The character of Ayitey was loosely based on my long-time friend and confidant Ob Abenser.
Strangely enough, when I started posting up the story I made a friend called Gerard Nartey who is exactly like Ayitey.
I didn’t start out the story to be biographical but none of my friends believe for a second that it’s not. I guess it is true that writers write what they know.
I had no idea where the story was going when I started still didn’t know until the last episode.
The story officially ended on episode twelve but I technically ended it in episode eleven making Episode Twelve something of an epilogue.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
A CYNIC’S GUIDE TO GETTING HITCHED – EPISODE 12
The Secret And The Big Joke
I drop the phone on my bed as it starts to vibrate again and Nunya’s face stares up at me from it. I never changed his personalised ringtone and every time it rings I am thrown back a couple of years. He’s been calling three times a day for 3 days now and my heart has been in a state of flux all the while. I feel light headed because of the over time it’s putting in.
For some reason, I can’t bring myself to take his calls. I don’t know what to say or what he’s going to say and the fear of not knowing has me paralyzed. Picking up the phone and getting to know will, of course, get rid of this paralysis but I suppose there’s a break in transmission between my brain and my limbs.
It stops ringing and I stare at it till the display goes dark. He has been trying for days, he must know I see his calls but he hasn’t tried any other means of communication; no texts, no social media messages. Why?
And why at this time? He has almost become a distant memory I’m starting to accept that being alone is something I should do. These enemies of progress; always pulling a good person back.
The phone begins to vibrate again. This time I answer it and my throat is so dry, my “hello” is almost inaudible.
“So it turns out the world will go on after all,” he says simply. No hello, no explanation. That was how we used to do it when we were together. But that’s when we were together. He gave up the right to start a conversation from a random place.
“I’m at our place; you want to come meet me here?” He continues and it strikes me that there’s no remorse in his voice. This despicable man is actually going to act like almost two years hasn’t passed since he left wordlessly.
I hang up. I’m too surprised at his glibness to muster a response. I let the phone slip out of my hand unto the bed and I stare at it unbelievably as if it was Nunya himself. Life certainly has a dark sense of humour and today, the joke’s on me.
***
I meet up with Ayitey two days later for lunch at The Republic. Nunya tried calling every day since I hung up on him but I don’t answer. I need a sounding board; someone to bounce my thoughts off in the hopes that they may make sense.
“He asked you to meet him? Maybe he was planning to explain when you got there,” Ayitey reasons.
“So you think I should go and see him?”
“I didn’t say that, and you know I never tell you what to do, but today I’m telling you point blank, do not go and see him.”
I’m taken aback by Ayitey’s assertiveness. I recover enough to ask why.
“I’m going to tell you something, I need you to be calm, and just know that what I did, I did out of love.”
If my interest wasn’t piqued by his unusual firmness it certainly is now.
Ayitey takes a deep breath and begins,
“When you two were still going out I ran into him on one of my wedding shoots. He was the groom’s best man and that in itself was a point of contention for me because I thought, if you two were together, why wasn’t he there with you? Then the groom, during his speech, mentioned that he met his wife when Nunya and his long-time girlfriend introduced them at a party. He also said Nunya and his girlfriend’s relationship was the blueprint that they were going to build their marriage on; that any couple who have lasted as long as them were a beacon. Nunya’s girlfriend was one of the bridesmaids and they kissed right after that speech. The bride even handed the bouquet to his girlfriend saying that by all means, it was their wedding she would be attending next.
“Nunya saw me, of course, and throughout the event he was uneasy. During the dance, he came up to me and begged me not to tell you. I agreed only on the condition that he leave and never contact you again. I had no idea you were so into him and his leaving was going to affect you so much. You were always so detached from your relationships; I thought this was the same. When I saw what it was doing to you, I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know whether it would help or make things worse.”
My mouth is slightly open, I’m staring blankly at Ayitey and my heart is beating loudly in my ears. All those tears, wasted on a lying, cheating douchebag like Nunya. Then I begin to laugh. I thought the universe was playing a trick on me before with Nunya showing back up in my life just when I decided that I was going to remain single but this… this is the punch line I it was missing. This is the reason why instead of laughing at the joke, I was worried about it.
All along, he being out of my life was the best thing to have happened to me and I was mourning it. I’m laughing so hard I almost fall off my chair and Ayitey is embarrassed. I’m laughing so hard I almost choke and Ayitey has to get me some water from the bar.
The joke’s on me but it’s a bloody hilarious one. Kudos, life; this is your show stopper. When I run out of mirth, I take a deep breath, still clutching my belly which hurts a little from all the laughing. Ayitey seems relieved that I’m not mad at him.
“You poor thing, you kept this secret all this while. What it must have been doing to you.” I sympathise with him.
No single event can bring one lasting peace but I think this one paves the way for the chain of events that might. I am feeling quite good. I send Nunya a message and tell him to stop calling because he is no longer a part of my life. The phone calls cease and my disposition lightens. I thought for a long time that it is only my getting Nunya back or finding someone else like him that would make me happy. But I was wrong. All I needed was closure; the loose end that I needed to tie up and this is a neat knot if I ever saw one.
THE END
I drop the phone on my bed as it starts to vibrate again and Nunya’s face stares up at me from it. I never changed his personalised ringtone and every time it rings I am thrown back a couple of years. He’s been calling three times a day for 3 days now and my heart has been in a state of flux all the while. I feel light headed because of the over time it’s putting in.
For some reason, I can’t bring myself to take his calls. I don’t know what to say or what he’s going to say and the fear of not knowing has me paralyzed. Picking up the phone and getting to know will, of course, get rid of this paralysis but I suppose there’s a break in transmission between my brain and my limbs.
It stops ringing and I stare at it till the display goes dark. He has been trying for days, he must know I see his calls but he hasn’t tried any other means of communication; no texts, no social media messages. Why?
And why at this time? He has almost become a distant memory I’m starting to accept that being alone is something I should do. These enemies of progress; always pulling a good person back.
The phone begins to vibrate again. This time I answer it and my throat is so dry, my “hello” is almost inaudible.
“So it turns out the world will go on after all,” he says simply. No hello, no explanation. That was how we used to do it when we were together. But that’s when we were together. He gave up the right to start a conversation from a random place.
“I’m at our place; you want to come meet me here?” He continues and it strikes me that there’s no remorse in his voice. This despicable man is actually going to act like almost two years hasn’t passed since he left wordlessly.
I hang up. I’m too surprised at his glibness to muster a response. I let the phone slip out of my hand unto the bed and I stare at it unbelievably as if it was Nunya himself. Life certainly has a dark sense of humour and today, the joke’s on me.
***
I meet up with Ayitey two days later for lunch at The Republic. Nunya tried calling every day since I hung up on him but I don’t answer. I need a sounding board; someone to bounce my thoughts off in the hopes that they may make sense.
“He asked you to meet him? Maybe he was planning to explain when you got there,” Ayitey reasons.
“So you think I should go and see him?”
“I didn’t say that, and you know I never tell you what to do, but today I’m telling you point blank, do not go and see him.”
I’m taken aback by Ayitey’s assertiveness. I recover enough to ask why.
“I’m going to tell you something, I need you to be calm, and just know that what I did, I did out of love.”
If my interest wasn’t piqued by his unusual firmness it certainly is now.
Ayitey takes a deep breath and begins,
“When you two were still going out I ran into him on one of my wedding shoots. He was the groom’s best man and that in itself was a point of contention for me because I thought, if you two were together, why wasn’t he there with you? Then the groom, during his speech, mentioned that he met his wife when Nunya and his long-time girlfriend introduced them at a party. He also said Nunya and his girlfriend’s relationship was the blueprint that they were going to build their marriage on; that any couple who have lasted as long as them were a beacon. Nunya’s girlfriend was one of the bridesmaids and they kissed right after that speech. The bride even handed the bouquet to his girlfriend saying that by all means, it was their wedding she would be attending next.
“Nunya saw me, of course, and throughout the event he was uneasy. During the dance, he came up to me and begged me not to tell you. I agreed only on the condition that he leave and never contact you again. I had no idea you were so into him and his leaving was going to affect you so much. You were always so detached from your relationships; I thought this was the same. When I saw what it was doing to you, I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know whether it would help or make things worse.”
My mouth is slightly open, I’m staring blankly at Ayitey and my heart is beating loudly in my ears. All those tears, wasted on a lying, cheating douchebag like Nunya. Then I begin to laugh. I thought the universe was playing a trick on me before with Nunya showing back up in my life just when I decided that I was going to remain single but this… this is the punch line I it was missing. This is the reason why instead of laughing at the joke, I was worried about it.
All along, he being out of my life was the best thing to have happened to me and I was mourning it. I’m laughing so hard I almost fall off my chair and Ayitey is embarrassed. I’m laughing so hard I almost choke and Ayitey has to get me some water from the bar.
The joke’s on me but it’s a bloody hilarious one. Kudos, life; this is your show stopper. When I run out of mirth, I take a deep breath, still clutching my belly which hurts a little from all the laughing. Ayitey seems relieved that I’m not mad at him.
“You poor thing, you kept this secret all this while. What it must have been doing to you.” I sympathise with him.
No single event can bring one lasting peace but I think this one paves the way for the chain of events that might. I am feeling quite good. I send Nunya a message and tell him to stop calling because he is no longer a part of my life. The phone calls cease and my disposition lightens. I thought for a long time that it is only my getting Nunya back or finding someone else like him that would make me happy. But I was wrong. All I needed was closure; the loose end that I needed to tie up and this is a neat knot if I ever saw one.
THE END
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