Last updated on October 14th, 2025 at 01:16 pm
It’s been almost twenty-four hours since I updated my status after over four years. Unsurprisingly, I’m met with a wild response with almost all two hundred and four contacts of mine replying to my status. The chats are variations of, ‘Omg! Where have you been?’ ‘Wow, here you are. You disappeared!’ ‘You look beautiful.’ ‘Been a while.’ My parents also replied, ‘that’s my princess’ from my dad and a heart emoji from my mum.
Days after the training, last week Friday, I finally found the nerve to post the photos we took, a few of me alone and others with Elizabeth. It’s my lunch break, and I’m still replying to people’s chats. I imagine this is what being an influencer must feel like. It’s almost criminal not to attend to people’s comments. At this rate, though, I might ignore some comments, seeing as many people continue the conversation once I respond.
Zabby played a huge part in my decision. To begin, I took the pictures on her suggestion. Once she concluded her training on the first day, we took the pictures. I would have refused, but Zabby can be very persistent when she wants to be, so I didn’t bother. I am mostly overwhelmed by the comments, but it’s also reminded me to do a contact cleanse; some people are definitely not welcome anymore. This reminds me of Tochi, whose number I still have even though he’s blocked me and we haven’t spoken in over a year now. He’s Eliam’s father and for Eliam’s sake, I have his contact should he decide to call one day.
As soon as I go down the memory lane, I’m confronted with thoughts of Joe, who could have been Eliam’s father instead. More than once, I’ve considered what things would have been like if I had dated him and completely broken up with Tochi. Even now, I keep going to check my WhatsApp to see if he left a comment. I looked at those who viewed my status and confirmed that he saw them. I wonder what he must think. Does he even care?
On that day, the first day of the training, after talking to my mum and Eliam, I went to the convenience. As soon as I came out of the block, I saw Joe; he was on a call and his back was to the convenience building. I immediately ran back inside, bumping into another lady who was about to exit. I apologised and clutched my chest as I leaned on the wall. Thankfully, she didn’t pay attention to me. After a while, I checked my phone and saw that Zabby had left me a message: Class going well. Money well spent. Five-minute break.
I waited for almost twenty minutes before peeking outside to be sure that he had already left. All through the programme, while I waited for my cousin, I ensured to stay far away from that area. As soon as I left the convenience, I headed for the mall, which is further down from the training hall. On my way, I dropped Zabby a text too: Glad you’re enjoying it! I’m strolling to the mall now.
After walking the huge mall twice, I found an eatery and placed an order. I finally loosened up and enjoyed what seemed like a solo date. It wasn’t until Zabby texted me that they were almost done that I left the eatery. I resumed my walk back to the training hall and got there just in time to see Zabby coming out of the hall. I raised my right hand and waved at her. As soon as she saw me, she broke into a smile and approached me.
“Oh my world! The best first day ever!” She screamed. I laughed, happy that she enjoyed her training.
“So, you can’t wait for day 2?”
“And even day 3!” We both laughed. “Oh! Let’s take pictures, please,” she said. So we took more photos than we could ever need. The key is to take so many pictures that you don’t struggle to find the best ten. Zabby’s words, not mine.
It’s probably lame to expect Joe to comment on my status. We haven’t chatted in the last four years or so. I remember ignoring his messages as soon as he suggested a video call that year. I was pregnant with Eliam, Tochi was absent and trying to adjust to the news, my body was changing and particularly, I was dealing with a lot of shame. Yeah, it’s definitely silly to expect him to come running now. Plus, someone like that must have a girlfriend or fiancée. Even when we were in school and unsettled, he seemed like a potentially good boyfriend.
I answer one more chat and check my status only to see that he has also posted updates from the three-day training. His caption reads, ‘What I’ve been up to.’ I can’t hold myself, even if I tried, from ogling his pictures. He posts another picture, this was of him in the gym. His caption reads, ‘anyway, back to the grind 💪🏾’ My brain completely freezes at this image, and somehow, I check the time and see that my lunch break is almost up. I lock my phone and slowly get up.
