Chapter 11: Lord, please let me be wrong

Later that day, I decided to bring my best friend Tola to meet my boyfriend Ronald, whom I had been talking about. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce them because Ronald wasn't happy about me going to lunch with Tola. By introducing Tola to Ronald, I hoped he would understand and be less likely to complain when I wanted to spend time with my friends.

As we were on our way, I excitedly shared with Tola how I became a successful businesswoman and how I met Ronald. However, Tola seemed bothered by the similarities between my story and her own experience with her previous ex-boyfriend, which she hadn't told me about.

"My friend, I've been calling your name several times, but you haven't been responding. Is there something on your mind that I should know about?" I asked Tola, growing concerned. We had been talking for quite some time during the drive, and Tola had been unusually quiet. It seemed like something was bothering her.

I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I was genuinely worried that Tola might be thinking about her dad or family issues that were troubling her. "Well, my friend, I'm fine. It's just that I have a lot on my mind. I need to find a job to support my family and everything, so it's been preoccupying my thoughts," Tola quickly replied, snapping out of her own thoughts.

"Don't worry, I've got that covered. Just consider yourself employed already. You know I always have your back, babes," I said with a smile, which made Tola giggle.

"I know you always do, babes. That's why we're best friends, right?"

"Yes, we'll always be best friends forever. Anyway, this is where I've been living for the past few months. Welcome to my place," I said as the car drove through the gated entrance, guarded by bodyguards armed with heavy machine guns. Ronald, my man, is an extremely cautious man who doesn't trust easily. He takes his security seriously, with loaded machine guns ready in case of intruders and sports cars on standby in case he needs to make a quick escape. His household is covered in surveillance cameras.

All these security measures didn't faze Tola, but they triggered memories of her ex-boyfriend. She froze momentarily, feeling as if she were submerged in freezing water, but quickly snapped out of it and pretended that everything was fine. I don't want Tola to ask too many questions, as she often does.

"It's quite an impressive house you have here, Dee," Tola says, feigning a look of surprise.

"Well, baby, this isn't actually my house. It belongs to my boyfriend, Ronald Bowie," I replied. The moment I mentioned Ron's surname, Tola was instantly shocked.

"Oh, oh ah, so Ronald's surname is Bowie?" she asked, pretending to be amazed or surprised, although it was all an act.

"Well, yeah. If you're going to lecture me about the kind of person he is, I'd rather not hear it today. Come on, let's go inside," I said, dismissing any further discussion. We all got out of the car and began walking towards the main door.

I must be mistaken about what I'm thinking. I really hope my friend didn't just do what I'm suspecting. The surname Bowie sounds too familiar, like someone I have a troubled history with. We're not even on speaking terms. I could even say that we want each other's heads.

If the Bowie I'm thinking of is right, my friendship with Dee will never be the same. We'll always have issues whenever we see each other or even talk, for that matter.

Lord, please let me be wrong about this!

...

We all enter the house. Dee leads me to the sitting area and heads straight to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. That's when I see Ron, wearing his black swag pants, white sweater, and white Air Force sneakers, making a cup of black coffee. He must have been exercising.

"Hey, baby. I missed you so much," Ronald says with a smile on his face.

"I missed you too, babe. Oh, by the way, I wanted to let you know that I came back with my friend Tola, the one I mentioned I was going to have lunch with. I'd like you to meet her," Dee says, beaming with happiness, which seems to excite Ron.

"Well, how about asking me how my day was and giving me a kiss? How about saying sorry for not answering my calls? Or asking if I'd like something to eat? How about acknowledging that I had a fantastic day at work, baby?" Ron retorts, leaving Dee puzzled.

She approaches him, and kisses him on the lips, but quickly pulls away, leaving Ron irritated, although he keeps it to himself. "If we're going to argue, can we please wait until Tola is gone?"

"Why didn't you answer my call when I was trying to reach you?"

"I'm sorry, honey. I went to have lunch with my friend, not to receive a barrage of calls every second as if I were a school kid."

"Well, if you were a grown woman, you would have answered the call and let me know you were fine," Ron insists.

"Well, I don't want to discuss this right now," Dee says, walking away from Ron. She prepares food for both of us, then leaves the kitchen, but Ron follows closely behind.