The Fall of Grace

What happened, Grace?

What happened? We still wonder, even now. A girl is full of life. And everyone expected much from her.

It’s not a loss to lose a man who never deserved you.

I guess that’s why Grace broke up with me. We were good together but once she moved to another city

Our love was like the tail of two mountains we never met again.

We tried to keep the fire burning, but we couldn’t make a fire.

I would like to tell this story from the perspective of others and also of how she would have felt in that relationship.

I would like to start like this,

I met a lady, as beautiful as the full moon. Loved by everyone.

Walking down the street with her, felt like a movie. You know a lady is cute when kids on the street tell her that she’s cute. Sorry to bore you with details. But Grace was so precious to me, and she had that genuine smile that made my world a fantasy. Like any other relationship. We had our goals and ambitions. When a rough hand touches a fragile thing, they scratch it. Thinking about the bruises she carried hurt me. Thinking about our memories hurt me. Grace is gone and if maybe I had enough money, I would have kept her.

Darkness carried her to the other side.

Grace, whose life seemed like a dream to have,

In the midst of it all, we can look at Grace and blame her for what she did,

Black tax held her by the neck.

"Grace, you are working, please send us money"

"Grace, your daughter needs new clothes, send money"

"We don't have food, send money"

I need to do my hair, I need money

"Landlord needs rent, please send money"

"Send money"

"Send money"

"Send money"

She cracks, every month because of one word.

"Money"

Hi sweetheart where are you going?

The fall of Grace began that one afternoon when a blue Mercedes car stopped and she got a ride home.

Her love life was beginning to start a new fairy tale.

Her life began to be more interesting. So, they thought.

Imagine seeing the person you consider, the love of your life posting pictures with another guy in some expensive resort, I remember calling Grace with my heart dancing outside of my chest.

“Who’s that guy, you are taking pictures with? I asked hesitantly

“He’s my boss and he paid for all of us to come to this place and have fun for the weekend”. This tale made no sense at all. I was glad that Grace finally got a job to support her family and her daughter. I asked further about the whole thing but she just said she’ll get back to me. After trying so hard to get hold of Grace three days later she called and she told me that she was held up by her work. I didn’t want to sound like a jealous boyfriend or anything like that. I just told her that she should work hard and get recognized by the company. Grace was working hard, two months after the weekend getaway, Grace, the love of my life got a promotion which changed her life forever. This promotion changed our love life forever.

“Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while

Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst

Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?”

Indeed, she dropped the bomb on my head. My world shattered like a thunderclap

I just lost the love of my life. And every memory hurts.

Just when I thought that our love life would grow stronger, everything changed.

She got into a new relationship. I held on to the scraps she left me with. She didn’t want me to see my daughter anymore. She moved her away from me.

She moved in with her new hubby. What hurt me the most is that the guy she was telling me to not worry about was fucking her up and getting her pregnant.

They got married.

They got divorced. But her pain never ceased.

Oh, Grace. What happened my love?

I never thought I will fear, fear as much as I did in that room.

That bed with thongs I lay cold in my blood.

The bed felt warmer with my blood.

The night felt longer with pain engulfing my entire body.

I had to go to work and look at the same man who broke me on my bed and call him boss.

He zipped his pants and walked out of the room.

A long list of events that would perhaps be a red flag to how he's going to treat me later on, I ignored them.

I watched my tears, excavating my emotions, I wanted to be strong but he cuts me deep.

I thought I would feel at home with him, but he wasn’t right for me. He is not right for me.

What happened to me?

What happened, Grace?

I peel away from this earth; my story will sound like a sad song to those who will later ask or know what happened to me.

“Grace, I am sorry for what I did, I promise it will never happen again”

Me and my boss, we would be happy again.

We would laugh and have dinners and all.

When a man just wants to use you, you’ll see with the treatment. Another red flag which I acted blindly towards.

He would ask me to have sex with another man simply because he wanted them to give him tenders.

I was a “wife” to him and also his sex worker. He used me to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. But when you have nothing and you don’t want to go back to your old poverty life, you act strong and deep down of you, you tell yourself that maybe this man will change.

It hurt so much, I mean knowing so much that the person you love will never value you or look at you halfway across the room and tell you how he feels about you. The first time he told me that he loves it was when he was hitting me.

I never felt like he loves me but I have always told myself that he will change for me. I wanted to be a better wife than the one he had. I wanted to keep my job and support my family back home. In this madness of a relationship, the one thing I learnt is to never give a man who’s unapologetic a second chance. Stop being okay with how he’s treating you. I write with my eyes covered with stitches. I left someone I love because I wanted a better life. I don’t know if I will make it out of here. I don’t know if I will survive, dear ex-lover I am sorry to have dropped you like I did, if I die before I wake take care of our daughter. Teach her the love that you have always shown me. Teach her to be patient with life. Life is not easy, but I made mine harder. To my parents, I am sorry that I had to go before you. I just wanted to make you proud. I got the job but I was not happy after months. It’s okay now. I am going home. Home to where I come from. I will leave everything I have worked hard for. Sometimes someone doesn’t love you, they just want to use you for their benefit. He had a wife he later went back to. I was just a fresh girl he built his empire with. I am nothing. I am will end by saying, I died loving the man who used me for his business, I died a hoe everyone man had sex with because my boss wanted me to. I die a shameful death. If I didn’t go there, I wouldn’t have been in this mess. If I didn’t get in that car. I wouldn’t be as broken as I am. I wouldn’t cry as I do now. I wouldn’t cry

I wouldn’t

I wouldn’t have been used.

I wouldn’t…

Everyone looked and from their eyes, you can see that they all feel like they should have done something to help Grace.

A man soaked his face with rend, their last respect, so sublime.

He bites his lips in pain, his eyes red hot like lava. A pinch of a gasp, a sob from mob cracks and the soil mops.

A body would suddenly get weak, and it would fall. The fall of Grace,

Turned the whole community upside down.

Fury murmured; a sad song broke.

Grace, what happened?

A dead body does not know how to talk for itself.

From your bruise, you were hurt.

From your letters, we know what you were going through.

From the tears you have cried, we know you couldn’t be strong anymore.

Indeed, you are going home. To die no more.

You look down on us with your beautiful smile.

We know you would want to hug us and tell us that everything is alright.

Everything is okay now. Sleep well.

There is no pain there. Ahh, Grace.

Memories will live forever in the chambers of my mind. You loved me and that’s all I will forever be grateful for. Grace is gone and she left me with this amazing gift. Our Daughter.

The fall of Grace, to others, will indeed sound like a fall but to us who loved her, it is the rise of Grace…

@Olaiya4