The Back Door

Midnight call was the rave that season
It was a must in a relationship 
Boyfriends talking to girlfriends
Husbands talking to wives
Admirers wooing the admired
Every lover did it, except him
It was not because he didn't 
have a lover
It was because of his health!
Whenever he slept less than 
six to eight hours
He would develop a terrible nasal
congestion with cough and 
a  cracked voice in the package
He had learned to manage his 
health the hard way
Sleep was a must!
He did his studying by day
He did his wooing and loving
by day
His sleep was sacrosanct! 
He explained this to his girlfriend
She had seen him battle sinus
attack several times
She told him she understood!
That was their agreement!
They spoke during the day
They had a very good relationship!
The relationship was five years strong
They had a concrete plan to get married
They had built a strong history together
One night he suddenly woke up
around 2 AM
He usually slept by 11 PM
And he wouldn't rouse until 5 AM or 6 AM
He could hear voices everywhere
His roommates were all on the
midnight call
He couldn't think of anything better
to do
He picked his phone instinctively
to check the time
And then he dialed his babe's number
He wanted to surprise her
He was sure she wouldn't pick
He just wanted to leave the missed call
on her phone to show her he was
thinking of her
It rang!
She picked!
She said "Wow! So you too can do
midnight call?
Her words meant more to him
He said he just wanted to surprise her
He rang off
He knew she was cheating
She told him as much in that sentence!
It troubled him
Years before when they were both 
in the polytechnic
She had a series of sexual escapades
that he later came to discover
She pleaded for forgiveness
He was no fool but he loved her
He believed it was youthful silliness 
She was really sorry
Some of the guys she slept with were
not even it
He didn't know why she would descend
that low
He psychoanalyzed the situation  
He could walk away 
Do what any other guy would do
But he made her a promise
He told her he would love her in
every situation
He decided to keep his promise
Be a man of his word
They both earned their diploma
He got admitted to the University
on direct entry and so did she
Though they were both admitted
into different universities
They see each other very often
The distance between their schools
was an hour
When he woke up the next morning
he decided he has had enough
He shouldn't have to play the fool
forever
It seemed she had set a pattern of
behaviour for herself
He didn't think she could change
Even if she would, it wouldn't be
with him
He called her and told her so
He said "I don't have any evidence
but I know you are cheating on me!
This is not necessary at all
We are not married and you can be 
with whosoever you desire
All you need to do is break-up with
me and move on
That is what someone with integrity
will do
But this sleeping around is not it!
I refuse to enable it!
I am breaking up this relationship
now!
I will you well in all your endeavors!"
He didn't wait to hear her lies
He rang off and switched off his phone
He knew he would hurt for a few days
But it is better to bleed and heal than
to bleed to death!
The next morning she arrived at his
school at 8 AM
His phone had been switched off
He just saw her walk into his lecture 
room
He didn't say a word
She sat somewhere at the back
of the classroom
When the class was over, he didn't 
leave
She walked up to him with tears 
in her eyes
She denied cheating on him
She said he was judging her by her
past mistakes 
He shrugged
Then she said "Is this how you would
treat me after having two abortions for
you?"
He wasn't even sure he was responsible
for the pregnancies anymore
She had them when she was cheating
on his while, they were in the polytechnic
They were her jokers
He had no evidence and she had 
a case
He apologized 
They reconciled
He took her to the cafeteria for breakfast
When they got to the cafeteria
She dropped her phone on the table
and went off to order their meal
Her phone rang
He saw a name and a phone number
He knew who it was
He memorized the phone number!
They had their meal and discussed
She left at noon
In his heart, the relationship was over
he had made up his mind to leave
And yet she was determined to keep
him
He wondered why
Why would someone insist on keeping
multiple partners?
Was it not an act of selfishness and
wickedness?
He gave her an out
Something dignifying and she resorted
to emotional blackmail
He thought about it
He really wanted to be free
He had to find a back door
He needed the relationship to be over!
He didn't have somebody else
But she was just using him to fill
an imaginary hole in her life
He was her official boyfriend
The one known to her friends and 
family members
It was how she rolled in the past
It was why he was saddled with the
responsibility for the abortions
He knew everybody would assume
he was responsible
And he was not too sure!
He wanted out
His peace of mind is far better
When he caught her the previous time
He insisted that she must have
the HIV and other STD test before 
he took her back
All the tests came back negative
That was two years ago
He couldn't be so sure anymore
she wouldn't expose his life to
danger by her sexual exploits
He went to the phone call center
close to his hostel
He bought a sim card
He removed his phone's sim card
He set up the sim card 
Then he sent her a message
He wrote "I just tested positive
for HIV/AIDS, and you are the 
only one I have been sleeping with!
Why didn't you tell me you 
had been infected!
You ruined my life!
I will kill you and kill myself!
May God punish you"
He sent the message to her number
Then he wrote:
"My name is so and so
You and I sleep with the same girl
She is HIV positive
I just tested positive too
I know she wouldn't tell you
She didn't tell me too
You need to have a test and make
sure you do not have unprotected
sex with her"
He sent the message to the
phone number he memorized!
Then he removed the sim card
and replaced it with his own!
He waited!
6 PM, she called
She said "I am changing my
phone number! Something happened 
to the other one! I will call you with
the new one in a few minutes!"
He waited
She called with another number
She said "Save this number, that
is my new number"
He said ok
Later that evening she called
She said she would be leaving the
hostel
She wanted to go home and see 
her parents
He said "I got a call from someone
His said his name is so and so
He sent me a text that you infected
him with HIV!
Is this true?
She said "I told you about him! He was
one of the guys i got involved with while
we were at the polythecnic but I did a
test afterward and I am fine. I dont know
where he got the infection from!
The funny thing is, he sent the message
to some friends of mine on campus too
and one of them is very angry!
He said she wanted to come and see
me in the hostel tonight
That's why i want to go home
I dont want her to make a scene here!"
He said "I don't understand! Are you
a lesbian? Why would your friend be
angry with you because someone said
you have HIV?
She said: We were roommates and you
know she was angry because she could
have contacted it somehow because of
proximity!
He said ok!
Then she said "Can you send me some
money, I want to go and do a test
once the result is out I can show it to
my friend and all this rumor will die!"
He said ok!
The next morning he sent her a message
He said "I know his name and phone
number! I also know you are sleeping
with him! This relationship is over!
Goodbye"
She never called him again!

PS: Her mother called him
She wanted to know what happened
Her sisters also called him
He didn't tell anybody a thing
eighteen months later
She sent him a message
"Were you the one who sent
that HIV message?"
He said "Yes"
She said "He left me, even after
I gave him the the test result
He couldn't trust me again!
You are a very wicked person
and I will never forgive you!
He understood!

GSW's notes: They are both
married now
She settled down in Benin
He settled down in Abuja
The marriages are blessed with
children
He insisted she gave her no option
She says "He was mean and wicked"