THE BRA

xr:d:DAGCFnGAW48:6,j:1347000795188409174,t:24041106

I was on the shores of Greece on the far stretched waters, the sun cast its golden rays upon the deck and the vessel swayed with the rhythm of the sea.

I wanted my life to be like this everyday, a vacation, with absolutely no worries from the HR team or an annoying customer. As the yacht sailed, I felt liberated, not a single care on my shoulder, I was just in so much peace and awe of the beautiful shores of Greece. The ride was a long one and I closed my eyes briefly to immerse myself in a peaceful rest, until I heard the sound of the alarm clock.

It was 5.30am.

Goodness, Greece was just a dream. I was back to my regular life. The one that required me to get ready to be at work before 9am.

I got out of the bed I shared with my husband Chike for three years. I walked into the bathroom, brushed my teeth and watched morning prayers online with my church home. I decided to fry plantain and make scrambled eggs for breakfast, but first I had to brew Chike’s coffee. I loved tea, but my husband could not do without coffee.

It was almost 7am when Chike came out of the bedroom in his suit and tie, he was ready for work, while I prepared breakfast, he was in the shower and getting ready for work.

“Good morning beautiful,” he greeted and placed his briefcase on the table.

“Good morning,” I said as I placed some plantains in the plate I was going to serve him with.

“It’s going to be a hectic day today, I have meetings back to back,” Chike informed me.

“Do you want me to pack up lunch for you?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I will order food from the eatery,” he replied.

I didn’t like my husband eating from all the restaurants close to his office, because he usual had to send someone else to get the food, usually his secretary Linda. I didn’t like her for any good reason.

The first reason was because she was very attractive and she had a great body figure that made anything she wore scream of perfection. I was not blessed with the assets she had to draw men to her like a magnet, so the first reason for my not liking her was my insecurity.

The second, third fourth and every other reason would not make any sense, except she was always in close proximity to my husband, she spent forty or more hours a week with him in the office.

If there was any reason for her to lose her job, I would bring it on. I would fuel the fire and possibly set her up. She respected me, she greeted me well. She owed me that, but I didn’t trust her around my husband. He always spoke highly of her which made me even more angry.

“Okay,” I responded as I poured the coffee into his favorite red mug, one that we got when we went to Disneyland in Paris.

“What’s your day going to be like?” Chike asked.

“I have a presentation in the afternoon and a few errands to run before coming home,” I replied dryly.

“Sweet,” he replied and then took a gulp from the coffee mug while he scrolled through his phone. He seemed deeply engrossed with whatever he was reading.

He did this every morning. I cant shake off the feeling that something is up. He was glued to his phone, he no longer wanted packed lunch, he came home late and was too tired to watch a movie or eat dinner.

Last night his phone rang four times and he ignored the calls. I told him it was okay to answer, but he said it was his job and whatever they had to say could wait till morning.

He waited till I was asleep and he went to the bathroom and was there for almost an hour. I wasn’t sleeping, I heard every single noise, tip toe, phone notification. I heard everything but pretended to be asleep.

On the weekends when he was home, he would take his phone calls in a different room or in the car, or abruptly end phone calls when I walked into the room. I found it rather strange. My birthday was not coming up, so it didn’t sound like he was planning to surprise me. I felt it was something more sinister in my spirit.

We had not had sex in a month and he had stopped initiating. Whenever I initiated sex, he would pull the ‘tired” card on me.

I pulled up to the gates of my home at 6.45pm. It was a long day and the traffic made me tired and sleepy, but I left work early so I could beat traffic in certain areas of town. It worked. I needed to make dinner for myself. Chike may or may not eat, but regardless I would still make something. I could have ordered fast food, but I felt like cooking tonight so I stopped at the store and bought steak.

I walked into the house and turned on the lights and then the TV. I walked up the stairs and went into my bedroom to undress and take a shower. It was my ritual every single day. I listened to music through the speakers as I scrubbed my body with the liquid shea butter soap I bought when I went to London earlier this year. After my cold shower, I decided to wear my favorite lavender lounge outfit. It was not in the chest of drawers, so I decided to look in the clean laundry basket, it was not there. Strange. Maybe it was in the closet. I decided to look in the closet I shared with my husband, occasionally I put folded clothes in the drawer section of the closet. Chike’s clothes were neatly arranged in rows. He was a very tidy person. I opened the first drawer and took the clothes that were neatly arranged piece by piece. I opened the next drawer which consisted of socks and underwear, mostly Chike’s. Nestled in between two pairs of black socks and his boxer shorts was a bra. The lace trim glowed as the over head lights in the room rested on it. It obviously did not belong to me. It was not my size. It was a D cup, I wore a B cup bra. I had never seen it before, how did it get in here?

For a moment, time stood still as I tried to make out what was in my hand. A thousand thoughts ran through my mind and I could not make sense of a single one of them. I held onto the bra. It was now a reality. I could not unsee this and life in this house would no longer be the same.

With seething rage I picked up my phone and decided to make a phone call.

But to who?

to be continued

ADAEZE: a tale of a fiesty girl

I walked through the halls of this so called new school and I hate it.

Ambrosia High school its called.

Whoever thought of the name.

There are some girls standing in the hallway staring at me.

Yes, I am a new face, can you face your front at least? I roll my eyes as I walk past the announcement board.

My first period class is in the math building. I stare at the school map in my hand. A few minutes ago, my mom dropped me off in front of the gym. She wanted to do the traditional parent thing by walking me to my class and making sure I would be fine. I waved her off. I was not a fan of this new school and would definitely not be happy to be chaperoned on this fine Monday morning.

She pulled out her wallet and took out some money, she squeezed it into my hand.

“Make sure you buy some thing from the cafeteria to eat,” she said and stared at me nervously.

I snatched the money politely from her.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“You need to smile, this frown you have on your face won’t help you at all,” she said as she turned on the engine.

“Alright,” I replied. I was tired of hearing about my facial expressions. My mom always said it gave away my feelings instantly. I had to learn to fix my face.

Oh well.

Everyone has to deal with it.

I don’t care if they don’t like me, they just have to deal with it.

Mrs Thomas, the math teacher was standing in front of the board, class was about to start. There was an empty desk beside the door. I took the spot and instantly settled in.

“Good morning class,” Mrs Thomas greeted. She seemed to be in her early forties.

The class responded. Our eyes met. She smiled at me.

“You must be the new girl,” she sad

“I am,” I responded confidently.

“And your name is?”

“Adaeze,”

She listened and the repeated my name, “Adaizi”

With the accent, it was pronounced wrong, I had no tolerance for anyone who butchered my name, even if it is slightly mispronounced.

“Adah, azay,” I repeated slowly as I emphasized pronunciation.

She nodded thoughtfully without repeating my name. Hopefully she gets it right when she reads the roster, because I won’t have it any other way.

A girl with orange braids chuckled and I shot a glance at her.

“What’s funny?I asked.

To be continued

THE SEX TAPE (2)

“You are pregnant,” my friend Ari blurted out in shock.

My eyes were red from crying. How could I face my parents with the crazy news that I was six weeks pregnant? I had no symptoms, no nausea or the common symptoms. I just realized I was always tired and sleepy by the time i was in my third period class.

“Yes,” I replied there were so many thoughts on my mind.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” I pleaded. I didn’t want anyone to know.

“But you need to tell him,” Ari replied. I put my hands in my face as I sat on the toilet seat in my bathroom.

“How do I tell him?’I asked angrily.

How could I be so careless?

Ari gave me a questioning look. Her eyebrows twitched. “You open your mouth and tell him, that’s how,” she responded and rolled her eyes.

I know she was being sarcastic, but it was far from what I needed.

I sighed. Graduation was about a month away.

What if I started showing?

What would my parents say?

They would be disappointed. This was not what they had planned for me.

I remember standing in front of Jason at the school gym. I waited for his basketball practice to be over. I had rehearsed my little speech several times in front of the mirror. I also practiced his facial expression on receiving the news and his countenance afterward.

‘Hey,’ he said casually as he shut his locker.

“Hey” I replied quietly. He gave me a questioning look.

Are you okay?” he asked.

It was the first time in weeks we had spoken. It was an awkward encounter. I had said horrible things to him. I didn’t want to see him or even answer his calls or texts.

“Not really” I responded, avoiding eye contact.

He kept looking around as if he suspected he was being watched.

“What’s the problem?” He asked. I felt his eyes staring directly at my face. It was such an uncomfortable feeling.

“Can we go somewhere and talk?” I told him. I was not sure what his reaction would be when I dropped the bomb on him. but I also didn’t want his friends passing by and catching him in his feelings. I mean reacting.

“I have a date with Sheila in about half an hour, say what you need to say so I can leave,” he said coldly.

A few months ago, he didn’t sound like this. He was warm and friendly. Sheila decided to take my spotlight, and right now I looked like trash.

“Okay, maybe now is not a good time,” I said.

“Yeah,” he replied and began to walk away.

I watched him walk away as he pulled out his cell phone from his backpack.

I decided on the spot that I was not going to tell him.

“What do you mean by, you are not going to tell him.” Ari asked. She was at my house studying for the Biology test we were going to take in the morning.

“Sssshhh” I said. Ari spoke too loud. I didn’t want my mom, who was upstairs to hear our conversation.

“ I said what I said Ari,” I told her as I drew in my biology lab notebook.

Ari shook her head.

Three days later, after so much convincing from Ari. I mustered the courage to tell Jason. I told him to meet me at the Hamburger shop down the street from his house. We went there on our first date. I wished today would be all smiles and rosy like a first date. My heart was beating fast, but instead it was beating fast for a different reason. I had something on my chest I needed to get off. I decided to have an abortion. I prayed he would want the same too. It hurt my heart that we could have made great parents, but we weren’t ready.

He pulled up five minutes after I sat by the window. It was a fairly busy day at the hamburger shop. A few students were sitting at different tables chatting and laughing. He walked in and scanned the room to find me.

He walked towards me with a nonchalant gait.

“Hey,” he said as he pulled the chair and sat down.

I nodded in acknowledgment.

“Do you want some to eat? I am hungry, I could use a burger,” he asked.

I politely declined. He shrugged and went to the counter to order the burger.

He came back a few minutes after with a white ticket in his hand showing number 43.

“So what’s up?” He asked.

My heart began to beat faster. I stared at him, hoping he could read my facial expression, and also hoping the word ‘ pregnant’ would show up on my forehead without me saying a word. Instead, he stared back with a blank expression on his face.

“Jason, I found out something.” I began trying to pick my words carefully.

“What did you find out?” He asked.

“I am a few weeks pregnant,” I blurted out in response.

His face contorted into a frown. The reaction I expected from the beginning.

“How did this happen?” he said in a quiet but angry voice. I felt tears welling up my eyes. He was going to blame me for getting pregnant when it was a joint thing. It was me and him. He told me he loved me. I was naive.

“We had sex Jason, that’s how this came about,” I replied. My smart words stung him. The look in his eyes instantly became hostile.

“Of course we had sex,” he replied. “Have you told anyone yet?”

“No, I haven’t,” I lied. Ari was the only person who knew. She didn’t count.

“So what do you plan on doing with it?” He asked.

He just called the pregnancy ‘it’.

I was so shocked I could not reply.

“I will tell you what, I have my whole life ahead of me. This basketball scholarship means everything to me. I can’t put my life on hold for a baby, so let’s get rid of it,” he said.

I was not surprised. I tried not to show any emotion, but a tear decided to betray me by running down my left cheek.

CONFESSIONS OF A CHEATING WIFE (7)

Present-day

I cried so hard all through the night. I had no idea when morning came. I sat on the floor by the window, lost in my thoughts. The thoughts that flooded my mind were filled with happy memories. Yemi and I had no bad memories. All he did was make me happy, and somewhere along the line, I began to ruin it, slowly.

The devil works overtime.

Or maybe it is just a case of not knowing what you have got until it is gone.

He was gone.

He had been gone for a few days.

He didn’t say anything to me.

He didn’t eat anything I made.

I felt like a stranger in the house with him.

Every single minute felt like a thousand years away from him. This had never happened before, not even when we were dating. Was he just hurt? Or maybe I didn’t know this side of him. The side that shows passive aggression during misunderstandings. It felt terrible.

He packed up a few clothes, put them in a duffel bag, and went out of the house. I saw him pull out of the driveway in his white Tesla.

Normally he would tell me where he was going and when he would be back.

He didn’t. He didn’t owe me that anymore. There were so many questions. He asked me I had no answers to.

I was so ashamed of myself.

Normally people cheat and never get caught. They do it for so many years, but my case was different. I got caught early in the act. Maybe I’ve been doing it for longer and my sins were fast catching up with me.

I didn’t want him to tell my parents. I wanted to tell them myself.

He didn’t care. He didn’t even want to tell anyone that the marriage had crashed. He told me that two nights ago. He was sitting in the living room downstairs on his laptop. For the fifteenth time, I fought the urge to go to him to talk, and the sixteenth time, I gave in.

“Yemi,” I said as I cautiously walked towards him.

He didn’t respond.

“We can’t go on like this, can we at least talk.”

He sighed. “What is there to talk about?”

“This whole thing.”

He laughed in derision at my comment. “I am listening.”

I nervously sat beside him. I looked at him. He gave me a cold look. I deserved it. I felt tears sting my eyes, but this was not the time to be vulnerable. It felt like weakness and that was one thing I never wanted to show. He spoke highly of me to people that were near him or people who would listen and I let him down in so many ways. He was like a savior. When he appeared in my life. I was reeling from the heartbreak from someone who didn’t even deserve to see me.

Took care of everything for me. Married me and made me comfortable. It made my mates envy me. Now all that was like a memory.

“Please don’t tell my family what happened, we can fight this together,” I told him.

“There is nothing left to fight, I can’t get over the graphic image of another man having his way with you in our bed. It is a nightmare that has haunted me ever since,’ he responded.

I nodded.

I could imagine how he felt. Osas was so good in bed that I probably fell into a trance while it all happened and came out of it the moment, I realized I had been caught.

“Would you forgive me?” I asked.

“It’s too early to determine that.” He responded flatly.

I regretted asking.

“This marriage is over,’ he said. He stood up and left me sitting there speechless.

I looked at the time it was 4:07 a.m. I’ve been sitting there on the floor by the window for 24 hours. It started with me kneeling down trying to pray.

How could an adulteress sit there and talk to God and expect him to listen? I knew he would listen. He had been listening to me all my life. I only called him when I was in an emergency or dealing with stuff but never when I was happy or having the time of my life. I felt like a welfare case.

I called my childhood friend a day before and told her what had happened.

She listened. All she did was listen.

I cried.

I screamed. 
 No judgment, nothing.

“Say something,” I screamed angrily.

“You have to pull yourself together, you sunk this boat yourself.

CONFESSIONS OF A CHEATING WIFE (6)

“Let’s go to dinner.” my cousin Idara suggested.

We had been shopping for her wedding since I got off work. We were currently at a bridal shop looking at veils. The whole experience was overwhelming for me especially because Idara was very picky.

“Sounds like a great idea, we can hit the bar and have a few drinks afterwards.”

“No drinking, don’t you ever get tired of drinking?”

“Nope, you need to drink once in a while to calm your nerves.”

“My nerves are fine.” Idara said and narrowed her eyes at me. “They sound bad to me especially with this shopping, you have not picked one veil that you like since you got here, I said tired of looking at veils.”

“Yes, you are right, maybe we should leave.” Idara said and looked at the store attendant who was showing us different veils.

“Take you time, I was just kidding.”

“You sound bored, let’s go.” She said and packed up her things, putting her cell phone n her purse. She told the store attendant that she would be back to look at the veils on a different day and we left the store.

*************************************************

I had not been to Food Shack in a while. It was still the same establishment, but I noticed a lot of changes. Idara and I sat in the patio area overlooking the bridge. We watched the cars move slowly in traffic over the bridge. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to eat because I scanned through the menu several times. It also did not help matters because my phone kept ringing and I kept ignoring the calls.

The waiter walked towards us with our food. Idara moved her purse out of the way so the waiter could set the platter in front of her. The meal looked inviting. He placed my food in front of me. He asked if we needed anything else. We declined and thanked him politely. He left.

“Let’s pray.” Idara said as she put her fork in her rice.

“You should pray.” I told her.

“Sure.” She said as she recited the Grace.

We both said “Amen” after she finished reciting the Grace.

“This is nice.” I said after chewing the first fork full of food that I put in my mouth.

“I am so hungry, and the food is delicious, I am about to order a second plate.” Idara informed me.

It won’t be a bad idea, I haven’t eaten out in so long.”

“Doesn’t your friend with benefits take you out to eat?”

“Which one?”

“You have more than one?” Idara asked raising her eyebrows.

“I don’t”

“Okay, have you recently switched to someone else.”

“No, what do you mean by that?”

Idara smiled at me. I did not like the way this conversation was going, and she was really beginning to irk me.

“So, it’s still Osas right?” she asked looking coyly at me.

“Yeah,” I reluctantly replied. I hadn’t told her about Yemi yet.

“So how are things going with him?”

“I beg your pardon?” I retorted.

The fact that I was not engaged and living Idara’s current life did not make me less deserving.

“Chill I was just kidding.” she said and looked at me to weigh my response.

I rolled my eyes and put a forkful of rice into my mouth. She did the same, but her gaze was on me.

“So how is Osas doing?” she asked breaking the silence.

“He is doing great.” I said and nodded.

“Cool” she replied. She kept staring at me as if she expected me to say more.

“I mean the sex is amazing, but lately he runs home to his family.”

“He is married?” Idara asked with her eyes wide open in shock. I chuckled at her reaction.

“No”

“Are you sure?

“Yes, it’s just his siblings.”

“Doesn’t he have his own place?”

“Not yet.”

“That’s crazy.” Idara said and coughed.

“Calm down before you choke on your food.” I told her.

“I will choke on my food before you mess with a married man, what are you thinking?” she asked angrily.

“What’s your problem? He is not married, and we are just having fun, it’s just sex, calm down please.” I did not need preaching at the table. She knew what I had been through with different men and judging me was not going to help.

Idara looked upset.

“Let’s change the subject.” I offered uncomfortably. She shook her head in disagreement.

“No, I am interested in hearing more.”

“More of what? My boring life with Osas.”

“Maybe you should leave him alone.”

“Maybe he should leave me alone.” I huffed. Idara shook her head.

“Why are you shaking your head?” I asked. Idara always felt the need to say something. She was the perfect princess with the charming life.

“Why do you make poor choices when it comes to men?” she asked as she sipped from the glass in front of her.

“Poor choices?” I asked bewildered.

“Yes, you either messing with married or emotionally unavailable men, it’s crazy how you can put up with such nonsense.” Idara said.

“I don’t make poor choices, I guess those men are attracted to me and speaking of poor choices, your fiancé is someone’s ex-husband.” I spoke. Idara looked flushed.

“He is legally divorced,” she replied defensively.

“You were responsible for the end of their marriage Idara.” I told her.

CONFESSIONS OF A PASTOR

The camera crew had set up. I sat across from Ruby Regina Hewitt, one of the most popular content creators. She was interviewing me about the recent scandals I had going in my church that were splashed across the front pages of blogs and newspapers.

The church elders advised me to do an interview. It would be a form of public enlightenment and accountability for my actions. After deliberating for two weeks. I agreed. Ruby Hewitt was a tall, chocolate colored skinned thirty year old. She was a multi millionaire and owned a high profile blog. She had sent several requests to be interviewed.

I obliged. She was happy to do the interview. My secretary offered to prep me for the interview. but I declined. I was ready to speak the truth from the beginning. The image of my church was already tarnished. There was nothing left to preserve, except the image of the other innocent pastors and the congregation. My confession had a ton of consequences, which I would rather face. This game had gone on for far too long.

Ruby smiled at me and asked if I was ready.

“I am ready when you are,” I replied.

“Great,” she said and looked at the camera.

“A lovely evening to my viewers, it is 6pm and time for a brand new interview with the Head Pastor of Green Pastures Church, Pastor Lawrence. This is about the rape scandal happening in the church, and a lot of other atrocities,” she said and looked at me.

Atrocities.

Yes, I had committed a lot of them. I wanted to confess all of them. I could not sleep at night. My mind was not at peace.

The rape scandal first started as a rumor in my church and ended up on the front page of Ruby’s blog.

Muthoni, the girl who accused me of rape, was the center of attention. It should never have gone this far. She was greedy. All she wanted was a share of my money. My wife was considering divorce. Everything I had built in a short time was crumbling into pieces right before my eyes. My marriage and my ministry were my greatest investments. There was nothing I could do to stop it. It was my karma.

“Good evening Pastor Lawrence,” she greeted me. I stared at her. She was so beautiful with even the minimal makeup she had on her face.

“Good evening Ruby, and good evening viewers,” I greeted and faced the camera.

“Greener Pastures church is lit. When I say lit, it is trending on all social media platforms. As the General Overseer and Head Pastor, you have granted this interview. We want you to clear the air,” she said.

“Sure, I am ready to do so. I will tell the truth about everything.” I replied.

“So let’s start from the beginning, how did you get into ministry? If you were called to pastor a church, why are you involved in a rape case and many others that have not been discussed?” she asked.

THE BEGINNING

I never thought I would be a pastor. I cannot say I was called to be one.

I wanted to be a pastor. It was lust for me. I wanted to be a tele evangelical pastor. I wanted the good life. I wanted to fly in private jets, go on expensive trips to exotic locations. Preach in different parts of the world and get honorary. I wanted to be successful. I watched as many pastors lived their true calling, and God took care of their needs.

My parents were piss poor. We were so poor that I dug through trash to find wasted food for dinner. I got new clothing from rich relatives who came back from the Western world. My mom had six children. She was a housewife. My father was a security guard. His paycheck was good enough to feed chickens in a poultry. My mom could not work, because there would be no one to watch us. She was not educated to get a job that would pay better than my father’s security job. Life was a struggle. I attended public school, which was free at the time. All I had to do was buy textbooks and uniforms. I wore hand me downs, and so did my siblings. Some of our uniforms were hand me downs from other kids in the neighborhood.

I was in my final year in high school, when a popular preacher came for a revival.

I was amazed at how much power and authority this preacher had. It was then I decided to go into ministry. Five years later, I found myself dabbling into things just to get a shot at Evangelical fame. The financial gain was what I was after. I sold merchandise in my church. Everything that could be a resource to help a person was sold in my church. I lusted after the gifts given to pastors. Some of these gifts included cash, title deeds to landed property and cars. Brand new cars. Pastor appreciation was a big thing.

My mother was a strong Christian. She prayed a lot. Looking back, I was not sure if she prayed because she was grooming a great relationship with God, or if it was the family adversity that turned her into a prayer warrior. Her prayers didn’t put food on our table, but it kept us safe, it kept us alive. If I had a penny for every time my mother prayed, we would be living in a mansion instead of our two bedroom house that held eight people.

My father died when I was fourteen years old. He died in a bar. He went drinking and collapsed. Some said he was poisoned, others said it was a heart attack. His loss broke my mother’s heart. He had money to buy drinks when we could barely feed. His burial was shameful. We had nothing, he was dumped into the ground like an earthworm. There was no repast. We could not afford it. Debtors flocked our home, my father owed money. My older brother and sister decided to do some petty trading after school to help our mom pay off the debts. I was determined to make sure my family never suffered again. I was ready to do anything to achieve my goal.

I met someone that changed my life.

ON THE RUN (2)

His mother didn’t like me.

Since the first day, she laid her eyes on me.

I struggled for her acceptance, and each time it seemed like she found more and more things to not like about me.

I had to be myself and that was not enough for her. I should have left the relationship. It is one thing to date and marry a bad man, the choice is up to the individual. Having bad in-laws is a whole different ball game that you should never sign up for. The red flags came up in the dating process, but I ignored them. I believed we both loved each other and we would fight our problems together. That is another mistake-no woman or anyone should make. Once the odds are stacked high against you, you need to fold and walk away. The pain may linger for a bit, but at least you have peace of mind and sleep well at night.

I grew up in a peaceful nuclear family consisting of my parents and my two sisters. My parents were middle class. They were able to afford us what we needed. College was our parent’s goal for us and they made sure it happened for me and my sisters. Whatever life we chose after college was ours. They didn’t want to feel like they failed by not giving us a university education.

I graduated and became an engineer working for a top architectural firm. I met my husband at a conference, Akin Da Silva. He was a tall, handsome, milk chocolate, complexioned man. He came from money. Old money to be precise. His family owned a lot of investment properties and they were set for life. His father died when he was seventeen leaving his mom a massive estate in Beverly Hills. The rest of the property and money was split between him and his younger sister Bewaji. They were not allowed to have access to the money until they turned thirty-five. It was the stipulation in his father’s will so they had to make do with their monthly allowances or get a job. They had a college fund while the average kid applied for financial aid and worked twenty-four hours a week. He gave a talk at the conference. I was completely mesmerized by the way he talked and how he carried himself on stage. I stole the spotlight by directly asking him questions during the question and answer session of the conference.

He asked for my number after his talk on stage and we started dating. When I first met him, there was nothing that denoted wealth about him. He was just a regular guy who drove a 2001 Honda Civic. He lived in a moderate apartment and was going to grad school. We went on a few dates and became a couple afterward. I never met his family for the first three years. We spent the holidays with my family. My parents liked him, he was such a nice and humble man. My sisters hoped we would work out so they could have a brother. I smiled at the thought of being his wife someday if he asked me.

During Christmas, he asked me about my future plans and began to use the word “we” more often. He told me, that if things worked out for us, he wanted us to build a life together. I was happy. We were happy. I started grad school in January and took out loans to go to school. I was working on getting an MBA besides my engineering degree. It would be seen as a plus on my resume and that was what wanted.

A few months later, he proposed. I accepted his proposal. He was thirty-one, I was twenty-eight.

I knew no one is his family. He told me about his mom and sister. I had seen their photos. He told me his father had passed away. Those were the only things I knew about his family.

We had put an offer on a house, he didn’t want a big wedding. I wanted a fairy tale wedding but we had coughed up so much money on this nice house we were looking at. We had planned to get married the following year.

The progression of our relationship in hindsight was a red flag from the beginning.

Nothing prepared me for new revelations that were coming up.

One Saturday morning in November, we were snuggled in bed. We were watching TV and planting occasional kisses on our lips The doorbell rang. We looked at each other in surprise wondering who that could be. We were not expecting any guests and it was too early for Amazon delivery.

He got out of bed and threw on a white tee shirt. I got out of bed and followed after him putting on my robe.

He opened the door and a woman walked in. She seemed to be in her fifties, she was well dressed and had on sunglasses.

“You seem to be doing well for yourself Akin,” she said as she admired the house. Akin was silent. I took a closer look at her as she took her sunglasses off.

The woman was his mom. I recognized her from the pictures he had shown me.

“Who is she?” she asked him.

He looked at her and responded. “My fiancee.”

She eyed me up and down. I became uncomfortable. This was not the best way to be introduced to your future mother in law in my own opinion. I barely had any clothes on if not for covering from the bathroom robe I had on.

“So, she is the reason why you have lost touch with your family?” his mom accused.

I was shocked.

10 Important Lessons I have learned in life.

1. Wisdom is the principal thing. In all things in life, if you want to acquire anything, acquire wisdom first. It would help you make better decisions, relationship wise, health wise and financially. If you have to pray for anything, pray for wisdom.
2. Who you marry is a major decision. It can make you or wreck you. If you marry the right partner, your life will move in a positive direction. If you marry the wrong person, it would be all regrets and wasted time. Get to know a person first, before committing to anything, including sex. Your sense of judgment won’t be clouded, and the love bombing that narcissists easily give would be perceived easily and avoided.
3. Failure doesn’t define you, it just shows you have tried and it didn’t work. Start again and use a different approach. Most importantly, learn from your mistakes and understand why you failed.
4. Do not compare yourself with others. Everyone has their struggles. Your page fifty can be someone else’s page eleven. Instead, live a life that compels others to strive to be like you. Some people have money, but poor health. All the money in the world cannot buy an extra minute in life. If you have good health and laughter in your life, you are doing well, if I must say.
5. Spend time with your parents. We are getting old and they are getting older. Such a beautiful transformation. We don’t need an excellent eulogy at their funeral, when we can appreciate them while they are still here.
6. Nobody will save you. You can only save yourself.
7. Form the weird habit of being yourself. Do t be like anyone else, just you. Someone out there is manifesting you. If certain people don’t like you, that’s not your problem. Not everyone has great taste in people, and also remember that you are not for everyone.
8. Be careful who you trust. You can only vouch for and trust yourself. Take people at face value, and when a person shows you who they are, believe them.
9. The only teacher that gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards is experience. Make sure you learn the lesson if you fail the test.
10. Remove unhealthy connections, family, friends or things. As you evolve, you will outgrow certain people and things. It’s fine

9 Things you can practice in your New Year

You don’t have to wait for a New Year to make changes in your life.

It’s a New Year, and halfway into the month of January. It is also time when that New Year, new me talk is in order. The good news is that you do not have to wait for a new year to practice anything that will change your life. You can start where you are.

1. Do the impossible: As kids, we had a wild imagination of what we wanted to be and also things we wanted in life. We don’t get past those imaginations if we don’t work on them. Do what you were told as a kid that you would not accomplish. Push the limits you currently have.

2. Do a little more everyday: Keep working on projects. Find creative things to do, just start. If it will make you money, best believe you have to push at it everyday to get results. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you brushing up your resume? Do you need a better prayer life? You have to start from somewhere and work actively at it everyday.

3. Journal: I started a reflection and prayer journal in 2019. Looking back three years later, I can see how much I have grown. I also have a track record of problem solving in my life. I can go into the pages and see how it has helped me, and how it can help someone else. The little areas in your life are important, and every minute you improve will have a tremendous result on your person in the long run.

4. Keep your own company: Spending time with yourself is the best form of self discovery. You can set boundaries, create schedules, read books. Starting hobbies is fulfilling. You can self care. An hour of meditation or prayer will do a lot.

5. Stop giving the best parts of yourself to the wrong people: You are good enough. You are not good enough for the wrong person/people. Do not take it personal. Not everyone has great taste in people. Treat yourself like a valuable commodity that should not be easily accessible to the public.

6. Forgive: Do not carry the weight of unforgiveness into the New Year. Forgiveness is a burden carried by the one who bears it, not the one who offended you. Forgive yourself for ignorance, for mistakes. Forgive your friends and family for hurting you. Forgive your past, because your future is brighter. If you are hurting in any way, you need forgiveness to help heal from what you are dealing with.

7. Remove Imposter Syndrome: For many years, I suffered from Imposter Syndrome, where I felt that whatever I had accomplished, I was not worthy of. Everything good that comes to you in life is what you deserve. The degree, the great job, the beautiful relationship, the promotion, you deserve it if you worked hard for it. Do not underestimate what you are capable of. Remember that there are people out there who are not as qualified as you are doing things. It is because they believe in themselves, and you should too.

8. Be Happy: Happiness is an inside job. You have the power to make yourself happy. Besides, you glow differently when you are happy.

9. Health and fitness : This should be a priority. In the middle of a pandemic, the worst thing to have is poor health. Eat healthy food, go for outdoor exercise. Drink a lot of water and get enough sleep.

5 lessons I learned from dating a Narcissist.

You may think you are in love until it is too late.

Sooooooooo I dated a narcissist.

I never knew the true definition of a narcissist until a few years later. I wish I knew this earlier, it would have saved me a lot of tears. Narcissists appear normal, just like you and I. A charming personality, oozing with perfection, and then the road becomes dark and painful.

It started with love bombing. He said all sorts of sweet things to pull me in. I fell head over heels in love with him. He acted like a true gentleman, owned and dined me. He bought me roses. It was the typical thing you would expect from someone when you are in a relationship. I felt like I had found the one. He wanted to get married, have kids, build a life. He said the right words tugged on the strings of my heart the way he felt would pull me in. Looking back, I realized I meant nothing. I was discarded like used toilet paper. I was not even sure he was the same person.

He was insecure. It was the first thing I noticed about him. He always needed validation from me. Initially, I thought seeking validation was just to be on the same page with me when it came to making decisions. It was because he didn’t feel like he could make good decisions. He hid behind the shadow of my wisdom. He also became clingy. He always wanted to control who I spent time with and talked to. He would threaten to stop talking to me if I did not adhere to his requests. I found it doubly odd. He was the kind that could end long-term friendships because of his needs. He was selfish.

The discard stage hurt. We had no quarrels or anything. He stopped talking to me. In the attempt to find out why, he said there was nothing wrong, and he wanted to move on.

It was funny that after the first few days of breaking up, he checked on me to see how I was doing. I genuinely thought he felt remorse, but it was not that. He wanted to absolve himself of guilt by acting like he cared, and also making sure I was not angry. We remained friends, but I learned valid lessons along the way.

1. He was an extremely fragile person. He exuded so much confidence, but behind the confidence was a fragile man whose ego was easily bruised, and it only took one slight to shatter him. He also had a knack for keeping grudges.
2. He also showed an exaggerated self importance. He was extremely arrogant. He claimed to have high standards, but they only existed in words and not actions. I also realized he had no standards when it came to choosing women. He preyed on the emotions of single women looking to settle down. He also had a lot of sexual escapades and loved dating women who were less likely to look for commitment.
3. I noticed he had no long-term friends. He had no one he was accountable to for his behavior. This is a red flag, because he never admitted to fault and would always find a way to blame me.
4. He was always right. He was never wrong about anything. Challenging him on anything was never a good idea.
5. Gas lighting was something I experienced, and I knew I was done. I was made to feel that anything in the relationship that went wrong was always my fault. I was walking on eggshells literally. We could go from having a cheerful and happy conversation to a full blown argument. I found myself apologizing for things I didn’t do or say just to keep the peace. In this way, I am slowly losing myself.

When you find yourself in a toxic relationship like this, it is not easy to walk away, but please do. It is for your sanity. Physical abuse is bad. Emotional abuse is deadly.

Walk away because you are worth more, you have family and friends that love you. There are beautiful people who want to come into your life and bring out the best in you. Do not deprive yourself of that opportunity by being with a narcissist.

In the long run, it takes a while to dissociate from this bond. Get the support of your friends and family, and definitely a therapist.