THE JEALOUS EX

 Giselle sat on the edge of her bed, scrolling through her social media feed on a hot and humid Thursday afternoon in Lagos.

She was accustomed to mindless scrolling and getting news updates from influencers, her family and her friends. She was about to continue scrolling when a picture caught her attention and made her stop. She was shocked.

Timi, her ex boyfriend, was smiling happily, his hand wrapped around a beautiful young woman. She looked high maintenance, her skin was glowing, her hair was popping, her outfit was expensive. They were at a dimly lit restaurant. It did not look familiar, the caption of the Instagram photo.

Giselle’s heart skipped as she stared at the photo. She and Timi were once a happy couple. They shared everything together, and the memories came flooding back. It was eight months since the break up. They were both ‘No Contact.’

There were times when she felt like picking up the phone and calling, but then she changed her mind. His ego would be stroked, she didn’t want to do that. She was also scared of rejection. So each day passed, without reaching out, without hearing his voice. It was hard for the first two weeks, then she made the resolve to move on. She thought by now she would have passed the phase of reacting like this, but seeing him with someone else hurt. This woman was definitely more beautiful than she was, what do they call people like that, “the upgrade?”

Giselle didn’t think she was bad looking herself. She was five feet seven inches, with smooth chocolate skin. Her beautiful skin was the result of her skin care routine. She didn't joke with it at all. She had high cheekbones, soft lips and beautiful eyes. She had beautiful, long and natural hair. Giselle knew she was fearfully and wonderfully made.

Giselle’s eyes were fixated on the photo. She could not believe Timi walked away and didn't look back.

Did he even mourn their relationship? He had suddenly moved on to another girl. It was so unfair. She buried her face in her hands, she could not bear to look at her phone screen anymore. She began to cry. Her body shook as she sobbed into her hands.

“When will this pain end?” Giselle whispered to herself as she wiped her eyes. Giselle had previously convinced herself that she was over Timi, but clearly she wasn’t. She saw a photo of him with another female, and she was here crying like a wimp.

She needed to give other men a chance, like Charles from church, who would do anything to chat with her. He clearly wasn’t her type, but he could be a good distraction. She didn’t want to hurt him, and if she didn’t see herself going far with him, it was better to stay away. The folks from her church were another type of spirits she didn't want to deal with.

She picked up her phone from the bed and looked at the photo again. The warmth in Timi’s eyes told her he had moved on and found happiness without her. She scrolled through Timi’s Instagram profile. She saw new photos and him. He looked so good. The girl was tagged on the current photo. Her name was Jasmine202. She clicked on the profile page. Thankfully, it was public. She scrolled through and saw the exotic photos on her page. Jasmine was well traveled. The photo dated two weeks before the current date, she went to the Amalfi Coast. The orange dress she was wearing in the photo hugged her curves. She had on a straw hat and sat in a yacht. There were other photos from Miami, Vgeas, South Africa, Seychelles. The list was endless. Jasmine was living the life that Giselle wanted, but could not afford.

While she was scrolling, a notification popped up on her screen. It was a text message from her friend Sandra asking if she wanted to go out to dinner. Giselle responded positively. She was ready to download the new found discovery to her friend over dinner.

Giselle met Sandra later that evening at the Cross Roads Restaurant, which was a Tex Mex restaurant in Victoria Island. It was a Thursday evening and the nightlife activity for that day was snap it, sip it, post it. They were greeted by the ambient lightning and the hum of conversation from other patrons. The decor was modern and inviting.

While they sipped on their drinks. Giselle decided to initiate the conversation about the photo.

“Timi posted a photo of him and his new girl,” Giselle began.

“Oh really, that must be painful. Why do you even follow him on social media, you need to disconnect,” Sandra replied.

“It is painful, the whole thing hit me hard. I thought I was over him, but seeing the photo brought me to my knees. I haven't found it in me to delete him from my social media.” Giselle replied

“You need to do so, you need to heal, it is not easy to see an ex move on especially while you are still in the healing process,” Sandra said sounding concerned.

Giselle didn't want pity, she needed a solution. An action plan.

Before she could say anything else, the waiter came with their food. She didn't need to discuss her feelings with Sandra at this point, because she wanted to offer healing and comfort. Giselle needed revenge.

to be continued