A VALENTINE Special!

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I walked into the self-contain apartment I was sharing with my friend Cynthia, making sure to properly place my shoes side by side, at the base of the threshold (Cynthia hated it when people kept their things haphazardly, and I quickly picked up the habit as well).

I'd barely entered into the room (because to me that's what the whole place was—a slightly-bigger-than-normal room demarcated into sections by walls) when I spotted the huge pink box sitting innocently on our shared table. Groaning out loud, I stomped towards it, trying to make it combust from the force of my glare. Obviously, it didn't work. But it at least passed the message across to my roomie—I was not pleased.

She looked at me with something that I'd have taken for extreme disgust, if I didn't already know her. Her eyebrows were scrunched together just so, and her lips were curled up into a snarl that she still somehow found a way to make attractive. That was Cynthia for you—the unintentional man-slayer.

"Na wa oh!" Cynthia said, clapping her hands dramatically, in the way only your Nigerian best-friend cum roommate cum personal cheerleader could.

"You're the only human being who would frown upon seeing such a lovely gift. The only human being! Shey whenever I say you're weird, you'd deny? See proof now!"

I knew she was kidding sha. Cynthia had her own weird way of showing love—it involved a healthy dose of sarcasm and unbidden physical touch (the touch included mostly punches to the shoulders or her pinching my cheeks—things she claimed she got from her brother and mother—then there were the occasional hugs. But those were on very good days, like when she got unexpected alerts).

Still, I let a growl slip pass my lips again. What was Deji thinking sending me a gift all the way from Kano? And I just knew this hadn't been way-billed by the normal bus. He would never settle for something like that.

"But seriously oh, who's the guy? I'd wanted to check oh, but my conscience didn't let me. Though, judging from the charming snarl on your face, I can safely assume it's from that Deji guy, shey?" she asked. Her face now in a look that tried to scream innocent intrigue.

But I knew better. No good gist could ever pass by Cynthia. It was a good thing she kept her lips just as tight as her grip on information though. She was one of those people who'd rather die than tattletale. Okay, maybe that was a bit extreme, but you get my point.

"My sister, I'm tired!" I complained. "I've told him countless times that I'm not interested naw. I don't want! Yet he keeps sending things like this. And when I'll call him now to complain, he'll tell me he refuses to take them back," I said. My voice reducing to a low grumble.

"And you're complaining because?" Cynthia's asked again, like I hadn't just spoken, one eyebrow dramatically lifted for effect.

"I'm complaining because I have a fiancé, Cynthia. You know that naw. And I don't feel comfortable receiving gifts from a man, whom I've clearly told I'm engaged, over and over again, in his tireless bid to woo me."

"Not that we'll ever understand why… " Cynthia mock-muttered under her breath, a sly smile on her face.

At that, I threw a purple teddy—a gift from Deji as well, that I'd never used but hung by its ears on the wall—at her, letting out an exasperated giggle in the process.

"I'm just wondering naw. What did the guy see in you? No offence babe, but he's been chasing you for more than a year now oh. More than a year! That's more than a year of, "Thank you, Deji. I'm flattered and all, but really, I'm engaged and I don't like this," she said, mimicking my accent perfectly, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

I playfully made a show of looking around for more items to stone her with. But she was right, and I was very bothered as well.

I'd met Deji during my youth service, while in Kano. We'd hit off as friends right away. And though I'd wasted no time in telling him that I was already engaged to my heartthrob, he'd taken it all with a smile, and said something along the line of, "we're just friends naw".

Just friends indeed. "Just friends" didn't send their obviously engaged and very-much-in-love friend of the opposite gender, boxes upon boxes of gifts every month, "just because"—and each one with a note attached that was slathered with romantic undertones too. It's a good thing my Raphael was a patient man. But even the most patient of men would find Deji's blatant flirting through gifts annoying. Because of that, I'd taken to no longer informing him about the gifts—I'd used to before, but the day Cynthia found out, she'd looked at me like I had eggs for brains and sighed in that loud, long-suffering manner of hers.

"Don't make him feel insecure," was all she said. But I never got it. Raphael was the most secure man I'd ever met. It was one of the things I really loved about him—how he never let the achievements of others pressure him into tight corners or bouts of depression; which was a far cry from my own nature.

Even before we'd gotten engaged, I'd always admired him for so many things, and this was almost at the very top of the list. All this blow quick mindset that was making people place unnecessary pressure on themselves everywhere was very tiring.

But I'd stuck with Cynthia's advice, cos while I'd never admit it out loud, she was more knowledgeable in these matters than I was.

But that was not the issue now. The issue was this pink monstrosity sitting upon our desk. I considered just leaving it there, like I'd done with the teddy, but curiosity got the better of me. And as I unwrapped the obviously professionally-wrapped gift box, I internally marvelled at the sheer luxuriousness of Deji's gifts. Noticing the direction of my thoughts, I quickly called myself back to order. It didn't matter what gifts he sent, I was deeply in love with Raphael, and that was that.

Unfortunately and to my great shame, my fervent thoughts all but sputtered to a shocked stop as I finally saw what he had sent to me as the latest "gift". Cynthia of course, who had already been peeping into the box over my shoulder—curse her slightly taller, five-foot-eight frame—let out a loud, unladylike whistle.

"Na wa oh. Babe, your hook catch sha. If I didn't love Raphael to death, I'd have been pushing for this Deji guy as well."

I looked at her, trying to shove down the emotions I felt as I took note of the iPhone, Hard-copy Francine Rivers novels, and the well-crafted frame that all sat innocently at the bottom of the gift box, on top of what looked like red satin (I didn't want to believe he used silk. I just didn't want to).

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Cynthia's POV

I stared at Sonia as I watched her struggle with her emotions. She'd wanted a phone for weeks now, after her former one fell into water, and she was a sucker for anything Francine Rivers—anyone who even so much as viewed her status updates on whatsapp would know that. And it seemed Deji had really done his research.

The guy was good.

As I thought of this though, I felt really bad for Raphael. I mean he was sweet and all, but Deji seemed to be both thoughtful and rich. It was a wonder Sonia had resisted him for this long. Me I sha knew I might have already given up to be swallowed by money man, if I were the one. At that thought, I silently let out a shotgun prayer of thanks to God that it wasn't me.

Baby couldn't deal.

All of a sudden—shocking me out of my internal monologue—I saw Sonia open her eyes, which had been closed shut in contemplation, lift the cover of the gift box from the table, set it over the box, close it in smooth, sure motions, wrap it back up, and place a call through to someone.

Uh oh… she has her, "I am determined" face on, I thought.

And indeed, mama was determined.

It was clear her call had gone through, because she began speaking in a clear, but solemn voice.

"Good afternoon, Deji. Yes, I got your gifts. Thank you," there was a slight pause and then,

"But that's not why I called. I called to inform you that I'd be returning your gifts, and you should expect them."

"No, you haven't done anything to offend me. I just don't feel it's right, and I believe it's something I should have done a long time ago. Goodbye Deji."

And somehow, I sensed the finality in those last words of hers to him. I'd known Sonia enough to know that that wasn't just a phone call "goodbye". Whatever her reason, she'd just told the guy goodbye for good. And knowing her, she'd give me an explanation soon.

So, I waited.

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Sonia's POV

I could practically feel Cynthia's eyes on me as I spoke with Deji. I had to block her out as I tried to pay attention to the voice on the other side of the call.

"Cynthia…" he was saying, his voice near-pleading.

"I'm sorry if the gifts offended you. I only wanted to show my care, as I knew you were in need of a phone," he said, trying to pacify me, like he knew where my thoughts were heading.

I was going through a mental struggle right now. The truth was, I really admired Deji. He was soft-spoken and very caring. Not to mention he was doing so well at what he did. I also couldn't deny that I felt flattered at the way he had incessantly pursued me.

And that was the problem.

Anytime he sent a gift or called, he made me wonder and question things. And recently, I'd felt my convictions about my fiance shake more than it ever had. I'd tried to ignore the elephant in the room, but the truth was that the more phone calls and thoughtful text messages came in, the more I compared him with Raphael and questioned, "what if?"

Something I would never have done a year ago. Something that had become a frequent thought over the last month. And now that I knew the reason, I would be lying to myself if I didn't nip it in the bud.

Father, help me. I prayed.

I'd always been sure of Raphael. With him, I felt the assurance of a bright future and God's steady support behind us. With Deji though, all I had was the fond admiration and the proud pleasure that filled my chest whenever people wrongly assumed we were dating. I'd deny fervently, but inside, I'd bloom with a weird sense of satisfaction that this guy was chasing after me, in spite of the fact that I was engaged.

In spite of the fact that I was engaged.

Suddenly, it became clear to me. I had to pick one person, and stick with him. The issue of unfaithfulness and how it occurred was suddenly clear to me. Very few people started out unfaithful. It was letting a seed that shouldn't have survived after the first day, germinate, that led to it.

The thoughts led to questions, the questions to comparisons, and comparisons to actions that resulted in infidelity.

Then and there, I promised myself and God I wouldn't walk down that path.

There was nothing wrong with Deji. But if I was going to stick to Raphael, then I should do so completely. If not, then I should also be clear on that. With that settled, I uttered my personal decision.

"No, you haven't done anything to offend me. I just don't feel it's right, and I believe it's something I should have done a long time ago. Goodbye Deji."

And with those final words, I hung up.

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Author's note:

Hello everyone!

So… what were our thoughts?

Do we agree with Sonia's decision?

Do we feel the action she took was too drastic?

What would you have done in her situation?

Have you ever been in a similar case, or are you in one now?

Has this fiction spurred you to think differently?

How do you feel this relates to our relationship with God and the world?

I'd LOVE to get reviews from us. God bless us all!

Till next time!

Ofure Angela Ogbidi