PERCEPTION #3 What happens next?

CHAPTER 3

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As my phone buzzed, a million things passed through my mind. Of course I was thrilled and excited to get a call from him following the hiatus, but I was also scared and worried. I was scared if I had really done something wrong, and was about to get a verbal lashing from the man of my dreams, or even worse, I was about to get a ‘Dear Jane’ call. I definitely dreaded the thought of losing Paul, but the feeling of being in the dark was much worse, so I picked up the call.

Our conversation was quite brief and barely lasted a minute. He asked me to meet him at his apartment right away, while he sounded somewhat cold and despondent. This got me more worried, as it further strengthened my suspicions. ‘Does he intend to break up with me and would rather do it in person than over the phone?’ I asked myself. ‘What could I have done wrong?’ I queried as I began to recollect every of my perceived faults in the relationship. I remembered the times I didn’t pick up his calls when I was at work. I remembered the times I would refuse to give up the meat in my dish when he demanded for it. I remembered the times he’d want to make out but I’d refuse whenever I was exhausted. I remembered the times I would add a little too much pepper to the food I cooked, out of preference, even though it made him queasy. I remembered many more things I’d done wrong, but I couldn’t pinpoint the exact one that would make him want to end our relationship.

I tried to pull myself together as I considered the possibility that I could be making all the fuss about nothing. Now, I had a new dilemma. I had to go and meet Paul, but it was 12pm and I was at work. I thought of calling Paul to ask his to reschedule the time of our meeting till I got out from work, but even I couldn’t wait till evening to have the whole situation sorted out. Moreover, who’s to say if that wouldn’t get him more riled up. For a while, I brainstormed for a different option when suddenly, a golden bulb flickered in my head. All through my life, I had never been much of an actress, but at that point, my chances of saving my relationship depended on me delivering an Oscar winning performance.

I got up from my desk and floundered over to my boss’ office. On sighting me, he declared that I wasn’t looking too good and even joked that I looked like a revamped zombie from ‘The Walking Dead’. I tried not to laugh at the joke, even though I found it to be hilarious, but instead, I gave out a dry cough and asked him if I could take the rest of the day off. I almost jumped to hug him when he agreed to let me go, but again, I controlled myself. He instructed me to take good care of myself and report back to work healthy on the morrow. I thanked him and walked lazily out of his office, keeping up the act.

As I alighted from the taxi, standing in front of his apartment, I remembered a short poem he sent me the last time we chatted. It went like this;

The poet plays around with gallivanting words.

Words strong enough to melt and forge the dual swords.

The warrior samples the swords with a skillful stunt

To distinct the sharp from the blunt.

The poet plays around with the chosen word;

Words spoken at the sanctuary to strike an accord.

The warrior disposes the blunt blade over the loathly ledge

While he wields the well-made weapon with a better edge.

I found the poem quite cryptic, but it wasn’t unlike him to write poems filled with hidden meanings. He would often ask me to try and decipher their meanings, but no matter how hard I tried, I always saw them from a different perspective, which was usually a far cry from their intended meaning.I always enjoyed it when Paul took his time to explain the poems to me. Whenever he did, I would feel like a blinding veil had been cast off my eyes and every word would make absolute sense. When he sent the last poem. I waited for its explanation, but it never came. Even then, as I was about to knock on his door, I couldn’t help but wonder the true essence of the ‘Poet’ and the ‘Warrior’.

I knocked on the door a couple of times until I heard faint voice from inside, inviting me to come in. As I stepped into the house, I saw no one in the living room or the dining room and I figured he must be in the bedroom. As I was about to drag myself to his bedroom, I paused for a while and noticed some subtle changes in the living room. I noticed Paul had changed the curtains and slightly adjusted the position of the chairs. I also noticed a new flower vase mounted on the table, which wasn’t there before. I was starting to take my time to observe more changes when Paul announced, “I’m in the room.”

My heart was pounding really fast. Faster than it did when I was fifteen and my teacher caught me kissing a boy in school. I braced myself for the worst, even though I wasn’t sure how I’d take a breakup. As I opened the door, I was warmly welcomed by the sweet smelling fragrance of his perfume which I had greatly missed. For a moment, I was confused, and something seemed odd. My eyes turned red and hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I saw Paul on his knees, holding forth a ring.

To be continued …

If you missed the initial parts of this story, no worries. Catch up now! 👇

• PERCEPTION 1
• PERCEPTION 2