SHADOWSOFTHEPAST

Olusola Abraham Asaolu

Ada’s life had been a conquered story of betrayals and heartbreaks, repeatedly suffered in the hands of men. Each experience had cut a deep gash in her heart,leaving her emotionally bruised and distrustful of menfolks One of such experiences happened when she was barely twenty years old. On a fateful cold Harmattan morning ,she had run into a tall, handsome man at the bus terminal who strove hard and fenced off other passengers in a bid to get her a seat beside him in a half- filled bus . It was the usual Lagos rush and it often takes sheer stamina and uncommon agility to board buses in the early rush hours . Settled on her seat, she cast the man a furtive look and shyly muttered her gratitude. "Thanks so much. That was very kind of you", she said, managing to fix her gaze on the friendly stranger

"Never bother, I always feel like helping vulnerable people whenever I have the opportunity to do so", he replied and smiled broadly. "By the way, I‘ m Ade. I work at the Mainland Bank at the city center". he further proffered

"I guess you’re heading for the Industrial Avenue," "Yes, you’re right. Funny enough, I had been standing at the bus terminal for the past fifteen minutes unable to join in the fray"

Before they alighted at their different points on the route, they exchanged their phone numbers, and within the next few days he invited her to a lunch at a high brow eatery In between mouthfuls of snacks, Ade told her of his love for her and not being in any stable relationship, Ada agreed to his overtures. However, unknown to her, Ade was a serial womanizer, one who likes taking advantage of undiscerning ladies Barely a month earlier, he had broken off with Rose, a long time friend over a false accusation of infidelity. Hers was a typical case of Ade’s long list of use and dump escapades Incidentally, as soon as Ade and Ada sauntered into the main street from the vicinity of the sprawling eatery, they ran into Rose. Taken aback by the unexpected encounter, Ade steeled his heart against a possible unpleasant scenario He maintained a straight face, trying to shield Ada from the unfolding drama..

But Rose, like a wounded tigress was poised for a fight. She hissed derisively and screamed some obscenities at the duo "So this is your new found fake love. You must be living in a fool’s paradise to think you can use me and dump me like a cheap whore" As she charged furiously at him, Ada was flushed with shame and swore she had made a big mistake..