SACRED_OATHS

Author: Samuel Frederick

Episode 29: OATHS.

__________

30 minutes.

30 minutes of driving, yet, Boma hadn’t told me where we were going to. It was getting late already and the sky had turned dark. I kept on demanding for our destination or at least some information concerning our whereabouts, but it all fell on deaf ears. He ignored me all through the ride!

At long last, Boma stopped the vehicle and killed the engine. I looked around and noticed that we were in the middle of a vast, narrow road. The next thing I knew, he stepped out of the car and turned over to open the door for me.

“Thank you.” I said as I stepped out too, surprised at his kind gesture.

“Follow me.” He simply said, holding my hand, leading me across the narrow path.

We went into a forest, side by side, despite the darkness. I felt my heartbeat pounding really fast in my chest due to my aggravating fear of any potential danger lurking around us. We continued walking with Boma’s hand still clasped around mine until we arrived at a dead end, which had a small clean stream right ahead, just in front of us.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Boma asked, more to himself than to me as he fixed his gaze ahead of the stream in adoration.

I could hear the chirpings of insects, the loud noisy croakings of frogs, the sweet melody of the chirping crickets, and I could feel the breeze from the serene atmosphere that rustled and blew against the rusty bushes. I admired the way fireflies flew around beautifully, giving a twinkling shade of light in the void darkness. Most beautifully, I adored the sight of the moon’s reflection upon the surface of the stream water. It looked heavenly.

“I don’t know what to say.” I responded, charmed by the beauty of all I had just seen.

“You don’t have to say anything; just feel it in your heart.” Boma said softly, captured by nature’s beauty.

I moved closer to him and entwined our fingers, resting my head on his shoulder. “Where exactly is this place?”

“This is where I come to when I need some time alone.” He responded calmly, almost in a whisper. “I usually come here to think and clear my head,” he added, covering our entwined hands with his free hand.

“How did you discover it?” I asked, looking at his face. He looked back at me, with a slight smile forming on his lips, and pointed at a log of wood behind us, asking me to sit, which I diligently did, and then he sat beside me.

“Do you remember those three days when you got missing? I almost ran mad.” Boma explained, barely taking his fine eyes away from mine. “I would always drink myself to stupor after I dialled your number to no avail. I could drink up to five or six bottles of alcohol and still feel the pain inside. I realized that drinking wasn’t helping matters for me, so I stopped. But I still took one or two bottles sometimes!” He laughed coolly, and I was forced to laugh as well, despite how hard I tried not to. He knew he had definitely broken my willpower, so he smiled proudly, and continued speaking:

“So on the third day you were missing, I got drunk while driving and I had to stop the car by the roadside to ease myself—and that was how I walked into this place. I liked what I saw and something in me compelled me to sit here and pray. I remember praying in tears for God to return you back to me, and mysteriously—or better still, just like a miracle—you were the very first person that called me first thing the following day to come and pick you at that hospital. It looked like a dream! A phenomenon! Since then, I developed a special bond for this place,” he concluded, smiling at me.

“You mean you actually cried for me? See this cute liar!” I laughed, teasing him. “Stop lying, guy.”

“I’m serious, I actually cried! I had big, bulgy eyes like an owl when I shed those pitiful tears!” He joked, making us burst into laughter together.

Afterwards, silence settled between us. He remained mute and I stayed the same way. I leaned my head to rest on his shoulder again as we fiddled gently with our entwined hands.

“I am sorry for walking out on you earlier.” Boma spoke up, cracking the silence. “I have my reasons,” he added.

I looked at him in confusion, blatantly puzzled by his statement.

“What reasons?”

“Fifi, you and I know how hard life has been on you lately. It hasn’t been easy and I know it. I know what you’ve been through. Do you really expect me to make advances at you in this condition? I didn’t see any need to rush. I wanted you to heal first and then any other thing could come after,” he explained.

“Is that why you don’t sleep with me on the bed?”

“Fifi, you know I am a man and my hormones are unpredictable. I had to take caution. I didn’t want to go against my policy. I’m truly sorry,” he pleaded genuinely, “trust me.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” I assured him. “I get it.”

With that, Boma leaned closer and took me by surprise by pecking my cheek. I chuckled and hit him gently with my elbow on his arm and we both laughed.

Once again, an awkward silence fell upon us, engulfing the cold night air.

“I don’t want to lose you, Fifi.” Boma said all of a sudden, breaking the silence again. “I honestly don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to lose you either!” I chipped in, meaning each and every word I said from the depth of my heart.

“What if you do?”

I glared coldly at him the moment he uttered that statement.

“Don’t say that!” I reprimanded him at once. “What is the meaning of that?!”

“It’s the simple truth,” he simply said. “With all that is going on now, anybody can die at any point in time. I am not excluded, neither are you. Itʼs better we face it once and for all than fear it and still end up dead.” He concluded.

“Boma stop saying this!” I reprimanded him again. “Just stop!”

“I’m thinking of something, but I’m not sure if you’ll agree to it.” He said.

“What is it? Tell me!” I urged him on. “Please.”

Boma heaved a heavy sigh and fixed his gaze upon my face and we stared at each other, eye to eye.

“I want us to take an oath.”

“‘An oath?!’” I quoted, plainly beyond shocked. He nodded affirmatively.

“But why? What for?”

“I want to be assured that I would always have you by my side; that I would never lose you!” He said, sounding genuinely serious about it.

I stared at his face as he stared back too, waiting for my answer. I didn’t have to think about it. I had lost too much already. I lost contact with my dear family, I lost my best friend, I got rusticated from school… and who knows what else would happen in the next minute? Who knows what else I’d have to lose again? I wasn’t ready to lose him too!

“Let’s do it!” I agreed, nodding for emphasis.

He widened his eyes in shock, not believing me.

“Are you sure about this, Fifi?”

“Boma, let’s take the oath!” I persisted. “I’m ready!”

On seeing the seriousness in my eyes and on sensing the truth from my voice, Boma took out the key holder from his pocket and turned it to a sharp edge.

“Fifi, are you truly sure about this?” He asked me one more time, for clarity’s sake. I nodded with certainty, again.

“I’m completely sure. Believe me.”

That settled, he took my hand and placed it on his own, stretching out my thumb, then he slit it open with the sharp point of the key holder and blood gushed out of it. He cut his own thumb as well and blood trickled out slowly.

“You would repeat what I’m about to say with your own name after I am done,” he instructed, and I nodded obediently.

“I, Boma Martins, take an oath with you today Fifi Whoanana, that our bodies and souls shall be bonded both in heaven and on Earth, in the physical and in spirit, till death do us part!”

He took my bleeding thumb into his mouth and licked up my blood, swallowed it, and then nodded at me to proceed.

“I, Fifi Whoanana, take an oath with you today Boma Martins, that our bodies and souls shall be bonded both in heaven and on Earth, in the physical and in spirit, till death do us part!”

I cleared the blood on his thumb as he had done, tasting his very essence through it.

“So shall it be!” Boma concluded and drew me closer to himself and we both kissed passionately, right there under that tree, sealing our oaths forever and ever more.