The Affair

27. Disbelief

What is fate? What is destiny? Is a person fated to repeat his/her mistakes? Are they destined to change the hand fate has dealt them with? Or are both our way of accepting or explaining our situation? 

What?'

It came out like a whisper from Eva's lips.

I am engaged? To marry Ebuka? Really?

Eva stared at Ebuka's face in disbelief. As if noticing her skepticism, Ebuka responded.

'Is it that hard to believe we were... are engaged?'

His eyes were sorrowful as he stared back into Eva's. She felt conflicted.

'No... it's not that.'

She rubbed her face with her hand as she sat up in bed.

'It's just... everything is so muddled up. I don't understand... I wake up with no recollection of the last four years of my life and now you tell me we are engaged? My last memory of you was when we were in secondary school together.'

Ebuka remained silent.

'And now not only are you saying we are engaged but that I almost cheated on you with another man?! You have to understand how that doesn't make sense now.'

Ebuka rested his palm gently on Eva's cheek.

'Mi amor, that is why I didn't want to tell you all this now. It is too much for you to absorb. You don't need to understand everything immediately. Why don't we take our time. No need to rush. I will help you remember.'

He inched closer and placed a kiss on Eva's forehead.

'I'm here with you every step of the way.'

Eva smiled softly.

Ebuka relaxed on his seat, his eyes facing downwards.

'You know, I had a crush on you while we were in secondary school. It really hurt me that I wasn't able to tell you before my family relocated. I thought I would never see you again. And then two years ago I attended a conference concerning Shipping and Trade and there you were.'

Eva's attention was fixed Ebuka as he spoke.

'Looking gorgeous and sophisticated. That was when I knew I just had to make you mine.'

'Was that how we reconnected?'

'Yes. We went out on a few dates, caught up and then I proposed.'

Eva's eyes sparkled like she was listening a classic Disney fairytale.

'How did you propose?'

Ebuka laughed and squeezed Eva's hands gently.

'That will be a story for another day.'

Eva frowned and then shook her head.

'I'm sorry but that doesn't trigger any memory. It doesn't seem personal. I just can't remember and it's so annoying and frustrating.' She said looking away in frustration.

'Eva... Eva look at me.' When she finally did he continued, 'We don't need to focus on the past. While you recuperate we can create new memories.'

'But Ebuka...'

'Eva, do you love me?'

Eva rubbed the back of her neck, a worried look appearing on her face.

'Ebuka. You have to understand, to me, you're my secondary school classmate that I haven't seen in what... ten years?'