The Observer
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He thought life was a smooth sail until fate decided to throw a coconut at his head. The incident shattered him, making his existence feel like a cracked mirror, still reflecting but distorted. He had poured his entire reservoir of human affection into her, so much so that even her flaws looked like love poems to him.
It all began at a departmental conference. She was part of the publicity crew, juggling flyers and trays of small bites like a circus star. He, meanwhile, was supposed to focus on the programme but became a distracted student in the school of her charm. His only exam question was: How do I catch her attention?
At the close of the conference, when participants rushed like hungry ants towards the food table, he lingered at a distance, plotting his conversational ambush. With the courage of a comedian, he cracked a joke that made her smile. Jackpot! That smile was his lottery ticket. They spoke briefly, exchanged promises, and parted ways, she thinking it was just another passing jest.
Days rolled by until destiny staged a sequel at the library entrance. Their eyes met, their smiles collided, and soon contacts were exchanged. What began as comedy blossomed into friendship, then into a romance he believed would march down the aisle of “for better, for worse.”
But then, like a villain in a soap opera, a lecturer barged into the script. Armed with grades and money, he intimidated the young man and lured her away. The poor lover wept rivers that could irrigate a desert. Friends tried to console him, but grief was a stubborn tenant in his heart.
Three years later, life played another trick. He had secured a job in a tech company and, during one of his musical escapades at a favourite spot, there she was, serving him food. They exchanged pleasantries, and soon the phone lines buzzed with their conversations.
That was when he learned the tragic comedy: the lecturer had promised her a golden future but delivered heartbreak. She had carried his seed, only to be told to terminate it because he was a married elder in his church, terrified of losing his societal halo. Her tears could have filled an ocean, and regret became her daily bread. She realised too late that she had traded a genuine love story for a counterfeit romance.
He, however, forgave her. After all, mistakes are human currency. But reconciliation was off the table. The bridge of trust had collapsed, and though compassion remained, the road back to love was permanently closed.
