When I caught him the very first time, he told me they were friends. They were friends long ago before I even came into the picture and that the lady knew we were dating. I asked him to put the lady on the phone so I talk to her. He called her line but the lady didn’t pick up. He called again but there was no answer.
At the second call, I had come to believe he was telling the truth so I told him it was ok. He told me he would put me on if the lady calls back. Our relationship was only four months old. We were supposed to enjoy the flowery stage of the love we had and not complicate things with fights that came out of jealousy and suspicion. I forgave him easily. When I had a reason to suspect foul play, I spoke to him gently and beckoned him to be truthful to me.
He had words and had holes where he could escape from every trap I set for him. I left him alone and concentrated on the love I had for him. It was around 9 pm and I was about to leave his place. I saw his phone calling. He looked at the screen in a way I wouldn’t see who was calling. He chuckled and put the phone in his pocket. When we stepped out the phone called again. In the middle of the road the phone called again.
I asked him who was calling that he didn’t want to pick up. “When I’m with you, I don’t want to be distracted,” he said. “This friend won’t stop talking if I pick up.” I knew he was lying because his facial expressions didn’t collaborate what he was saying. When we got to the side of the road, he turned back and began walking back home. On a normal day, he would wait for me to get a taxi first before he leaves.
I knew he was in a hurry to answer the call. When he left, I stood there for a while until he disappeared from view before I started following him. He entered his house and sat on the veranda to talk to whoever was calling. I stood behind the wall and listened. It was hard hearing him but I could hear him say, “Oh I was bathing. Have you set off?” Apparently, they were arguing about why he didn’t pick up the calls. They did that until he entered the room. I knew he was expecting someone so I stayed to see who it was. When he came out later to meet the person coming to visit him, he saw me sitting outside. He shivered. He lost his balance and began to panic.
Why are you here? I thought you were home long ago.” Just when we were out there talking, a taxi arrived. The lady he said was a friend came out. I was the first to address her, “I learned you knew about me. I know about you too. Welcome.”
She stood there lost like a deer in a headlight. My boyfriend was pushing me to go while telling her not to mind me. “Sandy, don’t mind her. She’s only teasing you.” He told her. The lady was confused, and looking at the way she was, she wasn’t someone who would fight over a man or who would stand in public to exchange words. I recovered my composure and watched as my boyfriend pulled her into the house and locked the main gate. The relationship should have been over that night.
I should have banged the door and screamed my lungs out to cause a scene, to let everyone know my boyfriend was in there with another woman. I should have sent him a message when I got home that night to insult him or offer a vote of thanks at the graveyard of our relationship and block him. I didn’t do any of that.
He had words. He had holes to escape traps set for him. He had ways and means to permeate into the walls of my heart and own it. He came explaining with a lie. The sad thing was, I knew he was telling a lie yet I believed him. He said he had let the other girl go. It was a mistake and I was the one he had chosen. Again, he gave me his phone, told me the password and said, “Call her and ask her.
If she will be honest and not angry, she will tell you the truth.” I looked at the phone and gave it back to him. What I didn’t give back to him was the password he gave me. I kept it in my head. I knew I would need it one day to confirm my status in his life. That one day came sooner than I expected it to be. He was sleeping. His phone was under the pillow and his head was on it. That was how far he went to protect his phone.
I was sneaky about it. I pushed him off with my body and later picked up the phone. It was a chaotic jamboree on his phone. It wasn’t only me and Sandy but it looked like I and Sandy were the ladies giving him a headache. I read from a chat with his friend where he was confused about me and Sandy. He said he loved me deeply because I was a good woman, supportive and caring. He said he loved Sandy because she provided for him anytime he was in need. Sandy had money and came from a rich background.
It was the reason he couldn’t let any of us go. On the chat between him and Sandy, it was also chaotic. Sandy was accusing him of cheating. They had broken up and had gotten back together. It was going smoothly but interspersed with bitter accusations and fights. All of those fights had my name in it.
I placed the phone down quietly and decided not to make a noise. In the morning when he picked up his phone, he knew I had touched it because something didn’t look right for him. He asked and I said “Yes, I read the messages between you and Sandy. You two are still together. Why do you take pleasure in hurting my feelings? Does it make you happy? Does it make you richer?” He buried his forehead in his palm and rubbed it slowly. I was waiting for him to say something.
It looked like he didn’t have anything to say. I walked out of the house and told him never to look for me again. Hours later, I went on WhatsApp and saw a group he had added me to. He said, “Sandy, Ama is here. You two know each other so you need no introduction. I’m sorry about everything. I mean the lies and hurt but I want you two to know that I love you both equally and want us to come together to make it work. No more hiding. What do you say?
Sandy left the group without a word. I didn’t just leave. I blocked him and cursed the day I met him. I allowed myself to be disrespected for so long but I never thought the disrespect would go that low. I wasn’t even angry with him.
I was angry with myself for allowing such a charade to go on for that long. The next time he came knocking, I slammed the door in his face and told him, “When you’re done talking to the door, you can leave.” He never came back. He realized I was done being the fool he thought I would always be.
