Twists and Turns

For weeks after she broke up with him
Her mother especially came into her room
at least seven times in the middle of the night
to ask her over and over if she was sure she
made the right decision
She was!
She told her mother she was sure
She told her father the same thing when he
approached her 
Her family members felt something was
wrong
She didn't know why they had little or
no faith in her decision to marry the love
of her life
They didn't give her a tangible reason for their
objection
They just weren't as enthusiastic as she would
have liked
But it was her choice
She had been dating him since she was
fifteen years old
She was still in secondary school at the 
time and she had challenges with mathematics
He was her elder brother's friend
He was five years older than her and he was
a mathematics guru
He was studying applied mathematics in the
University at the time
Her brother told him about her challenge
Universities were on national strike at the time
He had more than enough time on his hands
He came to their house every day and turned 
Mathematics into a joke for her
Perhaps it was because she was crushing on
him and didn't want him to see her as a dunce
She sat up and did very well
He was impressed
He was impressed enough to ask her out
She said yes immediately
The relationship started slowly and awkwardly
He was a very quiet person
She was a very social person
He was a very churchy person
She was more of a "do the good you can"
person
She didn't know who she was yet
at fifteen
He was her first boyfriend
She was eager to get into the game early
It was one of her greatest fantasies
To have a man of her own and plot a
chart towards marriage
He was that man!
She gained admission into the university
at the age of sixteen
She deliberately chose his school
She studied hard and passed her papers
She got the admission
They started having sex that year
It was once she wanted
She didn't want to be "friend" zoned
in her head, a relationship without sex
was a hoax
He indulged her
It was what he always does
Treat her like his kid sister and give her 
whatever she wanted
She liked it at the beginning
She would make a list of the things
she wanted them to do together
and also a list of things she wanted
him to do for her
He would promptly do everything
For him the relationship was like writing
weekly tests 
As long as he did whatever she required
he assumed she was satisfied
But then she grew older and she suddenly
didn't like the pattern their relationship
had taken
It was too mechanical and boring
Her man especially had the uncanny ability
to make the most interesting venture
boring
He doesn't come up with anything interesting
or spontaneous for them to do
He wouldn't buy tickets to take her to the
movies, concert, theatre, shows etc
He wouldn't go on excursions, sight seeing trips
even to parties 
Whenever she insisted they would do something
fun together
He would criticise and analyse everything
until he sucks the life out of it
He had a world he lived in within his "own" head
a quiet place where all he did was sit still
or lie down and stare into space
She kept trying very hard to draw him out
His mannerism made many people assume
he was much older than his age
She wanted somebody more fun and hip
He graduated just as she was getting into
her third year
They had a concrete plan to get married
He was the type who could never cheat
Being unfaithful will not fit into his 
mathematical formula of love
She thought she could never cheat too
Until she met this dashing guy at a friend's 
party
He was a law student
He was also from a very rich background
He was the type of guy whose personality 
was a sort of tidal wave
One minute you were standing on your
feet, the next minute you were being
swept helplessly off your feet to God knows
where...
He was invited by a friend to their departmental
dinner
Somehow he was seated beside her
They got talking and within minutes
she was feeling a strange warmth in her heart
He stared at her in a way she had always
hoped her man would
His gaze was intentional and probing
Appreciating her figure and attire in a 
complimentary way
When it was their turn to get the buffet
He was lively, fun and acted crazily familiar
with her
Anyone looking at them would assume
they came to the occasion as a couple
When he went to use the restroom
She found herself desiring his company
in an odd way
She wanted to get to know him more
She wanted to see him and spend more
time with him
He danced with her and held her in such
a familiar manner that she started feeling
sexually aroused
She liked him a lot!
The dinner started by 8 pm and ended
around 1 am
After the dinner, she was hoping he would
offer to take her somewhere and sleep with
her
She just couldn't be so forward as to suggest
it herself
It was way out of character for her
He didn't make the offer
All he did was collect her number and
ask if he could call her and when
She didn't want the night to end
She asked him if they could take a stroll
together before they part company
He excused himself for a some minutes
When he returned to her, he said he went
to tell his friend to leave without him
She liked that
Her man would never do that
He considered some of her demands petulant
and inconsiderate
Everything had to make sense with him
Everything had to be logical and boxed!
The dinner was held at a gulf course
The whole compound was well lit
They took off their shoes and walked
They just talked
He talked about his impression of the dinner
and her department
She asked him loads of questions about his
school and his impression of theirs
Somehow he held her hand
At a point when she was tired, he carried
her in his arms while she draped her
hands across his shoulder
When they got back to the point where
they dropped their shoes, he let her down
gently
She told him she wanted to sit on the 
stairs of the hall
But she didn't want the night to end
He sat with her
They talked for a while longer
He turned her face towards him and 
slowly kissed her
The first time for a few seconds
The second time for much longer
He had fast fingers and he was audacious
His hands had found its way into her bra
within seconds of their second kiss
The night was cold and it was crazy
but she didn't stop him
If he had dared to lift up her gown right
there, she would have let him
She really wanted that kind of adventure
Something crazy and dirty and spontaneous
But he stopped after a while
He knew he had her
He knew he could have done anything
Perhaps her lack of resistance warned him
off
it seemed too easy and too soon
She adjusted her clothes slowly
She wanted him to change his mind
He didn't
Eventually, he pulled her to her feet and 
walked her back to the bus
They were the last to board
They didn't say a word to each other
until they got to her school
She took his phone and dialled her
phone with it
When they got to her school she went to
her room and slept off immediately
She woke up at 2pm
He had called her six times and dropped
some messages
Her heart beat like that of a deer that 
just discovered fresh water
She called him back and they started
talking
She had never had a phone conversation
that would last for more than ten minutes
with her man
What would they be saying to each other?
And yet, this guy was on the phone with her 
for four hours
He made her laugh, and wet
He made her say things she had never
ever thought she could ever say in her
life
She took him to the bathroom 
She even told him she was having her 
bath while speaking with him
She was in love 
She was delirious, her heart was racing 
and she was lusty!
He was everything she had never experienced
before
She took off to his school the next day
she spent a week with him
They were just having sex
she had totally forgotten she was in a
relationship until he brought it up
He asked her who "My love" was
She didn't get his question 
So he said there was a message on her
phone screen from "My love"
She didn't answer him
She checked her phone and indeed she
had a message from her man informing 
her he would be coming into town for 
a short visit in a week
She shrugged and dropped the phone
She had become the type of girl she never
hoped she would or could ever be
She was a cheat!
She was heartless and wicked
She was cold hearted and despicable
She wasn't brought up to be that
kind of girl
And there she was...
She went home the following week to
be with her man
She had convinced herself that the fling
was over and the known far better than
the unknown
With her man she had a calm assurance of a
good future
The two families know each other and 
she was in charge
The other guy was a sleek womanizer
who got to her at her moment of weakness
She was seeking a thrill and he gave it to
her
She had taken a full gulp and swooned
But her head had been straightened by
reality and she was determined to do the 
right thing going forward.
Her man was the logical and sensible choice
A predictable, reliable and hardworking man
A man with whom she had the future figured
out to a T
It was the right thing to do
She played her role with her man
She laughed when she ought to and later
in the night when he reached for her
She willingly surrendered herself
She knew doing anything else would trigger
suspicion
She had never for once denied him sex
while they were dating plus he had been
away for months!
The sex was the same
It felt to her as if he was always counting
the strokes and calculating the velocity
He was so well programmed
So rigid
So lifeless
She was dying inside!
When he finished his "counted strokes"
and rolled over to sleep
She sat up and wept bitterly
The relationship was dead
She had to come with terms with that
She knew nobody would understand
her parents would wonder what came over
her
Her friends and siblings would assume she
had gone crazy
Many people will label her an ingrate especially
because of the role he played in her life
But she couldn't see herself living happily
with him
They were both very different people
The next morning, she sat him down and 
told him so
It was the first time she had ever expressed
her dissatisfaction to him
He was taken aback
He said she was making trouble where there
was none
Have I ever cheated on you? No
Have i always provided for your needs? Yes
Have I always been there for you?
Why are you complaining?
Because i went off to the north for NYSC?
Did you meet somebody else who is
lying to you?
He kept talking
She just sat there crying
He wouldn't get it even if she wrote
it in mathematical formula
She was unhappy with him and they
do not have a future
By the time she got home, he had told
everybody
Just as she envisaged
Her mother was disappointed
Her siblings too
Everybody!
She was the bad person
The lady who couldn't keep her relationship
The one who broke up with a promising 
man 
He mounted a come back
It was all emotional
He told of his heartbreak and his pain
He told her he was on the verge of committing 
suicide
He told her he would never love another
She felt horrible
He tried to mount a comeback
She resisted it
She also stayed away from her fling
She suddenly wasn't so sure she wanted 
to jump from man to man like a monkey
surrounded by many trees
She graduated and got a job in Lagos
It was the perfect excuse to keep away
from friends and family and give everybody
some room to heal
Six months after she resumed, her "fling" walked in
She almost blew a gasket
Seeing him all suited up looking like
Frank Sinatra
He saw her and smiled like the sunshine
He hugged her tight
"What are you doing here" he asked
She told him she was a staff
He told her he came to see a client
He was into security devices 
He asked to take her out later that 
evening
She told him to come and pick her
for 6 pm
He came on time and took her to his
house
It has been such a long time
She had planned to give him the run
around and make him wait
She slept with him
She had missed him sorely
Three days later, she moved in with him
His flat was close to her office and 
he really wanted her to
They lived together for seven months
She went home for the Christmas break
Things had gotten better
Everybody had moved on
They called each other everyday
On Christmas day, around noon, he came to
see her at home
It was a surprise visit but it turned out
well
Her parents were gracious and her siblings
were kind
He proposed later that evening as she
was seeing him off
it was the happienst day of her life
By March 2018, they had their introduction
They were married in July 2018!

PS: It took some several turns
to get it right
Some took too many turns and still
got it wrong
While some were straight to the goal
Wherever we may be on our quest to
find love and life
Let us remember that getting it right
depends solely on us
Sentiment won't be of any help when
the journey gets tough
The strength of our conviction and the
depth of our love is very key
If you have gotten it wrong, please
don't give up
Prayer changes everything!