Friday 14 November 2008

Ring Ring

Its been a while since I have been on here. So much has happened in such a little time. I feel very guilty, this blog is where I come when I am sad, needing to release. But when I am happy, I can't seem to bring myself to write here, where Seun seems to still reside. His name at the top of the page reminding me that I have not truly let go.




Truth be told, you guys have helped me more than you realise. I have shared my deepest and darkest times with you. You who are always available for a chat whatever time, and a helluva lot cheaper than a counsellor.





In a way, this post is for Brown. Its been about 5 weeks since we last spoke. Have rang him a million times but I guess he has had enough of Tinuke, I wanted to email him a link to this blog and have him read about my life before him, my destiny unfulfilled, the fear of ever feeling such pain and despair hangs over my head. I will him to understand but this is Seuns place, not Brown. I wrote this email a few days ago but it sits in my inbox, I cant bring myself to send it.








Dear Brown,





The last time we saw you called me selfish, detached, and some uglier names which I would rather keep to myself. You say that I walk around with a chip on my shoulder, thinking that the world owes me something.





The last few months have been the happiest I have been for a long time, So happy that I feel guilty for being so happy. Like I have no right. You make me happy. You know you do. I am grateful for your patience. I don't know how else to explain my sometimes irrational behaviour. So.......




The day Seun left me I went home, the friend I was with offered to drive me to my parents house, offered to call Labake to come round, offered to stay over. I declined. I told him that I had already called Labake and that she was on her way. This was a lie.





As I shut the front door of mine and Seun's house, the darkness that met me is one that I would rather forget. I was moving around the house, but it wasn't me. I t felt like i was watching me.





I went to the bedroom that until recently had been Seun and my little nest. I dragged the duvet and wrapped it around myself. It smelt of Seun. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and let his smell engulf me. It was growing stronger by the minute and I suddenly felt a strong sense that Seun wasn't gone. He couldn't be. I called Aramide back and begged her to take it back.





'Mide, you were joking abi, I wont be mad, just tell me you were joking'


'just tell me you were joking'





I willed her to take back those words, in my mind, every thing would be alright. Her crying was the only answer I needed. My Seun was gone. The next few days were a blur for me. I was vaguely aware of people knocking at my door at regular intervals, screaming my name. It felt like they were all part of a dream.





I hadn't shed a tear, me, that cries over andrex adverts. For those days, I lay on the bed and didn't move. I didn't move to got to the toilet, I didn't move when I had to hurl, vomit rising from my empty stomach, I didn't move to drink or eat. I just stayed there, in my own filth, but I didn't cry.





In one of the rare conscious moments I had, I was aware of someone lifting me up, my own stench hitting me like a ton of bricks. The next thing I remember I was in a hospital, my mother, my father, Tokunbo and Labake all hovering nervously. I was missing a face, the most important face, and then I remembered. I cried like the whole world was going to end, I cried like my tears had an expiry date. I cried like I have never cried before or since. I cried until I could cry no more. I shunned the hugs of my mother and my father, they that rejected him, rejected me. It was Labakes bosom that finally muffled my tears and turned them into whimpers. I fell asleep.





When I woke up it was labake that was there, she explained that my folks were outside and that they wanted her to tell me that they were there if I needed them. I twas hard for me to process anything. Labake told me that I could leave if I wanted to. I went back to hers.





the next few days, i was consumed by dark thoughts, thoughts that I have only shared shared with one person. I contemplated killing myself, the desire to end my pain was overwhelming. I even took a tube to mile end, hotspot for banker suicides, I looked at the train tracks and wondered how painful It would be. I decided that while the pain would be unimaginable, it couldn't be worse than what i was going through at that moment and it would be over in a jiffy. I psyched myself up. The timer said the next train would be arriving in 1 minute.





I edged closer, wondering if I would feel my bones as the were being crushed under the train or if I would already be dead, I wondered if God would hold it against me, surely He realised that this pain was too much for me to bear. was he not the one that promised that he would never give me more than I could handle? He had not kept up His side of the bargain. A million thoughts ran through my head and I looked at the train timer, still displaying 1 minute. One minute in train time s is probably 5 in real time, but that day, it felt like forever.





There was some commotion behind me and I turned to see what was going on. It was two hooligans/children of nowadays in a full blown brawl. I looked for about a second and turned back to the task at hand. As my gaze turned to the tracks, it was obstructed by the train that was sitting firmly on it, complete with passengers, How did I miss my slot? I should be in a painless nonexistence by now. The thought pf re-pscyhing myself up was a little more than I could bear and I went back to Labake's





That night I went on my knees and cursed God, I called Him every name in the book, I blamed him for everything that had gone wrong in the world, for the wars, for the floods, for the famines, for Seun. And I cried.





2 days later, I woke up to find a business card for a grief counsellor next to my bed. Labake had written, 'call her please.' I looked at the card, it was made from cheap card, not the fancy kind I was used to receiving. I put it back where I had found it and got out of the bed. My dark thoughts still followed me around for the rest of the day. I weighed different options of taking my own life and none seemed doable. Where would I get a gun from, the force with which I would have to stab myself to cause serious harm is is probably more than I could muster up, and even then there was no guarantee....





That night I had a dream, I was at Seun's wedding, in the front row. As the priest started the ceremony, the brides dress started to melt away, underneath there was nothing, but I was the only one who could see that there was nothing, the priest continued the ceremony and pronounced them man and wife. I woke up and called the counsellor.





I tell you this just so that you can understand that you don't understand.



So that you realise that I am being the best me that I can be



I am battling my own demons



But I care about you and dont want to lose you,

My pride is begging me not to pick up the phone and dial your number, yet I do. You dont pick up. Am I not the same girl whose calls you said brightened up your day, whose calls once made you miss a flight because you just didnt want to hang up.

Pick up, please.