MAYBE A TALK
"Angel," Leniey's statement, or rather call, brought me back from my thoughts. Kelvin was seated on Leniey's couch, and it seemed like he was drinking something. I looked at Leniey, and it seemed he was suggesting I join Kelvin on the couch; judging from the way his face looked at me and the coach just opposite Kelvin. 'Great, now we have some sort of family gathering,' I told myself as I headed towards one of the sofas ignoring where Leniey was standing, as I heard him switch off the talking or maybe according to him, in regard to his reaction, the disturbing television. I hope Leniey wasn't thinking of giving us some random pep talk on how to run our lives or some sort of advice. One thing I hated most in this world was someone giving me unsolicited advice. Leniey wasn't great at relationships either, but I still wanted to hear what he had in mind; especially in regard to me, and what Kelvin had done to me, would he ask me to forgive him? But Leniey was never the type of dude to indulge himself into couples problems, even with his friends, he was used to leaving them settle their disputes. He had left for his kitchen and returned carrying three cups of what appeared to be water or something on his luxurious tray. He was treating us more like a parent, and it even felt awkward, especially considering the crazy ideas I had about him and everything. He had certainly changed from his days back in campus. I hadn't spent much time with him, but despite that, I felt like I knew almost everything about him. However, I guss he had somehow changed all my views of him… he was a kid,…maybe that is the word he would tell me.
He cleared his throat and started, "Yesterday was a rough day. Please drink up, guys." Leniey's statement was quite firm, which made me grab the drink and start sipping. It somehow felt like a scene from a movie where the main character does something extraordinary to save a relationship or something similar. What I didn't understand was why he had switched off the talking television. Now I had to keep myself busy with anything, and I so much especially, tried not to focus on Kelvin, who hadn't taken his eyes off me in this apartment's living room, since I entered and sat opposite to him. Even now, he was looking at me with wide eyes as he sipped his drink. I felt like he was intruding on my thoughts. I wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but one thing he should be sure of was that I wasn't ready to let the ship continue sailing after all that humiliation. I had ignored his cheating mistake with that blonde because I felt I was no better, and somehow I also had cheated on him, with this Leniey, and I hadnot even told him anything about it. About the Leniey he was adversely jealous about, he had found it in his heart to forgive me after that incident I grabbed my phone from his grip, a guy he didn't even know,,, he just forgave me. God help if one day he realized that the man sitting here, lazily drinking his drink, was Leniey… now that Leniey,,, the cause of all these problems. Silence settled in the house, all that could be heard was the clicking of glasses and the little sips. So I decide to indulge into my thoughts a little while… 'In all conscience, going back to him? No. I wasn't sure who the next person he might humiliate me with would be. Thank God it was Leniey and not someone who adored me or someone who had little to no knowledge of me. Maybe Leniey adored me, which I wasn't quite sure of, but having someone else develop a different version of me just because my boyfriend told them would be the end of me. Sometimes rumors spread quickly, and the last thing a woman wants is a rumor about her private life—sex, love, and relationships—whether it's true or not. If speaking about me gave him a sense of dominance or control over me, he was wrong. People sometimes do that to manipulate others, to make them their puppets, to do what they want, to become their little skylarks—puppets who don't realize they're being manipulated by anyone. Thank God I had taken psychology classes before, years back. Maybe today I would be questioning my entire existence if I hadn't rethought this through and reached some real-time personal therapy and conclusions.
"How is the little refreshing, sweet dazzling concoction you all are drinking?" Leniey asked. Was Leniey really trying to do this, to make us some of his first therapy students? Oh my God. I just looked at him with a look that said, 'What the heck do you think you're doing?'
"I want all of you to forget, or rather, assume everything that happened yesterday," he started, which made everyone nod. Now Kelvin's eyes, gaze, and, I'm sure, his mind were fixed on Leniey's words. He clearly adored him. Of course, who wouldn't? Leniey was the door, the only door,,… not my door, but his door.. his door into a much more clearer and efficient future,.. to in simple terms, enter into a much greater world—the world of modeling.
My phone's ringing, with its round ringtone, startled everyone from their focus. I checked and saw it was Eva. Thank God she called; I wasn't ready for more talking. With that, I left the living room for the balcony, whispering something simple like, "It's important." I wanted them to understand, especially Leniey, that I didn't find his actions creepy, weird, or stupid. Of course, it wasn't stupid. I knew he was doing all this to help us cool our nerves. But every time I looked at Leniey, I saw that campus boy, that campus man who didn't even glimpse into the future, who never saw past Friday night, who never took anything other than his music seriously. I saw him all the time, and most times, my eyes welled up with tears, with just a little remembrance of him. He seemed to have changed, changed in many ways, some I didn't even know. I wasn't even sure if I had changed as much as he had. But now, he embraced life through another lens. His mystery was still there, but he was like a puzzle with different pieces to be filled in.
"Hello, hey," Eva said as I responded quickly, pushing aside my thoughts of Leniey.
"Girl... where are you???? Kelvin called me like twenty times, telling me to call you," she added.
"What? Kelvin?" I replied.
"Yes, he said you were drunk and suddenly left. Where are you?"
"I'm okay, Eva. We're together."
"Did you two have another fight?"
"Yeah... he said a lot of things. A lot... I can't even tell you all of them over the phone."
"Was he violent?"
"No, he just called me some names... felt bad. God, Eva, you're making me emotional again."
"Hey... it's okay. Where are you at? I can come to pick you up."
"We're in London."
"Not at Leniey's, right? He's at the center of all this? You know he likes you."
"It's kind of... we're all at his place, but Kelvin doesn't know yet, you know. If he knew..."
"Nah... he shouldn't. If he found out, he'd probably lose it. He's not as sweet as you think. I've always told you that. All men act sweet because they want something, and afterward, they'll treat you the way they want. Preserve your energy, girl. You know what? This is just a phase. It shall pass."
Afterwards, we talked about radio stations. Some great radio station had shown interest in me, not just to host real talk but also because they thought my voice was fitting for a television and radio personality. I was given the role of co-hosting songs, and Eva gave me some random advice. She told me to try and stay away from both of these men, as they could influence my career, but not necessarily in a positive way. Kelvin had helped me with my books, which I greatly appreciated. Leniey and I hadn't spoken much about our work; it seemed we both wanted to do our own things during the day, we never really talked about work, he never asked much about my past.., my education. He never tried to catch up with me as much as I wanted to know a lot of things about him, he never asked me much. Am not even sure he knows I ever wrote a book, am not even sure he knows why I ditched my psychology class. In the evening, or rather later in the day when we would chat or text, family was all that mattered, or just simple greetings and asking about our day, which of course would be followed by something like 'good' or 'crazy'.
I rejoined the boys, who seemed to be engrossed in a conversation. I wasn't sure when they had started, but their glasses were empty, and mine was halfway gone. I sat up, and for the first time, both men looked at me simultaneously. It suddenly made me nervous, especially when I looked at Kelvin, whose gaze appeared intense, and I wasn't sure why. I almost wanted to say, "I'm not doing this," not almost, but literally wanted to say it, for I was barely feeling anything. My heart was clenched, and I hated the way they both were making me feel—uncomfortable was the word I would use to explain this feeling.