NINE

The night was still young when Julie reached home. On the veranda, she could observe the lights from the chandeliers that were visible through the curtains. At once, she knew her mum must be back from the boutique which she owned and managed.

And so, holding the handle of the front door, she lightly pushed the door open to get in. The large beautifully well decorated square room which doubled as the living room didn’t make any sense to her. It was at times as this, the wealth she and her mum shared together looked worthless. 

She always use to think that with her natural beauty, perfect shape and the silver spoon she was given birth to with; the qualities were enough to excuse her from misfortunes, insults and embarrassments of all kinds. 

Her head felt hurt at this point. She wished she could cry, but it wasn’t still enough. The disgrace was too much. She wished she could scream out her lungs to feel better.

Striding past the living room and the dining section with a rectangular table which had a large vase of flowers with six chairs well placed around it, she entered the kitchen where she knew her mum was.

  Aside needing someone to talk to, she couldn’t wait to devour whatever food it was that sent sweet aroma through the walls and doors of the kitchen to the living room.

“Hi mum.” She said at once as she entered the kitchen.

“Hi Julie. How did my baby’s day go?” Julie’s mum asked with her eyes still focused on the stirring she was doing. She was frying plantain and eggs which they had planned to have for dinner. 

Julie grimaced before answering her in a dull tone. 

“Fine mum.”

The mum now turned to face her.

“Is it Tom?” Lucy’s connection with her daughter was like a hen to its brood of chicks. Julie could hardly make a decision or take a step without the mum being aware. She had taken the time to tell the mum of her plans to share the fliers to him after she was done from lectures. So Lucy knew for sure that her coldness could be related to her meeting with Tom being unsuccessful.

Julie folded her hands and nodded in the affirmative to her mum’s question.

“What happened? You didn’t meet him or did he say he won’t come?” the mum asked once more.

“Mum, I wished that was what happened…coz more happened. I was humiliated.” Julie started sobbing at this point.

Lucy was done frying the last chunks of plantain and turned off the wick of the stove. She carefully used the large stainless spoon to empty the contents from the frying pan into a ceramic plate that had fried eggs in it. Taking the plate in her left hands, she walked towards Julie and held her in a light hug with a brief kiss she placed on her neck. She then placed the plate on the slab that was connected to the sink.

“Don’t feel bad about it my angel. Most times, men don’t like it when we throw ourselves at them. They value us more when they work hard to earn our love.”

Lucy said this and fed her child with some of the plantain and the eggs forked together. 

With food in her mouth, Julie struggled to speak.

“He and one of his teammates made fun of me and Nancy. He didn’t even care to receive the flier from us. It was one of his teammate, Sean, who gave us audience and was kind enough to receive the invitation.” 

She exhaled and ensured the food in her mouth was churned properly before she continued.   

“It wouldn’t have hurt badly if he had simply said he was tired and not in the mood to talk. But mum, he stood and allowed us smack our lips in vain only to snub us as though we were his fans waiting to have his autograph signed on our skins. I wouldn’t want to experience such a scorn in my life ever again.”

Lucy felt the urge to smile but she only tightened her face in pity before replying Julie.

“That’s the problem with cute guys. They can be very arrogant coz they are very confident in how cute they think they are. And for someone like him who is a football star, he won’t care as he is confident girls will keep flocking around him. I think you should just forget about him. The earlier you do, the healthier you’ll feel. I don’t want you to suffer heartache for a guy who doesn’t feel same feelings towards you.”

Julie chuckled at her mum’s talk and took more of the food from the plate as she replied her mum.

“But come to think about it mum. I think this is karma at work. Unrequited love can look ordinary, not until you are in the same shoes as the affected persons. I never knew this was how Dave felt with the way I treated him badly. Deep inside me, I know I owe him some form of apology. But I don’t want him to misread it as me agreeing to his request. And somehow, I’m not just ready yet to face him.”

“Hmm. But Julie, if it’s truly karma at work. What was my offence to get disappointed by your dad?” Lucy used one of her hands to hold her forehead to prevent the urge to cry. 

Julie took the jug of water and half-filled two glasses and handed over one of them to the mum.  

Taking some of the water, Julie looked affectionately into her mum’s eye and tried to speak only to exhale with her mouth. They then took the time to eat for a while before Julie finally found the right words to speak.

“I think sometimes bad things happen to good people, vice-versa.”

“Do you think so?” Lucy strained her face in reply before she continued.

“I wasn’t perfect before I met your dad. I had a very bad attitude which made me unsuccessful at relationships. I was so rude and nasty. I could hardly resist being in a relationship with a guy, provided he had the right qualities: good looking, popular… just name it. And that made me fall into very bad hands. I thought mixing with such guys will offer me some level of happiness, but it only left me empty; going to parties, having lots of drinks and sex only made me more depressed. Coz to be sincere, I was attached to some of those guys that it hurt me to let go.” 

“And with your dad it was different. He changed me. Losing him still looked like a dream to me. And so, him telling me he didn’t feel anything for me after all the times we had spent together remains one of the shocking things I ever heard.”

Julie browed at her mum’s words.

“He changed you? You must be kidding me mum.”

“No. I’m not. I was a nympho and a drug addict when your dad met me. It was on a snowy day. I can still remember. The memories are still fresh. I’d just recovered from a relationship where the guy abused me emotionally. A day hardly passed without us getting into a fight.” Lucy breathed heavily before she continued.

“And then the fateful day came I couldn’t bear it no more. I know it was the craziest thing to do. I hired a detector to monitor his movements. And true to my suspicions, he was cheating around. I confronted him with picture evidences. And it made him go nuts I was stalking me. He bullied me; pulled my hair and dragged me on the floor and made sure I was wounded badly. After then, I didn’t need any Messiah to tell me to walk away.”

Drinking more water she continued. 

“He begged me to come back like he usually did on previous occasions, but I was fed up with all his lies and torture. So I decided I’d just take a new leaf. Forget about boys and build a career for myself. Meeting your dad in that café not only helped me achieve my new resolutions, but also changed the growing hatred I was starting to have towards men.”

Lucy chuckled while Julie was still burrowing her eyes into hers.

“Your dad saw me sobbing silently. He was well dressed in a burgundy three-piece suit. The cologne he wore was enough to change the sad mood I was in. But I was just tired of men. Seeing him approach my table irritated me, I did all I could with my body language to scare him away.”

“And then he reached out with his hands and touched my hand. The feel of his hands was so warm, considering how cold the weather was. And after he softly pleaded with me to say what was troubling me. I resisted and told him to go. But he still sat there with his eyes peering into my homeless, lonely looking face.”

Julie’s face lit up.

“So dad was that romantic?”

“Romantic is an understatement dear. He’s the caring of all men I’d ever met in my life. And then when I noticed he wasn’t willing to give up till I open up what it was that troubled me. I gave up and spilled everything out.”

“He took me through a therapy session and within six months. I was back to normal but the memories never faded. Whenever I reminisced on them, I found them still fresh like a cut in my skin. But his love was there to keep me moving. No one was ready to love me unconditionally with such a history I had in the open. Not even my parents.”   

“Then when I was in school, I studied Business administration, but I ended up with a very bad result, because I was very unserious. Your dad supported me. He was the one who helped me set up the fashion business we are making huge monies from now. My parents practically disowned me. Coz I didn’t make them proud. Somehow I don’t blame them because they’re right.”

Lucy’s voice sounded emotional as she reached for the glass of water once more.

“Oops mum. You really had it tough.” Julie was getting bored with her mum’s gist. As interesting as it seemed, she had a long day and wanted to catch some sleep. But she didn’t want her mum’s efforts to comfort her after what Tom did to her to be in vain.

“Tough? I’d everything I needed. My parents when they were alive gave me everything. Out of the three kids they had, I was the only girl. So they invested a lot. But sadly, I disappointed them. I don’t blame them though.” 

“I had peers who made me think having a boyfriend and going for parties was the only way. That’s why somehow I still make excuses for your dad. Even though I hate him for the trauma he caused me he still remains my saviour.”

   “Even if it was karma that made your dad leave me. I still wonder why he had the patience to lure me so deep in the big sea of love that made me to almost drown at last.”

“The annoying part is, anytime I tried to enquire if his leaving me was as a result of something bad I did to him, he kept saying it had nothing to do with me, but rather with him.”

“Mum. I have a feeling there was a force he couldn’t control and he was scared to tell you of it openly in your face.”

“Whatever it is. I’m glad I didn’t allow it ruin me a second time. I thank God I’d you then.”

Drawing close to hold her in a tight hug. She spoke over her shoulders.

“You’ve been my strength all these years. Finding true love cannot be guaranteed. Unrequited love is indispensable. True love cannot be defined, but when it happens, it flows effortlessly with no need of stressing or forcing yourself to get attention from the other party.”

“So sweetheart. Pursue your dreams and wait for the right one to come. But if it don’t eventually come. Then know it wasn’t meant to be. I only hope you don’t end up bitter like me.”

At the word ‘bitter’, she released her from the hug and spoke into her eyes.

“I know you’ll find your better half soon. I’m sure you would.”

“Thanks mum.” They hugged once more briefly and afterwards washed the dishes before departing to their rooms.