Too Many Chances

Chapter Nine

On  December,  when  I  went  to  visit  Maxwell  at  his  place, I overheard a conversation  between  him  and  his  parents.
                             
"Son, Sofia's mother came to see us," Mrs Jacob said.
                    
"She asked if you're serious about her daughter," said Mr Jacob.
           
"Mom, dad, you know that I am serious about Sofia," Maxwell said. "I love her a lot."
            
"Well, Sofia's mother said that to show your seriousness, you should convert to Islam," Mr Jacob informed his son.
            
"But I won't allow you to do that," Mrs Jacob announced. "If you convert then you might as well forget that we're your parents. We'll stop paying for your school fees."
                                                                      "Mom-"
                      
"I mean it!" Mrs Jacob said. "We won't cater for any of your needs."
                             
"Mom, that's not fair," Maxwell argued. "I have a right to-"
                                       
"This discussion is over," Mrs Jacob cut him off.
                                                                      "Dad..."
                          
"Sorry, son, but I agree with your mom," said Mr Jacob.

I left before anyone could notice me. Why did my mother interfere again? I knew she doesn't like Maxwell, but did she have to go to this extent? What would Maxwell do? So many questions ran through my mind on my way home.

Maxwell  sent  a  text  saying  it  would  be  better  if  we  considered  each  other  friends.  He  said  we  would  be  better  off  apart.  His  message  sent  a  dagger  to  my  heart.  I  replied  okay,  despite  the  heartbreak  then  I  sent  him  the  one  word  he  had  called  William  before.  Coward. 

The  fact  that  he  had  broken  up  with  me  through  a  text  made  him  a  coward.  When  I   told  Jamila  (my  best  friend  from  campus)  about  the  breakup,  she  sympathized  with  me.

I  knew  she  would  not  understand  how  much  I  was  hurting  because  she  had  never  been  with  a  guy  for  more  than  four  months.  No  guy  had  ever  lasted  a  year. 

On  my  part,  I  had  been  with  Maxwell  for  like  forever.  Jamila  suggested  that  we  travel  to  her  home.  We  did.  The  trip  to  Malindi  did  not  help  much  though.  I  kept  myself  busy  writing  short  stories,  but  the  image  of  Maxwell  kept  invading  my  thoughts. 

Later  that  evening,  I  called  Maxwell  to  check  up  on  him.  He  had  asked  me  to  treat  him  as  a  friend  and  I  was  doing  exactly  that.  Friends  called  each  other  from  time  to  time,  right?

The  following  year,  Maxwell  and  I  did  not  talk  until  on  his  birthday.  I  had  been  eagerly  waiting  for  that  day,  having  prepared  to  surprise  him. 

The  thought  of  seeing  him  again  sent  a  wave  of  warmth  through  my  body.  Four  months  without  seeing  him  or  talking  to  him  had  felt  like  eternity.  Finally,  we  were  going  to  see  each  other.  I  couldn’t  wait  any  longer  to  be  in  his  arms  again. 

I  called  him  in  the  morning  to  wish  him  a  happy  birthday.  He  sounded  sleepy,  but  glad  to  hear  from  me.  He  seemed  to  enjoy  my  teasing.  It  felt  as  if  we  hadn’t  been  apart.  I  asked  him  whether  he  would  be  attending  classes  and  he  said  he  did  not  have  any.
 
It  was  Thursday  and  I  had  been  afraid  that  my  plans  would  be  interfered  with  his  lectures.  It  was  a  relief  to  know  that  he  would  be  free. I  asked  him  about  the  plans  he  had  made  and  he  said  he  had  none.