Chapter Seventy – The Ex or the Best Friend?

Remembering Kwame reminded me that I’d be late for Bible Study. I pulled on my slippers and walked over to his room. Lara and I exchanged a curt hello and I took my seat. What I really wanted to do was blurt everything out to her and ask her what I should do.

You know how you will be thinking about something, then you get to church and then the pastor’s sermon hits it right on the head almost as if the pastor entered into your brain and fished out your thoughts and questions? Well, that was me today.

We talked about Lot’s wife and how she looked back and became a pillar of salt. We decided to talk about the many reasons people look back.

The meeting closed out and everyone was having small-talk. I lingered, wondering whether to talk to Lara or not. Between the two of us, she was the one at fault so really, she should have approached me first to apologize.

My anger aside, I needed the one person in the world I trusted.

Lara was standing in the corner, pretending to scroll on her phone when really, she wanted to come over to me, squeeze me and cry in apology. She looked up and was startled when she saw me approaching her.

“Hi” I said. She said it back. We stood in awkward silence.

“I know technically, we are still not good but you’re one of the only people I trust so I wanted to talk to you about something” I said.

Lara put her phone away and gave me her full attention.

“First of all, you were right about how I was treating Boateng. It wasn’t fair to him.”

Lara offered no response. I decided to continue. It’s so hard being the emotionally mature friend, you know.

“Sly came to see me. He wants us to get back together.”

Lara rolled her eyes. “That’s not news. He’s wanted you back since the moment he knocked on our door out of the blue. He thinks he’s slick.”

I sighed. “That’s not all. He actually got the UK offer we’d spoken about before. But he said he won’t take it if I say I want us back together too.”

Lara shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

“And do you? Want you guys back together?”

I sat on the chair closest to us.

“Obviously, a part of me does. We were good. Like really good.”

“Whereas with Boateng, everything is uncertain.”

“Precisely.

Lara took the seat next to me.

“Araba, I do want you to know that I am sorry for the way I acted. I don’t know what came over me. You’re my best friend in the whole world. The one person who’s stood beside me through thick and thin. Lately, I’ve been feeling very alone and my parents resurfacing put me all over the place. I wasn’t fair to you and I’m sorry.”

I hugged her.

“To be fair, I haven’t been the most supportive of you this semester.”

“And that’s because you have your own shit to deal with and I’m here so we deal with it together. I think you already know what my response is going to be. You’ve been there and done that with Sly. He’s old news. You and Boateng; it’s sort of always been predestined. The two of you have just been too foolish to take advantage of it. I nearly ruined it for you, telling him about Sly and everything but in spite of that, he’s still willing to give things a try. Take the step. Remember what we said at Bible Study today about looking back.”

Reader, it’s one thing to be given good advice and it’s another thing completely to follow through on said advice. At the end of the day, the heart wants what it wants and I think I know what mine wants.

Lara and I parted ways and as she left, I texted Sly to come meet me.