I’d been seeing this guy, Micheal, on and off for about a year. We usually had issues that led to us taking a break from each other and after one such occurrence, he reached out and asked to get back together.
He suggested a short baecation in Lagos, a way to rekindle things and since I had also been looking for a reason to forgive him and try again, I agreed.
We got to Lagos and stayed for just two days in an Airbnb and it was all blissful and peaceful, we spent time together, stayed in for the first two days and ordered food. Our feelings were back again, our relationship on the right track.
Being bored from being indoors, I suggested we went out, play some games and just have fun outside. From the games, we ended up watching a movie, which was when the conversation about starting a cinema house came up. Micheal talked about how easy it was, while I disagreed.
I told him it wouldn’t be so smooth scaling, there were a lot of things to be considered in starting a cinema with 300 seats. I have a friend in Port Harcourt who owns a cinema, and I mentioned how difficult and expensive it had been for my friend to get the cinema running, even for someone as influential as he was, talk less of someone who wasn’t.
To this day, I still can’t figure out exactly what I said wrong. Michael lost his temper, shouted at me, and called me names. He didn’t care that there were people around us, that we were in public.
I was confused at his reaction, it was just a conversation, nothing so serious and I asked why he was shouting, which was when he snapped. “Fuck you and your friend.”
Having said his piece, he stormed out of the cinema and left me. At that point, I wanted to leave, not just the cinema, but Lagos too. But I couldn’t because I didn’t have the money, and didn’t have anywhere else to be, even if I went back to the Airbnb to get my things so I endured and continued watching the movies, throat thigh with embarrassment and shame.
This happened earlier this year, Eve, which helped me understand that when people give you a reason to walk them out of your life, don’t give into their persuasions for a second chance. If only I had moved on from Micheal, I wouldn’t have gone through that humiliation. But that wasn’t the end.
After the movie ended, I texted him asking where he was and went to meet him when he told me. We didn’t speak much in the car, both still reeling from the incident. I expected an apology from him, but when it became clear that I wasn’t getting one, I wasn’t in the mood to indulge him, so I ignored him too.
He certainly didn’t mind, as he was on a call with a female friend of his who he talked about often. She’s a content creator who focuses on food content, which he regularly shared on his Instagram, even till date.
I wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation, but I understood that he was going to visit the said friend and her sister for some “business”, urging the friend to keep his visit a secret from her sister. I think she might’ve said they already had plans of going out and he decided to join them.
When we got back to our Airbnb, it was around 11 PM and he changed out of his clothes, consciously putting efforts to dress up, unlike when we went out. It was obvious he planned to go out after whatever business he had at her place, but because we still weren’t talking, I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say.
It was only after he was ready to head out that he said he was going out for the night which provoked me further. I told him I had friends in Lagos, too, and if I had known we were going to spend the break getting into petty arguments, which he still hadn’t apologized for, I definitely wouldn’t have come with him.
“I have never been as embarrassed as I was in the cinema,”I said to him. “We weren’t even discussing something so serious, it was just a casual conversation and you just started shouting and left like that.” He didn’t answer, gave himself one last look instead, and announced that he was going to be back late, and that I shouldn’t wait up for him.
Incensed, I decided to go out too, maybe taking a breather would help clear my head. Micheal flipped, saying he brought me to Lagos and so I was under his care, as if I were a child. He insisted he was responsible for keeping me safe and since he wasn’t available to go out with me, I mustn’t go anywhere.
He said he’d be back late. I told him I wanted to step out too because my head was so hot from everything. But he flipped again, saying I was “under his care” and couldn’t go anywhere.
I texted him again, saying I really wanted to step out. I asked him if he was being silly and if he didn’t want me to go anywhere on my own, why couldn’t I go out with him. If he really was just going to see a friend, why was he paying so many details to what he was wearing, down to his shoes?
Of course, he got offended and went off, “So I can’t wear shoes? Is it your shoe? What is it?” I told him I was going to my friend’s place anyway. It didn’t matter what he had to say.
Then he said, “Since you want to prove stubborn, pack your things.”
My blood was boiling. I was so pissed. But stubborn as I am, I packed up and left. I regretted coming to Lagos with him, and even more, regretted giving him another chance when clearly, I had given him one too many already.
I left the building with my things, called my friend, told him everything. He sent me money for a new Airbnb. He also kindly paid for me to stay there for a week so I could actually have some fun in Lagos.
Meanwhile, Michael came sliding back into my DM when I was done having fun in Lagos and had gone back home, asking how I was.
I replied, “I’m cool.”
Then he said, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He was drowning in guilt, looking for a way to worm himself back into my life again, but I wasn’t having it, and left many of his messages on read.
Later, he sent a long message calling me a person with a “very bad character.” He said he brought me to Lagos to have a good time, but I ruined it with my attitude.
We had a good time for the first three days I was there, no arguments, nothing, until the cinema incident and what followed after. Everything was good. So where did this “bad character” come from? Guess we’ll never know.
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