There’s a quote by Maya Angelou that says, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” Like an intelligent person, Ben followed that advice. Ben belonged to the group of men who liked their women with a flare of drama. It keeps things spicy, or so they claim. In line with his ‘type’, Pauline skewed towards the dramatic side of things.
Ben and Pauline were that lively couple that left an impression on everyone they spent time with. They matched each other’s energy. None of their friends joined in their banter. Instead, they watched and enjoyed the entertainment. The friends had quickly learnt not to take sides when they had a debate because they could easily switch up and gang up on you. Other times, they would have heated discussions, and you’d side with one of them only for them to get back together. They embodied the saying that you shouldn’t get involved in the affairs of people who have shared a bed.
Besides being Pauline’s boyfriend, Ben was also a loyal friend to his circle of guys. They were a group of five dudes who attended campus together and maintained their friendship long after graduating. They had seen each other through moments of extreme brokenness, a long string of girlfriends, entry-level jobs to better career positions and more stable relationships. Suffice it to say, they were thick as thieves. The loyalty among the five friends sparked a tiff between Ben and Pauline.
Ben and his boys had taken a trip to the coast the previous weekend. Three of the guys in the group were married. Ben was dating Pauline, and the fifth guy was the quintessential Casanova. The fifth guy was often the ‘supplier’ of girls to the married crew on their trips out of town. Their wedding rings came off as soon as they passed Mlolongo. They had gotten so good at covering for each other that they hardly got caught. Their wives would be suspicious, but they hardly got caught.
Ben’s case differed slightly because Pauline was often available for these trips. She didn’t get along with the other guys’ wives, so she didn’t snitch. She was unavailable for the coast trip. However, she might as well have been on the trip because of the number of times that she called Ben. At some point, Ben left his phone in the hotel room or car to dodge her calls. Not surprisingly, he came back to a very irate girlfriend.
As they were dealing with their situation, Njesh, a wife to one of the boys, came to Ben’s place. She was frantic, and her husband, Ben’s friend, was right behind her.
“Ben, you’ve always been a decent guy, so don’t lie to me. Your friend here says the woman in the photo was with you. Is that true?” Njesh asked.
“Which woman?” Ben asked, trying to buy time. Njesh had also piqued the curiosity of an already angry Pauline.
Njesh held out her phone to show Ben the photo. It turned out that one of the girls they had partied with at the coast had taken a picture and put it on Instagram. A younger sister to one of Njesh’s friends saw it and sent it to the friend, who sent it to Njesh. It was like the universe was conspiring against Ben’s friend. In a moment of panic, Ben’s friend lied to his wife, Njesh, that the girl was with Ben because Njesh liked Ben.
Ben was now in a tight spot because his friend needed an alibi, but confirming his story would mean getting into more trouble with Pauline. Trying to save himself and his friend, he said, “How drunk were you, dude? That shawty was with Vic.” Vic was the fifth friend who was a womanizer. Suddenly, Ben’s friend spoke to his wife more confidently. It was much easier to lay the blame on Vic. Njesh seemed half-convinced by the time they left. It was now time to deal with Pauline.
“You just lied to Njesh, didn’t you?” Pauline asked Ben.
“What lie?” Ben feigned ignorance.
“That woman was with her husband, not Vic. I could tell from your reactions and interacting with you guys,” Pauline said.
“Yes, you’re right,” Ben admitted.
Pauline went on a rant about them covering up for each other. Eventually, they made up and went to bed. The following morning, Ben woke up at six to find Pauline holding a pillow and looking at him strangely. He was startled and partially sleepy. Pauline looked at him directly and said, “Ben, don’t ever think you can make a fool out of me the way your friends do with their wives. I will not let you get away with it. I will never be the woman who gets cheated on as she stays faithful at home.”
The look in her eyes and the way she said it made Ben realize that she wasn’t joking. He knew Pauline could be dramatic, but this was something different. He’d find himself imagining ways in which Pauline could harm him and suddenly got scared of eating food she’d prepared or sleeping too soundly next to her. He planned his exit strategy from the relationship by withdrawing attention and affection until Pauline decided to end the relationship. It wasn’t until the breakup that he told his friends about the threat.
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