Frank and I have been friends since our university days. I had always loved him and was particularly swept away by his polished accent. By the way, I was twelve years older than him, which explained why my feelings for Frank were known to me alone and as such, could not be spoken of openly!
Unfortunately, he was not attracted to me but was madly in love with Folashade, my neighbour who lived two buildings away. Frank and Folashade were known lovebirds in the area and as time went by, Frank became more confident about his love for Folashade which made him think of popping the big question. Based on this, he decided to introduce Folashade to his only surviving sister, Blessing. Blessing and I were colleagues and at the time, she had just gotten promoted at work, so she decided to celebrate the good news with a few friends and family.
It was at Blessing’s promotion party that Folashade’s long-kept secret was brought to the limelight. I can’t remember exactly how it got out, all I can recall is seeing Frank crying uncontrollably outside the house while I asked what the problem was, in a reassuring tone. “She is married and the husband lives overseas” Frank kept muttering. “Folashade lied to me that she was single,” he added.
And there I was, consoling Frank, with a love that could not be spoken of, a feeling that made other men unattractive to me, though I was already clocking 40.
The revelation of Folashade’s true status took a toll on Frank to the extent that he had to leave town. I was quite devasted as I had thought that since things had ended with Folashade, Frank would finally notice me. I never knew that I would also lose Frank who relocated and never returned.
