Inside, Hazel realised that it was pointless screaming for help because his house stood on its own surrounded by abandoned houses. Jacob then ordered her to undress and she did. She knew what he was like when he was angry and the two of them had slept together when they were together, so Hazel wasn’t scared of him being rough with her.

He undressed himself, pushed Hazel against the wall and started kissing her. Hazel kissed him back and was reminded of the times they made love before they broke up. Jacob was sweet and gentle at such times. She realised just then how much she missed that and him too. After making love, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

When Hazel woke up the next morning, she realised that the events of the night before weren’t a dream. She was in Jacobs’ house, on his bed with his arm draped over her chest. She didn’t want to move his arm, afraid that she’d wake him. Just then, he woke up. Hazel didn’t want to talk about the night before, she felt so ashamed and guilty when she thought about Shawn. She got dressed and asked Jacob to take her home. Shawn stood waiting for Hazel by a tree opposite her house. He was shocked to see Hazel climbing out of another man’s car still wearing the clothes she wore the night before. Hazel didn’t see him, but he saw the man kiss her goodbye.

Shawn couldn’t believe his eyes. This entire time he had thought that Hazel was different from the many girls he had been in relationships with but was shocked and angry to see that she was the same. She had lied to him and was seeing another man behind his back and that hurt him more. Shawn waited for the car to leave and Hazel to go into her house, then he walked to work.

Hazel, obliviously happy, went to work thinking about other ways to avoid Shawn. She had made up with Jacob and didn’t know how or what to tell Shawn. Later that day, Shawn walked into her office demanding to know who the man was who she was kissing that morning. Shocked and in disbelief, Hazel got stuck on what to say. She had no other option but to be honest with him, she told Shawn everything about Jacob and her. She saw the hurt expression on Shawn’s face and apologised for her transgression. She felt awful for hurting him.

Shawn, out of anger, slapped her hard across her face. As tears stung Hazel’s eyes she rubbed her cheek. She was horrified at what he had done but said nothing. Shawn turned on his heel and exited her office slamming the door hard behind him. At that moment her phone rang, it was Jacob, he was checking up on her. Hazel told him about what had occurred between her and Shawn and that she regretted her relapse with him. Jacob told her that he loved her, that she belonged to him and no one else, but Hazel was too angry to listen. She blamed him for her hurting Shawn’s feelings. How was she going to live with herself?

Hazel felt angry, resentful and confused, she was not the type of person to cheat on someone yet, she did. She wondered how it was possible to love two men at the same time. She couldn’t eat or sleep properly. She wanted to talk to her mother about it but was afraid of what her mother would think of her. The next morning, she woke up, washed her face and brushed her teeth then called into work saying that she wasn’t going in that day because she felt sick.

Hazel then went down to the kitchen where her mother was preparing breakfast. Her mother saw that something was bothering her and asked what it was. Hazel gave the same reply that she gave everyone who asked if she was OK, she said she was just fine and that there was nothing the matter. Her mother knew that it was something to do with a man and asked about it. Hazel told her mother about her relationship with both Jacob and Shawn and everything else that had happened with her and them. Her mother warned her about Jacob saying that Jacob abused women and was a bad man. Hazel said nothing.

Her mother continued to tell her about her friend’s daughter, who had also been dating Jacob. Jacob had beaten her to a pulp and her parents had intervened and now that they were not together anymore her daughter was happier. Hazel didn’t volunteer to tell her mother that Jacob was the first and only man that she had ever truly loved because she knew her mother would berate her for it.

Hazel didn’t want her mother’s opinions and advice to influence her decision in regards with the two men in her life, she just wanted to make the right choice. What did she want? Who was the best man she loved? Who could she be happy with? Did the two of them have a future with her? That’s all she could think about the entire night before going to sleep. It didn’t matter who she chose, one of the two men, Jacob or Shawn, was going to get hurt. She had to come to a decision quickly because it was driving her crazy.

At the office the next day, Shawn walked into Hazel’s office and requested the finance files. While Hazel browsed around in her drawer for them, Shawn asked her about her new boyfriend, but Hazel told him that Jacob wasn’t her boyfriend. Hazel had hoped to keep things professional with Shawn at work but it seemed that that was not to be the case. When he left, she sat behind her desk and did her work.

She wanted to run away but couldn’t. Lunchtime she went to the nearby restaurant around the corner from her place of work. After being brought her order, Shawn walked in. He walked straight to her table and asked her to explain herself. He told her that he still wasn’t over what she did to him, he wanted explanations.

As she was about to give him a rude reply, her old friend Sheila came walking towards her table too. Sheila greeted them both and wanted to know how things were going with Hazel. Hazel told her that she was doing good, she noticed Shawn leaving the restaurant, which gave her a sense of relief. They spoke about the past and the future then Sheila offered Hazel a job at her beauty products company.

Hazel thought that it was just her luck; she had been meaning to look for a different job at a different company, away from Shawn but never got around to it. She accepted Sheila’s offer. She handed in her resignation letter the next Monday and even though her boss and fellow colleagues were sad to see her go, Hazel was relieved. She couldn’t bear the thought of being interrogated by Shawn every day.

The new job and company was in Durban, which meant that she would be far enough to stay away from both Shawn and Jacob and them from her. Hazel told herself that she would visit her mother on weekends. When she told her mother about her new job and that she would be leaving Polokwane, her mother understood her reasons. Her heart was still set on Jacob but she had made peace with how things had turned out. Her bags were packed and she was ready to leave Polokwane and her failed relationships behind. This was a new start for her, freedom.

The End

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Tell us what you think: Do you think running from things solves anything? Have you ever decided to go away than to address issues?