LIFE UNSCRIPTED

Closure, Growth

Chapter 8

I found closure. I've processed my

emotions and moved on which the

reason why I felt indifference when I

saw Owen at the shopping center.

There was no hatred or anger in me,

and I was happy that seeing him didn't

ruin my man's special day. It was his

26th birthday, and I went to town to

find something that I could gift him

with.

On his birthday we had a braai at

his house with his family. His sister

was busy throwing some nasty

comments at me and saying that his

brother could do better.

Their father, Mr. Ricardo Garcia,

asked her about her behavior and

attitude towards me. She kept quiet, and

her father was like, "JESSICA, I don't

want to repeat myself." He kept on

scolding her, but my mind was not

there; it was stuck on her name. It

sounded familiar, and now that I

remember that I heard that name

years back, that's how I knew that this

Jessica is Owen's girlfriend.

The following day, I sat down with

Leroy and told him that her sister is

the very same girl who Owen cheated

on me with. We never talked or fought,

so I didn't understand her outburst.

Leroy said I shouldn't worry about her

causing us problems because he will

not allow that. That was the last time

we talked about that but I was not

comfortable in her presence because

she was acting weird. The moment I

move from where I was she would go

there. I did not know her intentions or

plans but I knew she was up to no

good so I stopped visiting when she is

around.

Months passed and Leroy told me

about his sister complaining that I'm

the reason behind her break up with

her boyfriend. I didn't know what she

was on about and I didn't care.

Whatever happen between her and

her boyfriend who I think It's Owen

doesn't concern me. I won't say I found

my happily ever after but I am

currently happy and Jessica is a non-

factor.

Chapter 9

Paradiso is growing; he has three

branches here in SA, three in Italy, and

two in Germany. He said he wants me

to see where he grew up and where his father's roots are. So in two weeks we

will be flying to Italy and then

Germany.I lied to my mother that I am

meeting someone overseas who will

invest in my dance club, she knows

about it and that it comes from my

boyfriend who she hasn't met. I know

she knew that I lied but as long as she

allowed me to go.

I was scared of flying, but I had to face

my fears. I was so happy when we

landed in Rome Fiumicino (FCO). I

never heard or read about it before,

but I was there; I took pictures to

prove that I was not dreaming. The

only thing I knew is that Rome is the

capital city of Italy; other than that, I

knew nothing.

I thought I passed stages where I

would get angry, sad, and hurt. I

thought now is my happy time, but no,

life didn't promise anyone a smooth

ride. Life is full of ups and downs,

twists and turns. It's how we navigate

these challenges and uncertainties that

defines us.

It was a week after we settled here in

Milan, one of the most beautiful cities

in Italy. Almost everywhere we go, we

will meet his 'ex s*x buddies,' which is

what he called them. I was mad at how

they would try by all means to get his

attention right in front of me. Such

disrespect but my man never gave

them attention they were seeking.

We met this other lady whose name I

learned is Camilla. Leroy was giving

her a lot of attention. The way she was

so special, he would even invite her on

our dates and outings. I was so

devastated, shattered, and broken. The

pain ran deep, leaving a lasting impact.

I couldn't do anything about it, not

even confront him. I mean, I am not

even in Africa. What will happen to me

if he gets angry and kicks me out?

The rest of my visit here was

overshadowed by what happened. I

think he saw that I was not enjoying

myself anymore because when I told

him that I would love to go back home

and we would visit Germany some

other time, he just sighed and agreed.

We went back with a sour mood or

perhaps I was the only one with that

mood but one thing I know is that I am

not going to Germany with him not

after the events happened here.

It's been a week since we came back

from Italy, and I've been keeping

myself busy at the studio. I didn't even

want to give him my time; he's not

worth it. I was not even sure if I still

wanted to be with him anymore

because it seemed like he didn't see

anything wrong with what he did. He

never said anything about what

occured in Italy with his italian girl.

I was not going to act like it doesn't

hurt, but I was not going to allow pain

to destroy me like it once did. Lesson

learned... rise above it this time. I am

not so little anymore; I've grown from

the ashes. Now I know my worth, and

I'm not worth the same pain

destroying me twice.

It's been a month and a few weeks since we broke up.

The first two weeks he kept on calling

me several times; I would decline and

block his calls.

What happened is that I asked him

about his relationship with Camilla; he

said she's his varsity friend. I asked

him why he would invite her into

everything we did together and why

she was having s****l talks with him,

which he also engaged in, not minding

my presence. He came up with some

nonsense explanation that that's how

they live, so I told myself that I was not

going to dictate how he should live his life with his "varsity friend," so I made

things easy by ending things with him.

CHAPTER 10

Last month was eventful for me. Not

only did I get my periods, but I also

met Leroy's parents. They asked about

their son's whereabouts, mentioning

it's been over a month since they've

seen him and his phone has been

going straight to voicemail. I had to

admit that I didn't know where he was,

which wasn't entirely untrue given

that we'd broken up two months prior.

I did have my suspicions, though - I

think he might be in Milan with his

girlfriend. However, I tactfully kept

that to myself during our conversation.

As I sat on my couch, staring blankly at

the wall, I couldn't help but feel a

sense of emptiness. The breakups had

left me feeling lost and alone. I had

given my all to the relationships, and

in the end, it hadn't been enough. I

thought about all the times I had

compromised, all the times I had put

their needs before mine. And for

what? So they could leave me without

a second glance?

I felt like I was wandering through a

fog, unsure of which direction to take.

Every step I took felt like a step into

the unknown. But as I sat there,

something inside of me shifted. I

realized that I had a choice to make. I

could let the breakup define me again,

or I could use it as an opportunity to

find myself.

I started small. I took long baths,

letting the warm water soak away my

worries. I read books that I had been

putting off for months, losing myself in

the stories and characters. I started

journaling, writing down my thoughts

and feelings, trying to process

everything that had happened.

As I focused on myself, I began to

notice things that I had neglected

during the relationship. I had lost

touch with my hobbies, my passions. I

started to reconnect with the things

that brought me joy. I started with

photograph, painting, began to explore

new places and dancing again.

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