“That kind of life will break you.”
She forced a small smile. “Not everyone has a choice.”
His jaw tightened slightly, but he said nothing more.
The silence between them stretched.
Imani did not know why she said it then. Maybe she wanted distance. Maybe she wanted protection. Maybe she was trying to remind both of them that whatever this strange closeness was, it could not become dangerous again.
“There is someone in my life.”
That got his attention.
Chidi looked up slowly. “What?”
Imani kept her face calm. “I said there is someone in my life.”
His eyes stayed on her. “Who?”
She hesitated for just a second, then said the first name that made sense.
“Collins Maduka.”
Chidi knew the name. Collins was older, polished, and smooth in the kind of way that made people trust him too quickly. He had come around the office once or twice on business and had shown clear interest in Imani.
The words came lightly, carelessly, but Chidi’s face changed. The woman selling the food glanced at them. Two students at the next table looked over. Imani noticed too late.
“I did not mean it like that,” she said quickly.
Chidi paid without a word.
On the walk back, silence stayed between them.
Another time, when he mentioned that he might miss a class because of something he needed to do, she said, “Just tell me what it is and maybe I can sort it out.”
She meant support.
He heard helplessness.
And each time something like that happened, Chidi felt himself shrinking a little inside.
He knew Imani cared. That was what made it harder. If she had been cruel, he could have been angry. But she was kind. She just did not understand. To her, helping was natural. To him, too much help felt like losing ground.
One evening, after dropping her near her hostel, Chidi began walking back alone. Voices floated from behind a parked car nearby. He heard laughter first. Then one boy said, “If I catch my own rich babe like that, I will not stress in this life again.”
Another replied, “That Chidi guy is smart. Quiet boys are the real players.”
The laughter that followed was loud and careless.
Chidi kept walking, but something heavy settled in his chest.
By the time he got home, he barely spoke. Pa Josiah noticed.
“What is it?” the old man asked.
“Nothing.”
Pa Josiah gave him a knowing look. “When a man says nothing too quickly, it is usually something.”
Chidi sat down slowly. After a moment, he said, “Do you think a person can love someone and still feel ashamed beside them?”
Pa Josiah looked at him for a long time before answering.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “Especially when love meets pride.”
Chidi lowered his eyes.
The old man continued, “That girl cares for you. But caring is not always enough. Two people can love each other and still wound each other without knowing.”
Chidi said nothing. Because deep down, he knew that was exactly what was beginning to happen.
He loved being with Imani, but the closer they became, the more exposed he felt. And little by little, though he hated admitting it, Chidi Bello began to feel smaller and smaller.
Chidi did not sleep well that night. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, hearing his own thoughts over and over again.
I feel like your charity project.
He had not planned to say it like that, but it was true. He loved Imani, yet each time money entered their relationship, something inside him tightened. He knew she meant well. He knew she cared. That was what made it harder. If she had been cruel, anger would have been easy. But Imani was not cruel. She was simply used to solving pain with what she had.
To her, money was help.
To Chidi, too much money felt like humiliation.
The next few days were uneasy. They still saw each other. They still spoke. But something had shifted. Their conversations became shorter. Their laughter no longer came easily. Even when they sat close, a quiet wound stayed between them.
Imani was hurt too. She had helped him because she loved him. She had stood by his grandfather, visited the hospital, and made difficult calls because she could not bear to watch him suffer. Now the same love was being held against her. Neither of them was trying to hurt the other. They were just speaking two different emotional languages.
Leave a Comment