Lost in madness

Chapter 17

Dabe

The celebratory dinner was uncomfortable, what was even more awkward was the ride back home, "I'm sorry." I whispered in the dead silence of the car,

"A closet, Dabe?!! I freaking closet. What are you, teenagers? I can't believe you would stoop that low. ...I thought you promised me you wouldn't see him again." She fumed.

"He caught me off guard, coming out of that closet, that was me leaving. Nothing else happened.."

"What did he want?"

"To talk I guess."

"Talk about what?"

"I don't know..."

"You stay away from him. You're no longer in high school, he's married now, and adultery is not a good look on anyone."

I sighed heavily and I hung my head in embarrassment and shame, just then I got a text, it was from Sally.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I gasp.

"What now?!"

"It's Sally, she wants to stop by for dinner tomorrow."

"Wait, my house, she wants to stop by my house." Chima repeated it so many times, waiting for it to sink in, "Tell her no, tell her Chima said hell nah!"

"Why?"

"Why what? Didn't you notice how awkward it was back there, You want your ex sitting across the table with his wife."

"I held her bouquet and watched them say their undying vows to each other, it can't get any worse than that."

"So you're okay with having them over?"

"No, I-I just want to move on, maybe seeing them happy and shit, would help me accept whatever this is."

"That is the opposite of moving on, Dabe, but okay,  if you are okay with it, I don't mind. ..,We just have to stop by the store and grab more wine for me... I need to be ready for when this unfolds."

The next evening, as I awkwardly sat at the dinner table with Chima and Sally, the tension in the air was palpable.

Luckily, Andrew had the decency not to show up, "This is nice, all three of us sitting at the table like some family reunion, why didn't we ever think of this?" Chima cut in with the sarcasm.

"Maybe because you hate me." Sally sneered back.

"And, why do you think that is?"

There's suddenly another tension in the room, one I wasn't vaguely aware of, I never quite understood the beef between them, they used to be best cousins, and all of a sudden they weren't, Chima never talks about it and Sally just forgot she existed for a while,

"I was 13."

"That's your excuse for outing me in front of our entire life, because of what you did I can never go home or face our family again, you ruined my relationship with my parents forever, and not once did you have the decency to apologize."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, it's too late. The damage is done."

The tension went up again and I was left flabbergasted by it all, to think this whole time I never thought anything of their beef, I looked at Chima, "Why didn't you tell me any of these?"

"I knew how much you worshipped her and I didn't want to get in between that."

"Chima, you could have told me."

"You're right." Sally cut in, "There's no excuse for what I did, it was selfish and wicked. I wish I could take it all back, so we can be close again. .. I miss you, I miss you guys, you two are like my sisters and each day it feels like we are falling apart... Chima, I know, you and I can never be close again, but can we build a common ground, that way we make progress."