The Ponmo Debacle Episode 7

THE PONMO DEBACLE
PART 7

I had totally forgotten Magnus in my excitement to get Duke and Juliet realize how much they really need to spend their lives together.

Maybe he noticed us as he was leaving and I am sure mistook the excitement on my face for interest in Duke or something.

The presence of his date behind him irritated me vaguely. I was not the type to be jealous, I trusted and believed people too easily.

I remember a guy I dated sometime ago who had a young girl of about 17 living with him. When we started dating, he had introduced the young girl as his niece; his sister’s daughter and I related with the girl very well, often buying her gifts and taking her out to the cinema which is another favorite past time of mine.

We had dated for almost eight months when I walked into the flat one day, surprised to see the front door unlocked and met him pounding into the young girl. The disgust I felt at a thirty-something year old man having s€× with a young girl was exponentially increased when I found out later after we had broken up that the girl was really his niece. I have had some bad relationsh¡ps I tell you.

That was why when I met Magnus and saw how decent he was, I was so happy and contented. Now here he was, two weeks later, acting the jealous boyfriend with a woman in tow. Leticia, you must really appease your village people I gro-ned to myself. Well, time to put the young man in his place.

“It is really quite rude for you to just interfere in a private conversation and start throwing insults about” I said icily even though I missed him and my eyes roved hungrily over his features. “you can see that you are not invited here so I suggest you take yourself away from here” I turned in my seat to back him and sent an apologetic look to Duke who seemed to have caught on to what was happening.

The woman behind him still remained silent and watchful. I wanted to gouge her eyes out. Cool it Leticia I told myself. Jealousy does not look good on you.

“I am so disappointed Leticia” Magnus’ voice had a quality in it I had not heard before “A small disagreement between us and you just walk away, ghost me and find someone new. All under two weeks! And here I was thinking that……” he never finished the sentence because Juliet used that time to come back and her icy voice stopped Magnus in his tracks.

“What on Earth are you son of a devil doing here?” she asked looking him over contemptuously. “Are you stalking Leticia? Because I don’t know what else could bring you to this happy place to spoil our dinner” I placed my hand on her forearm to stop her.

She was attracting the attention of the other diners and if there was one thing I hated, it was being the center of attraction especially when it was a lover’s tiff like the one going on now. I didn’t need the drama. I hated it and I hated Magnus for putting me in this situation.

Suddenly, I wanted to get away from there. That restaurant was my happy place, one I came to this evening to escape albeit temporarily from the heartache I had been nursing since two weeks and now Magnus had spoiled that for me.

I wanted to walk away but I didn’t want to slink away like a sloth, I wanted to let Magnus know how I felt about the wh0le debacle. I stood up and started gathering my things. Juliet raised an eyebrow at my actions while Duke sat back watching what I was doing and not saying a word. That man is a gold mine and Juliet better not lose him.

“You come to my table trying to raise hell because you see me with another man while I know you brought another woman to dinner here too. I saw you when I entered and I did not come to your table to embarrass you. You know why? Because I believe in allowing people do what they want to do, what they really want to do and not what society demands of them or mandates them to do. For two weeks, you have not called me or reached out to me simply because I came to your house and carried away by your mother’s beautiful cooking, I finished a plate of fried plantains and meat that was supposed to be for two of us. I have apologized for that mistake and I have also spoken to your mother but I will not roll over for you to step all over me because of it. I am not going to ask you about your new relationsh¡p and I need you to leave me alone since you have already moved on” there were tears in my voice and I didn’t want to give Magnus and his new ‘babe’ the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

I quickly picked up my bag and looked up in surprise as Juliet held my hand to stop me from leaving. Magnus looked stricken by what I said and heaved a sigh of relief when Juliet stopped me.

“Babe, I have not been totally truthful to you” she began hesitantly as I dropped into a chair in surprise. I also noticed that Magnus’ date had also sat down on one of the chairs while Duke stood behind Juliet’s chair, his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Magnus reached out to me and in fact I was the one that suggested that he meet us in this restaurant knowing that it is a favorite of yours and you were always happy here” she motioned for me to look to my left and what I saw shocked me and brought applause from other diners who were obviously watching the drama surreptitiously.

Magnus was kneeling down beside my chair, a hopeful look on his face and a beautiful oval diamond ring nestled in,side a plush black suede box held out to me. His next words had me tearing up and Juliet , Duke and the mystery lady clapping and cheering “Leticia, will you do me the honor of making an honest man out of me?”