Jack was like a brother and friend. He understand me perfectly, he is someone that could relate to my pains and joy.
Our friendship began when I mistakenly stepped on his toe one fateful Sunday after the service.
Unlike others, his reaction amazed me; he smiled and told me it was fine.
There was no secret between Jack and me, we shared most things together, food, foot wears, ideas, and so on.
Sometime around 2022, I met Lisa on Facebook. She was giving me all the good energy, and I got trapped.
I developed feelings for her along the line, and we eventually began to date blindly. Funny enough, we live in the same town, but she's from a kind of family that doesn't allow its children to go out.
I endured for long, and when I could not bear it any longer, I began pressuring her to make time for us to see, and eventually, she gave in one fateful afternoon.
Jack and I were in the room interacting when her message popped up.
“Good afternoon, babe. I don't know if you would be free today, my parents are going to a meeting. I can make some time to see you before they are back.”
I couldn't believe my eyes. I wiped them with my left palm twice to ensure I wasn't hallucinating.
“Jack, you won't believe this.”
“Dare me,” he replied.
“You remember my blind date, Lisa?”
“Yes, I do. What about her?” he asked.
“She's coming over today.”
Kai! He shouted, “You are joking, right?”
“I am serious, man. I still find it hard to believe it, too. Here's the message she just sent,” I handed over the phone to him.
“Wait o, you haven't even replied to her. Are you silly? Take and tell her, yes, I'll be available.”
I grabbed the phone and replied as instructed.
It was as if she were just waiting for my feedback.
“Alright, give me your address,” She replied.
“Wamba by pass, adjacent, Peter's block industry,” I responded.
“Okay, dear, I'll be there in a few minutes.”
I was skeptical about the coming, but I was happy anyway.
“Guy, please help me tidy up the room," I plead with Jack.
We arranged the room. Changing the position from L to something like C with my table in the middle, then applied a room freshener. The smell permeated the whole atmosphere.
“But, Emreal, what if this lady happens to look less than your expectations, what will you do?” Jack asked.
“Omo, I really don't know, but I don't have any expectations. If she is physically fit and sound, I think we are good to go. Moreover, I have seen her pictures and I am convinced she is good.”
Jack laughed hard, “I hope you don't get disappointed after all this arrangement and the fragrance, because I won't forgive you.”
“You are a bad friend, leave me,” I replied, and we both laughed aloud.
A few minutes later, my phone began to ring, and I hastily took it. It was Mom, “ Tell your sister to come and meet me at the shop.”
“Okay, mommy,” I hissed, after dropping the call.
About an hour later, Jack suggested that I should call. So that I can know if she is no longer coming so that we can step out and I bought the idea.
Just as I was about to dial the number, my phone began to vibrate; it was Lisa calling.
“Hello, I am at a signboard that reads Peter's block industry.”
“Okay, I will be there soon.”
Immediately, I dropped the call. I became curious, my heart began to pound, “What if this lady isn't beautiful, what if she's not what I want? How will I handle this?” I thought as we walk out of the room.
“Oga, stop walking fast, we need to see how she looks before making ourselves visible, " I told Jack, dragging him back.
He paused and looked at me for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Please, chill bro. Even if she isn't what you expected, you can't leave her stranded.
Hmm, I sighed, “That's true.”
Arriving there, I saw this lady, tall, slim, and dark in complexion, wearing a colorful native dress, holding a black hand bag.
Her smile caught me from a distance; she looked like one of those beautiful ladies I see on TV.
I dialled the number and she removed her phone from the bag, staring at it and looking around.
At that point, I lost patience and hastened my steps.
“Hey,” I gave her a warm hug. Gosh, her perfume smells so good, I didn't want to let go.
Jack cleared his throat, interrupting, “Hello.”
“Hi,” she replied.
They greeted each other properly, and we walked to the house.
The moment with her was memorable; the three of us talked at length and visited a few places before she left.
Lisa and I dated for about a year, and then we broke up due to distance and poor communication when I traveled out for almost a year.
When I came back, Jack and I were interacting one day, and he said he wanted to tell me something.
“Okay, go on, bro,” I consented.
“I know this may sound terrible, but I am sorry, Lisa and I are dating.”
My intestines tightened, making some noise, and my legs shook, but I swallowed hard.
“Stop it, jor, what kind of joke is that?” I smirked.
“I am serious, man, we started three months ago, I just didn't know how to let you know.”
My body went cold, and my voice became faint. Wow! “It's fine. I didn't marry her; she can date whoever she wants.”
After being silent for a moment, I spoke again, "So, how is the relationship?
"Fine, bro, she's in school currently," Jack replied.
"Oh, that's nice, I struggled to respond audibly.”
After that day, I became so cold towards Jack; I don't know how to describe my feelings. I didn't hate him, but I just didn't want to see him or talk to him.
I avoided him so badly that my mother noticed it and asked what happened, but I told her everything was fine.
About three weeks later, I sent him a message on Facebook, “Are you at home?”
He replied, “Yes,”
“I am coming over,” I answered.
After a few minutes of seeing “typing” from his end on my screen without any message coming, I finally got an “okay, I am around.”
He was surprised when he saw me at his compound, and he couldn't look me in the face.
“How far, bro?” I gave him a warm handshake.
“Fine,” he replied, after managing to dispel the shock on his face.
We sat on a wooden bench under an umbrella tree that was behind the house. The air was cold, and the leaves of the tree moved as the wind blew them.
“Jack, my guy, you just ghosted me, abi?”
Hm, he sighed. “Ghosted you, keh? You stopped taking my calls and replying to my messages. What was I supposed to do?” he replied.
“It is not so, I was hurt and didn't know what to do.”
“I understand, Emreal, and I am sorry for my actions.”
“It is fine, bro. Lately, I realized that it is easy to say just anything about people and judge them anyhow we want until we walk a mile in their shoes. I thought about what happened between you and me, and I realized that probably, if I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing or even worse.”
Jack looked at me and sighed deeply, and tears began gathering in his eyes.
“Bro, please, don't do that.” I pushed him with my left shoulder. “It's fine, okay.” I understand.
He exhaled loudly like a weight was lifted from off his shoulders.
“Thanks, man,” he tapped me. “Lisa and I broke up a week after I told you about us. We reasoned the matter, and it doesn't make sense. You are like a brother to me, no matter what happens, I shouldn't go after someone you were once with.”
“Jack, we are humans, we are prone to err. Moreover, she and I weren't married. You could still be with her if you wanted. There is no law against such. I shouldn't have been mad at you, but I was anyway because I was hurt.”
“I am sorry, bro,” Jack replied.
“It's fine, man,” I responded.
Our friendship revived that day, and we have been cool since then. Lisa also called me and apologized for what happened.
The truth is, I was surprised. I didn't see Lisa and Jack having feelings for each other, but that is life, it can happen to anyone. Emotions can be crazy at times.
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