Penfield's Greatest Swimmer

🌊~23

"Hm."

"And because..." I rubbed both hands against my jean cladded thighs. "Apart from Ethan, you're the first friend I made on the swim team, and as my friend, it hurts me to see you like this, living like some hopeless junkie all because of him." My eyes drifted up, catching the emotional turmoil churning inside her. "It's not cool, Princess. You're acting as if Ethan ended the whole world when he broke up with you."

"For me, he did," she admitted, brushing away a stray tear. "This is the longest Ethan and I  have spent apart. Usually when something happens between us, it only lasts for two or three days, then we have hot sex and everything goes back to normal. But this time...this time it's not like that." A loud sob left her mouth, as she collected her legs into a hug. "It's been a week, Akwasi, a week! And Ethan hasn't come by or even tried to contact me." She sobbed again. "It's like he has erased me completely from his life."

"If that's the case, then it's only fair that you do same."

"No!" Princess shook her head with so much vigour. "No! I can't do that. Ethan is my rock; I can't survive here without him. I need him."

Now it was my turn to shake my head. "No, Princess, you don't."

"Yes, I do!" she fired back.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!" I yelled, startling her into silence. "This is your life, Princess. Your life! Not Ethan and Princess' life. You can't shut yourself down because Ethan dumped you!"

"B-but I love him." Her face scrunched up, making way for another stream of salty tears.

Love.

A sigh seeped past my lips. It's always love. Every couple thinks they're swimming in a pool of sweet, romantic love until something bad happens. They'll try to fight to stay together, but in the end, one person always goes away, leaving the other with nothing but heartache. My mother flashed in my head, sending a jolt of remorse through my heart.

"When my father left us for his sugar mama, my mother used to cry her heart out," I paused. "I didn't think she'd find love again, that's until she met my stepfather, Mensah."

Princess' sobs had reduced to sniffles now.

"They got married, had my sisters and for a couple of years everything seemed fine. Then Mensah also left us. He left us to become a drug lord."

When I looked up, Princess's bloodshot eyes were wide with surprise.

"The point I'm making here is that, people will definitely enter your life and you will fall for them, give them everything you have, including your heart... and they'll break it." My gaze locked on hers. "They will leave your heart in a thousand pieces, but that shouldn't be your end. In fact, that should be your beginning, a beginning of a new chapter in your life without them."

I slowly pushed myself off the chair, kneeling against the bed beside Princess, who still hugged her legs tightly. "Just because Ethan dropped you doesn't mean you should stay on the ground. It's time for you to get back up."

"But I don't know if I can," she cried, burying her face in her arms. "I don't know if I can continue living without him."

"Yeah, I agree it's not gonna be easy forgetting someone who has been so influential in your life but, you have to at least give it a try," I pressed on. "Time isn't sitting down waiting for you, you know. You need to step up, let go off everything that has happened these past days."

"I don't think that's possible."

"And you'll continue to think that way if you don't give it a try. That's your keyword right there, try, and you can start with this." Digging a hand into my back pocket, I pulled out the two short strips of paper I had bought before coming here.