No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Fanny shot me a text that nearly had my heart jumping out of my chest: "Seriously, had you taken an hour longer to reply, I would've called the cops. You know what went through my head? I was half-convinced Conrad had you tied up in a basement somewhere." The wildness of her imagination had me both laughing and crying; I sent back a thumbs-up emoji to show my amusement.

Fanny wasn't having any of it: "It's not funny. You hear about this kind of drama happening back home all the time. So, when are you coming back? Did you wrap up your trip today? Did Jefferson win his match?"

Staring at her barrage of questions and pondering over my own situation, I replied with: "Not sure."

Fanny was puzzled.

I said, "Might never come back to this place. Might stay a bit longer."

I didn't want Fanny to worry, so a lie was the only option.

Fanny: "Alright, have fun then. Let me know when you're back; I'll throw you a welcome home party."

Reading her messages filled me with a bittersweet feeling, and suddenly, I was scared I might never make it back.

Where did this sudden fear come from?

So, I ended up sending her a voice message: "Hey, so, if anything weird happens to me, my bank PIN is the date our parents passed away. If I'm gone, you're in charge of my assets. Keep half of it as your dowry from me, and donate the rest... to any charity, to kids with serious illnesses, whatever feels right."

Right after I sent it, Fanny's video call came through.

Seeing her call, I knew she was freaked out, so I quickly answered.

"What's this about a last will? What's going on? Where are you?" Fanny bombarded me with questions, visibly anxious.

I turned the camera to show Dustin's luxurious mansion, "Look, I'm in a mansion, nothing's wrong."

"Why are you talking nonsense then? You scared the hell out of me," Fanny, clad in scrubs, seemed either ready for surgery or just coming off one.

"I was just being cautious, you know, with all the accidents happening and planes going down lately. Just in case..."

"Just in case my foot," Fanny cut me off and then demanded, "Turn the camera around, let me see your face."

I hadn't shown her my face, and she wasn't going to be at ease until I did.

Switching the camera, she saw me, and I cheekily made a 'peace' sign at her.

After staring at me for a few

you

Fanny finally relaxed, "et

scare me like that again, I

swear I'll kill you."

"Promises, promises," I teased, pressing my face against the screen playfully.

"Cut it out. Whose mansion are you staying at? Conrad's?" Fanny's curiosity peaked. "No, it's Dustin's."

Fanny let out an "Oh," then probed further, "How come you're staying at his mansion?"

I couldn't spill the beans on that, so I kept fibbing, "It's safer than a hotel."

"Well, that makes sense. Just don't、

let Conrad take advantage or won't

Fanny's words earned her a stern

response from me.

"Beat it!"

Fanny burst into laughter, but then she threw out a suggestion, "Why don't you bring back a foreign dude this time?"

I knew she was hinting at the arranged marriage talks with Ernest and Yolande.

"That's the plan, which is why I'm not rushing back," I reassured her not to worry about me.

"Alright, then I'm looking forward to meeting your foreign beau," Fanny joked around for a bit before she

was@alled away for surove

After we hung up, the smile on my face faded bit by bit as I read the message Deborah had sent.

Even though it was just one line, it made my heart skip a beat.