CHRISTMAS DATING
Episode 12
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It is difficult to keep faith alive when the one you truly love is dying. Hope seems so bleak when love stings you sharply. And to know that you’ll walk down the aisle with a man who is very close to his last day on earth is a thousand times colder than the high mountain of everest.
Our wedding was in February; both the traditional marriage and the white wedding happened same week. Jojo struggled through the preparations. He was becoming weaker by the day. Many nights I had to have his inhaler handy to make sure he saw the light of day.
We visited his doctor nearly twice in a week. He felt nauseous all day and most times he went to throw up in the bathroom, he almost gave his heart out. My king got so tiny and skinny I began to pray for God’s mercies every passing second.
I was afraid. So afraid. I didn’t know that fear was a being. It looked like human, my fear. It came casing after me in my dreams. It gave me sleepless nights. I saw Jojo’s face change into the face of my fear. And when he walked lazily, it seemed to overwhelm him completely.
On our wedding day he brightened up. His face was glowing. He was happy. His best man was standing by him when I walked into their room to say hello. He was Jojo’s best friend and he knew what was happening. I didn’t tell Susan because I knew she would talk me out of it.
I sat with him on the bed, threw my left arm across his left shoulder and placed my head on his right shoulder. He was still breathing heavily. He was still dying. I looked into his face and he smiled. My heart was warm. Full of love for him. I kissed him deeply and stayed.
“Jojo. Tell me the truth. Did you know about this all the while?. . .Did you know you were dying?. . . Before you met me?. . .Before you made me fall in love with you?” I asked him, sitting by his side on the sofa.
He looked into my eyes, opened his mouth and tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. His tears poured out instead. I wasn’t moved. I wanted to know the truth.
“No. . .” he whispered. His baby-boy voice was getting tinier. “I had asthma,” he continued. “And a heart to love you.”
“Will you truly leave me alone to be all by myself?” tears were in my eyes.
He looked at me and shook his head to say a no that his mouth was too heavy to say.
“Thank you. Thank you for choosing to stay. I’m happy.” I wrapped my arms around him. I felt peace within me. I took Jojo’s words to the bank. I knew whenever he said the truth, although I still doubted the authenticity of this truth about him not dying.
At the Chapel, during the wedding, I couldn’t wait to say “I do”. When I heard “In sickness and in Good health, to love and to cherish. . .” I smiled. I knew I would stay with Jojo through his sick days. I knew I was going nowhere. I knew that he was now my responsibility. So I told the priest the truth. Nothing but the truth — “I do”.
Energy from God-knows-where enveloped Jojo. He was the happiest man on earth on our wedding day. His smile gave me hope and courage. He kept whispering a thank you in my ear throughout the reception.
He told me a story that made me laugh until I began to feel like my ribs were broken.
He and his late younger sister had gone to a wedding ceremony with his mother when they were younger. His mother asked them not to accept anything from anybody except the ones she gave them.
You know children. They will always be children. They were given extra chicken while mother was away. They quickly ate the chicken so that she wouldn’t notice. The last chunk were in their mouth when she returned from easing herself.
“What are you eating?” she asked them.
They couldn’t answer because their mouths were full. Mother nodded her head and sat down. It was at home the matter was treated in an African Mother’s grand style. Dr. Do Good and what we call “gbas-gbos” in the Nigerian coinage 🤣
I watched mother dance through the crowd and imagined her disciplining my Sweet Jojo when he was much younger.
Our wedding night was memorable. Yeah. I know you think we did the real thing before our wedding night. But I’m sorry to disappoint you.
Jojo waited. We kissed and hugged and played around while dating. But the real big thing happened on our wedding night. And boy, Jojo was good, sweet. He was supposed to bear the name Sugar 😋
The next morning we landed in the hospital. He had worked himself up. He was completely down. I was afraid of losing him just a day after our wedding. He was admitted on a permanent note. His condition needed critical follow up.
Cold nights. Lonely moments. Illness. His heavy breathing. His quavering voice. My entire hope and love life. They were in one room. In a hospital room. Everything that meant the entire universe to me was in that same room. My Shakespeare was breathing in his last sparing moments.
I sat by his side when he woke up. His eyes still begged for more sleep. I kissed him and showed him my beautiful ring. He smiled and said a thank you that seemed to have been carried away in a strong wind. He tried to stay awake. He seemed to miss me. And I missed him so much, too.
“Sugar. . .” his voice was not too tiny but not loud.
“Hey Sweetie. You’re awake.”
“I miss you.” he said.
“I can’t wait to see you back on your feet.” I was teary.
“I’ll be fine.” He had said that a thousand times. And I believed him Everytime.
“Will you leave me? I mean, will you go beyond the sky?” I was crying.
“No,” he said. “No, Sugar. I will stay with you. I will play with your hair,” he reached out for my hair, I bended towards him and he caressed it to his satisfaction. He was too weak to talk. But I wanted to hear more of his voice before he slept again.
“And we’ll make babies,” I said, still crying.
“Four of them,” he sounded promising. He smiled, he giggled.
“No, ten is better.” I joked and laughed.
“And the one in your womb will be a girl.” he said that as if I was already pregnant.
“I bet you, he’s a big boy like you.” I said. I was enjoying the conversation.
His eyes were taking him back to the land of his sleep. His medications were strong. He needed plenty of rest and easiness from his pains.
“I love you,” he said, holding my hand tightly as he slept off.
“I love you a million times more. And I will love you till many days after forever.” I replied amidst tears and wishes.
His clock was fast ticking. It was faster than mine. Faster than every other clock in the world.
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— Michael Ituma
Hmmmmm😢😢😢😢😢 God have mercy