Gboyega sighs deeply as he thinks about Kofo. He wishes he could erase his past with her. She was the reason why he continuously asked God daily for forgiveness. He wasn’t proud of his past and he found it difficult to discuss it with Bola. Now that Bola was aware, he had to come out clean with her.
He smiled. Thoughts of her always brought a smile to his face. She had given him a reason to look forward to a bright future. The text message she sent last night had endeared her more to him. He loved her and he was ready to protect her from Kofo.
He gets to the bus-stop and waits for a bus that will call his destination. He remembers when he only transported through taxis. He once asked Kofo to get him a car. Her response had been that if he needed one, then he needed to steal one. He had been shocked at her response but that was the last time he ever asked her. She was satisfied with paying for his taxi trips to their rendezvous. She would cringe now if she saw him in a public bus. But that was all in the past now.
He decides to ring Bola. Right now, she was all that mattered. Bola picks up on the second ring. “Hey beautiful.” He crooned into her ears.
“Hi.” She replies groggily.
“Looks like I woke you up.” He says laughing.
“Yes, you did.”
“No lectures this morning?”
“No. Besides, I’m not on campus. I’m home.” Bola replies.
Gboyega is surprised. “Are you okay? Is there a problem?”
Bola sits up on her bed. “I’m fine. I had missed home and just wanted to see my mum.”
“How is she?” Gboyega asks smiling.
“She’s good.”
Gboyega sighs. “About Kofo?”
“Kofo?” Bola asks confused.
“Yes, the lady that came over to your hostel. I am sorry I haven’t talked about my past but it is because I am not proud of it.”
Bola listens quietly.
“I used to be her boyfriend.” Gboyega breathes deeply. “Actually, I was her toy boy. A lover who warmed her bed for pecuniary gains. I won’t say she seduced me because I made a choice to continue with the relationship. I was getting paid for laying her and I guess the pay became too attractive for me to look the other way.”
Bola sighs.
“But, I am not that man anymore. I have left my past behind. I even decided to change my mobile number so she would not be able to reach me any longer. You are everything I need now and I mean every word when I tell you that I love you.”
Bola takes a deep breath. “Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me about your past. But it is a lot to comprehend right now, Gboyega.”
“I understand. Life has not been fair. I know it is not an excuse and I accept responsibility for all my actions. I just couldn’t get myself to tell you about my sordid past. I assumed the time was never going to be right. I never wanted you to find out this way.” Gboyega says soberly.
“I just…I just wish things were different.”
“I don’t understand.” Gboyega says confused.
“We can’t toe the same path, Gboyega. We are poles apart.” Bola says as hot tears sting her eyes.
Gboyega feels like his heart is being ripped apart. “Bola, please, don’t break my heart. I love you and need you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I can’t change my past but I can recreate my future.”
“We can’t have a future together.” Bola says as the thought of what she just said stabs her in the heart and she breaks down into tears. She had fallen in love with Gboyega but his past was too tainted for her to ignore. She could not imagine being with him anymore. “Good bye Gboyega.” She says as she cuts the call.
Gboyega tries to call her back but she refuses to pick up. He looks around him and realizes he is still at the bus-stop. A look at his wristwatch shows that he is already behind time and he is definitely going to be late to the office today. He sighs as the next bus that approaches calls his destination. He flags it down and enters it. He tries to call Bola again but her phone rings out. “Bola, please don’t do this to me.” He begins to type. “I love you.”
He sighs deeply as he lays his head on the head rest in the public bus. Today is already turning out wrong for him. He is going to be late to work. The two ladies in his life have placed a huge burden on his heart. One he has rejected and who wants him back at all costs and another who he loves but has rejected him.
********
Bola sobs quietly after she cuts the call. Gboyega keeps calling her but she refuses to pick up his calls. She reads the text message from him and that brings more tears. She suddenly wishes she had not heard about his past. She only wants to retain sweet memories of him. Memories of them in fellowship worshipping God, memories of them sharing the word, memories of his graduation when she was the only one by his side.
She stands up from her bed and picks up her school bag lying on her reading table. She opens the bag and takes out their picture together. Tears roll down her cheeks as she looks at him. He had captured her heart. And now, she had to let him go. She lay on her bed and curled into a fetal position holding the picture to her bosom. Why did I have to fall in love with him?
She wipes her tears as she determines in her heart. This is the end of the road for Gboyega and her. Her roommate Miriam, had been right after all. He was a toy boy. It was difficult to comprehend how a lady as sophisticated as Kofo could have Gboyega as a boyfriend. He was just a student and the lady standing before them that day oozed class from every pore of her skin.
I have to let him go. But the thought of that action tore her heart into shreds and she started sobbing again until she fell asleep.
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