The Realisation

The room fell into a thick silence after Oluwale’s question hung in the air, the weight of it pressing down on everyone. Raj, still staring at the ground, took a long drag from his cigarette, his thoughts racing.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and filled with frustration. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, you know? I thought Billy was just trying to ruin things between me and Sofia. But… as time went on, I started to realise something.”

He paused, and his friends leaned in, waiting for him to continue.

“I wasn’t the problem. Sofia was. She was never satisfied with anything. I did everything—everything—for her. But no matter how much I gave, no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. She wanted more. Always more.”

Gugu, wide-eyed, nodded slowly. “So… Billy warned you?”

Raj nodded, flicking the ash from his cigarette onto the floor. “Yeah. He warned me. He told me that Sofia would be the reason my life was ruined, and I didn’t listen.”

Oluwale frowned, still confused. “Bruv, if Sofia is the issue, then why are we sitting here with Billy tied up? He tried to warn you, didn’t he?”

Raj took a deep breath, his frustration boiling over. “Because… because Billy knew. He knew exactly what Sofia was like, and he didn’t tell me. He let me walk into this mess, into this trap. He knew she wasn’t the person I thought she was, and he didn’t warn me properly. He played the nice guy while I fell deeper into this nightmare.”

Oluwale shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “Man, this is twisted. So you’re telling me Billy let you fall in love with her just to watch you crash and burn?”

Raj nodded slowly. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. He knew she was never going to change, that she would always want more, and he let me believe I could make her happy. But the truth is, she’s never satisfied. I thought I could be the one to save her, to give her the life she wanted, but I was wrong.”

The group sat in silence, absorbing Raj’s words. Even Billy, sitting tied up in the corner, remained quiet, his expression unreadable.

Oluwale leaned forward, shaking his head. “Nah, man, you can’t blame this guy for everything that’s going on with Sofia. You’re just taking out your frustration on him, and that’s not fair.”

Raj’s eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, Robert interjected. “So, what do you suggest we do now?”

Billy, still tied up but calm, spoke for the first time in a while. “Don’t any of you feel bad for me? You’re all so focused on Raj’s story, but none of you even asked what I’ve been through. You don’t want to know what I had to deal with?”

Gugu, always the sympathetic one, nodded. “Ya, man, you’re right. This guy must’ve suffered too.”

Raj sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. “Alright, fine. Let’s hear your side.”

As Billy was about to start, Gugu shifted to get more comfortable. In the process, he accidentally sat on the TV remote, and the room filled with the sound of the television turning on. The Sky News channel came up, and the banner read: Breaking News: Police searching for suspects in baklavas linked to the kidnapping of a man, identified as Billy.

Everyone froze, eyes wide as they stared at the screen. Robert, with surprising calmness, grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. “Billy, continue, man. I really want to get to the end of this.”

Raj, panic creeping into his voice, stood up. “But the police are looking for us! We’ve gotta figure something out.”

Oluwale waved him off, unfazed. “Nah, nah, relax. The police are looking for some dudes in baklavas, not us. We don’t even have masks on. Now, shut up and let the man talk.”

The room fell silent again as everyone turned their attention back to Billy. He looked around, clearly hesitant, but eventually sighed and began his story.

© Nil | 2024