Rowland did not immediately realise that David had walked in and was still attempting to kiss me when he noticed my attention shifting behind him. He furrowed his brows and turned around to see David standing at the doorway with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. The tension in the room seemed to thicken as David’s presence filled the space.
Rowland stood up, his voice dripping with irritation. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, clearly annoyed by David’s unexpected intrusion. Flustered and caught off guard, I hurriedly got up and straightened my outfit, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Ignoring Rowland’s question and without uttering a single word, David placed the bouquet of roses on a table near the entrance and walked out.
I moved to follow him, but Rowland, his jealousy and anger evident, grabbed my arm, preventing me from leaving. “You’re not going anywhere,” he snapped, his grip tightening.
I struggled to break free from Rowland’s grasp, my voice filled with urgency. “Let me go, Rowland! I need to talk to him!”
But Rowland was unrelenting, and by the time I managed to break free from his grip, it was too late. I raced down the stairs to the car park, my heart pounding with anxiety and frustration, hoping to catch up with David.
As I reached the car park, my eyes darted around in search of the familiar vehicle, but all I could see was the rearview of David’s car as it sped away. I quickly dialled his number, my fingers trembling with worry, like someone who was experiencing essential tremor, but he didn’t pick up.
Essential tremor is a disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking of parts of your body such as your arms and hands. Ordinarily, it is not harmful, but over time, it can become so severe that it starts to interfere with everyday activities like eating, dressing up, holding or carrying objects. If you’re experiencing severe essential tremor, you may notice that you find it difficult to hold a glass of water and bring it to your mouth without spilling some water, or take a spoon of rice and bring it to your mouth without spilling some or all of the rice before it gets into your mouth, this is because of how much your hand shakes.
The exact cause of essential tremor is unknown but genetics have been found to play a role. There is no cure for it, but symptoms can be managed using medication.
Slowly, it dawned on me that I had no way of finding David, as I didn’t know where he lived. I stood there, alone in the dimly lit car park, a profound sense of loss and regret washing over me. The chance for an explanation had slipped through my fingers, leaving me with unanswered questions and a longing for the connection I had started to feel with David.
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I rushed back into my room, tears streaming down my cheeks, my heart aching with frustration. I couldn’t believe I had let this happen, that I had let David slip away like that. My emotions were in turmoil.
As I entered my room, my eyes swollen from crying, I was met with an unexpected sight. Rowland, of all people, was in my tiny kitchen, preparing dinner. It was a sight I had never witnessed in all our years of dating. My initial shock turned to irritation. I had no patience left for Rowland and his antics.
“What are you still doing here, Rowland?” I asked, my voice trembling with anger and frustration.
He turned to face me, a half-hearted smile on his face “I thought we could talk things over, Chioma. Have dinner together.”
My patience had worn thin. I had just lost the opportunity to talk to David, and the last person I wanted to deal with at that moment was Rowland. I could feel the tears welling up again, but this time, they were tears of frustration and anger.
“Rowland, I need you to leave,” I said, my voice firm.
He chuckled, as if I had made a joke. “Come on, Chioma, don’t be like that. We can work things out.”
My patience snapped. I picked up my phone, “I’ve asked you to leave, Rowland. If you don’t, I’ll have security come and escort you out.”
Rowland’s smile disappeared, and he took a step towards me, his voice low and menacing. “You wouldn’t do that, Chioma.”
But I was done with his empty promises and his invasive behaviour. I had to take a stand for my own peace of mind. I spoke into the phone, my voice steady. “Yes, security? I need assistance in my apartment. Please come right away.”
Within minutes, the security personnel arrived at my door. I explained the situation to them, and they firmly but politely asked Rowland to leave. He resisted at first, but the security team’s professionalism and persistence eventually led to his departure.
As the door closed behind him, I felt a wave of relief wash over me because he was finally gone, but the relief was short lived as my mind immediately flashed back to David. He still hadn’t returned my calls. I tried calling him again but still he didn’t pick up. I recorded a voice note to explain things to him, hoping that after he listened to it, he would come around but he didn’t even open my messages, they were delivered but not read.
My heart ached with each passing day, and I couldn’t help but replay our last encounter in my mind. Why had he just walked away without saying a word? What did he think of me now?
My friends, Ella and Ugochi, tried their best to lift my spirits, but the darkness inside me seemed impenetrable. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat; I was consumed by the void left by David’s absence.
It suddenly dawned on me that I may never get to see him again. I was this close to dating the man of my dreams but in just the twinkle of an eye, my dreams were dashed.
One evening, as I sat alone in my room, something unexpected happened. My phone buzzed with a message notification. I picked it up eagerly, hoping it was David. But the message was from an unknown number.
It read: “Meet me at Doreenda Cafe tomorrow at noon, I’ll be at the parking lot. I have something important to tell you.”
The message was cryptic, and I had no idea who it was from. But the mention of meeting at the parking lot filled me with a mix of hope and trepidation. Could it be David?
With a racing heart, I replied, “Who is this?”
The response came quickly: “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
I spent a sleepless night filled with anticipation, wondering who this mystery person was and what they had to tell me.
Find out what happens next, tomorrow in Episode 13 #checkwithdoctoro