Too Late To Say The Words

Christopher was ten when his family moved into Greenfield Estate. It was a quiet neighborhood with trees that swayed like they were whispering sweet little secrets. But none of that caught his attention. What caught his attention was her.

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Her name was Freda and she lived two blocks away. He first saw her sitting on her front porch, braiding her doll’s hair with her laughter filling the air like beautiful and enchanting music. Something shifted in his little childish heart instantly. Even at the age of ten, he knew he just wanted to be wherever she was.

From that day, errands became an adventure. The boy who once grumbled about fetching groceries suddenly became his mother’s most eager helper. Some days, he would conveniently “forget” to buy salt or sugar, just so he could pass by her house again. And every time she looked up and waved, his chest swelled like he had just won a lottery ticket.

Soon, waves turned into words, and words, friendship. They chased each other around the park, shared estate gossip under the cashew tree and played mom and dad while promising to never drift apart.
Chris even convinced his parents to change his school, just so he could be with her. His excuse? “Freda’s school is better and she’s smarter than me because of it.” His parents who were soft-hearted and with no other child to argue for, agreed.

As the years rolled on, their friendship grew deeper. But life wasn’t one to keep things still at all. Right after secondary school, Chris’s father passed away. His mother who was feeling devastated and seeking comfort, decided to move back to her hometown in another state.

Distance became their new challenge. But they tried. Oh, they really tried with calls, texts and occasional visits. But even in all that, Chris carried a silent truth-he loved her. He always had. But he told himself, “There’s time… there will always be time.”
And Freda? She waited. She really hoped. But girls can only wait for so long.

When university came, their conversations shifted and became even more playful, yet still guarded. Chris would joke, “I hope you’re ready. I’m having like four kids-two boys and two girls.”
Freda would laugh, “Oh really? With who?”
He would chuckle nervously, “I’ll tell you... someday.”
The most dangerous word she dreaded-Someday
Her heart waited for that “someday”. Through the teasing, the laughter, the late-night calls, she waited for him to cross that line from a friend to something else.

Then one ordinary evening, everything turned around.
Freda was sitting in the university’s love garden with her friends, laughing over random campus gossip, when a tall, dark-skinned man walked toward them. His presence was impossible to ignore. He was neatly dressed, so confident, with a calm but piercing gaze. And that gaze was fixed on her.

“Hi…. beautiful,” he said.

Freda blinked. Her friends exchanged mischievous looks. One of them pinched her by the side so as to bring her back from her thoughts.

“Can I talk to you? Just... you?” the man asked politely.

Her friends delightedly scooted away like it was rehearsed.
His name was Anthony. Their conversation was simple, but his sincerity was disarming. No games and no guessing. He told her directly that he liked her. He wanted to get to know her beyond the surface.
That night, while lying on her hostel bed, Freda felt something she had not expected. A sense of warmth and certainty. “Is this what it’s supposed to feel like?”
And just like that, the tiny thread tying her heart to Chris... loosened.

Days turned into weeks and her bond with Anthony deepened. He wasn’t playing hide and seek with his feelings and he also wasn’t waiting for the “perfect time.” He chose her and he made it loud, clear, and boldly.
Meanwhile, Chris noticed the distance... but he misunderstood it. “Maybe she’s just busy” he told himself.
Until the day the message came.
A notification showing her wedding invitation.
“Freda & Anthony. Save the Date.”
Chris froze. His phone trembled in his hands. His sight at the words were blurred. He felt his chest tighten, like someone had placed a boulder on it.
Tolu, his roommate, looked up. “Bro... what’s wrong?”
Chris tossed him the phone, barely able to breathe.
Tolu read it, sighed deeply, and whispered, “I told you... you would be late to this game.”

Filled with mixed emotions comprised of panic, regret and desperation, Chris packed a bag and caught the next bus to her school. His hands trembled throughout the entire journey. His head spun with the words he had planned to say, all these years. He indeed vowed to fix things.
When he saw her, standing by the campus Shopping mall, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
“Freda,” he called.
She turned with widened eyes but not out of excitement, but surprise and something else-maybe Guilt? Sadness?
“Chris... what are you doing here?”
“I... I love you.” The words spilled, raw and shaky. “I’ve loved you from the very first day. I waited... I just thought there would always be time... but... please... don’t do this. Don’t marry him. I should have told you earlier... I should have...”
Freda’s eyes softened, but her lips trembled. “Chris...” Her voice broke. “You should have said this... years ago. I waited. God knows I waited. I dropped hints and endlessly hoped. But I can’t wait forever for someone who wouldn’t choose me.”
Tears welled in his eyes. “I’m choosing you now. Please...”
She shook her head slowly. “It’s... too late. Anthony chose me when I stopped believing anyone would. And I love him... I really do.”
Chris stood there in silence. Feeling so empty. Watching the one person he thought would always be his... slip away.

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The day of the wedding came. There was laughter, music and people celebrating love. And at the back of the hall stood Chris with his hands in his pockets, broken but still managing a sad smile.
Tolu’s words echoed louder than ever.
“There are some games... if you don’t play on time... you don’t get to play at all.”
And now... he knew.
He was indeed late to the game.