#EMOTIONALLY_DETACHED
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Nothing could have prepared me for what Camy came to tell me that evening, I had gotten home earlier than usual because I wanted to spend some time with her. I noticed how she had been after the game so a part of me felt guilty. I got home and found the maid in the kitchen, the house was awfully quiet and I wondered where everyone had gone to. After asking her where everyone was, she told me Raquel had been picked by my mother which I didn’t find surprising because the two were actually getting closer by the day and that Camilla had left minutes after I had gone.
I went to my room and took a bath before laying on the bed, I wasn’t planning on sleeping but I did and the only time I opened my eyes; it was after Camilla had come in.
‘Hey.’ I said
She smile weakly, her smile not reaching her eyes.
She looked like she had been crying.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked now sitting upright ‘Can we talk?’ she asked
I noticed her bags were packed and that got me worried.
‘Sure, come here.’ I said tapping the side of the bed next to where I was
‘I would rather seat further from you or I might change my mind.’ She said a tear falling
‘Babe you are scaring me, is everything okay?’ I asked She allowed more tears to drop before sighing deeply ‘Stephen this is not working out.’ She said looking at me
‘What do you mean not working out? I know I shouldn’t have invited Nthombi into this home. I swear it will never happen again.’ I said suddenly feeling hot She came to where I was seated and touched my face.
‘You have been good to me whilst I stayed here but coming in the first place was totally wrong, you are a married man and I wasn’t supposed to find my way into your home.’ She said swallowing hard
‘Camy what is all this now?’
‘Stephen Raquel is a good person, had it been another woman you wouldn’t have had any peace in this house. She welcomed me in here and allowed me to realize my mistakes.’
I tried to say something but she cut me short
‘I know what you will say, that you two will get divorced after the baby is born and things will get back to normal between us.’
She paused as she took the words right out of my mouth
‘Trust me I want that so much, I have actually gone two years from now a million times over but something just doesn’t feel right. You are a married man and I cannot tie my life to yours Stephen. It is high time you set me free.’ She said ‘Camilla I love you.’ I said barely audible
‘No you don’t, you love what we had and are just probably guilty about everything you did to me but that is no reason to string me along. I want out, you have got to set me free Stephen.’ She said this time looking me in the eyes
I took some time to digest everything she had just said, this actually sounded like the Camilla I knew. The Camilla I had fallen in love with, and then it hit me that I had been unfair to her. I had treated her wrongly and turned her into a person that she was not. I had actually stringed her along to a relationship that was just full of obsession and fear without love. Then it hit me that I had never actually been attached to her or anything else in my life, I had treated people wrongly and I needed to change or I would lose the most valuable things in my life; my family, my wife and my child that was on the way.
‘I am sorry.’ I finally managed to say taking her by surprise
‘Yes Camilla I am sorry for not being the best that I should have been for you and for us.’ I said
She came over and hugged me, we stayed in that position for a long time before she finally freed herself.
‘I want you to promise me something.’ She said looking at me in the eye ‘Anything.’ I said my heart going out to her
‘That you will try to make things work between you and Raquel, that at least you
will try to invest in your marriage.’
‘I will.’ I responded
‘Stephen don’t just say that to keep me quiet and stop me from talking further.’
‘I mean it Camilla, I will try to make this marriage work not just for me but Raquel to and our baby.’
I smiled after saying that
‘You will make a great dad, husband too.’ She said kissing my cheek
I watched as she walked out of the room, I didn’t have the energy to go after her so
I just locked the door behind me.
*
I felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders and I was glad that I had taken the path I had, talking to Marvin had actually helped me a lot.
I heard Raquel laugh in her room and after taking a deep breath, I knocked twice before she asked me to come in.
She was on the phone, signaling me to take a seat; I heard her laugh a few more times before she dropped the line.
‘Hey good evening.’ She greeted a huge smile still on her face, probably from the phone call
‘Hey Raquel.’
We kept quiet for a while.
‘I am not staying, I just wanted to let you know that I am leaving.’ ‘Oh, okay.’
That was not the response I was expecting but who was I kidding, we were not even friends after all.
‘Sorry, but what made you change your mind?’ I kept quiet, looked at her then looked down.
‘I guess I realized my place and most importantly my worth.’ She came to me and hugged me real tight.
‘You will be fine Camy, in due time you will.’ She said
I was rigid at first but after a while I loosened up, it felt good to be there.
I smiled and said my goodbyes and that is how I left and never looked back, it was over for me and Stephen and it was just sad that I had to learn the hard way.
..
#EMOTIONALLY_DETACHED