Reclamation

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Naomi had just gotten out of a five year relationship with Odanz, and for a long time, she never acknowledged the predictable questions everyone asked her about it. Each time someone desperately inquired about the cause of the breakup, she would stare at them briefly and then turn away to gaze into the blank sky before switching the conversation or walking off. Her silence was not just a loss of words. It was a response that spoke clearly to those who were willing to listen to the breaths beneath her silence. Naomi did not want to disclose any detail, at least not yet.

This went on for a month, and eventually people moved on from poking their noses into her business. But just like children, adults are just as curious, and some remained relentless in their search for answers. The women in her home church never stopped asking her mother about it, and neither did the next door neighbour who had lived beside them for nine years.

On the other hand, Odanz, her ex fiancé, was a finance guru who had built a strong presence on social media. So when the rumour of their breakup surfaced online, everyone wanted to know what happened. There were think pieces everywhere, people came up with various theories and conclusions. Yet he did not care enough to satisfy their curiosity. He continued posting about his business, his upcoming finance masterclasses, and engaging with his followers as though nothing significant had changed in his life.

On one of the days when he opened his Facebook comment section for followers and prospective mentees to ask him anything about finance, a user named Dozie left an unhinged comment.

In his words:

“We never asked you to make your relationship public, but you brought it here and kept updating us about the good moments. Why not use that same energy to tell us what happened? Or did she leave you for someone wealthier? Online in-laws deserve to know too.”

Odanz considered this disrespectful to him. He called the comment irrelevant and accused the young man of being entitled to knowing everything about people's private lives. The next day, he pinned a message across his social media pages, asking people to mind their business and refrain from prying into his personal life or risk being blocked.

This approach worked to an extent as the questions reduced, and people slowly learned to live with his silence over the rumours. Sadly, the jokes and mockery from anonymous accounts did not stop. They all had no clue of what transpired between both parties so they ran with the narrative that Naomi had broken his heart and ditched him for a richer guy.

Naomi who worked at the military hospital as a nurse, kept seeing all of these things against her will because her closest colleague followed Odanz on Facebook and never failed to update her about the things people were saying about them.

What hurt her the most was not the assumptions, but the realization that strangers could rejoice over something so destabilizing. She had always believed that the love people shared with each other deserved respect even when it ends poorly. But seeing a different reaction from others made her pain worse, so she finally decided to tell her family everything about the break up.

That weekend after her late night shift, she called everyone into the living room and they all sat together to hear her out. One look at her would give away the anxiety she tried so hard to hide. She kept locking her fingers, with her head buried deep in one palm. Finally, she looked up, took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Mom, Dad, Nene… I’ve been holding this in for too long but I've decided to come forward today. I really loved Odanz. I still do in some ways and I'm sure you all can tell. He was an amazing partner to me, and a great friend to all of you. He loved me deeply and he showed up when it mattered. I didn't believe he could ever leave me in the dark.”

She paused to catch her breath.

“He has a child. A seven year old child with another woman. And I found out on my own. Not even from him.”

At this point, the room feel completely silent. Then, she continued.

“I kept thinking maybe he had a reason for keeping this information away from me but I still haven't found a good justification for that. I broke off our engagement because I couldn't deal with it and I knew none of you would support me to marry someone who has a child he never mentioned. He's a nice man, but I guess he's just not mine to take."

Her family sat there in shock. None of what she had said seemed to make sense because Odanz presented himself as responsible, composed, and more importantly, trustworthy.

Her father broke the silence as he moved to sit by her side. He reminded her that she had made the right decision and he would expect anyone to do the same. Her mother followed suit and pulled her into a warm embrace, while her sister held and caressed her hand with care. All these were enough to prove that she wasn't being judged and she was happy with herself for telling them everything.

Weeks passed and all she received was genuine support and encouragement from her family. She dedicated more time to her job and on some difficult days where she grieved the end of a love she nursed for five good years, they kept her company. Eventually, her heart began to feel less heavy. She spoke to more people, laughed more, slept better, and started to feel like herself again.

When her family saw that she was getting better and adjusting nicely to her new reality, they encouraged her to put up a post on social media, distancing herself from the rumours about being the cause of the breakup and affirming that they had both moved on peacefully to focus on their personal lives. She was reluctant at first, but her mother reminded her that she wasn’t disclosing any private details. So, she did as she was advised.

The post caught a lot of attention. People praised her for being mature and not letting the pressure of social media force her into putting the details of her life in public. Those who genuinely loved their relationship sympathised with her, and in no time, everything died down. People stopped asking questions and her life returned to normal.

During this time, Odanz tried reaching out to her a couple of times, but she had taught herself the importance of self-preservation and wasn’t going to let herself down by indulging him one more time. Odanz had lied through omission, and that alone was enough for her to choose herself, over and over again.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY SHORT STORY!🤗