Duro

“Till death do us apart.”

The words left our mouths as a whisper, not the bold declaration they were meant to be.

For me, I couldn’t even imagine him dying. I didn’t want even death to separate us. His gaze burned into mine so fiercely it felt like our eyes would soon shoot lasers.

The room was silent. All I could hear was his heart beating.

And then I thought; He dies, I die.

My eyes flickered to my mother. I wondered how she kept going after my father died. She always said having me made it easier. But as I turned back to the man in front of me, I knew that nothing would ever make it easier for me.

---

Two years later, I skipped down the road, swinging shopping bags back and forth.

Aṣa’s voice poured through my headphones, filling me up, and I sang along. It was already a good day, but it would be better once I got home because he was waiting for me.

At the apartment door, I slipped my headphones off. Our song was playing inside. My smile rose instantly.

It was the first song we ever heard together. I loved it so much that he played it every morning after we got married, and I never got tired of it.

I unlocked the door and stepped in, letting Kotrell’s voice wrap around me.

“I feel safe here,” I muttered, still singing along.

I pushed the bedroom door open, still humming—

“Loving no dey sweet like this, when you’re not here with—”

My voice faltered.

“…me,” I whispered, finishing the line as I froze.

He scrambled off the bed.

The other woman pulled the blanket tighter around her body, the blanket I bought him, his favorite one, which became mine too. She ran out of the room, but I stayed still, the music in my ears suddenly drowned out by silence.

The song played on repeat.

“Ifemi,” he said softly, calling my name the way he always did.

But it didn’t make me smile this time. I didn’t reply with “Olami” like I always would.

I just stood there.

“Ifemide,” he said again, this time my full name and my body moved.

I stepped back.

I met his teary eyes, held them, then I smiled.

Then I laughed. I laughed and started to sing along again, my voice stronger this time.

Because if even death couldn’t part us, then this won’t.

Duro - Stay