JEREMY (True Life Story) Episode 1 – Moshood Avidiime
Jeremy was nearly everything I wanted in a man. He embodied a “Yoruba demon”. He was dark, very bearded, handsome, broad-chested, sweet, kind, caring, funny, but overly protective.
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Jeremy’s over protectiveness soon developed into possessiveness.
Jeremy would always want to be around me, choking the life out of me with his presence. He would never even want me to be friends with someone of my gender; talk more about that gender that betrayed Jesus.
Everywhere I turned, there was Jeremy.
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Just to be sure I was where I said I was, Jeremy would ask to talk with anyone whose voice he overheard on our phone call.
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These were all initially sweet before becoming unpleasant.
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On more than one occasion, I’ve had to sit Jeremy down and let him know that “these acts” were not healthy for the kind of relationship we were trying to build.
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“It is not as though I have ever given you a reason to doubt my loyalty, baby. If you can’t fully trust me, then what in heaven’s name are we really doing? I love you, Jeer, but there is nothing desirable about your actions most of the time. They’ll only drive me away from you.”
One would have thought that after having this conversation with Jeremy, he’d change, but that didn’t even phase him.
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Then there was Samuel, who was skulking around the entire time.
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Samuel was one of my coworkers at the office. He was a friend who was always “there.” Communication between us didn’t take much work because we had a lot of common interests. Samuel frequently showed kindness to me, which was a clear indication that he thought highly of me and would consider dating me if he had his way.
Samuel was well acquainted with Jeremy and had even grown to like him at one point.
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Christmas was just around the corner. Preparations for the holiday season had already begun when I asked Jeremy if he had any plans to go home and see his folks. I had intended to buy them a few things, you know, as their upcoming daughter in-law wey I be na. Jeremy claimed, however, that he had no such plans. Hence, it was quite obvious to me at that point that Christmas would be spent with Jeremy, as I also had no travel plans and we hadn’t really had any time to ourselves in months due to our various jobs.
To my utmost surprise, Jeremy stopped returning my calls a few days before Christmas. Up until and beyond Christmas, this continued. I was initially furious, then anxious and afraid, as my mind had run wild with possible reasons as to why he wasn’t picking up these calls. I wondered at one time if he could have suffered a dreadful thing. But his phone has been on the whole time. I sometimes see him online and have left tons of read and unreplied messages for him on WhatsApp. His friends weren’t taking my calls either, and I couldn’t call his mother, especially as we haven’t been officially introduced.
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After trying for days and receiving no response, I gave up. Even though my mind remained restless, I tried to keep it preoccupied with activities. It was during this quest for distraction that Samuel called me. We’d not spoken since the holiday break. I didn’t even reach out to wish him a Merry Christmas. I swear, my head been dey very full.
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Samuel inquired as to my availability and whether I would like to visit and hang out. I wasn’t doing anything; I certainly needed that distraction and didn’t see any need to have turned down his invitation.
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I was at Samuel’s house within the hour. It was my first time ever coming. The condition of his crib wasn’t too bad; he has a great sense of color. I had just accepted the refreshments that had been served when Samuel abruptly informed me that his girlfriend was at the door. He had just received a text message to that effect.
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While he welcomed her in the parlor, Samuel instructed me to remain in his room.
I merely nodded, but then I was livid.
“What is the meaning of this? What kind of ruse is he trying to pull here? What does he take me for? I should remain in his room, as what na? A side chick? How could he have been so nice and kind to me, and now that my heart seems to be leaning towards him, he is informing me about a girlfriend—not just a girlfriend, but one who was free to drop by his place whenever she felt like it? Has he been leading me on just for amusement?” I found myself wondering.
“This man has never once said anything that could have been interpreted as showing interest in you, babe. Don’t you think you’re making too many assumptions? Once that woman has left, calm down and let him explain. I think he wouldn’t have invited you over if he had known she would be here today.” Another voice in my head warned.
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Samuel was still attending to his “girlfriend” in the living room when my phone began to ring; Jeremy finally decided to call me.
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I was not supposed to make noise “in here” in order to avoid being detected.
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I was still upset with Jeremy for standing me up. Even though none of my persistently placed calls or texted messages received a response, I felt foolish for doing so. Then, however, I was eager to hear his justification. It had to be reasonable, I bet.
JEREMY Episode 2 – Moshood Avidiime
Jeremy’s phone call became increasingly insistent. It was almost as if he knew where I was or who I was with.
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I eventually decided to pick up Jeremy’s phone call; it seemed as if if I didn’t, it would continue.
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Jeremy demanded to know why it took me so long to return his call, and I flatly stated that I didn’t intend to do so because I was furious with him. “Besides, I am not in the mood to talk right now, Jeer”.
Jeremy didn’t apologize or try to explain where he’d been the entire time, nor did he care to explain why he hadn’t been picking up, returning my calls, or even responding to any of my text messages. Jeremy, on the other hand, demanded to know where I was.
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When I told Jeremy I was at a friend’s house, he immediately inquired as to which of my friends it was.
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I was already talking way more than I should have been, especially since I wasn’t supposed to be discovered in here.
In a low tone, I tried to explain to Jeremy that he doesn’t know this particular friend of mine, and before he could ask about the gender of this supposed “friend,” I reminded him that I was still very angry at him and that I didn’t think I owed him any explanations.
“If you don’t know that you should apologize to me first, then explain why you stood me up for so long before anything else, Jeremy. I don’t know what to say to you. Besides, I’m in the middle of something and can’t really speak at the moment. I’ll most likely call you back if I feel like it; when I feel like it “.
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I ended the call with Jeremy, put my phone on silent, and tucked it into my purse. I’m not sure where I got the courage to say all of that.
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Jeremy left me 52 missed calls.
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Samuel’s alleged girlfriend did not stay long. He had to apologize for putting me in such an awkward position after she had left.
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“I sincerely apologize. Na one package wey I don dey try organize for a while now. If she’d seen you, the whole thing for don cast be that”. Samuel said, chuckling.
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Samuel’s apology was casual, probably because he wasn’t seeing the situation from my perspective. “According to all indications, this guy was only sorry that he’d invited me over to have some fun, and then, just before we got started, I had to deal with not ruining his runs with a girl he’s been trying to lay for a while now? Imagine the guts of this man o. And she isn’t even his real girlfriend, sef “. I thought to myself.
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It wasn’t long before Samuel and I resumed where we’d left off. Before I had to leave, we had some small talk, played a couple of fun games, and watched a movie.
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It was now past seven o’clock in the evening. It had started to get dark everywhere. Since his last fifty-two missed calls, Jeremy has left me another twenty.
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I got into Samuel’s car, and he drove away.
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As we got closer to my house, I asked Samuel to drop me off at the intersection just before my street.
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If I knew Jeremy well, I’d bet he’d be somewhere near my house by the time I got home, waiting to see when and, more importantly, with whom I’d return.
I asked Samuel to drop me off at the intersection just before my street so I could walk home and hopefully “sell” whatever lie I could concoct. That is, if Jeremy hadn’t already arrived at my house and demanded to know where I’d been.
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Samuel asked if I was certain I wanted him to drop me off at this intersection.
“Are you certain you’ll be okay here?” Samuel enquired.
I simply nodded my head in affirmation and then feigned a smile.
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My heart had begun to race toward the uncertainty that had been “Jeremy’s presence” all the while.
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After our final goodbyes, Samuel waited until I started walking home before starting his car, reversing, and beginning to drive home.
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I’d just started my short walk home down this lonely path when I heard someone call my name from right behind me.
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I stood there, frozen to the ground.
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It was a voice I recognized.
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There was no way I could have misidentified that voice.
It belonged to Jeremy.
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Jeremy, for whatever reason, had also chosen to wait for me at this exact intersection.
JEREMY Episode 3 – Moshood Avidiime
At this precise moment, every rational voice in my head was shouting, “Run O!” But I was too firmly planted to take another step.
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This path to my house was lonely, dim, and, on a good day, frightening. But with Jeremy there, it was doubly terrifying because of the situation. The other apparent safety measure I could take was to start yelling as loud as my lungs would allow.
“Your legs will reanimate when you begin to scream and plead for assistance, launching you out of this place as quickly as is necessary.” A voice in my head advised me.
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“Do you genuinely think you could outrun Jeremy? You don’t want to exasperate this man any more than you already have, I can assure you of that.” Yet another whispered:
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In those few seconds, my mind was racing with introspective thoughts.
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“How did we even get here?” I found myself pondering.
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With Jeremy, things weren’t always this way.
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It was obvious that it couldn’t have been. In actuality, it used to be the exact opposite.
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I first met Jeremy over the counter at the bank where I worked.
Like every other customer that day, Jeremy entered the bank to make a transaction. During this transaction, Jeremy tried to start chit-chat. In addition to the “forced smile” we were constantly required to greet our customers whenever they entered the bank and during the course of their transactions with us, Jeremy was able to push the appropriate buttons to make me “truly” smile.
The young man was hilarious. He had a terrific sense of humor, too, in my opinion.
That day, Jeremy managed to convince me to give him my phone number. I have never done anything like this before. And believe me when I say that I get a ton of requests for my phone number every day.
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I’ve always taken great care to avoid caving in to anyone, but Jeremy had a wonderful way with words. He had a talent for putting a woman at ease. You get so at ease that you overlook the fact that the man in front of you is still a stranger.
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I learned a lot about Jeremy as I got to know him better, and many of those things made me fall in love with him without even realizing it.
Jeremy was selfless. He was good with strangers and great with both his friends and mine.
Jeremy’s image of a family was similar to my conception of the “perfect” family.
At the time, I had just experienced a really difficult split, and Jeremy looked to have everything I had been missing in my prior relationship.
Jeremy had an infectious smile. He was the “dream man” I had always wanted—until he wasn’t.
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Jeremy all of a sudden became too clingy for me. He suddenly became unduly dependent. He went into overprotective mode. He’ll always want to know who and about what I was speaking. He would never allow me to hang out with my friends or participate in his hangout with his own buddies.
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Nothing I said to Jeremy any longer seemed plausible. He always goes to absurd lengths to confirm what I tell him.
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“Oh, right! I guess this was how we got here.”
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I remained motionless the entire time, rooted to the spot, waiting to turn around and look at the person whose voice I already recognized.
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This tremendous thumping in my chest got worse with each step Jeremy took toward me. I felt as though it was “judgment day,” and I was still unsure of my entry into heaven.
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I was aware that Jeremy was being unduly cautious. I was aware that, as a result of this, he had grown fixated on anything and everything involving me over time. He eventually became very volatile as a result of this, especially when one of my actions didn’t agree with his logic.
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I wasn’t sure what to anticipate.
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With Jeremy lately, you can never be too certain.
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I waited for Jeremy to approach me for what felt like an endless amount of time.
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He finally did.
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Jeremy spun me around by my shoulders, so I was now facing him.
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“Who was that person that dropped you off?” Jeremy asked in the most composed manner he was able to.
I started seeing stars before I even had the vocabulary to tell a falsehood about who that was. I was so sure these were shooting stars because of how much I could see.
JEREMY Episode 4 – Moshood Avidiime
“Jeremy! You slapped me?” Were the only words I was able to mutter.
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This was a first, I suppose. Until now, Jeremy had never touched me or given me cause to think that he was capable of letting his rage drive him to do this.
I didn’t really think he could.
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I mean, I’ve always felt that, despite all of his pretenses, I knew Jeremy well. I’ve always wanted to think that he was simply being overly devoted and protective of his love.
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Jeremy can be charming when he wants to. He is my “big puppy.”
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I had trouble processing what had just transpired.
It took me some time to fully comprehend that “my Jeremy” had just laid his hand on me in a manner that brought me pain—so much so that my eyes briefly caught sight of stars.
My legs, which had been “grounded,” immediately became the lightest they had ever been as soon as I came to my senses. I began to move as quickly as my short legs would allow.
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The idea was to reach safety first and then move on to other things.
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At first, Jeremy didn’t appear to feel bad about what he had just done. No, not in the sense of the word. It was actually the opposite. Jeremy was literally justifying his actions. In an effort to guilt-trip me.
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Jeremy gave me the impression that I was to blame for motivating him to do what he did.
Jeremy is good with words. He’s a master manipulator. So good, I actually began to believe that I might have been the problem and all Jeremy was doing was just trying to fix me.
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“Look at what you made me do, baby. How could you? I made a lifelong commitment to never touch a lady this way. Look what you forced me to do! You pushed me to this, babe. YOU PUSHED ME TO IT. I hate myself right now, and I’m trying my hardest not to hate you too. How could you do this to me? To the best of my ability, all I’ve ever done is love you. I’ve only ever worked to keep what I have in you hidden from prying eyes. The only thing I ever did wrong, in my opinion, was to treat you like no one’s business while making sure you never lost sight of what really matters—ME, baby, ME! Not so much the chauffeur who just dropped you off. Not that lazy cheat at work who acts all kind but is really just looking for more. And certainly none of those lying asses who go about telling you how gorgeous you are, saying pleasant things that they imagine you want to hear, only to get in between your legs.
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Jeremy continued to ramble, spewing nonsense.
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I continued to walk while also sobbing the entire time.
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I cried bitterly, running rivulets of disappointment down my cheeks.
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I was so overcome with emotion that I was unable to think clearly.
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No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out what to think.
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“You just got hit by Jeremy!” Were the only words that remained in my head.
There was a constant repetition of these words.
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My eyes began to water more and more as I considered what had just transpired.
“How could that dunderhead do that?” He didn’t have the right to slap you. Nothing you do will ever make his actions acceptable. He can’t just get mad and raise his filthy hands to hit you. No, he cannot. You should be treated like a princess because that is what you are. Trust me, baby, it will only get worse if he just slapped you for something you’re still not totally sure of. He’ll just become worse. He is a beast. It’s not right for you to be around animals. There is no place in your life for a man who can’t control his rage when his spouse allegedly slams him against a wall. You’re fortunate that it’s only a smack this time. The next time, your luck might not be as good. This has always been the man you fell in love with. You saw all these signs but chose to ignore them.” I instinctively looked behind me for Jeremy.
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“Start running right now. Run out of sight and away from his life.”
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The harsh advice and reproaches coming from the voices in my head were practically driving me insane.
All the while, Jeremy was still talking. His brief movements coincided with what appeared to be me running.
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I started to take to my heels because it was clear that there was no way to out-walk Jeremy when I suddenly had the sensation that I was defying gravity.
I was suddenly suspended for what felt like hours in the air.
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“Where were you running to, baby? Are you trying to get away from me?” Jeremy asked in a mean way but with a straight face. “I am asking you, baby, who was that guy that just dropped you?”
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I remained silent.
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“WHY DON’T YOU RESPOND TO ANY OF MY QUESTIONS?” Jeremy yelled at me.
I’d now landed with a thud, and the agonizing pain that occurred as a result was incomprehensible. I was in awe. My head started to spin. None of these were believable to me.
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Being exposed to this side of Jeremy for the first time in our two-year relationship was shocking in the extreme.
I didn’t understand how Jeremy could be so harsh with me. I could never have imagined that Jeremy could watch me suffer so much, and instead of doing something to ease my suffering, he was simply exacerbating it.
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Hell! He was inflicting these pains on me.
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Before he continued his inquiries, Jeremy grabbed me off the floor and pulled me quickly up until I was standing, weak, bathed in my own tears, and shaking on my legs. I was unsure of what was going to happen next.
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“I asked you a question, baby. Where are you running to? Who was the man that dropped you off?”
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I was silent. I remained motionless, gazing at Jeremy. I wasn’t trying to aggravate him; I was simply too stunned and perplexed to speak.
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“Babe! Why in heaven’s name are you not answering my questions na?” Jeremy snapped at me.
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Jeremy started shaking me. I was shaken so violently by Jeremy that it appeared to be an attempt to get the answers to his queries to fall out of me.
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When it became clear that my silence was now enraging Jeremy, I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing was said. I was still at a loss for words. Although I could tell the truth, doing so may get me into more trouble than I currently appear to be, and I was in too much of a state to even contemplate concocting another lie.
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I had forgotten the first “believable lie” I had concocted because of how astonished I had been by all Jeremy had done that evening.
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To encourage me to communicate, Jeremy gave me a few more slaps, yelling at the top of his lungs. It was still ineffective.
For some sick reason, a part of me was still trying to be fair with what Jeremy had been up to up until this point. I was starting to think that I had actually prodded Jeremy into touching me.
I briefly thought that Jeremy was sincerely upset with me because I forced him to do something he had vowed never to do. i.e., hit a woman. I genuinely thought he was just getting mad at me because he was disappointed.
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Even though it most likely doesn’t make sense now, at the time, I can assure you that it did.
Well, until it didn’t.
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“What does he want me to say specifically? He must already be aware of everything na, in order to have deserved this beating.”
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At that very moment, I realized that this Jeremy was very different from the kind of man I like.
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That evening, Jeremy showed me an animalistic side of himself that made me doubt whether he actually loved me as much as he had claimed to throughout our relationship.
I questioned whether I would ever be able to get over that night and be cool with Jeremy once more.
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I was finally able to mutter “Samuel.”
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Jeremy was familiar with Samuel. He’s always thought the man was up to something bad. It was one of the reasons I found it so challenging to inform him that I had spent the entire day at Samuel’s place.
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“Please repeat what you just said,” Jeremy asked politely. “And this time, if you could be a little louder.”
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I exhaled a long breath and said, “Sa…Samuel! It was Samuel that dropped me off.”
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“Oh! Samuel. Wait, babe. Is this Samuel the same guy you said was just a coworker? Is he the same person you told me you saw, huh, just like a brother? The same Samuel you described as just…”
To be continued…
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