JEREMY Episode 5 – Moshood Avidiime
“I promise, darling, I have no idea what struck me. I can’t believe I hurt you like this. I can’t believe I let it get this far. What could you possibly have done to merit this treatment from anyone? You know me, babe. You know that I could never have done this to you with my clear eye. You understand that I could never intentionally cause you pain, much less watch you suffer. These past few hours have been the most terrible experiences of my life. I see a little bit of myself in you, baby. For the rest of my life, I will live in constant anxiety that I misplaced that crucial component due to my carelessness. I’ll never be able to fully forgive myself for this. And I’ll never lay a finger on you, ever again. I swear. My love, I sincerely apologize. I’m aware that it will be challenging, but I need you to find it in your heart. Baby, please tell me that you forgive me. I need confirmation that you recognize my lack of intent in all of these and that you accept it as true. I promise, I won’t ever again be this erratic.”
Halfway through his pleading, Jeremy started crying. I had never in my life witnessed a man sob so loudly.
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I was in excruciating pain. Without assistance, I couldn’t even sit down.
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Jeremy, the person who had caused me so much agony, was kneeling within an arm’s reach of my hospital bed.
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I was furious.
I found it incomprehensible that Jeremy would have the audacity to be in my company. I couldn’t believe he was counting on me to fall for any of his crocodile tears.
A part of me felt certain that Jeremy was merely sorry that he didn’t finish the job when he got the chance.
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“Babe, Jeremy only regrets not having killed you. I honestly believe you won’t be alive to hear another apology if this disgusting man, who is currently on his knees, is given the same chance again. Kick his poor ass out right now if you know what’s best for you. Cry over him for a couple of weeks because I know you clearly love him, and then move on.” My inner voice warned me strongly.
I attempted to talk but was unable to do so. I was no longer recognizable due to the damage Jeremy had done to my face. My face had become twice as big. As a result, I was unable to see clearly. My mouth was much larger than usual. It hurts to try anything at all.
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I eat through a straw.
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I had dislocated my arm from earlier attempts to “defy gravity,” according to X-rays.
“What would you have explained to your parents if they’d been in town?” was the single question that kept ringing over and over again in my thoughts.
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Jeremy paid all the medical bills. He made sure that all necessary tests were conducted, as required.
I continually requested that Jeremy be expelled from the hospital and not permitted to enter my room ever again, but he always managed to get in. The only other things he does are cry, beg, swear that what happened won’t ever happen again, and “repeat.”
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Thank God these occurrences took place over the holidays. As a result, no one was aware of my circumstance or that I was in the hospital. Nothing could have prepared me for the subsequent question and answer sessions.
I had already made up my mind to call in sick after the holiday and most likely request my leave. In this manner, I could then use that break to recover and perhaps return to looking decent.
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Every chance he had; Jeremy sought to atone for what he had done to me. It was the least he could do, he claimed.
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I didn’t have any visitors at the hospital other than Jeremy the entire time I was there.
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I spent a week and three days in that hospital bed. I’d come a long way in this time, healing up a storm. Without Jeremy’s knowledge, I was discharged. He had, as usual, simply gone to the hospital to see how I was doing when he realized I had left. He left me a few missed calls before ultimately arriving at my door.
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After denying him entry, I finally let him in, and he began to make a scene.
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I had just closed the door behind Jeremy when my lips were suddenly encircled by his as I turned to face him.
JEREMY Episode 6 – Moshood Avidiime
Jeremy gave me a passionate kiss. His tongue was searching for mine, slipping fast beyond my lips.
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It took me a moment to gather my composure after Jeremy had caught me off guard with this.
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Jeremy always manages to charm me with these unexpected sexual advances.
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My response came as a reflex. For a split second, I responded to Jeremy’s kisses, and I nearly lost it. I nearly caved in.
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That Jeremy knew me so well. He always knew exactly where to touch me to get me excited. I believe that was one of the reasons I was so infatuated with him.
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We found ourselves on the sofa.
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I sat up and undid my blouse after Jeremy had taken all the buttons down, showing a bra that was so translucent it was almost transparent. Jeremy and I had been locking lips up until that point.
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Jeremy’s mouth dried up at the sight of my “puppies” and at the prospect of biting them with his tongue. He was always overly animated at this point.
With a deft move, my bra was undone and dropped down beside my blouse, but this was when I realized that I shouldn’t be doing this. Not with Jeremy. Not after everything.
As though I’d just snapped out of a trance, I attempted to push Jeremy off, repeating “No! I can’t do this anymore.” But Jeremy clung to me firmly. Right now, his mouth was resting on one of my nipples, which sent me shivers of ecstasy in a way that only Jeremy could.
But I was determined to turn Jeremy down. With all my might, I pushed him off me and quickly reached for my clothes.
Jeremy didn’t try to stop me or exert any pressure on me. He stood up and watched as I put my clothes back on. At various points, he shook his head as if in profound consideration.
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“Baby. I expressed my regret. I apologize for all that took place. I didn’t intend for anything to turn out the way it did. I couldn’t have. It should have been obvious during the past few weeks. I sincerely regret and repent. I am, I swear. I understand that what I’ve done shouldn’t be forgiven as readily as I am making it seem as though I do, but because of the love we had prior to that unpleasant episode, you must find a way and a place in your heart to forgive me. You must realize that it was only a temporary slip-up on my part, one that I sincerely regret and will never allow to happen again. My heart bleeds knowing that you are unhappy with me because I love you so much, baby.”
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Jeremy approached me and encircled me with his arms.
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I shrugged him off.
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Following that, Jeremy kneeled. While he sobbed, he clung firmly to my waist.
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“Sweetheart, I’m going to remain like this until you pardon me. I’m not sure what else you want me to do to show you that I genuinely apologize. Do you want me to commit suicide? Because I am prepared to do it if that is what it takes.” Jeremy said, amidst a catarrh-streaming cry.
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My heart ached at what I saw of Jeremy. He appeared to be sincerely sorry.
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“There is no way a man could act this way and not mean anything he says na.” A voice in my head whispered, “Just forgive him joor. You sef too do.”
“You want to forgive him, abi? You want to go past what just happened and forgive this jerk, right? You do realize that the wounds he left on your body, which will take some time to heal, should be a sufficient wake-up call, abi? You see that one week and three days you spent in that hospital bed, ehn? It will be insignificant in comparison to what is to come. Next time, you’ll go into a coma and have to wonder how time flew so fast because you woke up three years later.”
“Haba! This individual did not commit a murder na. He only made a mistake. A stupid mistake. One that he is currently regretting. He is just human. He has feelings and is bound to get carried away at times if overwhelmed. Did he go too far with what he’d done? The answer is a resounding YES! But is it enough of a reason to ignore him when, aside from this one instance of weakness, he possesses many other highly admirable qualities—qualities that initially made you fall in love with him? We both realize that the answer to this is NO.” I heaved a deep sigh. “Who are you, girl, to not forgive poor Jeremy if God can pardon our sins? He apologizes. If he isn’t, he won’t be this broken.”
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I took a moment to consider all that was going through my mind. I reached for Jeremy after that. I supported him. I questioned him about his assurance that he wouldn’t touch me ever again. In response to my query, he nodded while making an effort to blot his tears with the back of his hand.
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I reached out and kissed Jeremy on the cheek.
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We’ve always had fantastic makeup sex, but this time, what came after was beyond anything I could have anticipated.
JEREMY Episode 7 – Moshood Avidiime
The following morning, I was greeted by a mouthwatering smell coming from my kitchen. It wasn’t necessary for me to spend too much time trying to figure out who might be responsible. I knew it could only have been my Jeremy.
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Prior to our little breakdown, this was more of a routine for him. Every morning, Jeremy would make me breakfast in bed and tidy up afterwards. Every time I hosted Jeremy at my house or visited him for the weekend, I eagerly anticipated these meals.
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As I previously mentioned, Jeremy is a wonderful guy when he wants to be.
Jeremy expressed to me how much he had missed “us” during breakfast that morning. He expressed his sincere wish that we could continue to be “this way” for a very, very long time.
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“I know that occasionally there may be problems, but I hope that these will be problems that we can always sit down and talk about,” Jeremy said while flashing the biggest smile I’d seen in a while.
After breakfast, Jeremy and I had “breakfast.” We engaged in a few rounds before he claimed that he had to depart for an appointment.
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While I’ve been in the hospital, Samuel has done everything he can to get in touch with me. I hadn’t answered his calls. Primarily because I was aware that he would have arrived at the hospital at the earliest opportunity if I had told him the state of mind I was in. After that, he most likely won’t want to go. I knew what being around him had caused me the last time.
Even though at the moment I was not looking forward to returning to being with Jeremy, I just wasn’t prepared for the drama that Samuel’s presence was certain to generate.
This obviously got Samuel very worried. I had been on admission for more than a week; it had been that long since I left his residence, and no one had heard from me since.
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My phone started to ring again a little while after Jeremy left my house. I felt bad when I saw Samuel’s name appear on my phone’s screen. This time, I was obliged to answer his call. I switched the phone to speaker and did as such.
Samuel sounded more concerned than irate when he realized he had left me a ton of calls and messages that had gone unanswered. When the holidays were over, he returned to work and saw that I hadn’t. He became more concerned when I was still unaccounted for a week later.
Samuel claimed to have been in my neighborhood and had repeatedly gone to the location where I had asked him to drop me off that evening in the hopes of at least running into me.
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Oh! No one in my office knows my house, not even Samuel. I took care to keep my affairs a secret from everyone, especially my female coworkers.
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I apologized to Samuel for what I felt to be my carelessness. I explained to him that I hadn’t been in town and that I had just needed that time off to get my thoughts straight, which is why I hadn’t been returning calls.
I giggled in response to Samuel’s inquiry about whether he had contributed in any way to this choice.
“Who does this man believe himself to be? Why would he have thought that he could ever be my problem, even in his wildest dreams? We are cool, I know, but not that cool. In addition, didn’t he just recently order me to remain silent in his bedroom so he might acquire a future knack? Mstcheeeeew!”
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I assured Samuel that he had nothing to do with the decision (even though, technically, he did). I informed him that my leave would end soon and that I would be reporting back to work the following Monday. He expressed his delight at learning this and his excitement for my arrival.
“You know, I’ve really missed you. I didn’t realize how much I really cared about you until I worried that I might have said or done something that might have caused you to ignore my calls and text messages. I was eager to get back to work after the holidays in the hopes that I would at least be able to see you and observe your demeanor towards me. I stayed up all night the night before work anticipating seeing you the next morning. I was quite unhappy when you didn’t arrive, but now that I have heard your voice and know that you are okay, all of that sorrow and anguish has vanished. You got me quite worried, babe…”
“…babe? Who are you on the phone with, and why is he calling you babe?” A voice that made me shudder asked.
It was Jeremy’s.
JEREMY Episode 8 – Moshood Avidiime
I sat there, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do next. I wasn’t sure if I should hang up the phone with Samuel or respond to Jeremy’s query.
I have no idea what the appropriate response would be if I decided to respond to Jeremy’s question.
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“I mean, why would Samuel even refer to me as “babe sef”? How does he define “babe”? Did he really just say “babe” as in “BABE”? Or babe, as one may refer to somebody of Eve’s gender in general?”
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I was entering and exiting mentally taxing question-and-answer sessions in those few moments.
Since Jeremy asked the question, my mouth has been open, but I have not said a word.
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I was brought back to reality by Jeremy’s “Baby, you are not answering my question,” which reminded me that Samuel was still on the line and that Jeremy was in front of me while asking me a question for which there was no correct response.
“Uhm… Ermm… I… My friend, baby. Wou… Would you mind saying hello?” My heart was racing the fastest it had ever run, yet I managed to stammer as I tried to give Jeremy the phone.
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Jeremy grinned and waved me away.
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“Inform your friend that I said hello! And would you kindly inform him that the only person who may address you as “baby” is me?” The way Jeremy spoke and the expression on his face were hard for me to read. “I had to come back for my wallet.” Jeremy said as he quickly entered the room to retrieve it.
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Jeremy kissed me good-bye as he left a little while later.
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Samuel had continued to hold the line throughout this time. We continued our conversation after Jeremy left.
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As he had alluded to, Samuel was overjoyed to see me the following Monday. I was welcomed with enthusiasm by everyone at work. It seemed like they had truly missed me. (At least, that was the front they’d all put on, even though I was more than confident that some of my female coworkers weren’t really that thrilled to see me.)
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When I wasn’t working that day, I spent the entire time responding to texts from Samuel.
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Samuel was sending me numerous amorous messages as a tease. He praised my outfit and gushed over my beauty. He said that it had taken the special grace of God for him to be able to let go of me during our previous hug.
Samuel claimed he would adore me endlessly if I were his girlfriend.
“How could anyone not? It makes sense why Jeremy keeps driving behind you, making sure that everyone who has nursing notions knows whose girl you are. You are certainly worth protecting, babe. I’m sure I’ll possibly do the same thing with a little modification if I miraculously find myself rocking your world tomorrow”.
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This was the second time Samuel would use the term “babe” to describe me.
Samuel begged that I indulge him with a dinner date. He claimed that he needed to at least know how my vacation went, and it wasn’t something we could extensively discuss over text messaging or a phone call.
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After some convincing from Samuel, I gave up and agreed to give him an hour after work.
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That evening, Samuel and I had a terrific time. This time, I made sure that I found my way home by myself.
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Never before had things been better between Jeremy and I. Since that disgusting occurrence, Jeremy has treated me like an egg. Jeremy made a conscious attempt to turn a new leaf, and while it was not simple, I could tell he was making an effort.
Jeremy and I had such a wonderful relationship that he got down on one knee and proposed to me during one of our many dates with friends.
Nobody anticipated that. Certainly not me.
The happiest times of my life were the weeks leading up to the date we’d set aside for our introduction. Never before had Jeremy been kinder. I had gotten to know his entire family, and they all seemed to be very accepting of me. The best sisters-in-law a woman could ever have were Jeremy’s sisters. They were nice and considerate, and they treated me like a sibling. Because Jeremy is the only male child in the family, they all cherish him dearly.
As intended, we had a smooth introduction. At least, that’s what I had assumed until shortly after we had all returned home, when one of my aunts muttered something to my mother. Something about my Jeremy, something that was to completely alter the course of our relationship.
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It was something my aunt had allegedly overheard from one of the people there at our introduction.
To be continued…
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