The Angel That Wishes From Afar

THE ANGEL THAT WISHES FROM AFAR “Oh my gosh, he’s looking my way again! This has happened not once but multiple times,” Seddy screams to herself in thoughts. He puts his arm around her shoulders as he stands by his brother, watching him play the keyboard. “How are you?” he asks Seddy who ‘s having butterflies in her stomach. “I’m fine” she replies not trying to reveal her blush. After some time Seddy starts developing a liking to him and tries to get the guy’s number from a friend. “Hello Dan, could you do me a favor?” she texts her old acquaintance whose best friends with the guy. “Can I get Richard’s number” she continues knowing she wasn’t going to get the number easily as she and Dan were very close but was separated because of a situation. “And why should I?” he asks a little bit annoyed. “I just want to be friends” she replies knowing Dan might have gotten the hint of why she wants the number and wasn’t willing to give his friend’s number out. “Oh, really so now you are going ahead to get my best friend?” he replies clearly pissed after a few texts of assurance it’s not what he’s thinking Dan gives Seddy the perceived number, as soon as Seddy sees the number she senses something wrong with the number as she had seen the number before and that it may not belong to Richard.“Hello,” Seddy texts the number given to her by Dan. The moment she texts the conversation starts as if they’ve been already texting and that Richard was already expecting her text convincing Seddy more that something was actually wrong. “Something’s not right.” Seddy catches up in thought immediately. Seddy suddenly stops texting the number Dan gave her and decides to try getting Richard’s number through the possible means she knows she could get it. “Let’s check the church group” she thinks to herself on mission to find Richard’s actual number.“Here is it!” Seddy exclaims as she luckily comes across Richard’s contact recognizable by his profile picture in the church group members forum. She doesn’t wait for a second and immediately texts Richard. “Hi, hope you good, is this Richard?” she asks Richard who replies almost immediately after her text. “Yes, and who may you be?” he confirms and asks Seddy who introduces herself and asks to have a few-second video call to confirm it is him. She calls and he picks up the call making Seddy confirm it’s him. “Okay, now I know it’s you, what of the other number Dan gave me is that yours too?” she intentionally asks to expose Dan’s trick. “What number?” Richard asks surprised. Seddy then sends the number Dan had given her to Richard and he calls to confirm Seddy’s suspicion. “That was Dan’s other contact” he tells Seddy. “I knew it!” she shouts to confirm her suspicion one more time as she opens her book to see Dan’s name written at the same perceived contact he sent to her as Richard’s number.“Don’t mind that guy I don’t know why he did it” he tells Seddy who’s overly excited to figuring out Richard actual number. Richard and Seddy starts texting each other and even plays a game of questions where one chooses a number and the opponent answers the question to that number then the opponent does same then they answer. Seddy didn’t care who texted first when it came to she and Richard, cause every time was just continuation where they left off in their conversations. “I thought we were told to put away our phones as we are getting addicted to it” Seddy texts Richard the moment she’s done eating and relax in her bed after seeing Richard post a pic on his status. “What are you too doing? He asks Seddy laughing at her that she’s also on her phone. They ask each other what they are up to and talks about a few stuff and urges each other to get ready for bed as if care wasn’t taken, they were going to be late for the next day’s morning church camp meeting.“Won’t you sleep, or you want to come to church late?” Seddy teasingly asks Richard. “I will, do you know I was even late today?” he asks Seddy telling her even though they ended the conversation earlier he couldn’t wake up early. “Yeah, I even saw you” Seddy replies. They continue texting till it’s new year.“Happy New Year, wishing you the best this year” Seddy wishes Richard, “Same to you, I do appreciate, what’s up with you?”, “I’m just at my mom’s shop and suffering from a little teeny weeny neck pain, what about you?” Richard asks Seddy and she replies. “Well, I also just woke up, slept and now I’m awake” he texts Seddy back. “Wow then today you did sleep-a-thon.” Seddy replies laughing. “It’s my off day they so I want to sleep my heart out” he says laughing so hard that Seddy wants to also laugh but can’t help but smile to avoid her sister’s suspicious eyes from meeting hers.After a long day at her mom’s shop Seddy returns home to the ring of school bells, Christmas break was over and she had to prepare for school. “Ugh! School is callinggg” Seddy laments to Richard. “So soon, can’t you overstay?” he asks Seddy surprised that just 2 days after new year school has reopened. “No, I’ll be punished if that happens” she replies abruptly as in her house at school the difficult works are reserved for the overstayers. “Oh, I see” Richard replies. “But I won’t worry much cause I’ll be completing school by August” she replies excited to be in her final year. “Okay, take care back in school” he tells Seddy who is already missing home and everyone even though she’s not in school yet.“Beep, beep, beep” goes someone’s phone who’s trying to get to someone. “Hello” a voice speaks as the phone is answered. “Happy Birthday” the caller says to the receiver. “May I know who I’m speaking with?” the receiver asks. “It’s Seddy” she replies. “Ohhh, Seddy it’s you but how did you know it’s my birthday?” Richard replies laughing. “The network is bad here so let’s text” Seddy tells Richard ending the call. “I really appreciate, but how did you know it was my birthday?” Richard texts Seddy puzzled. Seddy laughs and text Richard and tells him “I found out when we played the game of numbers”. “That’s a clever way to get to know” he texts back. Richard thanks her one more time and tells her to take care.Days go by and Seddy finally completes school, as she gets home things are not same between her and Richard. Seddy texts Richard and at times it takes more than a day before she gets a reply. Seddy doesn’t hold it against Richard because she thinks he’s a grown person and is busy with work. From everyday texts, turns to in-between days text that’s when Seddy feels she has to check up on him. At times she sends a text and deletes it cause she felt it was going be like she was forcing herself on Richard. “What did you delete?” Richard would ask Seddy anytime she deleted a text. “Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just a “Hi” text but I thought I’ll be worrying you so I just deleted it” she would explain. “Oh naa, you are not” he replies assuring Seddy he’s cool with their convos, making Seddy relieved. Seddy another day texts Richard and there’s no reply for somedays, she tries texting again and he replies.She begins to overthink every interaction she has with Richard and decides she is not going to check up on him on a regular basis but when she actually wants to check up on him. No one texts each other again and Seddy starts overthinking. “Well guess he’s a big person, got many people to chill with, who am I? Oh no I shouldn’t have entertained these feelings. Mehn! I screwed what will he think of me now, he’ll think I force myself on people tell his friends about me and what if mama finds out about this?” she overthinks, reminding herself so many times her mom talked about self-respect and setting a boundary for yourself where no one can cross, tears start falling her eyes.Her thoughts crumble more after watching a video that talks about over giving in relationships, heartaches then suddenly she blocks him on Snapchat in resolution to break free from the mess she got herself into. “If I want to lose these feelings, I don’t want have a look into his life anymore” she says to herself asking God to help her not look back again. She deletes Richard’s number, and blocks him on WhatsApp and decides to move on.“I want to say goodbye without being too harsh because you did nothing wrong it’s my fault, I fell so hard that I didn’t realize I was emotionally drained” she thinks to herself. “Of course, as much as I want to get over it, I want it to be a silent detachment one that is not too sudden” she tells herself going through her block list after almost 2 months to unblock Richard. In the evening Seddy comes to find a message from Richard under a post she made on her WhatsApp status.“Hello Seddy, hope you good? it’s been years since I see you o” Richard texts Seddy noticing her sudden distance. “I’ve been around I dey like ano dey” she replies laughing knowing what she’s been through, “Just in my observation mode” she adds to the comment. “Oh, I see,” Richard replies. He goes ahead to ask Seddy how things are going. Seddy tells him everything is cool with the exception she had an end of semester exams to finish. He wishes Seddy luck and she thanks him and goes ahead to ask him how things are on his side, he positively responds and the conversation ends as Seddy needs to study.“Happy birthday Boss, hope you have a great day” Seddy attaches a message to a heartfelt framed birthday message and a view-once sketch of Richard and sends it him as parting gift known to her alone as the final time, she would ever text him. “Thanks so much, I do appreciate” he replies and asks Seddy to send the sketch to him this time without view-once feature. Seddy senses his intention of posting it, hesitates but decides to send it after he sends a second message for the sketch. She sees Richard post the sketch. “You shouldn’t have posted it.” Seddy comments somewhat embarrassed, “It was something I was trying,” she adds. “Lol, it’s because you tried so well, that’s why I posted it” he replies laughing. I’m not going to blame you; you did nothing wrong. It was me—I fell so hard that I didn’t realize I was giving too much instead of balancing, until one day I developed my own wings and took off. Gravity keeps pulling me back to the center, but I’m growing stronger and stronger every day. I found a reason to finally choose myself. I am letting go, but no matter what, I still want to see you win from a distance—as the angel that wishes from afar.Some connections enter our lives not to be owned, but to awaken our souls before they fade like fleeting sparks. I finally understand that forcing a bond to stay only bruises the hands trying to hold it; true love means opening your palms and letting go.Richard, you were my most beautiful chapter. I don't need your daily texts or your presence to appreciate the light you brought into my world. Without a single drop of bitterness, I am quietly untangling our strings, stepping back into my own center while I let you fly freely into yours.I don't need to be in your life to care for it. From the quiet distance of my own sky, I release all expectations, look toward your journey, and textlessly wish you the absolute best. No matter what, I still want to see you win. I will gladly become the angel that wishes from afar, wrapping you in silent blessings from a place you cannot see

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