BELINA (Tender Beauty)
****EPISODE 14****
I strolled out with Prisca in the evening.
Though Prisca’s parents pamper a lot, they were also disciplinarians and did not even condone laziness. That is the reason why they did not employ any house help. I walked beside
Prisca and I noticed that she had been silent for most of the evening.
“What’s up Prisca?” I asked.
She sighed, “you don’t know how happy I am to have you here with me. It had been really
tough living alone with my parents without any young person to chat with. Sometimes I
feel older than I actually am”
I laughed heartily,
“cmon now, your parents are not old, I am
very sure they both still turn heads”, I said winking honestly.
“so, you know about the turning of heads abi? Who taught you” she asked mischievously.
“Abeg leave me joor, you have started”, I said trying to avoid the
place I knew she was heading.
“You should join the convent
baby girl, only that you are not a saint” she said. I stopped and placed my hands on my hips feigning anger.
“You this girl don’t have respect again o, am I the one you are talking to” I asked looking upset and Prisca laughed. She was
actually older than me with 3months and some days.
Prisca stood in front of me and used her eyes to trace my body like she was a guy and I instantly
became uncomfortable. She laughed heartily and had to hold her sides trying to still true laughter. I hissed,
“so you have not thrown away your acting skills abi?” I asked. It had been a
long time since she did that and she always did that to drive in her point.
“You see? You are not immune to guys and what I just did confirmed it”.
She came over and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Give yourself the chance to love
someone and you would be as happy as I am with Tony”. I remembered what I saw
yesterday and blushed. She laughed again for a long time and I finally smiled uncomfortably. She did not stop
laughing so I gave her a tender blow on her arm and she ran off laughing. There was just
something about being with Prisca, she could make you remember your time as a child with so much ease that you want
to behave like a child.
I was enjoying myself for the first time in a very
long time..
***********************
Tony was exceedingly happy when Richard told him about Deji’s stability. It had been a long time since a casualty had been
recorded in their hospital and he had prayed that it remain that way although his prayer had doubled when he saw the way
Richard was taking it. He knew that if the outcome had been
otherwise, Richard would be adversely affected even if he did not tell anyone cos he had this arrogant exterior that never wanted anyone to see his pain.
He had known Richard right from his secondary school days
and they had been inseparable friends although they got
separated a bit when they went to the higher institution, fate
brought them back to each other. Richard who was a complete Nigerian looked more
foreign and was often mistaken for a half cast cos of his wavy hair and non-Nigerian
voice. He was given birth to in America but when his parents
got divorced 7yrs after he was born, his father had taken custody of him while his mother
took the other two girls.
He entered Deji’s room and found him awake looking confused.
“Hello, how are you feeling?” he asked smiling at Deji.
Deji looked at him more confused, “I don’t know who you are.”
“It is alright, I am your doctor”
“You don’t understand, I… I don’t know anything. The only thing I
remember is being hit by a big bus. Where was I going…Who am I?” Deji lamented.
Tony felt distraught but did not let it show on his face (one of the virtues a doctor should possess) so he said still smiling, “you just need to rest a little bit and I am sure you would remember it all in a short while. It is perfectly normal at this stage”. When it
became obvious that Deji would not be able to relax cos of his confusion, Tony sedated him and went in search of Richard.
**************************
Mr. Badmus had called his friends seeking for financial help but
none of them wanted to help him. He could not go to his bank to seek for a loan either so he decided to wait at home keeping
a low profile and hoping that Tunji would not come. The entire
money he had was 50k and he took it home in case Tunji showed up, he would not be empty handed.
He switched on the Tv desperately trying to calm his nerves and what he saw chilled him to the bones.
“HEADLINES: The son of the Deputy Governor, Olatunji James, murdered.
Mr. Badmus seemed to receive the news with mixed feelings.
He still could not place d fact that someone he had seen the previous day and spoken to merely hours ago is dead. He
suddenly became scared of his
environment and he looked around to be sure he was alone. He stared at the Tv again and
asked no one in particular, “who could have done this?” he thought about Belina but knew
that no matter how stubborn she
is, she could never attempt something like that. Though he was distraught about the fact that his only source of making wealth had been cut off completely, he still had a cause to smile.
To be continued…