Three weeks later
Abayomi cleared out his work schedule for the next two weeks. He needed to go to Nigeria. He was no longer comfortable doing nothing about his situation with Tina. He felt a strong urgency in his spirit not to give up on her. Tina had refused to marry him and the rhetoric was that she was too scared to tell him about her past. Throughout their trip to the airport, he had tried talking her out of it and she had remained stoic. She was so quiet and polite throughout the journey that he could have sworn that she was always like that. His heart bled and he fumed silently as he thought of who could have hurt her so deeply. That person had eroded a huge chunk of her to the point where she felt she was to be defined by it and was willing to close herself up to his love. He checked his calendar, and circled a date to travel. He sat down at his desk, brought out his phone and called his travel agent. It is high time I got to the bottom of this. He thought.
Tina was at her parents house. She had come over to spend the weekend with them at their request. She had plunged herself right into work since her arrival less than two months ago. She had done that to get her mind off Abayomi. But the more she tried, the more her mind seemed to be bugged down by thoughts of him. She had thought that telling Abayomi “no” was for his own good. But at the moment, she began to doubt if she had taken the right step. He had been sending her messages via email since she got back, and his words captivated her entire being. Each message had a scripture attached to it which seemed to talk to her specifically. She was now sure that what she felt for him was deeper than she had thought. His words were a constant confirmation of what God had been telling her. He didn’t care about himself, but seemed more concerned about her. The funny thing was that he never attempted to call her. She guessed that he must have done that deliberately not to pressure her; and to that, she was grateful.
Her dad walked into the family sitting room where she was and sat down. She was watching a reptile documentary on Nat Geo Wild. She hated snakes yet, it was fascinating watching how they preyed on other animals. They both watched silently for about 5 minutes before Chief Jacobs asked Tina
“How is your counseling going?”
“Fine dad” she replied. “Dr. Bidemi is amazing. I’ve started coming to terms with happened. It just hurts so much” she said in a grimace.
“I’m so sorry Chrissy” he said looking very sorrowful and pained. “I wish your mum and I had been more sensitive. Maybe we shouldn’t have made you attend boarding house” he continued with so much regret.
“It’s okay dad. Don’t beat yourself over this. It’s in the past now.” Tina told him. They both sat in comforting silence as they continued watching the documentary.
Tina had gotten the contact of a psychologist from her uncle. She had finally opened up to her parents about it. Her mum had wept so much while her dad had paced the room with a myriad of emotions displayed on his face. When her mum realized that the man she had met at the airport was who she was talking about, she went ballistic. She had been so upset that her dad had to calm her down. Tina felt like she should not have revealed his identity. But remembering her sessions, she knew it was best they knew. It was for her healing as well. They had blamed themselves and were worried about her. She told them about what her uncle had said regarding getting professional help. They deliberated and she agreed to give it a try. Her first visit was awkward and uncomfortable. But by the second visit, she felt better and more comfortable. Since the sessions, she was more productive at work, she slept better and the nightmares were as good as gone. The beautiful thing about Dr. Bidemi was that she was a Christian. This made it much easier for both of them to connect not just on an emotional level, but on a spiritual one as well. She had told her about Abayomi, and her counsel had been apt.
“Keep praying till you get to that place of peace and where you receive a specific word from God.” Dr. Bidemi had said. “Once you do that, ask God for instructions. He would lead you on what to do. You would just know deep down that this is what you should do.”
With just three weeks gone into intense counseling and a series of medical tests, she was ready to share with Abayomi. She was absolutely sure that Abayomi was the one for her. In fact, God had let her know that her story was going to help a lot of young girls going through abuse or had been abused. She was a living testimony of how God’s grace and mercy could help you fulfill God’s purpose despite your past. Looking back, she could see God’s hand in every situation particularly her academics. Her books had been her succor, and in retrospect, her academic excellence worked out for her good. She could have sought succor elsewhere, but in God’s mercy, she didn’t. She sensed strongly that something interesting was about to happen.
A few days later, Tina drove into her street. She left work earlier because Mike was visiting. He had called over the weekend telling her he wanted them to see regarding an issue. She had been reluctant because she was still catching up on the backlog of work she had to do. She packed her car and made her way to her apartment. She met Jide with yet another lady walking into his room. She shook her head as she brought out her house keys.
“Sister Tina, welcome back” Jide greeted her with a smile. Since she had gotten back, he related with her differently. Some days, he called her sister, and other days, by her name. He seemed more courteous and respectful, something that felt odd coming from him. She had totally avoided him since their last incident months back. She thought he had made up with his wife after seeing her visit him quite regularly before the accident. Perhaps that didn’t work out because of late, he seemed to have relapsed fully into his old ways. She had no idea who this new woman was, and didn’t understand why he was home at that time. It was just 4.30pm.
“Hi Jide, thanks” she replied as she unlocked her door. “See you later” she continued as she quickly slipped into her apartment. She had so many unanswered questions but would rather be kept in the dark about them than to engage him in a conversation. She went into her bedroom to change. As she was sorting out her outfits, she had a strong impression to pray in the spirit. She immediately started to pray. She had been praying for almost ten minutes when her doorbell rang. She was sure it was Mike, but she asked again to be very sure. She opened the door, and stared in shock as she saw Abayomi leaning casually against the door frame. She looked between him and Mike as she was momentarily at loss for words.
“What are you doing here?” she stammered after recovering from her shock. Her heart bubbled with joy on seeing him. She almost leaped on him as she could not believe her eyes. She stared into his eyes and what she saw made her heart skip even further. He looked like a man on a mission. They kept staring till Mike cleared his throat.
“Ehmm… I think I would leave you two now.” he said eyeing them covertly as he patted Abayomi on the back and hugged Tina briefly. “Please call me when you are through.” he told Abayomi. “See you!” he shouted as he made his way downstairs.
“Can I come in please?” Abayomi asked gently as he straightened away from the door frame.
“Of course” she replied with a smile as she opened the door wider to let him in. In her mind, she was doing cartwheels. She was overwhelmed with emotions. “Please have your seat.” she said as she removed the throw pillows from the chair. “Can I get you anything? I have some canned drinks, and fruit juices.”
“Not yet, but thanks” he replied. “Maybe later.” he said with a smile on his face. “So how are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m doing great.” she replied “How come Mike didn’t tell me you were coming? Why the surprise?” she asked
Abayomi laughed as he replied “Tina, I’m sure that by now you know that I’m not about to give up on you that easily. If I had told you that I was coming, would you have taken time off work to see me like you did with Mike?”
Tina smiled as she replied “Surprisingly, yes, I would have”. She chuckled as she watched his face change.
“Are you serious?” he asked looking very alert.
“I’m very serious.” she replied still chuckling. “Like I’ve told you over and over again, there are several things you don’t know about me. A whole lot has happened since that trip to the airport. I’m in a much better place with myself now, so, yes, I would have made time to see you.”
“Wow!” Abayomi said. He had not expected her to be this receptive. He had been prepared to beg or even cajole her to give him an audience. It was then that he understood why God had laid it very strongly on his heart to visit Nigeria. It was apparent that God was working something out for his good. “So I didn’t need to make this visit coded. Point taken!” himself and Tina laughed at the irony.
“On a serious note Tina, how are you doing?” he asked when their laughter had subsided. “I hope you got all emails because you replied only two.” he said.
“Yes, I did. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to tell you.” she replied. “I was not in a good place then, but I’m much better now. Those messages were lifesavers. Thank you” she said with a smile of gratitude. “I actually had to seek professional help”
“That’s good. I hope things are easing out now. At the risk of putting you under pressure, do you think you are ready to let me know what the issue is?” he asked gently. He sensed that this was a good time to probe her. He was not sure how her reactions would be from then on. At the same time, he knew that her refusal of his proposal was based on whatever it is she had sought help for. If he knew what it was, he believed his response to it could give him a better chance to prove himself to her. He hoped he would be able to handle it.
Tina sighed “The truth is I’ve been ready to tell you for a while now. I just didn’t know how to start, as I’m still in the healing process. I would let you know what it is, so you can understand why I refused your proposal” she said.
One Response
Nice read.