Part 1

It had often been rumored that it is tradition for a woman to take an oath before marriage in this community. An oath that binds her to the husband alone. An oath that would be awakened were she to sleep with another man after marriage but for Vivian, it was a mere fallacy which not only sounds stupid but barbaric to. Michael has proven himself in every way, ticking almost all the boxes of what she needs in a man and she'll be damned if some traditional mumbo jumbo would stand between her and the promise of marital bliss. For the first time in a long while, she actually made conscious efforts to keep her man. She often regarded men as devils so she often brought her long spoon when dinning with them as the saying goes.
Michael had been the exception. Even with his fleeting moments of villainy, she fe
Often felt that he is the one man worth accepting as he is, flaws and all. They met unceremoniously, as both had come with bids for a multi million naira contract, determined to kick the other to the curbs. They exchanged complimentary cards and got down to business, each trying to out do the other much to the irritation of the managing director. At one point, the session became so heated that he almost threw them out of his office but astonishingly, Michael regained his cool immediately and flashed that smile that would later be her Achilles heel. After the dust had settled, she got the contract and wasted no time in rubbing it in. Michael simply shook hands with everyone and left, thus enraging her. How dare he show nonchalance in defeat, "I would show him" she swore.
It took another two weeks before Vivian ran into Michael at a popular eatery on the island and she knew this was a golden opportunity to finally deliver the knock out punch. She had to admit that he looked dapper in his navy blue suit and fresh hair cut but none of that would distract her from the task at hand. It seemed Michael hadn't noticed her presence as he kept conversing with the girl in front of him, so Vivian used that time to open the top two buttons of her blue flowery blouse to show just enough cleavage to make him drool on his fine suit, literally. she walked out from behind and strode confidently to his table, flashed him the most captivating smile she could conjure and for the sake of clarity, introduced herself " hi Michael, I'm Vivian, the young woman you went toe to toe with about".......He looked up at this point, and without smiling raised his left hand in a gesture that meant for her to pause and she did, only for him to simply turn his head and continue the conversation he was having. The girl across him flashed Vivian a pitiful smile which could mean anything from pity to disdain and at that point, Vivian prayed to be woken from what was quickly turning to a nightmare, her knees felt week and her legs light, as if they could no longer carry her 5 4' 66kg. At that very moment, she wished the worst form of diarrhoea on him and his generations till eternity. Nothing else would do. God!!!!!! And to think she had this round in the bag. Somehow she was able to walk the few steps away from them amid glances and outright staring from eagle eyed patrons and condescending looks on their faces to the car park and into her car. Her temperature rose and she quickly put on the A.c and drove out, the hatred she felt at that moment rose all the way from her stomach to her throat, almost choking her. How dare he treat her that way, how dare he!! She would make him crawl at her feet, make him squirm and do her bidding. She would show him. Within her, she of course knew she deserved what she got. It was a game she didn't know he was a master of, but it didn't make her feel any better knowing this. Back at the cafe, Michael smiled to himself at the outcome of events and felt gratified. Even though he liked the young woman's obvious skills and recently hatched a plan to win her heart, he couldn't get himself to forget the manner at which she gloated back there at the office. To him, revenge has been served in coldstone form.
It took another two months of constant show of fake remorse garnished with just the right amount of affections before she agreed to meet up with him so they could bury the hatchet. The venue was picked and they both arrived, each with conflicting thoughts on how to best proceed. They got there and each took their seats, facing the other and one look at her told Michael that perhaps she wanted this as much he did and wasted no time by seizing the moment and as an act of chivalry, explained that whatever game they played has been quite exhausting and they should put an end to it. Vivian, who had expected a genuine apology from him quickly adjusted and looked him in the eye saying "I accept your terms of surrender Michael".

Mcanthony
2017