YOU, ME AND US - by Khadijah Mohammed

NIGERIA, LAGOS The ride to the house was a quiet one. It wasn’t meant to be like this, Eric said to himself. It wasn’t meant to end like this. There she was—Ama, the love of his life—sitting beside him in the passenger seat, as beautiful as ever. Yet all he could think about at that moment was why? Yet all he could think about was why. Why she always did this. Earlier that day, They had planned to attend a wedding. They had been friends with Patrick and Alice for the longest time and to attend their wedding, was a big deal. The dress theme was simple: a grey suit for the men and a navy-green dress for the women in the inner circle while others wear blue. When he first laid eyes on her that evening, she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. He remembered standing at the doorway, unable to move. Ama was petite and slim, her small frame carrying a quiet elegance that made her stand out without trying. Her fair skin gave her a soft glow, and her large, expressive eyes were the kind that drew attention the moment she looked at someone. Though slender in build, her body held gentle curves in just the right places, giving her a delicate but feminine silhouette for a moment Eric forgot how to breathe just at the sight of her, she was his queen, she was everything to him. He looked at her and remembered exactly why he had fallen in love with her. “Babe,” she said softly, turning toward him, “Are you ready?” But he was still standing at the doorway, watching her, savoring the moment. She noticed him, standing motionless, still in awe of her so she walked slowly towards him. “Babe, she said again. Are you ready? Umm--- yeah. You are so beautiful Ama. He said to her, as if trying to relive this very moment. Thank you, my love”. She said as she leaned closer to kiss him. And you look rather handsome. Let’s hope no home wrecker decides you are her next catch. “When she sees the woman walking beside me tonight, she will understand why I only have eyes for you.” He bent his head and kissed her. Eric stood tall with dark skin and a broad, well-built frame. He wasn’t the sort of man people would describe as handsome at first glance, yet there was a rough, effortless attractiveness about him that was hard to ignore. They headed to the car together; he opened the door for her and she slid in. On the way to the venue, their favorite song— “Bloom” by The Paper Kites—played softly. “You know, it always surprises me the way this song always excites me.” She said with a smile on her face. “This song gets me every time.” He said In that moment, he took a look at her again, the woman he had been in love with since they were 16 years old and now, 14 years later, they are husband and wife, sitting in the car, listening to their wedding song and going to attend another childhood friend’s wedding. Nothing could be better than this right here, this was the life he prayed for and now, he is living it, in real time. They got to the venue. From the car, they could see everywhere glaring with lights, beautiful people, happy people. Eric opened the car for his woman, side by side they walked in. they were greeted by people at the entrance. And they were directed to the main hall, where everyone was seated. The bride and the groom walked in: all smiling, the guests took out their phones to video them as they danced into the hall. Ama cheered for them on their seats. The bride and groom had their first dance, the bride and her father danced, the groom and his mother danced, it was a reception to remember. Food was served and before they knew it, the dance floor was opened for the guests to dance. Eric and Ama danced together, alongside the bride and the groom with a couple of their friends. Eric had a few more drinks, laughing with friends and celebrating with Patrick. It wasn’t long before he realized Ama had slipped away. At first, he didn’t think much of it. He looked around the hall. The dance floor was crowded, lights flashing across the room as music filled the air. Couples laughed, glasses clinked, people shouted over the music. But Ama was nowhere in sight. He checked their table. Nothing. He asked a few people if they had seen his wife. Most of them shook their heads, except for one who casually mentioned seeing her walk toward the bathroom across the hall. Eric nodded and made his way there. The hallway was quieter than the reception hall. The music sounded distant now, muffled behind the walls. Just as he was about to call her name, he heard a voice. Ama’s voice. Soft. Low. Almost like she was whispering. He paused. Something about the way she spoke made him stop moving. He couldn’t make out the words, but he knew that voice. He had known it for fourteen years. He knew every tone, every rhythm. Then he heard another voice. A man’s voice. Eric frowned. For a moment, he told himself it was nothing. Maybe someone had asked for directions. Maybe someone was helping her with something. But then the man laughed. Quiet. Familiar. Eric’s heart sank. He knew that laugh. Patrick. For a second, Eric stood frozen outside the door, his mind trying to make sense of something it refused to believe. No. It couldn’t be. Patrick was inside the hall greeting guests. Patrick was the groom tonight. But the voice came again. Closer this time. Eric didn’t remember pushing the door open. He didn’t remember stepping inside. All he knew was that suddenly they were there in front of him. Ama. And Patrick. Her dress pulled up. His trousers halfway down. He stormed in and pulled Patrick by the collar, he punched him, over and over. Ama tried to stop him but he just pushed her away. She stood up again, begging him, this time with tears in her eyes, with her voice as loud but weak as ever to stop, he wasn’t going to. It wasn’t long before everyone had gathered at the entrance of the bathroom. He hadn’t noticed until he heard a familiar voice, it was Alice, Patrick’s wife. Their eyes locked. He didn’t need to say anything, his silence said it all. Her hands covered her face, she was crying. She looked at Patrick and then Eric and then walked away. He left the bloodied Patrick on the ground and walked away. Ama walked behind him, trying to meet his pace, trying to hide her shame. But it was already too late, everyone knew what had happened.

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