All Eyes on Me.
Seyi, ‘black beauty’ as she fondly calls herself, sits on her bed with long gazes at her window. She sighs again and turns the other way on her bed, as trying to force herself to sleep is proving abortive.
Dejected, she puts her legs to the floor and finds her way into their intimate dinning room of four chairs. She recalls having dinner with Kennedy when her parents were out on long vacation. She can’t believe Kennedy can be diagnosed with such a deadly disease.
If not for her friend Munachi who happened to be on duty when the nurse filed his record. If not that she snooped and saw the writing that confirmed it.
When she was thinking he was the main deal she just realized she has been fighting her parents over a dead man.
So Chisom would be travelling any minute for her elegant wedding, the thought hit her again and the downcast feeling envelopes her again.
These days she felt more like a zombie, simply following her around to do her wedding shopping.
“Seyi let’s go check that bridal shop… Let’s go for this fitting… and that…” Chisom’s voice plays in her head.
“Why not me! God this world is so wicked!” She thinks.
Chisom has great taste she must confess. Her pick constituting a blend of forest green and cream confirms it. And all her fabrics for both outings were brillant.
As she swerves towards their kitchen,Her phone abruptly buzzes in her side pockets.
“Please let it not be Chisom,” she prays
” Munachi! Hello babes ” Seyi greets over the phone.
Munachi’s voice streams through in it’s usual humourous tone.
” My babe, how are you holding up now.”
“My dear, I don’t know o! Just trying my best”
“Please do. This one you’re sounding like this. Seems you are not at work today?”
” Yes dear, I took some days off!” Seyi responds opening the fridge for anything to munch on.
The evening is a cold one, a really cold one for her.
“This thing really hit you ehn. You’re lucky sha to have been granted some days off. So use it wisely ” Munachi advises.
“Thanks dear. What would I do without you! You’re really a friend indeed. Mmuah!”
“Alright babes. Stay well. Love you!”
Seyi retains her bend head position as the phone tucks tightly under her ears and slightly raised arm, while she’s bringing out a weighty plate of soup from the fridge.
She opens up the plate and her once laidback eyes lit with excitement.
“This would definitely do! Now where’s that electric kettle!” She turns around ransacking for it to boil water for the eba.
(2)
“Munachi is a friend indeed!” Seyi soliloquies while she strolls down the aisle leading inside the lab, the next day.
“Her beautiful bright eyes can lit any room. Her joyous spirit also so contagious. And she enjoys the way her shoulders and chubby fair cheeks vibrate in a nice rhythm each time she laughs”, Seyi reminisces the moments they spend together.
“Seyi, how are you feeling now?” Martha, her fellow intern questions as soon as she sights her.
She is sitting upright now as she happened to be resting her head on the table when Seyi walked in.
“Much better!” Seyi nods dropping her satchel bag on the table and taking her seat opposite hers.
The lab is very spacious, with their table well situate behind the entrance door, giving room for more interns to work at the lab tables.
“How’s the wedding shopping going with your friend?”
Seyi manages a smile, “very well” she responds while scratching her curly weave.
She couldn’t help but notice how a bit sandy the floor is. Maybe the cleaner, Kezie hasn’t been to their section today.
“Work was tedious yesterday ehn. Lots of samples to work on”
“I can see” Seyi studies the empty and dried petri dishes arranged at a corner, on the lab table.
“Seems you were resting your head. I bet I have to join you. I could barely sleep at night. The mosquitoes these days ehn!”
Seyi arranges her bag like a soft pillow and rests her head on it.
“They’ve graduated from Harvard ” Martha laughs and joins opposite her.
***
Tomorrow is Saturday.
The thought hits her fast as she’s preparing for work while she’s dressing her curls in front of the mirror and turning side to side, assessing them.
“How is she going to cope, with another Saturday, after her painful breakup?”
She has to be strong and mature as She didn’t want to go doing self love things on social media.
She isn’t taking fancy pictures of herself with fake smiles and posing to be happy when deep down she is hurting.
“This one really hit her. Who says break up is easy!”
She pauses and one glance at the book by her pillow side makes her sigh aloud.
“Read books on marriage and relationships”, Munachi always advised.
Here she’s still reading and yet her relationships are failing.
Seyi stands up and glances at her hair in the mirror for the final time.
She’s ready. Her pumps, polished. Her skirt curves well around her hips. She smiles lightly, “Black beauty” she hails and turns round glancing at the all round fitting.
“Chisom hasn’t called up for 2 straight days”, she recalls.
Maybe it’s part of the sympathy party. But she can’t even recall telling her about the breakup. Only she and Munachi were aware of it.
“Could there be something she isn’t doing right? Why does she always meet the wrong men?”
She questions within her as she reaches for the balm and slowly applys it to her lips.
She has to occupy her weekend. Maybe attend a wedding , go shopping or do something more fun. Anything to bring her back to a happy state.
Been a while since she attended one good wedding, though.
Her phone message tone beeps. She dips her hands into her bag and checks to see it’s from Munachi.
“Babe don’t forget to pass by my place to pick up the book today” it reads.
She forces the phone back into her bag and heads off with a frown.
(3)
Munachi’s shoulders and chubby cheeks are vibrating in a nice rhythm as she laughs when they’re both sitting in the comfort of her sitting room.
“Please stop making me laugh oh!” She slaps her thick thighs, then puts one arm on her snatched waist.
At least Her plum size didn’t make her look older than her age. Munachi’s fresh fair skin glows with life as her doe eyes complements her fine face too.
“Ehn! You can’t be serious! ” Munachi concludes
“I’m so happy Chisom’s wedding is over! The way I was looking so stressed out in the pictures ehn ” Seyi complains
“If only Chisom knew, She for just let you be!” Munachi adds and then observes her closely as she rests on one of her arms.
The far away look in her eyes prompts her to question.
“Seyi, this one you’ve decided not to see Kennedy again. He’s been disturbing me like forever that he wants to see you. Don’t make me feel like I’m a bad person for letting you know. I just did what I did to help my friend”
“Muna, When was he going to tell me he had leukaemia and he has been visiting the hospital?” Seyi bursts. Her chest heavy as it heaves up and down.
Munachi sighs and tiny wrinkles appear at the side of her mouth.
“Now you know Seyi, at least take his calls”
Tears well up in Seyi’s eyes as she sinks into the soft brown cushion that complements the centre rug.
The air between them is heating up fast.
“I don’t want to talk about it Munachi, let’s talk about something else, please!”
“Seyi!”
“No Munachi!” Seyi snaps.
Her eyes rivert away from her and focuses on the black flat screen T.V set.
Munachi adjusts her black skirt. One that happens to be one her favourite. A birthday gift from Seyi.
She looks around and settles her own gaze on the white painted walls then heaves another sigh.
***
“This relationship was never ment to be!” Seyi confesses as Kennedy kneels before her pleading in the comfort of her room.
Kennedy has tears dripping down his face. His eyes strained and red.
“Seyi I didn’t know how you would take it! Believe me I tried to tell you. I just couldn’t bring myself to!” Kennedy pleads. His voice husky. His fore head lines folding yet his bushy eye brow and chiselled face appear clean.
His sleek perfume’s scent fills the room. Kennedy is too decent for this. He gets on his feet.
His height towering slightly above hers as he closes the space between them touching her folded arms.
She too has tears trickling down her face.
“Seyi, don’t you see how we’re both suffering. You now see why we need to forgive each other and come back. Babe”
He untangles her arms and grips them in his.
Seyi’s smooth dark face is staring at her side bed drawer.
She just can’t stand gazing at him with a heavy chest.
“Look at me!”
“No!”
“Please!”
The warmth of the touch around her chin forces her to stare into his strained eyes.
“I love you!”
Seyi responds with silence and retreats backwards.
She finally seats on her neatly dressed bed and shuts her eye tight. The tears flow down like a river.
***
3 months Later
The alarm rings by the bed side. Seyi rolls to put it off. She then withdraws back to her lying position underneath the white sheets. Her bare skin glowing as ever as He crosses his legs over her underneath the sheets.
She smiles while facing their wedding rings on the far end of the table.
“Sweet, how are you feeling this morning ?” Kennedy pecks her lightly from behind.
“Okay, you?”
“Not bad!”
She turns around and they both smile gazing into each other’s eyes.
“I have never felt better”
“Me too”
“Seyi, thank you for believing in me! You’ve made me a happy man”
“I’m also a happy woman, Ken and God healed you just because we had faith in him”
Kennedy joins her arms together and kisses them.
Seyi curls under his warm embrace.
“Thank you Lord!” They both chorus with their heads touching each other.
The end.
Thanks for reading.
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