Bittersweet Love

“You are going to be the death of me,” Anthony said to Ogechi ecstatically.

Her smile beaming from ear to ear, she responded “Gladly. This is a till death do us affair” They both chuckled kissing each other with so much passion till they couldn’t breathe.

This is the story of Anthony…

In the faculty of humanities, everyone envied their relationship. It was a match made in heaven. I mean, the matching outfits, PDAs, studying together and all the acts of service rendered by both of them to each other, were the standard, especially after winning faculty couple of the year. To an extent, even some lecturers couldn’t help but admire their union, albeit secretly.

All was well and good until their 200 level when Anthony decided that it was best for them to live together, Ogechi did not have any objections but little did Anthony know that was the beginning of his woes.

It first started with the little white lies. Anthony realized that she was not who she has claimed to be entirely – stories were not adding up and each time he asked, there was always a new version to the same tale.

Then came the little pilfering which was very odd because as he knows, she’s from a good home where her financial needs are mostly met, or was he wrong?

To top it off, she was easily irritated and always throwing a feat. She then graduated into breaking things and the scary part was how quickly she switched. Ogechi can be mad one minute and as calm as a dove the next – This made it so difficult for Anthony to understand what was going on and more difficult for him to make any concise decision.

He wouldn’t leave because every time he tried to, she becomes a different person. The very loving woman he fell in love with at first sight when he saw her walking down the departmental hallway asking for directions to the HOD’s office.

But her feat of rage grew with each passing day. From things worth being angry about to things he couldn’t even remember saying or doing. And one day he calmly told her he was fed up with it all and she told him he had no choice, for if he couldn’t share the nightmares with her, he might as well share the physical misery because she won’t lose her mind alone.

You see, a little while after Ogechi moved in with Anthony, they both got carried away and she fell pregnant. Obviously, Anthony was not ready for fatherhood, I mean, he’s barely surviving in school left for his meal ticket, Ogechi. Even though he couldn’t really place her source of income, he stayed and lived off her anyways. So, when he proposed an abortion, Ogechi resisted vehemently, reminding him about the prophecy that was told of her by her grandmother – that she was going to be the vessel to birth her father, a father she never met because he died mysteriously. Therefore, an abortion is no option for her but Anthony insisted, convincing her that it was just a mere talk by her parents to keep her in check, nothing more. In her bid to please the man she loved, Ogechi agreed to an abortion, and so opened the door to the numerous nightmares she’s been having.

Ogechi would go days with no sleep for fear of having those scary dreams. Days turned into weeks and so, she became a shadow of herself. She’d talk to herself and occasionally, forget where she is entirely. Soon enough, Anthony started getting ashamed to be seen with her in public. People were talking, she missed classes, dropped in grades and even fell sick often.

One sunny Friday afternoon, Anthony returned from lectures to meet the entire apartment in a mess. His first reaction was fear, he thought something must have happened to Ogechi so he called out to her but no response. He then proceeded carefully to check the kitchen and found nothing, only to turn and around to see Ogechi wielding a broken bottle, apparently, she’s been drinking.

Fear

Trepidation

Anthony knew this was trouble because the last time she had this kind of episode, he was hurt badly, yet, he couldn’t leave for he felt mostly responsible for her current predicament.

Her eyes were fury and you know she was out to draw blood but whatever for, he couldn’t understand. He tried to quickly make a rundown of the day’s events to see what he must have done wrong but nothing stuck so he calmly asked her what the problem was and her response was hysterical laughter, like a woman possessed by a thousand demons that a single exorcism episode won’t be enough to wade off.

Slowly, he tried retracing his step but he was not fast enough. For as he made to move, he heard the screeching sound of a bottle against the wall behind him, and he froze.

“I heard you were going to leave me for another after graduation next week Anthony. You really think that is possible?”

He was shocked to hear that from her because he was certain he had been very discreet with his plans. He had told his friend Ade who advised him not to. He said that he was going to leave after the last exams with no extra luggage of any sort so as not to arouse her suspicions, in his words “How do I live my life with a mad woman Ade? Look at me na, this is not my vision.”

He couldn’t fathom a response to her question and she let out a dry laugh. Anthony, It is till death do us part remember, that was the promise we made to each other. You do not turn back on that promise now, not after you turned me into a shadow of myself. I wanted to have that baby. I was willing to stop school while you continue, I begged you, Anthony, for two weeks I kept begging but no, you said my parents were just scaring me but look now, who is scared? She asked moving towards him with the broken bottle and blood draining down her wrists.

Before he knew what was going on, she had slit his throat deeply with the bottle and he let out a scream as he hit the ground. All he could mutter was the word 'sorry' and she said it was too late. For she was already too weak from the bleeding that she knew she wouldn’t survive it, not like she wanted to. Anthony was all the life she has ever known outside her mum and grandmother, both of whom passed on while in her third year.

She managed to crawl towards his side, placed the note she had already scribbled by his side, laid down quietly and slept on.

Anthony’s body was found a few days later, laying lifeless by Ogechi’s lifeless body, with a note just by his side that read, “And I kept to my promise when you said, “I will be the death of you, what were you thinking?” With love, Ogechi.