then at the University of Lagos

He was working as a journalist with a TV station

She just concluded her first degree

They were both admitted for part-time MA in Mass Communication

He was in 34

She was 28

She sent him a friendship request

He accepted it and complimented her picture in her inbox

She replied "I am looking for a job, sir"

He invited her to his office

She told him she lived in the East and had never been

to Lagos before

He told her if she needed a job, Lagos was where to be

She said she would work on it

Two weeks later she sent him a message that she had arrived in Lagos

She said she was staying with an older sister at Ajah

He lined up some interviews for her

She got a job, a freelancing job

Something an inexperienced reporter will quickly grasp and can build on

Her older sister was also working on a job for her

Three months after she got to Lagos, her older sister landed her a better job

She called to tell him she would be resigning the job he got for her

He told her there is a difference between a job and building a career

Her sister got her a job in the procurement department of a mall in Enugu

The job paid 120,000 Naira a month

The job he got her was paying 60,000 Naira a month but it was only the first rung of a very long ladder

She listened to him as he passionately tried to convince her not to lose sight of her focus

She thanked him for his TED talk and resigned

He knew she would regret the decision but he couldn't tell her so

She went to the East

As soon as she got back to the East, she met a guy

A married guy who was one of the suppliers of the mall

They got into an affair

The affair became a messy one

She got sacked

She returned to Lagos four months after she left

She called him out of the blue asking for his help

He had to go pick her up from the motor park

It was their first meeting

She told him everything like he was a long-lost friend

He felt sorry for her

He couldn't have foreseen the affair aspect of things but he knew she was trading the future for the present by leaving the job he got for her for a job way out of her scope of study

He told her about the admission going on at the University of Lagos

She had hinted to him several times that she would like to lecture

She loved the idea

They drove to the University of Lagos

They both got a form each, they filled it and submitted

He drove her to her cousin's house at Akoka

She didn't want to stay with her sister in Ajah because she

didn't want to have to explain what happened in Enugu to her

She didn't want to lie

She decided she would just call her and tell her she decided to leave the job so that she could pursue her Master’s degree

After that day they began to call each other once in a while

He was single and he wanted to remain so for as long as possible

At least until he got his life in order and could accommodate a woman in his life conveniently

He had a job, lived in a flat, and also had a car

But he wanted more than just the average life for himself

He knew dating was an expensive venture, not only would it cost him money, but it would also cost him time and a lot of emotions

He also knew he couldn't date the kind of lady he wanted without the means to woo her and take care of her

Many ladies just packaged rubbish in the name of wanting to get married

He didn't want to settle down with any of such

She came to his house for the first time, one Friday after their class in UNILAG

She had asked him if he was in a relationship and he had said No

She said she didn't believe him

He drove her to his house

She stepped in and saw for herself that he was a bachelor

Her attitude towards him softened but she was not his kind of lady

She was still trying to find her feet and he would end up spending so much money on her to get her there

He didn't want to do that for any woman

He had done it in his twenties, and paid his due!

He sponsored a lady's education right from polytechnic through her first degree

He covered her tuition, accommodation, feeding, etc

She dumped him as soon as she went for her NYSC in Oshogbo

She left him for a guy who didn't spend a dime

He told himself what goes round must come round

Somewhere out there, there must be a lady who will also be ready-made for him

He didn't want to go through that stress again

She on the other hand had seen a rare gem that ought to be mined

He was disciplined, focused, had a job, did not club or party, had no bad habits, was open to her ideas, and listened to her like a friend would

She felt he was the one for her

She started coming around to his flat often

At first, he would try to be around whenever she was coming

Eventually, she asked for the key to his flat

She said she found it easier to study there

She was also having issues with her cousin whose boyfriend rented her apartment for her and liked to come around to be with his babe

Her presence changed the dynamics of their relationship somewhat and her cousin had been singing a certain kind of song in her ears

She moved into the guest room

From that point, it was a matter of time before they became lovers

He knew she was doing it for survival

In his head, she needed accommodation and didn't want him to be able to up and throw her out whenever he wanted to

Sleeping with him sort of gave her the emotional advantage to stay and make things messy if he ever had to get her to leave

She didn't see it that way

She was twenty-nine and he was thirty-six

They fitted into each other like a key to a padlock

It was the next logical step

Their lovemaking was great, the conversation was awesome

They had a lot in common and he grew extremely fond of her

But, he was no liar and he couldn't tell her he loved her or show her his commitment to sharing a future with her

He would hint to her that he didn't want to marry a liability and she would hint to him that calling her a liability was inaccurate

"I am here, making your life better

I cook, I wash, I keep your house and I make your life better, what else do you want?"

He did not need anyone to do those things for him, if that was all he wanted he would have married just anybody

He wanted to marry an accomplished woman, be part of a power couple, and use the influence of himself and his wife to gain dominance over many social and economic spheres of influence

She was not his power couple partner

He didn't want to settle for less than his dream

She would say, "You keep asking me what I am bringing to the table, Am I not enough? Am I not someone with the drive and the kind of lifestyle that would make you better?"

He wanted more than words however, he wanted to see B.Sc, LLB, ICAN, APCON, etc behind his wife's name

He wanted to see his wife on TV and in powerful boardrooms

She was not the one

After four years of back and forth, she called it quits and left

She had completed her studies and gotten a job as an assistant lecturer in Enugu

She realised he was not willing to commit to a marriage or any sensible arrangements

They were lovers and he respected and treated her with dignity but he was not willing to offer more than that

She knew if he found what he was looking for he would not hesitate to dump her

She thanked him for being a true friend and a pillar of support, packed her stuff, and returned to her sister's house in Ajah

He came looking for her that very day

She stepped out of the house to see him

He asked her to come back

He missed her badly and she could see his distress

But he was not offering her more than the deal she walked away from

She missed him too, terribly but that was not how she wanted to live her life

Like an appendage, a wayfarer

She didn't feel settled with him and she couldn't force him to do right by her

He came back every day of that week until her resistance began to waver

By the next weekend, she packed her bags and traveled to the East

Just so she could be far away from him

She also blocked him on all the social media handles and phone lines

She needed to heal and move on

She was 33 and time was already laughing at her

He moved on too after a while

She had set up a second account with which she monitored him covertly on social media

She saw him when he traveled for a conference in Spain, France, Germany, India, and Singapore

She saw him when he started dating a lady (Big shot) working with a flour mill in Lagos

She didn't meet anyone new per se

She became a Christian and committed her energy to serve the Lord

Two years later she got an email from him

He asked if she could unblock him so that they could have a chat

She called him two days later

He said he just wanted to know how she had been

She got angry

She said, "What do you want from me?

Why are you stalking me and calling me?

I am here, after having given up everything I know and love because I didn’t fit into your plans, you still won't allow me to lick my wounds and heal in peace

Please stop calling me, it hurts

You are living the life you chose and I cannot be a part of that

why are you rubbing it in?

I beg you to please move on with your life and let me be

It is enough"

He didn't expect her reaction at all

He called just to check up on her and see how she was doing

Her response however shocked him

He bought a ticket and flew to Enugu the next day

She went to the University campus where he knew she was working as a lecturer to look for her

He found her right outside the Mass Communications Department

She screamed when she saw him

She dropped everything in her hand and rushed into his arms

Again, it was the most unexpected welcome

She took him immediately to the cafeteria and then to her flat

While she was fixing a meal for him in the kitchen

He walked in and held her

He kissed her on the forehead and then on the lips

She turned to face him and with her fingers,

She began to milk him all over

It was as if she was never gone

History took a back seat

Sanity took a long break

He smashed and she grabbed

It was a breathless race but they both crossed the finishing line at the same time

He proposed to her that evening

She said Yes

They got married in Lagos three months later.

PS: She said after venting on that phone call with him

she felt very terrible

She had never been like that with anyone before in her life

She respected him too much and loved him too much to talk to him the way she did

She said as she sat in her room feeling terrible

She called the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt just to unburden and see if he could pray with her

The Brother In Jeans and T-shirt laughed and said, "Your man is coming for you"

At first, she ignored it but he said it again and again, he said convince yourself to think right and to act right when he comes, the ball is now in your court

This will end in praise either way, but if you want this man, when he comes you must act right in every way

I didn't say act religious, or do SU, I said act right, act wisely

She said she then asked herself what she would do when she saw him several times

She concluded that she would just go with the flow and allow her heart to lead the way

She did just that and everything changed

He said, "I thought she would shoot me at sight or call security on me"

She took me by surprise with her reaction when she saw me

It was shocking

Like the total opposite of what I was expecting

I realized I loved her

I have always loved her

I had been convincing myself I didn't but I did

I decided to ask her to marry me

When she said yes, I knew it was the best decision I ever made