CHAPTER NINETEEN

Linda a lady of great beauty and elegance

who has been hung up on Josh for a

while now, takes in a deep breath as

she walks out of the airport and feels

the heat of the sun warm its way

through her skin.

Josh, I am back for good and if you

think that you can do away with me,

then you are a joker because I am going

nowhere. I have been disappointed

enough for one lifetime and I won't take

a no for an answer after meeting a guy

whose family accepts me.

The chauffeur arrived and Linda enters

the car. While sitting in the car, she had

a flashback of the day she met Josh's

father. On that day she crashed her car

into a pillar because she wanted to end

her life and end it all. She can't believe

it's been six months already since she

tried to end her life. 

The whole story started with her first

love Mike who broke her heart at twenty.

On that fateful day, she visited Mike to

surprise him because it was his

birthday and she had told him earlier

that she wouldn't be able to make it

back home on that day as she pleaded

with him to forgive her absence. Mike

sounded understanding on the phone

and told her it was no big deal. She and

Mike have been dating since she was

seventeen years old and Michael was

twenty. They met at a dinner that was

organized by her family which Mike and

his family attended. Since then, the

two of them have been inseparable

and most times she even had dreams

of having Mike's children when she

becomes an adult and gets married to him.

She walks into Mike's apartment with

a cake and a saxophonist to play him a

Happy Birthday song. It was indeed a

memorable day since that was the day

that her three years relationship ended.

She walked in on Mike and Tamara his

stepsister having sex on the couch. The

cake Linda was holding fell off her hands

as she screamed Mike!!!! After Linda

witnessed that disgusting sight, she ran

out of the apartment and into her car as

she drove off and kept driving mindlessly

without minding where she was driving to.

She was heartbroken as she never

believed that Mike could cheat on her

that way and she was also embarrassed

that the saxophonist witnessed that

scene which made her appear pathetic.

While she was grieving her heart out, her

friend Tola became a shoulder to lean on.

He became very close to her and made

her very dependent on him that she

almost couldn't do anything without his

approval. She began a relationship with

Tola without being completely healed

from her heartbreak with Mike and two

years into her relationship with Tola,

it happened again.

Someone sent her a picture of Tola and

an older woman entering a hotel. At first,

she didn't want to go there because

she felt the woman might just be a

client and he's having a harmless

meeting with her at the hotel, but

curiosity got the better part of her as

she decided to go. She got there but

never entered the hotel as she stayed

inside the car at the parking lot waiting

for Tola to come outside because she

knows he will definitely come home

tonight. She was about to leave after

waiting for over two hours as she

began to scold herself for believing

that Tola would cheat on her and not

even with a younger person, but an

older woman when she suddenly saw

them come outside the hotel.

They stood close to his car discussing

something she couldn't hear because

she was not very close to them and

when Tola was about to enter his car,

he kissed the woman and hugged her,

and when she turned around to leave

his smacked her ass then she giggled

like a teenager. Linda began to shed

tears after seeing that little display of

affection between the two of them.

She stayed there and cried for a while

before driving her car home. She got

home broken and sad but tried her

best not to show any of her pain. By the

time she entered her apartment, Tola

has prepared dinner already as he

hugged her and welcomed her.

You came back quite late today, was

work stressful? Linda only nodded her

head because if she opens her mouth

to talk, she will start crying again.

Darling, I have prepared dinner already

so you don't need to worry. All you just

need to do is go up there, freshen up,

come down, and have dinner. She

looked at him after hearing those

words from him and felt he really

had guts. How can he still call her

darling after what she has seen today? 

That night Tola told her that he will be

traveling for a week because they got

a new investor and the company has

chosen him among and three other

members of staff to go for a particular

training. She pretended to be happy

for him and asked him when he will be

leaving. He replied that he will leave in

the morning. Linda knew that he was

going for no training but to stay with

his older lover at the hotel. The next

day, she bid him farewell like a normal

couple in a relationship would and told

him she will miss him but later that

night, she went to the hotel and made

sure she got a room upstairs. After

settling in, the next morning she

stationed herself by her door which

she left slightly opened and kept

peeping out at every slight sound

because she wanted to see the door

that Tola will step out of in the morning

when going to work.

In an hour her patience paid off as she

saw him stepping out of room 206 and

she said tonight, we will know what is

happening in that room. Throughout the

day, Linda did not step out of her hotel

room and only ordered room service

once because she lost her appetite for

food. She waited until 9:30 that night

before going to knock on the door of

room 206 and when the door opened,

it was no other person but Tola who

opened the door. As the door opened,

she forced her way into the room and

saw the older woman who was half-naked.

Linda laughed so much that even she

could not tell if that was her laughing

or crying.

She looked at the older woman as she

said your lover here is my boyfriend and

I traced him down here the day before

yesterday. She turns to Tola and said

after all the love that I have shown you,

so this is how you pay me back with

betrayal and lies. Tola could say nothing

as he was looking at the two women

standing in the room. The older woman

walked up to Linda and said, him being

my lover doesn't stop him from being

your boyfriend. I only want a part of

him and not all of him so you can have

him back when he's done with me at

the hotel. Linda was in so much pain

after hearing this word that she said

this young man here can even be your

son. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? 

 She walked back into her room, picked

up her bag, and checked out of the hotel.

The next morning, Tola came back to

the house and she told him to pick up

his things and get out because she

has already packed up his belongings

for him before he got back. He picked

up his belongings and did not even

apologize before walking out rather he

slams the door on his way out. Linda

could not believe that that was the

man she once depended on. The man

who brought her from the brink of

destruction after Mike cheated on her.

And so her two years relationship with

Tola ended.

She decided to stay away from

relationships as they have brought

her nothing but pain. But fate wouldn't

let her be as it brought Tobi her way.

At first, she was skeptical about

accepting Tobi. But Tobi looked different

and it's been a year already since her

breakup from Tola so she felt that she

could start again with Toby and hopes

this time around it goes well. Tobi was

a man of principles. He was faithful,

loving, and caring. He was everything

a woman could ever dream of. Tobi loved

Linda and even she could tell. Tobi was

a soldier and Linda was always looking

forward to the day he comes back home

from deployment. She and Tobi were in a

 relationship for five years and he has

always respected her decision to stay

celibate until the day she gets married.

Linda's life took a drastic turn the

afternoon she was called and given the

saddest news of her life which shattered

her into a million pieces and she wanted

to end her life. She was told that she will

never see Tobi again because he has

become a fallen hero. Linda's greatest

fear has finally come true. She wailed

and wished that they were mistaken that

Tobi was still alive and not dead but she

has to face reality because Tobi was

dead. She shouted Tobi you promised

to come back alive. Have you forgotten

all the promises you made to me? How

about those three kids we agreed to

have? How am I supposed to have

them? Tobi do you hate me so much

that you had to leave me in despair?

She kept crying and calling his name

as she sat on the floor devastated.

The other soldiers around were trying

to comfort her but Linda refused to be

comforted. A female soldier walks up

to her and told her that Tobi knew

what he was getting into when he

enlisted in the army. Do you think he

will be happy seeing you like this? Why

don't you get up and pull yourself

together and be consoled by the

thought that he died a hero?

I would rather he became a coward

and lived than die a hero Linda shouted.

The lady walked up to her and gave her

a ring and she said Toby wanted you

to have this and he said to tell you that

he loves you and you should be happy.

He said you should start your life with

someone else have those children with

that person and be happy with him. How

does Toby expect me to be happy? I

don't want someone else, I want only

him Linda kept saying while she cried.

She ran out, got into her car, and started

driving mindlessly until she crashed

into a pillar because the only thing on

her mind was to follow Tobi wherever

he went. She couldn't live without him.

He was the only man who has ever truly

loved her and she couldn't just let go as

she has decided to end it all. She kept

asking herself why it wasn't those who

cheated her in love that died. She hated

everyone and life. She hated life for how

it has treated her because it was almost

like life never wanted her to be happy.

The only man who loved her and gave

her joy and peace, life just had to take

him away from her because it couldn't

bear to see her happy as usual.

She woke up in the hospital three weeks

after the accident hoping to see Tobi

but was disappointed to realize that she

was still alive as she promised herself

that she will make it a mission to end

her life no matter how much anyone

tries to save her. She must see her Tobi

again and this time, she won't let him go.

This time she will hold on to him and

wherever he wants to go, they will go

together.

 The man who saved her from that

accident tried his best to get her out

of depression and had a lengthy

conversation with her about how we

don't sit and expect fate to rule our lives,

rather we take from life what we want.

This man kept coming to visit Linda even

after she was discharged from the

hospital, he kept coming to her house to

make sure that she was okay and not

trying to kill herself again. He made her

go out and go for therapy also. He did

everything in his power to make her want

to live again. He became her only

support when she had nobody. Not even

her family was there for her at that

critical moment because everyone felt

she was a strong woman so she will

pull through.

Six months after Tobi's death and

Linda's accident, she decided to live

her life again but never to fall in love

with any man as love has decided to

bring her nothing but pain and despair.

She got very close to the man who saved

her life and they had very lengthy

conversations most times about their

lives and families and that was when

she got to know that the man has a son

who is also a doctor and his name is

Joshua. The man mentioned something

about his son having a different kind of

taste when it comes to lovemaking with

women which got Linda curious. The

way the man spoke about his son, it

was obvious that he loves his son so

much that he couldn't watch his son

remain single for the rest of his life.

This man made Linda understand that

he sees her as the daughter he never

had. He told her that he is doing all of

these for her with the hope that someday,

someone will also do the same for his

son. He told Linda to never let people's

actions or what they say put her down

and he got her many jobs to keep her

busy as she is an architect. Linda is at

the peak of her career today, all thanks

to this man who devoted his time to

saving her life and bringing her back

to who she was. He told her it is not

necessary for her to fall in love again

but she can fulfill Tobi's wish by getting

married to a decent man and having a

family that will keep her company in her

old age. He told her he would like her to

meet his son but he also made her

understand that it won't be easy getting

along with his son as his son might

never want to accept her because he

hates commitments. After everything

that this man has done for Linda, she

decided to take up the challenge, and

the first thing she decided to give away

when she met his son Joshua was her

virginity. Now after everything that she

has been through, Joshua also wants

to dump her. She will like to see him try

because this time around, she takes

what she wants from life and not sit

around to watch life offer it to her on a

platter of gold.