Broken: Episode 1

"I hate women"; I know hate seems like a strong word but that's the only emotion I feel towards them; then maybe disgust. I mean, what else can I feel when the woman I loved with all my heart for four years told me she never really loved me, and that it was more like she stayed so long because she felt pity for me. This was my third failed relationship and I believe everything is wrong with how the love section of my life story was written.

My first relationship seemed promising at first. Kemi and I were extremely close and we never really had problems, just minute arguments here and there. Although everything came crashing down when she slept with one of my friends and he bragged about it to my face, “Omo she bad!” he said. Till today I cannot comprehend how that happened exactly, but she didn’t even deny it. My second relationship was supposed to be a passing fling in the beginning but then it turned into something serious and lasted for six months, Vivian was a light-skinned goddess with an amazing personality. She brightened my day just by smiling, I swear I thought that was finally it, I’d found the “one”. But then good things always come to an end, don’t they?

Three failed relationships within five years and I was left with a heart that barely functioned.

***

I stared at the query letter with so much disdain, my attention at work had reduced drastically since the break-up. I refused to drown my sorrows in alcohol simply because drinking makes me go full retard. My job here at Apex Bank was simple but frustrating, I worked in the IT department and for the better part of my day, I was seated helping the “dazed & confused” customers.

The query was a result of an incident that happened at work recently, I was sent by my supervisor to help setup internet connection in a new branch that was about to open, my colleague and I were busy setting up the connection when the branch manager who happened to be a woman walked in and yelled at us saying we were taking too long to just setup "simple internet", I turned around with so much anger packed in my gut and with my head about to explode, and told her to go act like a bitch somewhere else.

I know it wasn't my finest moment but the anger that had been stored in me for so long finally got out. I felt the silence around me for a moment, she stared at me with disbelief and then walked away, her departure was followed by the loud laughter of my colleague and I knew my death was imminent. On my arrival at the office, my supervisor called me and asked for an explanation but all I could say was "I was having a bad day". He gave me the query, asked me to answer it, and then head back to that branch and apologise to the manager.

I’ve been seated in front of my laptop trying to explain why I was having a bad day and all I could write were these three words: I HATE WOMEN.