The trampled rose episode 10 – finale

The Trampled Rose (episode 10)
Final episode!
Love can mend the broken hearted, it can heal the wounded, relieve the pained and restore happiness to the sorrowful. No matter the state of your heart, Love can totally transform it and make it wh0le again. Love has never been the problem, but it’s rather the people that misrepresent it and sadly ends up denting it. Don’t shut the doors to your heart just because you had one or multiple bad experiences with Love. Your 100th time might be your lucky charm so don’t give up hope of ever finding that special someone that would pick up every pieces of your broken heart and make it wh0le again. Tochi would have given up on himself and ruled out any hope of ever finding true Love again after his terrible experience with Brandy but it’s refreshing to see that he gave love another chance by opening his heart for Ashley to come in. It is highly commendable that they started off as friends because it would have been very difficult for any woman to make her way into his heart if she went directly seeking for relationsh¡p and commitment. Starting off as friends helped to bring Tochi’s guards down and also opened his eyes to see what an amazing lady Ashley was and how much he needed her companionsh¡p. It’s such a relief to know that their love for each other was mutual and genuine. They were truly made for each other!
Immediately the two lovebirds were done pouring out their hearts to one another, they k-ssed gently for a while before their l-ips parted ways when the announcement for Ashley’s flight departure repeated for the second time. As they slowly let go of each other’s lip, Tochi could feel every cell in his body alive. The impact of that k-ss was so strong that he felt chills and goosebumps all over his body. On the other hand, Ashley could hærdly breath due to the outburst of emotions she was feeling at that moment because of the k-ss. She was shy to look Tochi in the eyes because it was apprent that their once hidden feelings for each other had finally been revealed. There was love in the air!
Just as Ashley was about to walked away, Tochi held her hands and drew her closer to him again. “Please stay, don’t leave” he calmly said and she smiled faintly, “I have to go because I have a job that needs my presence on Monday. Trust me, I would do just anything to spend another minute here with you but I sadly can’t. My flight is about to leave so I have to go. I love you, bye bye!” She said and finally walked away.
At that moment, Tochi was vulnerable and wasn’t afraid to show his soft side to Ashley. He wanted her to stay because he was already missing her. As she walked towards the departure entrance, he stood at the waiting section and just kept on staring at her till she was out of sight. Immediately Ashley went into the tunnel that led to the plane, Tochi sat back on the chair in the waiting section and bent his head downwards. All he could find himself thinking about at that moment was how he was going to survive another minute without his best friend and lover. The fact that they didn’t have enough time to fully express their love for each other made him a bit sad. However, he was glad that he finally made his feelings known to her and was happy that she felt same way for him.
While Tochi sat in the waiting section thinking about Ashley, she boarded the plane and was thinking about him too as she looked through the window. Their souls yearned for each other but they were sadly apart. Ashley was also glad that Tochi was now aware of how she felt about him. The fact that the feeling was mutual, made both of them happier. Few minutes after the plane took off, Tochi sadly left the airport and returned home.
That day marked the beginning of a healthy and beautiful relationsh¡p between Tochi and Ashley. It felt like a fresh start for Tochi and for the second time, he gave all his heart to her and didn’t hold anything back. He treated Ashley like a queen that she was and always gave her the assurance she needed to believe in their relationsh¡p success. They spoke almost everyday and they occasionally sent gifts to one another.
Due to the fact that they were far away from each other, they made sure to fill in that gap with constant communication. They were completely faithful and totally committed to each other. The same exact reason Brandy cheated on Tochi was the same reality of his current relationsh¡p but Ashley was a disciplined lady and a tough spec. Not for once did she look at another man in an attractive way; talk more of cheating on her partner who was thousands of miles away from her. This goes far to show that ‘Cheating’ is an individual choice and not an epidemic. This implies that Brandy cheated because she wanted to and certainly not because it was impossible not to. It was refreshing to see that Ashley wasn’t plying that lane and this showed that Tochi never had to be insecure or worry if there was any need for him to be away from his partner for a while in the near future.
Day after day, their relationsh¡p waxed stronger and scaled through minor crisis. Neither of them were perfect individuals so they exhibited some flaws every now and them, but the good thing about their relationsh¡p is that they were first friends before anything else. Their friendsh¡p sustained their relationsh¡p so no matter what happened, they usually approached the situation like they did while they were still friends. Also, Ashley was an unproblematic lady so she didn’t hold grudges for too long and this particular trait of hers made Tochi fall deeper for her.
It’s been three months since the couple officially became an item and they still hadn’t seen each other since after the day they said “Goodbye” in the airport. Tochi could have visited her at the resort every week if he could but the workload on him as the ‘regional manager’ of the bank he worked for was intense. He barely had enough hours to himself a day, talk more of visiting the resort to see his Sweetheart. Being an understanding partner, Ashley understood his busy schedules and clung to the daily communication he didn’t slack in.
One fateful night as the love birds laid on their beds talking on phone, Ashley decided to ch¡p in a thought that has been on her mind for a long time. “Baby, can I ask you for a favor?” She inquired, “Sure, anything for you my love” he replied and there was brief silence. The sudden silence was a little awkward and was enough to tell Tochi that something was up. “Babe, what’s the problem? Are you ok?” He curiously inquired and she began to talk. “It’s about your ex-wife and bestfriend. I know you might hate me for what I am about to say but I think it’s time for you to forgive them from your heart. You can’t continue to hold this grudge against them because I feel it is unhealthy for you and us. Please call your ex-wife and bestfriend and tell them you have forgiven them. However you want to do this, just do it so far as you let them know that you have forgiven them and have let go of every anger in your heart for them. Please baby, do this for me. Forgiveness is very important because you are also doing yourself a good thing by forgiving someone that hurt you. This way, they won’t have any power over you, neither will your past pains resurface to ruin your present and future. You really have to forgive them so you can have total peace and happiness. I love you and want the best for you. This is the only thing I have ever asked of you, please don’t turn my request down” she calmly said.
Immediately Ashley was done talking, Tochi’s spirit was calm. For some strange reasons, he wasn’t mad or angry that she brought such sensitive matter up; if anything, he was glad she did and was willing to finally put the past behind and render forgiveness to his offenders. After giving it a thought, he said “Ok, I will do as you have said”. That response brought unspeakable joy to Ashley’s heart and she couldn’t stop saying “Thank you” to him.
After that conversation, Tochi began to plan of how to tell Brandy and Mavin that he was no longer carrying any form of grudge for them. He thought of the best way to do that and decided to invite them to a cozy restaurant one evening. He first texted Mavin and told him to meet up with him at the restaurant, then he texted Brandy afterwards and told her same thing. Tochi didn’t tell Mavin that Brandy was coming and he also didn’t tell Brandy that Mavin would be there too. It’s apparent that they were all in for a huge surprise.
After work that day, Tochi drove all the way to the restaurant and waited for them. Mavin was the first to arrive and before the conversation could start, Brandy showed up few minutes later and was shocked to see both of them there. As she walked towards their table, her heart dropped but she maintained her composure. “Please sit” Tochi calmly said when she got closer to the table. Immediately everyone settled down, there was silence. The atmosphere was tensed and everything just felt a bit weird for everyone. Brandy and Mavin tried to avoid eye contacts as much as possible as they waited for Tochi to tell them why they were gathered. After a while of being mute, the silence was finally broken by Tochi.
“I gathered both of you here because I have something to let off my chest. I never thought I would be doing this but I have come to realize that my happiness is also tied to what I am about to say” Tochi said. He turned towards Mavin afterwards and continued. “Mavin, you were my best friend for ten good years and I know you loved me. I don’t think I will have another best friend anytime soon because what we had was special. I don’t know why you hurt me the way you did and I don’t know why you didn’t think about our friendsh¡p before sleeping with my wife but I Forgive you. However, we sadly can’t be friends anymore but I just want you to know that I don’t have anything against you. I wish you all the best going from now henceforth and I don’t wish you any Karma. Despite the fact that we are not friends anymore, always bear in mind that I will be here if you need my help for anything” he said.
When Tochi was done speaking to Mavin who was shedding tears at that moment, he turned towards Brandy and looked into her eyes. “I still can’t believe that you aren’t going to be the one I will grow old with. I loved you more than I have ever loved anyone but I guess it wasn’t enough. We had everything going on perfectly well in our marriage but you didn’t think twice before throwing it all away. I will always be here for you as a support system if you need anything but my heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. I forgive you for every pain you inflicted on me and I wish you the very best in life going from now henceforth. Do whatever makes you happy and don’t forget to live your life to the fullest because you are amazing. Don’t be afraid to call my office line for anything” he said.
When Tochi was done talking to Mavin and Brandy individually, he got up from where he sat and looked at them; “Both of you have my forgiveness. I have nothing against you too and wish you guys the very best” he finally said and walked away. Shortly after he left, Mavin got up and left too, while Brandy sat back there sobbing. She was happy that Tochi had forgiven her but at the same time sad because she knew she had lost him forever. After sobbing, she ordered a drink to cool off before heading home.
As Tochi drove home that day, it felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The happiness he felt is beyond comprehension and he was glad that Ashley advised him to take such a bold step and forgive his offenders. Immediately Tochi arrived home that day, he booked a flight to the resort and called his subordinates to inform them that he would be away for a week. “Handle all the affairs in the office because my phone would be switched off for the few days I will be away” he instructed.
That night, Tochi packed a few clothes and couldn’t wait for his flight’s time to come so as to see his sweetheart once again. He didn’t tell Ashley he was coming so it could be a surprise visit. He booked a room at the resort for a week and paid for ‘couples’ vacation package. Ashley had hinted that she would be taking one week off from work that very week and was hoping to visit Tochi in town. If only she knew that a mini vacation of ‘two’ had been arranged for her to relax and enjoy with her beau, I believe she would have scre-med out for joy. Tochi didn’t inform her of his plans because he wanted it to be a surprise.
Finally, it was time for Tochi’s flight to depart and it no time, he arrived at his destination. An esc-rt from the resort came all the way to pick him up at the airport and after a long drive, they arrived at the resort. It was already passed 7pm by the time Tochi got to the resort. By that time, the sky was already getting dark. He checked into his room to freshen-up before taking a walk to the bar where he knew Ashley would be. When he got there, he sent one of the waiters that was positioned outside to go and tell her that someone wanted to see her outside.
When Ashley was informed that someone was waiting for her outside, she thought it was her boss or a customer whom she had served earlier so she hurriedly finished up with what she was doing and headed outside. When she walked out of the bar, she saw a dark figure standing a little distant from the bar so she began to walk towards it. As she got closer, the person’s identity became clearer and immediately the last puzzle of the person’s identity was fixed in her mind, she scre-med “BABY!!”.
When Tochi heard Ashley’s scre-m, he smiled and gave her a tight hug. They hugged each other for a very long time before he whispered “I miss you so much darling” to her ears. Ashley raised her face, looked into his eyes and happily replied “I miss you too”. They k-ssed passionately afterwards and didn’t want to let go of each other’s l-ips this time around. Nothing else mattered at that moment except the love they had for each other and they weren’t afraid to be vulnerable to each other. Isn’t love beautiful?
The couple went ahead to enjoy a wonderful week together and didn’t want to be away from themselves for even a second. Tochi informed the resort management that Ashley was his partner so she was allowed to take the ‘one week leave’ and enjoy the vacation without putting her job at risk. Everyday was blissful and amazing and they wished it would never end. Their love grew stronger each day and the future looked promising for their relationsh¡p. One day he might put a ring on it but until then, they lived everyday like it was their last and loved each other unconditionally.
Oh! How sweet it is to be loved by someone that genuinely cares about you. Love stays in the good and bad times, it doesn’t chicken out when it faces trials neither does it seek the easy was out. If you ever find someone that puts you first and genuinely loves you, don’t lose him/her because you might spend the rest of your life finding a suitable replacement.
If you ever come face to face with a tempting situation that would cause you to betray or cheat on your partner, don’t sit there negotiating with your feelings, just FLEE!
Regret isn’t pleasant so try and much as possible to avoid circ-mstances that would lead you to regrets. Value your promises and vows to your partner because words are powerful and above all, never shut the door to your heart no matter how much you have been hurt in the past. You deserve to experience Love for all the beautiful things that it is so don’t deny yourself the opportunity to actually do so because regardless of what happens, Love will forever remain a ‘Beautiful Thing’.
End of story! 😉
Thanks for staying tuned till the end. Comment below how soon you want another story. Love you all 😘
✍🏼 Written by Sonia Okehie