“Mike sent his good night wishes your way.”
“ Oh! That was very sweet of him. But what was it with spending almost an hour on the phone with him. Hmm… E no easy. But I go love o.”
“Who says you aren’t neck-deep in love already? You achieved that status over six years ago, long before you said ‘I do’, sis. So, don’t go pull that stunt on me.” Ifeoma said as she sat on the bed facing Benita. “And besides, talking about love, I won’t say I’m in love with Mike. I like him and his kind of man. He’s smooth, caring and all that. He ticks all the boxes of my kind of man though. But after Ken, I’m prepared to take my time with this. I just want to be sure what I’m walking into this time around.”
“Really! But, do you want to hear the truth?”
“What truth?”
“You’re as much neck-deep in love as I am, to use your words. I can’t miss the look in your eyes anytime you’re talking about Mike.” Benita rose from her position in front of the mirror and crossed to Ifeoma’s side on the bed. “You should have seen the way you were giggling like a fifteen-year old when you were on the phone a while ago with him. My dear, you’re in love.” She finished off.
“You think you know me too well, right?”
“In this case, yes I do.”
“Okay. Believe what you will, sis!” She said rising to her feet as she began undressing.
“Don’t be scared of your feelings but just ensure you’re always on your guard and be careful. You’ll be fine in the end…”
“Alright. Thanks. But can you please help me with some water to drink while I undress?”
“Okay” Said Benita as she crossed to the door.
“But please, I don’t need it too chilled”
“And Mike looks sort of familiar. Like I’ve met him somewhere before this evening.” Benita said over her shoulder. “I’ve been trying to figure it out all evening.”
“It’s possible.” Ifeoma chipped in, raising her voice a bit louder to ensure Benita who was out of the room hear her.
Benita was Ifeoma’s cousin. Though Benita was two years older, the two of them had maintained a very close relationship while growing up. They were almost inseparable until Benita got married over a year ago. She would be staying two weeks with her until her husband, Ugo, who embarked on a journey abroad returned. Two weeks with Benita would be worth a hundred with any other friend she kept. If there was anyone who knew her very well, she had no doubt it would be Benita. And then she remembered what she said about her being in love with Mike. Could she be making it that obvious? Yes, it was true she sensed she was developing something for Mike. But she had always thought she was in control of her feelings. She wanted to get involved with Mike without her heart in it. Well, with all Benita had just revealed, might be time to slow things down.
* * *
Mike could still not sleep after almost an hour of trying. He felt the urge to speak to someone. And only one person would have such listening ears for the burden on his mind. Only Tunde could understand him and he would not be around until about a week. He tried to reflect on his life. He had been through thin and thick so much that he had learnt to keep his emotions and struggles to himself. He was not born with a silver spoon. He had got this far in life through his firm belief in God and sheer doggedness in achieving his dream life.
With a very poor background, he had had to rely solely on his brain to get through life. Only one thing counted for him, he had been an exceptional student. And he had never allowed this get into his head. So, scholarship and more scholarship had seen him through his academic endeavours. He would forever be grateful to God for blessing him with his brain. Though he was not much of a religious soul, but there were times he had closed his eyes just to offer some words of thanks to God for his undeserved favour.
But like every man, Mike had his failings too while growing. He had always had troubles keeping girlfriends because he could hardly meet their needs. He had felt his luck had changed when he met and fell in love with Nkem, a Jambite, in his fourth year in the university. All had seemed well between them for almost two years until the cookie crumbled the day Mike caught her red handed with a man she had once introduced to him as an uncle. Prior to that day, Mike had chosen to ignore as lies all reports fielded him about Nkem’s promiscuity. What broke his heart most was Nkem’s bold face at telling him off that she was never in love with him but playing along because of the assistance he offered with her schoolwork. She had gone as far as telling him that his good looks and brain might get him a girl, but only his pocket would keep one! He had been played yet another fool.
Mike had been left heartbroken for months. He took ill for love for months. And it had reflected on his performance in that semester’s examinations. All his efforts and dreams had almost come crashing. He had survived his quest for a first-class certificate by a whisker. Yes, he had survived it. But it had left an indelible print about what women were, deep down in his heart. He had since then made up his mind that women had no heart and should be treated as such. His game had been ‘Make-them-love-you-then-break-the-heart’.
But as he lay on his bed, eyes wide open but staring at nothing, he could sense a crack in his own game. Was he falling for Ifeoma? Much as he tried to convince himself that all he had been letting show to Ifeoma was part of his schemes to get to her heart, yet he could not push out the fact that he seemed to be developing a soft spot for her. How he got to the point he wondered.
Then, he remembered Tunde’s words that he could not afford to continue the way he was. He shivered at the thought of falling in love again. He could hear voices screaming in his head all at once. Was he losing his mind? He needed to talk to someone. His thoughts were driving him mad. His eyes caught his phone, he picked it up after much thought and dialed a number. She just might be what he needed on a night like this. He did not have too much persuasion to do before she gave him the description to her place. And fifteen minutes later, Mike was on his way to Ngozi’s place.
