HEAR ME TOO!

PART THIRTEEN

Isabel was in a daze when she got home. She walked into the sitting room and saw Winnie on the sofa, watching a movie. On seeing Isabel, Winnie clapped excitedly and paused the movie.
"Oooh, look who's back from her not-a-date. Come sit and give me all the tea sis! I've been waiting for-" she paused in the middle of her sentence when she saw the look on her friend's face.
"Isa, what's wrong?"
Without saying anything, Isabel sat down beside her and started crying.
"Isa, what happened? Did Ben hurt you? If he did I swear to-"
"No, not Ben. He's-too sweet to- hurt anyone. I- ran into Ken today," Isabel said, amidst tears. She picked up the box of tissues on the center table, took out a few pieces and blew her nose.
"Ken? Douchebag Ken? How? I thought he was in the States?"
"That's what I thought too, until I ran into him today."
"Did he say anything to you?"
"He said he came back because he missed the country and me. Then he said I can't replace him."
"That asshole!!" Winnie exclaimed, "How does he even have the guts to talk to you after all he put you through?"
"I thought coming here would put me far away from him and help me forget but I was wrong. The minute I saw him, everything that happened went through my mind in flashes."
"Isa, it's not your fault. Needing space from someone that hurt you is only natural. And healing takes a long time, especially when you really loved someone."
"What am I going to do now Winnie? I haven't forgotten anything about him."
"What you're going to do is keep moving forward. And keep healing bit by bit."
"But he's here now. He's in this city," Isabel said shakily.
"So what if he's in this city? Are you going to run away again?"
"I'm sure he'll come looking for me and I don't have the energy to face him."
"You have to be strong Isa. You can't lose your resolve just because he's back in the country. Even if you run into him tomorrow, you have to face him squarely."
"I don't know if I can Winnie. What if he starts saying he wants me back?"
"Isabel Johnson! Snap out of it! He was your fiancé and he cheated on you more than once. You cried so many times back then and I had to pick up the pieces. I'm not letting you go through that cycle again with that douchebag cos guess what? A leopard never changes its spots!"
"I know Winnie, I know all that but I can't explain how I feel right now. I know that he's an asshole and that I should never even consider going back. What I don't know is how I'll react if I hear those words coming from him."
"Isa, if he says something like that to you, you're gonna have to firmly say NO. That's when it will get a bit easier for you to heal and finally give someone else a chance."
"Okay," Isabel said in a small voice.
"You'll be fine. Pray for strength too, it will help greatly."
"Thanks Winnie."
"There's something you need to do first though."
"What?" Isabel asked, wondering what it could be.
"Call Ben. I'm sure you left him without an explanation. He deserves one, don't you think?"
"Oh shoot!" Isabel exclaimed. In her confusion, she had forgotten about Ben. She knew he would be confused about what transpired at the restaurant and how their outing ended. She felt really bad for leaving him there but she had needed space to process her thoughts.
"I will call him tomorrow morning to explain."
"Good. There's something else I want to tell you."
"What now Winnie?"
"Don't push Ben away. You don't have to fight on your own," Winnie said with a smile.
"Okay."
"Also, does he have any friends who look like him? That dude is fiiiinneeee."
"Winifred!"
"I'm serious girl! Since you showed me that picture of his, I've been wondering if he has any friends that are that fine cos a sister is single and seriously searching," Winnie said with a smirk.
"Winnie, you're crazy!" Isabel said and then she laughed.
"See? I got you laughing. Now go upstairs and take a shower. Wash off all the bad vibes of douchebag Ken," Winnie said with a smile.
Still laughing, Isabel headed upstairs.
*******
Ben woke up to see four missed calls from Uche. His phone had been on silent mode since he came home the previous night. He looked at the missed calls list and didn't see a call from Isabel. What did he expect? That she'll call him after what happened last night? She probably still needed space but a part of him wanted to call her, just to see if she was okay. He was worried about her but he didn't know what to do to help. Sighing heavily, he called Uche back.
"Dude!!!!" Uche said loudly, making Ben hold the phone away from his ear. Keeping the phone on the bed, he put it on speaker mode.
"What? Did something happen? You called four times."
"Did you just ask me if something happened? Bruh I was waiting for the deets on your not-a-date."
"Oh! That."
"Yes, that. So tell me, how did it go? Did the moon and stars look more beautiful afterwards? Did you feel any sparks? Do I need to start tailoring my best man suit?"
"Jeez! Slow down Uche!"
"What? I'm just asking. You know I love to bring my A game when it comes to fashion. So I have to start early to get ready."
"There will be no wedding anytime soon. And none of what you asked happened. The date went well, for the most part."
"For the most part? Did something happen?"
"We were eating and having a great conversation then this guy came from nowhere and ruined everything."
"A guy? Who was he?"
"No idea. Isabel seemed shocked to see him and then she left me at the mall and went home."
"Hmm, he sounds like an ex."
"I don't know, she didn't tell me anything. She said she needed to be on her own and hasn't called since then. I don't know if I should call her. I'm really worried."
Uche was silent for a few seconds and then said "You can text her to ask if she's okay. But don't call her. If she wants to talk, she'll call you. Since she said she needs space, calling her when she's not ready won't do you any good. Just text her dude."
"Okay, I'll do that."
"Don't send multiple texts though. Just let her know you're texting to see if she's okay and that she should let you know if she needs anything."
"Okay, thanks man," Ben said.
"You're welcome. Whenever you get married, you better buy me a house in the Bahamas."
"Hahahaha, you play too much Uche."
"I never said I was joking Benjamin. I will be expecting the keys and documents to that house as a best man present, thank you."
"Alright then, if that's what you want, I'll make it happen."
Uche laughed then said goodbye and hung up. Ben kept laughing after the call and shook his head. His friend was such a clown. When they were younger, they had planned to have a double wedding but with the way things were going, it felt like they would both be bachelors for life.