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Writer's pictureOfure Ogbidi

MELTING HEART



I stared into the eyes of the male I'd come to cherish and felt my emotions play a game of tag—weariness tapped betrayal hard and tried to move away quickly, as the latter set on reaching it once more, moved through the interior of my heart with a swiftness that shocked me.


Yet even as I gazed into those eyes that tried to look innocent and doe-eyed, I knew deep down, that this was a battle of wills, and I would not be defeated and made a mockery of by anyone—regardless of how handsome or beguiling they looked.


Oh, no. This had gone on long enough. And today, I was going to put an end to it.


I had been giving my beloved my complete and undivided attention, and It didn't consider it fair that he shared himself with others. The first time we'd met, he had gazed at me like I was special. He'd been so easy to notice in the room. In fact, he hadn't just been easy to notice—he had stood out in every way! I would lie if I said his physical features weren't what had caught my attention at first. His smooth skin had glowed and looked too soft to be real. I had never imagined it was possible for anyone to look that good. His hair had curled in the most adorable way, and when he had flashed a smile at me, I seemed to develop palpitations. His smile was so disarming, and it had drawn my attention from his bright eyes, down to his perfectly shaped lips—they glistened and looked so plump and soft; almost too soft for a male. I'd quickly looked away so he wouldn't wonder what had caught my adoring stare. That aforementioned smile had been my undoing, and it was what was still making me struggle even at this very moment as I looked at the person who had betrayed my trust.


I gazed longingly once more at a face that boasted of a flawless skin, pink lips and earnest eyes and wondered how I could have been wrong about him. He had looked so sincere, and I had really believed him. I only realised now how he had never actually told me in any way that we were exclusive—that we were an 'item'. Still, I'd let myself fall for him. After all, weren't actions meant to speak louder than words? But it seemed I'd been wrong, because the actions I'd witnessed moments ago—his actions—made me think otherwise.


He had been receiving kisses from another lady—an older lady! He'd always seemed to like them. I remembered then how his eyes always looked warmer around older women. I'd chalked it all up as an over-brimming sense of paranoia on my end, but I guess I'd been right. Thoughts along the line of "I can't believe this!", coated thickly in subconscious panic, seemed to stick to the walls of my heart.


How could he have done this to me? How many people had he been with before me? How many others would he meet after me?


He'd made me feel so naive to have thought it'd be just us. And still, here he was before me—laughing with his beautiful eyes alight—no, not beautiful; betraying eyes. That's what they were! What cheek!


I closed my own in dismissal, thoroughly intent on ending this battle of wills and this revolving cycle of large, sandpaper eyes and defence-removing smiles with one final gesture. I opened them once more, ready to give him a piece of my mind, a smart and hard retort on my lips. But all that smoothly came to a halt as my breath caught sharply at the sight before Me—my beloved baby cousin, in all his seven-month old glory, was giggling beautifully.


The sound was foreign, unique and just like him—happy, fresh and cute. I struggled hard to keep my (totally unfounded and slightly amused) anger simmering and reigned in, but all efforts failed woefully as indignation flew out the window and was heavily replaced with a feeling so tender and overpowering, I couldn't help but glare in frustration at the oblivious, wide-eyed source. He looked so cute and cuddly! And when with his pudgy arms outstretched, he placed both of his hands in one of mine, I knew I was done for. The mind-blowing cuteness of a seven-month old baby had done in my 'righteous' anger and stubborn will. And he seemed to realise his state of victory because his giggles turned into louder, heartwarming squeals of delight.



Sighing and grumbling to myself as inner-me bemoaned my complete lack of 'toughness', I finally gave into his unspoken but very evident request and my barely-suppressed desire to carry him. Lifting him out of his cot, I held the little munchkin close to my chest and felt my heart constrict tightly when little, cooing murmurs slipped out of his tiny mouth. Was it any wonder the older ladies couldn't stop kissing his huge cheeks and pouting lips? I found it hard to blame him anymore. I mean, if I had a bevy of ladies at my beck and call, I'd want to hog the spotlight too. The little guy was so cute he had almost a hundred fangirls (and counting).


Letting my fingers run through his baby-soft, curly hair, I sighed deeply again. It must be quite trying being the center of attraction as a professional attention-hogger… not! With that thought in mind, I smiled and then winced as he played with the strands of my hair, tugging at them lightly with his little fingers as he made indecipherable baby-babbles, and we walked to the sitting room—well, more like I walked, and he enjoyed the free ride.


I mean, sure other ladies got to kiss and cuddle him too, but only I got the pleasure of picking him out from his cot the moment he woke up. And that, my friends, gave me a heightened, petty feeling of smug superiority. Entering into the living room to hand him over to his waiting mom and watching him settle himself in the crook of her arms as he smiled at her gaily, I grinned devilishly inside my head.


I guess being his babysitter-slash-older cousin did have its perks.



#Baby tales_fiction.

 

Author's note:

Hey everyone! So this is me—baby in arms (literally now), very early on a Sunday morning—trying to pretend I hadn't just tried to trick you into thinking that the story written above hadn't been about a baby. I really do hope you were pleasantly surprised and that it brought as many smiles to your faces as it did mine while I wrote it. I've been around a baby the hese past days and he inspired this latest post—a whole lot.


Now, on another, more personal note—as I wrote about this at first, I had no idea I'd be putting it up here on my blog. Honestly speaking, I felt this blog already had a tone—inspirational and purposeful with no room for literal dilly-dallies. And for some reason, I'd felt like posting this up here was just that—an indecisive, time wasting scheme to fill in my quota for the week. But Daddy (God the Father...wink) was quick to correct me on that.


Now personally I know that this blog is an extension of God's self. First to me the Writer-slash-Channel—because it opens my eyes to see life through a lens I'd never once stopped to notice—and also to you the readers. And sometimes, He chooses to remind us of that in very unexpected ways—that He's in every thought, in every action. His presence truly permeates every facet of our lives—every line of our story—and He wants us to see that.


So, whether we're losing in staring contests with babies or getting our hearts broken (comically or tragically) in our mental tussles with loved ones, He wants us to remember that He is there—watching, actively encouraging, empowering us and causing us to see things a little more differently and clearly each time, and even throwing in His own reactions and heart expressions into the mix at every opportunity that arises.


He loves to be with us! And He takes pleasure in bringing us to the consciousness of that fact—that He's with us; helping us out when we're doing basic things like trying to soothe an uncomfortable baby or by giving us an idea on what to cook when the options look slim. His presence in our lives is unmistakable. His personal touch—though sometimes unexpected—very evident.


You are loved and well cared for—He makes sure of this. Rest assured.

 

*This week's shout-out goes out to David and Elect. You both bring me joy and constant support in ways I can't explain. Friends like you are worth your weight in gold!

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1 Comment


Jessica Anizor
Jessica Anizor
Aug 30, 2020

This made me smile 😇

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