THE BREAK UP
Love is a fragile thing and we are not always its best caretakers. We just muddle through and do the best we can and hope this fragile thing survives against all odds.
So it’s another day in my life. It’s actually morning. Today I am off-duty so am lying in bed staring at the ceiling wondering what I can do with my day. Just as I lay there I drift off into imaginations.
Am rudely snapped out of my introspective time by the buzzing of my phone, I reach for it behind the pillow. My fingers caress the phone, I feel the vibration, lazily, I haul the phone to me. I look on the screen. Displayed on the screen is a familiar number, I feel my facial muscles move; I can’t tell if it’s a smile or a meaningless neurological activity.
Like the north and south poles of a magnet, my phone is quickly attracted to my ear. The words escape from my lips ‘hello’. In the first try my voice is hoarse so I clear my throat and try again ‘hello’, this one sounds better. The voice on the other side responds ‘hello’ and quickly adds “how are you doing” as is her signature sentence. I respond “well am good so how about you” a quick “am good” comes through the mobile phone. Then there is this unusual silence silence silence. I decide to break it but she cuts me with the words “I’d like to see you today because I know you are not going to work”.
Am surprised and am fluttered this lady indeed knows me. She didn’t give me that opportunity to act as though I was so busy and I had to sacrifice some precious time to see her. Flawed, I respond okay and ask so where do we meet? She says well I don’t know so you tell me. I tell her the place and she says okay then the line goes dead.
Its 1 pm, am sitting at this place. It’s a really cool place. It gives me a panoramic view of the city. Sometimes the air is chilly over here but its often devoid of the multitudes of people who make outing a car owner’s business.
Am smiling because its been some time since I last saw her. I look my best, she looks superb. I catch her eye she smiles wryly. She touches the seat opposite me. She places her purse on the table. She lowers to sit, but stops mid-air…
She comes over to me and gives me a peck on the cheek. Am singing in my head what a great day it will be…
She says we have to talk but because of the seriousness with which she says it, I watch her intently.
She begins; I don’t think…, I catch her eye she looks away focusing down at glass sitting innocently on the table.
“We have been going out for some time now and I have been thinking about all of this, I know we are both trying to do something here but I just believe its one of those things students do when they are in school. I know you say to yourself ever night before you go to sleep that you love me but lets face it.
I don’t think there is a future for this relationship so I want us to go our separate ways”
I look in her direction but she is shielding her eyes from me. My heart beats faster, my forehead perspires, tears well up in my eyes, I push them back. I try to speak but the words are heavy. My shoulders slump down. I push my chair back, stand and walk away.
In the days that follow am quiet, am thinking. I keep saying to myself “I shouldn’t have kept all my eggs in one basket”.
--MEEK INSPIRATIONS--
Michael Oti
So it’s another day in my life. It’s actually morning. Today I am off-duty so am lying in bed staring at the ceiling wondering what I can do with my day. Just as I lay there I drift off into imaginations.
Am rudely snapped out of my introspective time by the buzzing of my phone, I reach for it behind the pillow. My fingers caress the phone, I feel the vibration, lazily, I haul the phone to me. I look on the screen. Displayed on the screen is a familiar number, I feel my facial muscles move; I can’t tell if it’s a smile or a meaningless neurological activity.
Like the north and south poles of a magnet, my phone is quickly attracted to my ear. The words escape from my lips ‘hello’. In the first try my voice is hoarse so I clear my throat and try again ‘hello’, this one sounds better. The voice on the other side responds ‘hello’ and quickly adds “how are you doing” as is her signature sentence. I respond “well am good so how about you” a quick “am good” comes through the mobile phone. Then there is this unusual silence silence silence. I decide to break it but she cuts me with the words “I’d like to see you today because I know you are not going to work”.
Am surprised and am fluttered this lady indeed knows me. She didn’t give me that opportunity to act as though I was so busy and I had to sacrifice some precious time to see her. Flawed, I respond okay and ask so where do we meet? She says well I don’t know so you tell me. I tell her the place and she says okay then the line goes dead.
Its 1 pm, am sitting at this place. It’s a really cool place. It gives me a panoramic view of the city. Sometimes the air is chilly over here but its often devoid of the multitudes of people who make outing a car owner’s business.
Am smiling because its been some time since I last saw her. I look my best, she looks superb. I catch her eye she smiles wryly. She touches the seat opposite me. She places her purse on the table. She lowers to sit, but stops mid-air…
She comes over to me and gives me a peck on the cheek. Am singing in my head what a great day it will be…
She says we have to talk but because of the seriousness with which she says it, I watch her intently.
She begins; I don’t think…, I catch her eye she looks away focusing down at glass sitting innocently on the table.
“We have been going out for some time now and I have been thinking about all of this, I know we are both trying to do something here but I just believe its one of those things students do when they are in school. I know you say to yourself ever night before you go to sleep that you love me but lets face it.
I don’t think there is a future for this relationship so I want us to go our separate ways”
I look in her direction but she is shielding her eyes from me. My heart beats faster, my forehead perspires, tears well up in my eyes, I push them back. I try to speak but the words are heavy. My shoulders slump down. I push my chair back, stand and walk away.
In the days that follow am quiet, am thinking. I keep saying to myself “I shouldn’t have kept all my eggs in one basket”.
--MEEK INSPIRATIONS--
Michael Oti
Good stuff...
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