Excerpt from “Love in 140 Characters: #AbiGoesToCamp”

I woke up to the early morning Sunday sun infiltrating my room through my windows. I had gone to bed shortly after dinner without having my proposed conversation with Josh.  Sunday mornings at my sister’s was always like war because church service usually started by 9am and everyone in the house needed to have gotten ready by then. We all had our duties. Yetunde and Efosa had to get the kids ready, while I was supposed to make breakfast. By exactly 8:55 am, we are crammed into the car and on our way to church.

I used the short drive to church to check my phone for messages. There were a bunch of Broadcast Messages from the usual suspects; my mother’s younger sister, Auntie Benedicta and my father’s twin brother, Uncle Taiwo, a string of messages from Belle saying she had gotten home and asked what time I was leaving for Ebonyi. One message from my mum saying she and my dad would Skype us after church, and then one message from Josh saying simply, “We need to talk.”

I felt a lump form in my throat. I read the message again and then again and then one more time. He had sent it last night, around the time he was supposed to call for our talk. Just then, I remembered a tweet someone had posted on Twitter about the four words no one ever wants to hear in a relationship: We. Need. To. Talk. I knew now why that was. A feeling of dread washed over me.

I suddenly felt hot in the air conditioned car. Sweat formed under my armpits and in my palms, and I had to raise my shoulders and drag my hands over my dress multiple times to dry them up. As we arrived at the church, I already knew the service was ruined for me. There was no way I would be able to pay attention to a sermon now. All I could think about was Josh and why he needed to talk.