The Cleaning Lady

Episode 15

Lara?!!!! What the hell does she want? He read the text again just to be sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him, or had she sent it to the wrong number? He looked at the phone. Yep, that was his name plain on the text. Or was it another Kunle she wanted to send the text too?

One part of his mind was telling him to damn her and ignore the text, the other part was urging him to call her. He didn’t want to open that part of his past anymore. It had been how long now? Three months? He hated to admit it, but even after the incident at the party, some part of him had secretly hoped one day she would come back. Even when Sheila came into the picture, a part of him wanted Lara to come back. He had secretly wanted her back, but after a while he had finally admitted to himself it was over and she was gone. That’s why he had decided to pour out his heart to Sheila and make her his. Now that they were about to finally make their relationship official, she now decides that she wanted to see him, throwing doubts in his mind. Kunle, he told himself, don’t let this lady ruin what you have. She’s from your past and should and must remain in your past. Don’t let an old fling destroy what you are trying to build with Sheila. She’s a good girl, and she loves you. Don’t destroy her trust and love in you, his mind told him.

But all that aside, deep within him, he knew he still loved Lara, no matter what she had done to him, and he was angry at himself for that. He just didn’t know why he still had that feeling. He thought he had gotten over her already. His mind went back to when they just met in NYSC Camp, how he had asked her to the Bonfire night, their first kiss that night when he saw her back to her hostel, to when they both started seeing each other after Camp. He remembered all those long midnite calls they made, when he would play lovely music and whisper sweet nothings to her over the phone while she wept with joy, to when he finally proposed to her on the day of their passing out. He had saved every spare change he had and he had known how many times he had scrounged just to save for the ring, al which ended in nothing.

He remembered when he started hearing rumors about her after she had been retained in the bank she had served, and how her behavior towards him had changed. He didn’t want to believe any of the rumors and had not confronted her. He had mentioned to her that he wanted her to meet his mum, but every time he planned the journey she had one last minute excuse or the other. He should have known by then, but he had convinced himself that it was the stress of her job. She had received the promotion and all the perks, and soon had been flying out to UK for trainings, seminars, and conferences, sometimes without telling him. The big girl status got to her head and that’s what led to all that happened. Now her head had finally come out of the clouds, she wants to see me? She misses me? Is this some sort of joke?

He stared at his phone, wondering if he should just call her and find out what she wanted. Maybe just a harmless call, he thought. But if you do, you know yourself. If she starts crying over the phone, you know you will cave in. Just let sleeping dogs lie and face who you have now.

Sighing, he deleted the text and the number from his phone before he could memorize it.

He didn’t want to be tempted to call her if he kept on seeing that number on his call log.