BURN, BABY, BURN (contd)
Karen Osaghae@karenosaghae547304
3 months ago
“Oh, my goodness. I refuse to believe this.” David gapes across the table at me, then burst out in loud fits of laughter.
“Best believe it, bro.”
Seated at our regular table in a booth toward the end of the bar, I unfold the events of the previous day to him, of how I almost got caught with Brie. David understands. After all, he has been married himself for over five years and knows what if feels like to get bored of your partner. He introduced me to Brie.
“How did she let you fool her into thinking she was hallucinating? My wife would have gone crazy on me.” Still chuckling, he added, “But that was very smart of you, bro. I commend you. That was some quick thinking too on Brie’s part. Jumping out the window like that? Smart.”
I shrug, taking a swig of beer from my bottle. “Yeah well, I have to be smart about things. I cannot afford for Steph to leave me. Besides me being in love with her and us knowing ourselves for forever, I cannot wife Brie. Brie is the type of woman you have fun with, and return to your wife. She isn’t a wife material, whereas Steph is the woman every man dreams to wed.”
“Hmm.” David frowns as he considers what I just said. “If you love her this much, why are you doing all these?”
“Simple. I’m bored. I feel as though I’m stuck, there’s no fun anymore, nothing to look forward to. It’s like a repeat of each day. It is stifling. Brie has been my coping mechanism.”
David sighs. “My advice to you, my friend, is to let her go. What you feel for her isn’t love. Marriage is a forever thing, and you haven’t even started. It’s best to let her go now. She’s thirty-six, time isn’t on her side anymore.”
I glare at him. “Don’t tell me that. I do love her. And I’m never going to let her go. The thing with Brie is just a short fling. By the time Steph and I get married, what I have with Brie would have been over. I know what I’m doing, bro.”
He hands up. “If you say so, bro.”
I know so. There’s nothing that can make me leave Steph. She’s not just my partner, she’s also my best friend. She’s patient, she’s understanding, her level of tolerance is off the roof. She holds me down when I cannot stand on my feet. She’s the one for me. I know what I’m doing is wrong, but what she doesn’t know, and will never know cannot kill her. And if she finds out by mistake, I know she will forgive me. She loves me too much to let me go. Also, just as David mentioned, the women biological clock is ticking for her, so she needs to marry me and start a family as soon as possible. I’m doing both of us a favor.
“Just so you know, Steph isn’t a fool. No woman can be fooled forever. Someday somehow, she’ll put two and two together and figure out the game you have been playing. She will definitely leave then.”
I laugh out loud. “Steph can’t leave me. Who will she go to? She cannot bear to be with another man other than me.”
David chortled. “You’ll see. Women always have options. I learnt that the hard way. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.”
I don’t need luck. I am positive my Steph will never leave me.
I return home from work two weeks later to meet Stephanie in tears in the room. My heart instantly goes into panic mode. Rushing to her side, I sweep her off the bed and into my arms.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She struggles to free herself from my hold. “Let me go, Teddy.” She sniffs.
“You know I can’t. Tell me what’s wrong. Talk to me. Is it the office?”
She brings out her phone and opens a message. A voice recording starts playing. It doesn’t take me long to recognize the conversation. My body stiffens. Oh, fuck no! That was a conversation I had with Brie few days ago talking about how badly I wanted to release myself in the warmth of her body. How in the world did she get a hold of the recording? I had recorded it as a voice note and sent it to Brie, and only Brie.
She looks at me, her face pale and her eyes wide with rage. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Think, Teddy. Think fast. You can’t lose her. Think. I force my trembling hand to still as I finally let her off my lap. “I don’t understand. What do you mean what do I have to say for myself? In regards to what?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, Teddy. Who did you send this voice note to? Who is the girl you have been sleeping with?”
I feign shock. “Me? Sleeping with someone else? That’s too much from you.”
She glares. “I’m not playing right now.”
“Play the recording again.”
As she does so, I come up with the perfect way to get myself out from this. When the recording finally stops, I’m the one glaring at her. “That isn’t my voice. How does that sound like me?”
Her mouths open, but before she can say anything, I continue. “Your level of mistrust these days is alarming. I’m beginning to think you are the one with something to hide, and you are projecting on me.”
“Teddy!” she exclaims. “How can you look at me and lie to me that this isn’t your voice? Are you trying to say I do not know your voice? You even mentioned asking David to give her the items she asked you for since you were busy and couldn’t see her. Why are you lying? Jesus.”
“You are mistaken. It truly isn’t my voice. Where did you get the recording?”
“You sent it to me by mistake.”
Fuck! It was my stupidity that led to this. How could I not have crosschecked before hitting send? Well, in my defense, when a man is horny, he doesn’t think with his head. I have one more card to play. I cannot accept defeat just yet.
“Oh, my. I totally forgot. I sent it to you so we could talk about it. I cannot believe you concluded it is my voice. David sent it to me, Jack sent it to him. Jack is cheating on his wife. That is jack’s voice not mine. Baby, I will never cheat on you. I swear it. I sent it to you as more of a gossip, but I got busy with work and totally forgot about it.”
Even though her eyes still held unbelief, she sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I don’t know what I’d have done if it was you. I cannot believe Jack is cheating on Linda. Do you think I should let her know?”
Is she crazy? “No, no. Don’t do that. Jack will never forgive David if he finds out he ratted him out. Not all relationships are as perfect as ours, babe. I’m thankful I have you.”
She smiles warmly at me. “I’m thankful I have you too.”
After that, I became more watchful with my affairs. I stopped bringing Brie to the house, I only bring her when Steph travels. I became careful with picking her calls and sending her messages. The mistrust from Steph started dying slowly until it was finally gone. I felt like the luckiest man alive. The preparation for our wedding was going in full speed as the plan was to have the ceremony before her thirty-seventh birthday.
Remember how I said when it is time to get married to Steph I will end all things with Brie? Well, that was easier said than done. With every passing day, and with all the stress from planning the wedding and stress from work, Brie was my de-stress button. Her body was my drug, a means for me to relieve myself from the turmoil and feel free with no pressure. I don’t think staying away from her is an option. I’m doing this for Steph and i. I’d rather bother Brie with all my sexual needs than stress my baby. Yes, it’s best for my baby.
The day of the wedding has finally arrived, and I am suited up in church awaiting the most beautiful bride God created. My family, her family alongside our guests have all filled up the rows in church as we wait for Steph to march in.
Linda enters the church beautifully dressed and walking up to me. Why is she coming to me? What is wrong? I’m about to panic when I see a bright smile on her face. Nothing is wrong. Steph is fine. She greets me warmly and hands a piece of folded paper to me without saying anything and leaves.
I open the paper, eager to read the content.
‘Dear Teddy,
As you hold this paper in your hand, I am already far away from here. You thought you were playing me for a fool with your little girlfriend, but I am smarter than you think. You are the only man I have known and loved my entire life which I think was the problem. You felt I would never leave so you took me for granted. I have gotten my job to transfer me out of state, and I have gotten an apartment and a new man who loves me and knows the meaning of loyalty. Don’t say I cheated on you and play the victim. No, don’t do that. He has been there all along as a friend. I never ever considered him, not until I figured out how evil and devilish you are did I decide to set my plans in motion and give him a chance. I am greatly disappointed in you, but I wish you the best.
Your ex,
Stephanie.’
The paper in my hands tremble as my eyes are clouded with tears. Did Steph just leave me? Am I dreaming? Is this a dream? She fucking has another man? I am going to find him, and I am going to kill him. She belongs to me. Oh god. I crumble to the floor. What did I do? I’ve destroyed my life. Steph is my life. I fucked up, and there’s no fixing this one. Right before my eyes, I watch as I lose my best friend to my toxicity. Fuck!
#shortstories
#NircleStories
#storywriter
#fiction
#painandtoxicity
