Nene sat on the porch after the drama that happened earlier that day. “ I am not going back to that chapter,” he said, thinking about it critically, putting his hand on his jaw, resting on it.
“ I have never been made a fool of,” he concluded, knowing it was not his fault.
He touched his cheek softly remembering the slap he collected.
His phone beeped, and it stated, “It is over, and do not call me again,” and after that, the number was out of connection.
“That is not my problem,” he soliloquizes and switches on the television staring at him, and a comedic play is displayed on the screen.
Showing a man on a native tribal mark like the one Samson had after fighting a lion. He wore a dog-eared cap and held a piece of paper, trying to pronounce the word on it. From looking at it, it shows that the man had a problem calling it which connotes the setting of the play. It was the 18th century, and it was expected to be that way, as few people were educated then.
“Aaa mee rii caa” ( which means, Aaa I can read it), he uttered stuttering after wracking his brain to call what was there.
Claps erupted from the crowd in applause, and the man was as confused as confusion itself.
“ America, e gba” ( which means, America, you are correct), the pronouncer said repeatedly, and the man was congratulated.
An epilogue was said after the play to show how luck works after trying and walking towards it. Other contestants said nothing, kept mute, and nodded their heads in disagreement when given the chance to say something, but the one who only expressed himself, even by saying he did not know it, later became the winner.
Nene hissed after laughing continuously remembering what Rebecca did. She did not even let him say a word before yelling at him at the coffee machine at work chatting with Clara, a colleague he often collaborated with on projects.
Though fate had other plans that day as Rebecca walked into the office to surprise him and what she saw made her heart shatter to see Nene laughing with Clara standing a little too close for her comfort. She walked closer after screaming his name, collected his cup of coffee, and poured it on him, then gave him slaps repeatedly.
Nene decided to play a fool and gave her no expectations for a start so far she didn't even care to think before she acted.
“ Someone I hadn't just met took such a stunt,” he uttered and shrugged it off that time.
Although he thought he was strong, Nene lived in the shadow of her absence. He tried reaching out, explaining, and apologizing at one point, but every attempt was met with nothing. It was those months that he came to a quiet understanding that her silence spoke volumes. It wasn't anger he felt now, it was clarity, and if Rebecca could cut him off her life without a conversation and without a chance to explain, then he could not wait around for her doubts to vanish.
He decided to move on, but not out of spite; he deserves peace, honesty, and a partner willing to trust sincerely and deliberately. He moved one step after the other to forget her.
Then after eight months, a message arrived. Rebecca had unblocked him and was trying to reach out, hesitantly and nervously trying to rebuild a bridge that had been burned by assumptions.
On a rainy afternoon, his phone rang, and at first, Nene hesitated as it displayed an unknown number, but something told him to answer.
“ Hello?” he said.
“Nene, it's Rebecca,” the familiar voice said, soft but steady.
I have dug into it. I wanted to be sure before I said anything. That woman you were with is just a colleague, and I overreacted. I’m sorry” she concluded.
Nene replied, “ Good to hear from you and I forgave everything weeks after. Your silence over those past months said everything. I respected it and moved forward because I had to for both of us.
Sometimes, you have to act like a fool to see people's true intentions, and yours went too far.
You could have asked me and let's talk about it but you believed the worst and decided to do your research.
I have no issues with you, no anger or bitterness, but rather the quiet strength that has learned love cannot survive in a vacuum of mistrust.
I vow not to associate with people who will choose to misunderstand me, and I always now prefer walking away as the proof of love left standing,” Nene ended the call with a goodbye compliment, and he felt as light as a feather.
