The Pain – Chapter 15

Mike was laughing so hard by the time he got off the phone. What he thought would be a two to three minute conversation, ended much longer. Tina had been the screaming caller. She had called him with the good news that Abayomi had proposed to her. She gave him details of Abayomi’s confession the previous day, his offer to take her out on a date that day and the shock she got when he proposed his intention to marry her. She had spoken so ecstatically that he had laughed at how silly she sounded. She also expressed her confusion and fear. He believed she deserved the very best and he was sure Abayomi was just that. He shook his head and chuckled at the thought that Tina had no idea that he had a hand in the planning of the proposal. By the time she found out, he hoped that it would be with the good news of an engagement. He could only imagine how restless Abayomi must be feeling after dropping such a bombshell. He was tempted to give him a call, but remembering Tina’s pleas not to let him know, he had decided not to. Also, knowing how Abayomi was, it was better to wait for his call instead. He had to be loyal to his two friends. He smiled as he tucked his phone back into his pocket and went back to join his friends.

Abayomi could hardly sleep that night. He kept tossing and turning as he went over the events of the evening. The night had began very smoothly. Talking with Tina was even more refreshing than he remembered. With her, he was finally home. They had discussed all sorts ranging from their childhood days to work, God, and even family. The conversation had flowed very smoothly till he casually proposed marriage to her. Tina’s response had been one of shock. She had sat there staring at him in what looked like horror before she mumbled an excuse to go to the bathroom. She returned fifteen minutes later looking very guarded. She told him politely that she would need to think about it and get back to him later with her answer. The rest of the evening had gone south from then on. Their conversation became forced and polite, like they were avoiding a ticking time bomb. He was forced to wrap up the evening earlier than he should have. He dropped her off at home not fully knowing what she was thinking or why she she had reacted that way. He had been sure that she would be happy with the proposal. Even though he hadn’t really expected her to give him an immediate answer, he wasn’t prepared for her reaction. Did I make a mistake proposing to her now? he thought. Oh! I should have gotten her an engagement ring, he lamented slapping his hand against his head as he thought. Maybe that was a reason. But that isn’t like Tina, perhaps I should not have proposed when I did he concluded. He kept tossing till he finally stared listlessly at his bedroom ceiling. He had lost his sleep. This is going to be a long night, he thought as he kept staring into space.

Tina couldn’t sleep either. She was too excited to sleep. She had mixed feelings about Abayomi’s proposal. She was both happy and very scared. Lizzy had quizzed her on how her date had gone, and she had told her everything but conveniently left out the part where Abayomi had proposed. She needed to think things through all over again. Deep down, this is what she wanted. But facing it right now was a different game entirely. She just wasn’t as prepared as she had thought. She lay in bed going over the events of the night. When Abayomi proposed, she had gone into shock as various thoughts flooded her mind. She then rushed to the bathroom to call Mike as he was the only one she could think of to shake her out of her reverie. Considering the state she was in, she did not want to make a fool of herself by simply mumbling a reply. Her conversation with Mike had been funny. She had initially screamed for joy before telling him what had happened. He had laughed and then responded to all her fears and questions.

“You need to get yourself together Tintin” he had said. “Because for Abayomi to have proposed to you without any preamble, he must be very convinced about you. You’re a lovely person, you know? Which man won’t want to marry you” he had said laughing.

“Abeg jor Mike. Please be serious.” She had hissed. “The issue here is that he does not know me!” she had protested. “He doesn’t have any idea of what I have done, or what has happened to me! Does he even love me? Why would he want to marry me?!” she had said exasperatedly. “I don’t even know if what I feel for him is love. What if when he really gets to know me he’s no longer interested? I don’t think I want to take that risk”

“Just calm down ehn. I want you to see it this way. Abayomi sees beyond whatever it is you think you know about yourself, and wants to marry you. He’s my friend, and I know he must have settled with God first. Why don’t you ask him questions and discuss this with him?” he had suggested. “I’m sure that if you just hear him out, it should guide you in making the right choice especially in the place of prayer.”

“And then what?” she had said “See Mike, the nightmares are back full fledged. I’m an emotional wreck right now. Do you know what that means?” she had asked in panic. “If I eventually say ‘yes’, it means I have to let him know about Ugo, and I’m not ready to do that now. In fact, I don’t think I can ever do that!”

“In that case, just tell him to give you time to think about it” he had replied. “Abayomi would gladly welcome this. I don’t think he expects you to give him an immediate answer, you know? A simple ‘please let me think about it‘ is way better than receiving a ‘no’” he had said chuckling. She chuckled along with him while he went on to calm her down by cracking a few jokes.

“Tintin, I need you to trust God on this and not let your emotions, your past or your pain get in the way of receiving something beautiful.” he had told her “I believe very strongly that God is working something out for your good. Just relax and enjoy your evening with your boo” he had concluded laughing. She had protested at his use of boo. Instead, he kept teasing her till she loosened up. By the time the call ended, she felt better and knew exactly what she was going to tell him.

She kept tossing till she couldn’t lie in bed any longer. She got out of bed and made her way to the living room. She met her uncle working on his laptop in the study area. He paused what he was doing as he looked up at her and asked with concern.

“Are you alright dear? Are you in pain?”

“No Uncle, I’m fine” she replied. “I just couldn’t sleep and needed some time to think”

“Come and sit down with me” he said, pointing to a sofa somewhere in the corner of the room. “You’ve been on my mind for some days now. You’ve been troubled over something. What is wrong?” he asked gently as he closed his laptop and turned his attention fully to her.

With an overwhelming urge to share, Tina found herself opening up to her uncle. She shared every single detail about her past, what Ugo had done, the nightmares, how Abayomi had come into her life, his proposal, and everything that had burdened her so far. She poured out her heart without hiding anything. She couldn’t stop as the tears poured down her face. By the time she was through, the tears had turned into full blown sobs. Her body shook as she felt relief beyond measure. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her uncle drew her close into a comforting hug as he spoke soothing words to calm her down. When her sobs had subsided, he sighed heavily and engaged her in a long conversation that spanned till day break. By the time he was through, she felt a renewed sense of purpose. She spent the entire day praying, making notes and sorting through her feelings. She knew exactly what to do.