Well, we came all this way to witness Joojo make a very foolish mistake, and the consequences are certainly gonna be disastrous. Let’s watch the outcome…

It was evening.

Back home, Joojo lay in his couch, wishing it would swallow him whole. The weight of humiliation and regret pressed down heavily on him like an anvil the size of the Titanic ship. Since he arrived home after that long painful ride, the only words that could emerge from his mouth were self-deprecatory remarks, as he cursed himself repeatedly, his thoughts consumed by self-loathing and disbelief at his own foolish actions.

“How could I be so stupid?” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “How the hell could I have been such an idiot? Damnit! I’ve ruined everything. I’ve ruined everything…”

The memory of the altercation at Abena’s parents’ home played over and over in his mind like a nightmare he couldn’t escape. From being forcibly ejected from the party by the birthday man, who was extremely angry at Joojo’s behaviour, to the shocked and disappointed and disgusted looks on the faces of Abena’s family members, to the icy silence from Abena herself and her refusal to even speak to him…

This was an absolute nightmare. And it was all his fault.

Why in the world did he react like that? Why in heaven’s name did he think it wise in any way to get that aggressive with Alex over something so harmless? What the hell was he thinking?

He slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and ran his hands through his hair, wishing he could take back the past hour. But he knew that was impossible.

He knew he had messed up monumentally, and the realization filled him with a profound sense of shame and remorse. The silence from Abena since the incident only served to amplify his feelings of guilt and despair. He had attempted calling her when he got back home, only to have his call swiftly rejected.

“I’ve lost her,” he whispered to himself, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “Oh, God, I’ve lost her. I’ve lost the most important person in my life. All because of my own stupidity.”

As he sat alone in his apartment, the weight of his folly bearing down on him like a heavy anchor, Joojo knew that there was no one to blame but himself. He had fallen prey to his inexplicable fears and allowed unnecessary rage to rule him. He had lost control, acted like an uncouth animal, and now he was paying the price.

He sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating his next move.

Then, he decided that the only thing he could do was to apologize. “Not tomorrow, or the next day, but first thing in the morning,” he declared to himself.

Even though it was a sure given she’d be mad at him, he owed her that much. He knew that their relationship had taken a serious hit, but… maybe, just maybe, there was still something worth saving.

***

Heart pounding with anxiety and desperation, Joojo arrived at Abena’s apartment building very early that Sunday morning, his stomach churning with nerves as he killed the engine. As he got out of the car and approached the security guard at the entrance, he could already note the confusion on the guy’s face.

“Bossu, g-g-good morning oo,” Joojo began, his voice trembling slightly. “Uh… I need to see Abena. Abeg, I go fit go inside?”

The security guard regarded Joojo with a mix of sympathy and reluctance. “Um, boss, sorry ooo, ” he responded with a shake of his head. “Madam say make I no allow you make you come see am.”

Joojo’s heart sank at the guard’s words. Somehow, he had expected this, but it didn’t make it any less painful to hear.

“Errr, bossu, this one, I know sey ibi kokonsa I dey do, but… abeg, you go eat another girl wey she catch you?”

Joojo shot him a surprised look, followed by a brisk shake of the head. “No, no, no, I no do that. But I beg, tell am sey I dey beg waaa, make she just hear me out.”

The guard looked unsure. “Hmmm, bossu, the way she tear me warning last night, eh. I dey fear…”

Desperation clouding his mind, Joojo dropped to his knees before the guard, his voice pleading.

“Chale, bossu, I dey beg you waaa,” he begged, his hands clasped together in supplication. “I just for tell am something. E dey hia me waaa. I go do anything give you after this, but please, just help me. I dey beg you waaa. See, if she like sef, make she come outside come see me. I dey beg you.”

The guard hesitated, torn between his duty and his empathy for Joojo’s obvious distress. After a moment of contemplation, he let out a sigh and nodded slowly.

“Alright, big man,” he relented, his voice softened by compassion. “Make I see what I go fit do. But I no fit to promise anything ooo.”

A tiny flicker of hope ignited in Joojo’s chest as he rose to his feet. “Thank you, bossu. Thank you so much.”

With a heavy heart, the guard nodded, then made his way inside to relay Joojo’s plea to Abena, hoping against hope that she would, at the very least, agree to see him outside the confines of her apartment.

A minute turned to two minutes.

Two minutes to five minutes.

Five minutes to ten minutes.

As Joojo anxiously waited at the gate, his heart pounding in his chest, he stood by, praying with each passing minute that Abena would step out. As the minutes rolled by, he continued to pray.

It was about twenty minutes later until he heard the sound of her door open.

His heart leaping in his chest, he watched as Abena made her way down the stairs and approached, her expression one of annoyance, and her arms folded tightly across her chest. The sight of her angry demeanour sent a wave of dread coursing through him.

Whatever happened, one thing was for sure. He was about to face the full force of her fury.

But, he had to start.

“Um… Abena, babe, please,” Joojo began, his voice trembling with emotion. “I’m so sorry for what happened yesterday. I know I messed up, big time… but… I love you, and I’ll do anything to make it right…”

Before he could utter another word, Abena cut him off with an outstretched arm and a glare that could cut through steel. “Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Man! Don’t even go there! Don’t you dare!” she spat, her voice laced with venom. “Don’t you dare try to tell me that ‘I love you’ nonsense. Hold it right there!”

Joojo lowered his head. It had begun, and it was going to be relentless.

“For the absolute love of God, Joojo, what is wrong with you?! How are you getting jealous of my cousin? My freaking cousin! So now you wanna police my every move and vet every person that comes close to me? Huh? Is that what you’re looking for now? Ah, gentleman! What is the meaning of that? I understand you have zero trust in me, but to assume my cousin would come for me? Are you sick or something?”

Each syllable spoken in anger made Joojo’s heart sink deeper.

“Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was yesterday? You humiliated me in front of all my family members with that! And not just any other day, but my father’s birthday! My father’s freaking birthday! With all my uncles, aunties and cousins around. Do you know how embarrassing it was to have some of them talking to me like I’m in an abusive relationship? Yes! Some of them were already insinuating I’m in a relationship with an abuser! A foul-mouthed abuser at that! How could you?”

Joojo could barely lift his head to look at her. Among the numerous regrets was letting that profanity escape his mouth; he abhorred that term, and couldn’t understand why it came out at that time.

“Abena, I… I know,” he whimpered, his voice barely a whisper. “I… I was stupid. Extremely stupid… and I let my insecurities get the best of me. But I… I’m sorry. I’m never doing that again. I promise…”

“Damn right you’re never doing that again!”

Joojo’s eyes looked up at her, pleading with hers for pardon. “Babe, please, I love you, I swear I really do-“

Abena shook her head in disbelief. “Love? Is that what you call this? Gentleman, don’t annoy me any further. Love for the where? When all you’ve done is show me how little you trust me and respect me? My friend, don’t talk rubbish for me to get even angrier! Will love make you suspect weird nothings out of mere comments from people I’ve never seen before? Will love suddenly pull me away from fans just because he’s jealous? Will love embarrass me in front of my whole family over the most irrational idea ever? Please, please, and please again, don’t get me angrier than I am. Just leave, okay? It’s over. I’m not doing this with you anymore.”

Tears stung Joojo’s eyes as those words crashed into him. He shook his head mournfully. “Babe, please…”

“Babe please sɛ sen? Isn’t it obvious you don’t trust me? It’s very obvious. You have zero trust for me to the extent sɛ you don’t even think I can work with my own cousin without something funny happening. Please, I can’t continue to put you through such mental torment. And I don’t deserve this. When I love, I love with everything in me. Every other person is out of the picture. What didn’t I tell you in that voice note? I was ready to give my all to you. Because I loved you. But it’s obvious that was all nonsense to you, and I’m such a loose skank that you think I’m ready to leave you for my cousin!

“I’m not ready to spend the rest of my life putting in extra effort to prove my dedication to you. I’ve been doing that from the moment I said yes to you. I’ve given you everything a girlfriend should give her boyfriend. I’ve shown you time after time that I’m down for you and you alone. Now that I know it’s not enough, my journey ends here. In any case, after that display, my parents don’t even want to hear your name. Please, leave, and have a nice life. I need to get ready for church, anyways.”

Trembling, Joojo reached out to her, desperation written across his face. He had feared this might happen, but had hoped against hope that it wouldn’t. His fears had been confirmed, in the coldest possible way.

“Please, Abena,” he begged, his voice cracking with emotion. “Don’t do this. I’ve changed, I swear. I trust you now. I believe every word you say. Please, don’t do this. I can’t bear to lose you. Please.”

But Abena’s expression remained cold and unyielding as she stepped back, her resolve firm. “It’s over, Joojo,” she declared, her voice steely. “I deserve better than this, and so do you. Have a nice life.”

With that, Abena turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Joojo standing alone at the gate as she loudly demanded the security guard make him leave.

Joojo was speechless. His hands trembled, his eyes watered, and he shook his head furiously.

His world came crumbling down around him as the new reality struck him harshly in the gut.

He had lost the woman he loved.

All because of his insecurities.

He had been so afraid to lose her that he had ended up driving her away.

***

EPILOGUE

Three years had passed since that fateful day at the gate, yet the pain still lingered in Joojo’s heart like an open wound. He had tried a couple of times after that to beg for another chance. Abena, however, was well and truly done with him, and after a few attempts, unequivocally warned him to stop harassing her. Once it became obvious he was huffing and puffing and blowing against a brick wall, his attempts to win back the love of his life reluctantly ceased.

Now, that Saturday afternoon, as he sat by himself in the dimly lit confines of his room, tears streamed down his face as he stared at his phone screen.

He knew it had happened. He heard all about it. But he didn’t want to believe it. Unfortunately for him, as he opened Instagram, that was the first image he saw.

The image of Abena, radiant in her wedding gown, smiling joyfully as she stood beside another man.

Yep, Abena had moved on quickly after the breakup, and a new guy had come by, stolen her heart and wasted no time making her his. With what Joojo had heard, he was more than excited about being with one of Ghana’s biggest Youtubers, and never failed to support her in any way he could. It was also said that she often lavished him with praise for the way ‘their bond of trust was simply unbreakable’.

Obvious shade at Joojo.

He had lived in denial for the past few months, hoping this was just a long nightmare he hadn’t woken up from. At that moment, though, as he saw the pictures of a glowing Abena and her husband, it felt like a dagger had been driven right through his heart.

This should have been him. He was the one supposed to be standing next to her in the sharpest tuxedo, with his ring on her finger.

Yet, thanks to his ‘but what if’ mindset, this was his reality.

“Why did I let my insecurities ruin everything?” Joojo whispered to himself, his voice filled with regret and self-recrimination. “She never gave me a reason to doubt her, but I let my own fears consume me. How stupid of me! How stupid!”

As he scrolled through the Instagram post, memories of his time with Abena flooded his mind, each one a painful reminder of what could have been.

All those times he spent at her apartment. All the times she spent at his end. All those sweet kisses they shared. The football banter they engaged in. the pop culture debates they had shared.

They were all but mere memories of a past relationship now. Lost forever.

“I was so blinded by my own insecurities that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me,” Joojo lamented, his voice choked with emotion. “So choked up with the fear of what could happen that I drove her away myself… God, why was I such a fool? Abena deserved so much better than what I gave her. I should have trusted her completely, no matter what those voices from the depths of hell claimed. I shouldn’t have let that ‘but what if’ mentality overrule me. I shouldn’t have let what others say control my mind. I shouldn’t have… oh God, I’ve messed up! I’ve messed up! I’ve freaking messed up!”

Bitter tears continued to fall as Joojo berated himself for his foolishness, for allowing his own doubts and fears to destroy something beautiful. Even if he managed to get over this, he knew that he would carry the weight of his mistakes for the rest of his life, forever haunted by the memory of the woman he had loved and lost.

All because he threw trust out the window, and allowed himself to be consumed with the idea ‘but what if…’

Wiping his eyes, he looked at the pictures one more time.

“She was perfect,” he whispered. “Such a perfect babe. She’s a dime, and I threw her to the gutter with my stupidity…”

THE END

And there you have it! The boy successfully destroyed his relationship with those insecurities. Terribly unnecessary actions he took there, all because of irrational fear. Smh.

Thanks for reading, and as always, enjoy yourself around the State!