HEAR ME TOO!

PART TEN

Tina drove into the compound, parked her car and headed for the house, all the while wondering what could make Alex sound that way over the phone. She had never heard him sound that cold before. She opened the door and was surprised to see Alex had company. A man whom she assumed was a friend of Alex's sat with his back to her and when he eventually turned, she recognized him as her old classmate from university. Upon seeing her, the man stood up,smiled and exclaimed loudly, "Tina! Oh my goodness it's been ages!"
Tina looked at Alex and saw that he was looking at both of them, annoyance written all over his face. Not wanting her visitor to notice something was wrong, she smiled and then said "Ekene! It's so great to see you. I wasn't expecting you'd visit."
She motioned for him to sit and he did before replying "I just got back to the country yesterday and I decided to find you. I asked around and got your address then I came to see you."
"Oh wow, that's really nice of you. What do I offer you?"
"Oh don't worry dear, your friend here already offered me a drink," Ekene said cheerfully.
"Friend? No no, he's my fiancé," Tina said and refused to look at Alex because she knew what look she'd find on his face.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Word on the street was that you were engaged but I didn't know he was the one," Ekene said and then turning to Alex, he continued, "My apologies, I didn't mean any disrespect."
Alex gave a pained smile and replied "It's alright man." Excusing himself, he went into the kitchen to pick up some snacks and then went upstairs. Tina chatted for about thirty minutes with Ekene and then it was time for him to go.
"It was really fun catching up with you Tina. We should hang out some time," he said and gave her a hug. Smiling, she replied, "Of course we should, there's a lot to catch up on. Thank you so much for visiting Ekene, it really means a lot to me."
Tina waved as he got into his car and then closed the door. She hadn't seen a lot of her friends in a while and catching up with Ekene had been so fun. She tidied up the parlor, put the wine glasses in the kitchen sink and when she was done, she went upstairs to find Alex. The bedroom door was slightly ajar so she pushed it open and went in. Alex was sitting with his back to her and she couldn't see what he was doing. Assuming he was just playing a game on his phone, she headed for the closet and then his voice stopped her in her tracks.
"What was that?" He asked.
"What babe?"
He turned to face her and she saw that he looked really angry but she really couldn't understand why. First the call and now this.
"Why did a man come to my house to look for you?"
"Our house," she corrected and then said "Ekene was my close friend back in the university and he helped me out a lot. I haven't spoken to him in years and I was surprised to see him here. It was really fun catching up, wait until I tell you some of the stories from our school days. There was this time when-"
"You haven't answered my question Tina,"Alex said, cutting her off.
"I don't know what you want me to say."
"A man I don't know came to my house at night to see you and to make matters worse, he called me your friend."
"How is any of that my fault?!" Tina shouted in exasperation, "He didn't know you were my fiancé and I corrected him immediately he said it. It's really not a big deal Alex and I don't have strength to fight tonight so let's just drop it. You-"
Her next words were silenced as Alex landed a slap on her face.
"Don't you ever talk to me in that tone again Tina!" He yelled.
"You slapped me?!!" Tina screamed, shocked at what just happened.
"Yes I did. And I will slap you once more if you disrespect me again. Bringing a man to my house at night is the height of it and if you don't want to be homeless, you'll behave!" He said, then took his car keys and walked out of the bedroom. Tina heard the front door slam shut and the purr of the car engine told her that Alex had gone out. Sinking to the ground, she let her tears fall. She didn't know how long she cried but at the end, she wiped her tears and then muttered to herself.
"It's my fault. I should have asked Ekene to leave right away. I pushed Alex to the wall and I don't blame him. He's a good person, he really didn't mean to hurt me and I'm sure he'll apologize when he has calmed down."
Having convinced herself with these words, she got up and headed for the bathroom to take a shower and apply some salve on her still stinging cheeks.
******
Benjamin woke up on Saturday to a call from his mother. He wasn't surprised because the only people who called him these days were either his parents, Uche, his secretary or anyone else from work.
"Hi mum, good morning ma."
"Good morning son, hope you slept well?"
"Yes I did mum. You?"
"Same. I need a favour from you."
"What is it mum?"
"I need you to take me to the hospital."
Ben sat up abruptly, fully awake and about to go into panic mode.
"Why?" He asked, "Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Calm down Ben, I'm okay. I just have a doctor's appointment at 11am. Got to go for a general check up and your father is not in town at the moment."
"Oh! Thank God. But you know I hate the hospital mum,"Ben said.
"I know, that's why I called it a favour. I need to go with someone and you're the next person on my list after your father. Please escort me."
"Alright mum, I'll go with you. You know I can't refuse a request like this from you. Give me a few minutes to get ready, I'll come and pick you up after I'm done."
"Thank you son! You're a life saver!"
After the call, Ben took a shower, got dressed and went to pick up his mum. They got to the hospital on time and waited for the doctor to come and when she arrived, they went into her office. The doctor then asked Ben to step out for a while which he did gladly. He took the opportunity to go get coffee. He asked a nurse passing by where he could get some and she directed him to the hospital café. Registering the name on the doctor's door so he wouldn't get lost, he made his way to the café for a much needed cup of coffee. When he got there, he ordered a latte and then waited for the barista to serve him.
"Shit!"
Ben turned in the direction of the voice and saw a girl with her back to him. She was wearing scrubs and a lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck so he assumed she was a doctor. As if pulled by some invisible force, he asked in a clear voice, "Excuse me, is anything the matter?"
"Oh yes, everything is the matter! As if I wasn't already having a shitty day, I've gone and lost my wallet. I need a cup of coffee and now I can't get one because of that bloody wallet!"
Ben flinched, startled at the outburst and then something registered in his brain. He recognized that voice! Before he could say anything, she turned to face him and he saw her face clearly.
"Isabel!" He exclaimed, shell shocked. Of all the places to run into her, he didn't expect it to be here.
"Benjamin?"She asked, uncertain.
"Yes! My goodness, I never thought I'd see you again."
"Me neither. When I woke up the morning after that night, I thought you were a drunken hallucination." She said with a little laugh.
He read the name tag on her lab coat.
"Isabel Johnson, M.D. Wow! So you are a doctor," Ben said in awe.
"Yes, yes, I guess I am," she said with a smile and then asked "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I brought my mum for a check up."
"Oh alright then, it's really nice to see you again. I have to run though, my break is over," she said and then turned to go. Ben thought for a few seconds and decided he shouldn't just let her walk away this time.
"Wait!" He called.
She stopped and turned then he walked up to her.
"Can I please have your number? It would be nice to keep in touch and catch up sometime," Ben said in a rush, a part of him afraid she'd decline. She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity to Ben and then said "Sure, give me your phone."
Ben handed it to her and she punched in her digits then dialed her number. She gave him back his phone, reached her hand into her pocket for hers and then saved his number.
"There! I have your number saved so I'll be expecting your call. You better call!" She said sternly, laughed and then said goodbye to him. He watched her leave until she disappeared into the crowd of doctors, nurses and hospital personnel running around, trying to save lives. Smiling like someone who just won the lottery, he made his way back to his mother.