HiveComb

Ella got so fed up that she dumped her phone to face her squarely.

“Girl, spill it already! What is going on?”

Juliet looked up from her phone with a “Mmmm?” expression, one that suggested she hadn't heard Ella initially.

Ella sighed. She knew what Juliet was up to — and she wouldn't have it.

“Let me guess...” a smile crept onto her cheeks. “Raph proposed?”

Juliet burst into laughter. She fell to the tiles and rolled till her belly ached. Then she stood up, fixing some tear-stained eyes on Ella who looked more confused than before.

What was even funny?

Finally, Juliet confessed. She had been granted the long-anticipated scholarship at Purdue University in the US to further her master's program.

Both friends broke into fresh glee. Ella almost brought down the roof with excitement. She pulled Juliet in for a hug and held her tight, basking in that euphoria.

When they pulled, something in Ella shifted. She didn't know why she suddenly felt drawn to Juliet's eyes. But surprisingly, Juliet avoided her eyes like a plague. She blinked, hoping it was just an illusion.

But it wasn't. Something in Juliet's eyes didn't seem right.

“You don't seem happy about the news?”

Juliet answered. “I am. But... I feel Raph isn't.” She hesitated for a while before resuming. “I know he's not happy.”

“Why?”

“He doesn't want me to leave the country.”

The words left Juliet's tongue quickly as though they burnt her throat. She continued. “Ella, I'm the most confused person right now. Our wedding is in four months. How am I supposed to abandon this degree? I've tried explaining to him that I would be gone for just a year but he...” she broke down into Ella's arms. Unsure of how to respond to the situation, Ella stayed mute, watching her best friend sob onto her chest.

After leading her to the three-sitter, Ella asked the last question on her mind.

“Why did you decide to pursue the scholarship since you knew Raph never supported the decision?”

“I thought he would come to terms with it if it worked.”

Ella, void of words, stared into the eyes of her friend, as she let them continue talking.

The accident was almost fatal. Only five people survived with severe bruises. Juliet, and a few others. The visa had been granted to her, but the journey back home resulted in a motor accident.

All through her stay at the hospital, Raph did not show up. How did she expect him to visit her when she hid her visa plans away from him?

Raph was enraged. And more enraged because he loved her with all of himself. But a part of him feared for what she would become if she set foot into the US.

After Juliet was discharged from the hospital, Raph visited. He looked like someone she was meeting for the first time — yes, ‘stranger’ was the word. Was this what happened when lovers stayed for weeks without talking to each other?

They stared at each other. No words. No one was willing to swallow his/her pride. Even though the proposed wedding was two months away.

“So you truly want to choose your masters over us?”

Juliet scoffed. Now, she didn't care what Raph said anymore. No one would stop her from going for her master's.

She kept mute, waiting. Perhaps he had more words to say. More explanations to give about why he didn't visit her at the hospital.

“I know you are selfish and only care about yourself, but to the point of almost getting yourself killed over some visa? Seriously?”

Juliet had her reply ready. “Says a man who cares only about himself. If I'm selfish, then you also are. So that makes us two. Look, Raph, I don't want to remind you that our wedding is supposed to be in two months.”

Raph laughed as though the words sounded like comedy to his ears.

“Wedding? There's no wedding, dear. I told my family that you have a career to pursue, something more important than marriage. I thought you did the same.”

Raph gave another mocking stare and laughed. He turned to the door and headed out, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Juliet had been quiet since morning. Even though she was seated at the departure lounge with her mother and Ella, waiting to board the plane, she still stayed mute. She needed the silence... to process things.

Her dream scholarship had been granted to her. Her mother almost bought the whole of Nigeria in the name of ‘you won't find this over there’. And Ella had been there — as always.

But Raph... the reality of their breakup was now piercing. How was she going to live without him?

Juliet didn't realise she was crying until Ella's fingers touched her cheek, dabbing some tears off. Her mother drew her close and let her rest on her chest, soothing her tenderly.

“It is well with you, my child.”

Juliet let out an ocean of tears. Her heart burned with a thousand questions.

Why would Raph leave her?

Why couldn't he wait for her?

Her questions, innumerable, found expression in the tears that soaked her mother's clothes.

All images were generated with ChatGPT