Love, Charles

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"Marry me," Afamefuna whispered, balanced on one knee, wielding a tiny ring on which sat a giant 24 carats diamond.

The girls squealed with delight and the men cheered in the offhanded way only men did.

I am double sure I didn't say yes because I was too stunned to speak.

But maybe my head had moved in a certain way that seemed like a nod.

Or my eyes had twinkled so positively that words were not needed.

Or most likely he knew, just like everyone in the room that I couldn't possibly say no.

We had dated for two years in which we saw each other five whole times (including this one), not more than four hours on each occasion.

He was almost always out of the country closing business deals, establishing new branches, or simply just chilling as most men did.

He couldn't be bothered with the casual commitments of a relationship like daily phone calls and constant "I love you"  texts.

"Those are for high schoolers who have no real responsibilities," he once told me when I asked why he never sent me random texts to reassure me of his love.

I never asked again.

I simply played along, trying to convince myself that this was what a mature relationship was unlike the one I had with Charles.

I was a Chemistry undergraduate in her third year, barely clocked 22 when I met Afam. It was his 30th birthday and Charles took me.

Charles was a part-time DJ and my full-time fuck buddy.

He was to DJ at the party and promised they'd be a lot of booze not that I wasn't much of a drinker and neither was he but it was a great way to celebrate the conclusion of our second-semester examination even though he (Charles ) was beyond certain he would get an extra year.

So there I was gyrating on the dance floor like the party was meant for me and the lyrics of the songs were just my name said over and over again when one of the bouncers tapped me and whispered into my ear that my presence was needed at the VIP section.

Every single day I wonder how differently my life would have gone if I had just said a simple, "No, thank you."