Consequences Of Love

Once again, in some minutes, Smith was able to smile again, same as Ava. The party was over. Smith went home thinking everything was settled with Mateo. Thinking he had accepted him dating his sister. Antonio wasn't cool with Smith ever since the fight.

Smith got his phone back, his call with the love of his life continued. The texts, calls, and FaceTiming. Smith had the courage to visit Ava even when Mateo was home. Ava was facing the same challenge as Smith. They were both in the same shoes. Ava had to take care of herself. Her brother said she could ask her boyfriend for anything she needed, not him again.

Mateo stopped calling Smith for work. Smith had no job at the moment. He was broke. Things were so hard for him. He was so broke that he couldn't feed himself for a day. Most times, he went to bed with an empty stomach without eating for a whole day. Smith tried his best to get a job, but none he applied for employed him. No one understood what he was going through, not even Ava. Ava was always asking him to get a job so that he wouldn't be lazy.

Being a guy and having your girlfriend persuade you to go get a job is always tough. But Smith dealt with it. He sometimes told her not to say that. He tried his best, did everything he could. But no job came offering.

One day, Smith went looking for a job. He was in Ava's neighborhood. He called her and asked if he could swing by. She immediately said yes, that he could come around. Mateo had gone to work. Smith was there with Ava. But both of them had no interest in doing anything stupid. They both talked more about Smith getting a job. Smith tried to change the conversation, but Ava kept pushing.

Smith got tired and wanted to leave. She didn't let him; she asked him to stay. Smith couldn't leave. He stayed the night. After all, he thought he had no problem staying. They didn't do anything wrong. Mateo knew what was going on, so he decided to spend the night.

An hour later, Mateo got home. Smith greeted him politely as usual, but Smith wasn't expecting the outcome. Mateo's response to his greeting was something else. He sounded more as if he hadn't met him before.

Smith maintained positive thoughts in his mind, saying maybe he was just stressed from work, or maybe someone got him upset. But his presence was what got Mateo upset. It turns out Mateo never approved of him dating his sister. He didn't appreciate him showing up at his house uninvited anymore.

The next morning, Smith left early. When he got home, he got a text from Mateo:

"Hey Smith, I want you to know that this goes to all my friends, not just you, so don't take it personally. You know, I have a junior sister at home. I don't appreciate you showing up at my house uninvited, so please think about it. If you want to visit, take permission from me. If I tell you to come, you go ahead and come, but if I don't, please don't."

Smith felt so bad just seeing the text. Just when he thought everything was cool. He was more focused on job problems, and now it seemed he had more problems to solve.

He responded to Mateo and said, "I have heard what you said, brother. You have my word. As for Ava, I mean her no harm."

It had been another cruel week. Smith was tired of the whole thing. But he never got tired of loving Ava. Ninety-nine percent of the thoughts in his head were about Ava. Ava was tired of everything, I could say. But she kept trying and kept believing everything would be just fine one day.

She kept calling Smith, she kept texting him while he couldn't text back or call her. Smith was seriously looking for a job. He was desperate. This is the most tempting time in a relationship.

Antonio reported Smith to his parents. They called him to caution him. Smith hated it when he was reported. He didn't complain to people about others' behavior, so he hated it so much when they did the opposite.

He was very sad and angry every day. All of a sudden, the life he'd been holding up wasn't there anymore. There was nothing to hold on to; there was no one to call on.

Ava started blaming Smith for being the cause of her brother no longer taking care of her. She stopped calling, she stopped picking up his calls or returning his calls.

Just then, Smith got a job offer at the club as a salesman. He started working while he was still grieving about losing Ava. This would've been the best time of his life, but just then, there was no one he could turn to, no one he could count on.

The girl of his dreams stopped caring; she wasn't there anymore. She got tired and decided to leave.

Smith tried calling her most times, but she wouldn't pick up.

"Maybe it's time to let go," he said.

Funny how she kept blaming him for her brother's lack of taking care of her. She kept calling him for bills when she knew he couldn't provide any because he was jobless. Just then, she counted on him as lost.

Smith fought with his brother, but he never blamed her for it. Her brother stopped taking him to work, but he never blamed her for it. He was desperate for money. He never cried to her about it. But she did the opposite, and then she stopped caring when he couldn't help her.

Ava was too demanding; she was too needy. But she loved him.

It's been a while since Smith started working. He'd been trying to call her so he could tell her, but she wouldn't pick up his calls. Just then, one day, Smith got a call. It was Ava.

He was surprised to see her call. He quickly picked up his phone and answered.

"Hello, hello stranger," he said.

She responded nicely, "I heard you got a job, you didn't care to tell me about it. I called a thousand times, but you wouldn't respond to your phone."

They talked for a while. Smith was happy she called.

Minutes later, Ava told him she needed money for food. She said she was hungry, and she had nothing to eat. Smith was happy to help. He sent her some money so she could get some food.

Smith thought everything was cool. She told him the times he could be calling, so her brother didn't have to know. Smith kept up with that, he would call her the exact time she said so they could talk.

But each time he called, it always ended with the part where she would ask him for money.

She asked for money to start a business.

Mind you, she'd been working all this while. She had a job and was always getting paid, but she never sent him money, even while he had nothing to eat.

Smith wasn't the kind of guy who loved taking from his babe either. But then, Smith wasn't cool anymore. He told her he couldn't give her any money for business.

She'd been getting paid all this while. He said she could use her money for business.

Ava got so damn upset, she told him she'd be better off without him.

Smith hated that word.

Just then, he realized it was better how things turned out.

So they got to know each other better.

Smith wasn't stingy, mind you. But he was tired and fed up with how she was always asking him for money. He had just started working not long ago.

It was time everyone knew what they stood for.

He didn't stop loving her; she just stopped being the girl he knew.

She wouldn't stop blaming me. I wasn't enough for her. I wasn't the kind of man she wanted anymore.

"What could I have done wrong?" Smith kept wondering in his head.

But then he realized life had more to give than what it took.

Of course, he was very handsome, and most girls were dying to be with him. They all wanted him. So he thought of giving them all a chance.

Just then, he forgot about that word—love.

All he had in his head was flirting with any girl that came around him.

It worked for him for as long as it could.

He met many girls, he was with many—some much older than he was.

But all was vanity.

He decided not to fall in love with anyone.

He took the time to build his dreams, his goals, the life he wanted.

He tried living without having anything to do with his brother Antonio, just living under the same roof but with no communication. No better relationship like before.

Everyone dealt with their own problems. No one thought such a thing would ever happen between them.

But it did.

They tried to keep it within themselves. They didn't let people know what was going on between them. They acted like everything was cool outside, but inside, it wasn't.

Smith tried to settle things with his brother, but Antonio kept pushing him away by ignoring him.

So he stopped acting like he cared.

"This will be the last time I try begging him," he said.

But then, Antonio wasn't just upset about Smith fighting him. He was also upset about Smith disrespecting him, lying to him that he had nothing to do with Ava even when he specifically asked him.

But the lie was for good.

Smith missed Ava—the love they once shared.

He missed Antonio—his brother.

And he missed Mateo—the friendship, the trust they had for each other.

He wanted it all back.

He tried his possible best to make it work again.

But sometimes, it's better to let someone go. The older we get, the more we realize that.

But love makes a man weak.

He'd be right if he kept trying.

One day, while Smith was walking in the street, he had been busy setting up things for himself in life.

He quit his job.

He opened a business.

He was doing fine in business.

One day, he decided to take a walk.

He heard a voice from across the roof saying to him:

"Hey Smith, is that you?"

He didn't bother to turn around.

He thought maybe it was just one of those girls in the streets that were always out looking for men to seduce.

He kept walking, but the voice wouldn't stop.

"Hey Smith, I'm calling you, it's me."

Just when he turned around to tell whoever it was that he wasn't interested—

"It's me," Evelyn exclaimed.

"You wouldn't even turn around even when I kept calling."

"I didn't know it was you," Smith responded. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"You look good, I mean, look at you."

"Oh come on, would you stop teasing me?" She smiled as she responded.

"I'm not one of those girls you take home by just teasing them with words. I heard you got words."

"Come on, girl, you know I got words, but nevertheless, I ain't gotta lie, you look amazing," he said to her as he hugged her.

"It's alright, thank you," she chuckled.

"You are welcome, so what brought you here? I haven't seen you around for decades!" Smith asked.

"I've been here for days now," she responded.

"Days? And you didn't bother checking on me?" he asked.

"I did. Your brother told me you weren't at home, but he didn't seem cool about it when I asked him about you. Are you guys cool?" she asked.

Smith slowly said, "Yeah, yeah, we are good. You know my brother, that's him doing him. But we are good."

They both laughed and strolled together as Evelyn seemed to be going home with him.

Once again, Evelyn was Smith's classmate—his school crush.

They were together in the same school.

She was once the reason Ava had issues with Smith, saying he was dating her too.

But then Smith asked her to stop calling, that he had been taken.

But she didn't stop.

Smith blocked her contact so she wouldn't be able to reach him again.

But here she was.

Just then, Evelyn reminded him about it.

Evelyn: "Hey, I'm not supposed to ask you this, but I don't want to keep it to myself. Did you block my number?"

Smith: "Yeah, I did. I told you I had a girl, but you wouldn't listen. I didn't want that to get in the way of my relationship, so yeah, I blocked you."

Evelyn: "Wait, you're saying you blocked me for her?"

Smith: "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry, I would've done it for anyone."

Evelyn: "It's okay, I understand. So where's she now?"

Smith: "It's a long story. We're not together anymore."

Evelyn: "I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

Smith: "It's alright, it wasn't your fault."

She followed Smith home, spent a few hours with him, and even tried to cook for him.

She had to put on Smith's clothes.

(Smith)

When life gets tough and brings you down,

When all you do is frown and drown,

You long for hands to pull you through,

For someone strong to stand with you.

But heed this truth, be wise, beware.

For help may come from anywhere.

You'll find a hand, a voice so kind,

But pause to see what lies behind.

You'll think it's fate, a gift, divine.

Perhaps it is—but read the sign.