THE AFTERMATH

CHAPTER SEVEN

ALINA

It is the 5th time I have dialed Michael's number to no avail.

It is never unreachable.

Something is wrong!

He hasn't posted anything on Facebook in two weeks. Nothing on Instagram yet he is the most photogenic male human being on earth that I know. All his social media accounts have been inactive the past 2 weeks. For crying out loud his WhatsApp status is last seen two weeks back.

I have even send him an email out of desperation but no response. He always does respond to emails. Something is seriously wrong. I can feel it in my gut. Where do I start checking? The uneasiness in my soul compels me to go looking for him. It's around 3pm so we can easily rush to his workplace and check on him before he knocks off. Damn it Michael!!

As of now, Jane is the closest person to a friend that I have. As such, beyond her job description, at times I burden her with my personal issues like the favor I am about to call on her. I ask her to drive me to Michael's workplace and she complies with no questions asked. Jane is more than a PA to me most appreciably. She understands why I am so worried and I guess she doesn't want to poke me as she drives in utter silence.

Michael is a marketing director of an insurance company. He loves his job and is very committed so when I get to his workplace and hear that he just went AWOL and disappeared in the radar for about two weeks now, I genuinely panic. I don't even know where to start looking and my gut is confirming to me that whatever it is, it isn't pleasant.

I was too upset that I never bothered to find out where he moved in to when he left our place. However, he did mention something about the guy who swept his heart away. He owns several clubs in town. His name is Joe. Joe is well known in and around town so it shouldn't be much hustle to get his number. After a few phone calls, I finally get it. It rings and rings no-one answers.

We are back at the office but my mind is seriously in turmoil. Everyone might deem me stupid to be concerned about a man who left me for another man. But Michael means a lot more to me than just a divorced partner.

What most people don't realize is that once you truly care for someone, you never really stop because life happened and you went separate ways. My heart never lost the love because hurt enveloped it. In fact, I guess ours is for a lifetime to share.

In Michael, I have a friend whose invisible bond we share will never cease to be even in the next life I presume. The mere assumption that he could be in danger scares the hell out of my mind.

I need him alive.

His lungs booming with life.

His eyes beaming with happiness.

His blood gushing with life.

His sweet smile lighting the world.

In as much as I hate him for hurting me, my love for him remains untainted and I love him without even trying.

I am startled when my phone rings. 'Please let it be Michael!' My desperate mind silently prays. Unfortunately, the answer to my prayer will have to hang on for another day because it is Kaem calling.

I didn't realize that it is already past knocking off time and I am sorry to say but I am not excited hearing from Kaem right now. Nonetheless, I do need a ride home so I have to suck it up and endure this one. One thing for sure though is I am not good company when it comes to Michael ruling my heart. As of now, he rules my mind too.

*** *** ***

I have lost the will to move as I linger in desperation of ascertaining Michael's whereabouts. It has been three days since I figured that Michael is nowhere to be found.

Is it me who drove him away?

Could it be because I left him shuttered that day at the restaurant?

They can't be work related issues because at work they say he was doing very well.

His boyfriend though sounded a bit shady to me like he had more left to say than what he was letting on when he finally picked my call yesterday. When I told him who I was and asked about Michael. He sounded very frustrated and dismissively told me that Michael didn't want anything to do with me so I should stop calling him.

At first I was hurt but then that 6th sense still lingered in me and I for some reason remain convinced that something is fishy about all this. Not Michael. No matter how much he might think he wants to cut ties with me, I know deep down in his heart, he cares too much for me to completely erase me from his life. We are all there is for each other. His family despise him too probably a little worse than mine resent me.

Mine was a case of bringing shame to the family through carrying the name of the divorced daughter. The return soldier they said. His was as bad a case as being sentenced for a first degree murder case. Being a total embarrassment to the entire generation. As the only son to a man who couldn't bear more male children, he gave the final blow to his sick father when he admitted to him that he was gay.

His mother a woman of faith did everything in her powers to cast out that demon that had befallen her fragile son but I guess she gave up before her fervent prayers were answered.

Or they are yet to be answered.

No one knows for certain.

I remember her coming to our house three years back after Michael's confession. She wasn't alone. She came bearing gifts of two powerful prophets' anointing oils and water.

We couldn't gain a wake of sleep for the four days we hosted her as she made sure every piece of furniture and Michael's belongings were touched by the holy waters. It was all in quest to bring back her lost son.

I had lost my willpower to help. Not that I didn't want to, but because I had tired in my own endeavors to bring my man back to me. When everything she had tried failed, she rerouted her blame to me. She shifted her pain to me and chose to make an already fallen angel a punching bag.

In between her insults and accusations, I ended up losing my cool and Oh boy! Did we have a nasty exchange of words! I vowed I would never speak with her again.

That remained true until Michael's father succumbed to his sickness and everyone resorted to shifting the blame of his death on Michael. Attending that funeral was the bravest thing we ever did but it was also the last time we both set our feet on that compound.

I made my farewells and in my heart, I deemed that a closed chapter.

A door I am about to re-open, healing wounds I am about to re-injure. I am running out of options so I need to know if Michael reached out to his mother. It takes every bit of bittersweet pride swallowing for me to call her but I do it anyway.

The things we do for love!