GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Episode 8
By Faith Lucky.
Few of the students gasped as some giggled and Nina was beginning to feel embarrassed.
“Well, I wasn’t talking to you” she replied angrily at Maia and before Maia could say any other thing, Theo intervened.
“Fine! Go on, Nina. You have two minutes” he said.
“I can’t say it hear. I need somewhere privacy” She replied and some of the students laughed , including Miles, Owen and lancet who nibbled at Theo.
What were they even thinking?
“Okay, as you wish” Theo replied and followed her to a direction she took.
She took him to a place that was a bit far from students.
“1 minute left” he told her as they arrived.
“Theo, what’s going on? Why’s my name ringing on everybody’s Lips? I thought this engagement stuff was meant to be a secret?” She asked angrily, grinning her teeth and Theo laughed.
“Is that why you called me out here? I thought you had something interesting to say?” He paused and laughed again.
“Anyway, I don’t know anything about it. And even if I did, are you ashamed of it?”
“Come on Theo. I’m not here for jokes. How did everyone get to know about it?”
“Hold on. Are you trying to accuse me of something childish? Didn’t it occur to you my sister might be responsible for it? Besides, badnews spreads faster, you know?”
“Badnews?” Nina thought, abacked .
“Did you just…”
“Time up Nina” he interrupted her and walked away, leaving her in an infuriated manner.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Classes were done for the day and Theo walked along to his car being accompanied by Maia.
“I’ve told you Maia. It’s a tradition and not something I could easily reject.” He groused along the way, sounding pissed off.
“So what about us? What happens to our relationship?” She asked bitterly.
“Well, you can just stick to me for the meantime, at least, until I get married.”
“So, you’re just gonna push me aside because of that pesky pillock?”
At that point, Theo had gotten to his car and the door had been opened for him to walk in. He turned around and sighted Nina from a distance, staring at them.
“Watch your tongue, Maia” he said bluntly and walked into the car which took off.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Nina stood at a distance, watching as Maia followed Theo to his car and she felt a bit angry
He had even sighted her, but he didn’t seem to care how she might feel seeing them together.
“Hello there” a sweet voice called from behind and touched her.
It was Alvin.
“Alvin!’ She called as she turned around and saw him.
“Hi. Long time. You always seem scarce in school.” She told him.
“Oh yeah. I…kind of spend my free time in the library. You didn’t show up in school yearsterday”.
“Yes. I couldn’t make it. Something came up.”
He followed her to the gate where she could wait for her ride.
“So,” he said as they stopped by the gate. How’re you copping with CVHS?”
“Well, it’s cool, I guess” she replied , a bit nervous.
She wandered if ye was going to say anything about her engagement with Theo.
“Okay. Will you be busy this evening? I was wandering if you could come to the cathedral later in the day.”
“The cathedral? Uhm…maybe let’s see how it goes.”
They spent a little more time together until her car arrived.
“Okay. see you later, blondie” she told him as she headed for her car.
“Did you just call me blondie?” He asked after her and she smiled and waved at him.
And as she finally entered the car, she sighted Harmony staring at them, giving her a hard look.
When she got home, she took a shower and a nap and later ordered for some scrambled eggs and bread. And as she chomped on them, she thought of her betrothment to Theo.
He was being too rude for her liking and she wandered why she was so unlucky to be engaged to someone like him.
“Why did such stupid tradition ever have to come up?”
And she also never knew grandma molly was also a participant. But, her grandma and grandpa seemed to be in love and didn’t look like people who were forced into the marriage.
Each time she went visiting, even before she left for Spain, grandma molly always filed her with her love stories with grandpa Peter.
“Well , maybe they just got lucky to be in love”.
She rounded up her dish and when she was done, she left for the cathedral.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Theo sat on the bed in his bedroom with Miles, Owen and Lancelot as they played video games together.
“Woah man! I can swear you’re cheating” Owen said to Theo who was his opponent.
“Yippee! I knew I was gonna win anyway” Theo exclaimed as he finally won the game.
“Come on Theo. Swear you weren’t cheating” lancelot said.
“Yeah. You’ve outplayed the three of us. How’s that possible?” Miles also chipped in and Theo smirked.
“Well, you can just call me the game master” Theo replied and shrugged.
“By the way, Theo,” Miles resumed talking. “Don’t you think you should get along with your fiancee? Take for instance; if you guys were in good terms, she would’ve been here with you, right? Keeping you company.”
“And what do I need her company for?” Theo asked as he started a new game with lancelot. “Besides, I tried being nicer, but she rebuffed my friend request like I was some piece of trash. So, she can go to hell.”
“But she’s your wife, Theo”.
“POC Owen; she isn’t my wife okay? She’s just my fiancee and the wedding’s still next month. And who knows? She might be dead before then”.
“Huh? Are you crazy? How can you say such thing”.
“Wow! I have one request, Theo. Please grant me the honor of being present on your wedding night. I’d want to watch the drama that’d take place” miles added and Theo turned to grin at him.
“Wohoo! I won!” Lancelot said in excitement as he knocked out theo .
“Come on dude. You only got lucky cause I was distracted”.theo said.
“seriously? The same way you were distracted at the basketball court? You think I wouldn’t notice you were staring at her?” Owen asked and Theo replied with a “whatever”.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Just then, the door went open and harmony barged in, garbed in a skimpy dress.
“Harmony, do I need to put a notice board on the door to remind you to knock before coming into my room?” Theo snarled at her.
“Yes, harmony. You need to knock, okay? What if he had been with Nina?” Miles asked and theo threatened a punch on him.
“Hi Harmony” Lancelot said with a wave. “You look good”.
“Must you say that each time you see me? I think it’s beginning to sound old fashioned.” She replied bumptiously and rolled her eyes.
“Harmony, who told everyone in school about my engagement with Nina?” Theo asked and Harmony felt a little twitchy.
“Uhm…well, I didn’t tell everyone. I mean, definitely not everyone. It’s not even possible to tell everyone, right?”.
“Just answer the damn question!”
“Well, like I said, I didn’t tell everyone. I only told Ethel, Brenda , Anna and Joyce and while we were talking about it, Becky and Dora who were passing by stopped to know what was going on and so…I had to tell them. And while we were still talking, three ladies kept staring at us and I think they mightve overhead us.
“Now, trust me, I told my friends not to tell anyone about it, but Anna told June and Ivy and I’m sure Ivy’s gonna tell Oprah and Megan cause they’re her best friends and…”
“Get out harmony!” Theo rasped as he threw a pillow at her.
“What an awesome connection” miles said as he almost laugh out his lungs with Owen and Lancelot.
“Come on brother. There’s no need to mad at me. Sooner or later the truth was bound to come out. Uhm…by the way, cloud you lend me your laptop?” She asked politely with a prodding smile.
“Not even in your wildest dreams” he replied icily.
“Hm. Go on and eat it then” she said with a huff and walked away.
“Wow! This sister of yours is something else theo” Owen said with laugher in his mouth.
“But don’t you think you’re a little harsh on her?”
“She lacks respect and needs to be taught some lessons.”
“By the way, theo, what’re your plans for Maia?” Lancelot asked.
“Well, I told her she could stick to me for the meantime”.
“Really? But what about Nina? Don’t you think she might get jealous?”
“Well, if she has a problem with it, she should spill it out”
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Nina quietly walked into the building where Alvin seated on the keyboard, playing as usual .
She stood behind him and kept admiring him until he turned around and saw her.
“I think I mightve to sue you to court for always sneaking up on me” he said with his usual cute smile before turning around to look at her.
“I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I was just…”she paused and sat beside him
“Whatever” she continues and waved her hand.
“So, howre you doing?” He asked
“Oh, I think I’m fine”.
He continued with the keyboard, playing a soft melody.
“It’s beautiful” Nina said when he stopped and he only smiled.
“Aren’t you gonna tell me about it?” He asked after a while and Nina could feel her heart giving a leap.
“About what?” She possumed.
Of course she had a hint on what he meant.
“About your engagement to Theo. I heard you guys were getting married”.
“Oh that!” She paused. “Well, yeah. It’s a God damn tradition that got me involved and now I’m left with no option but to marry him.”
“Wow! That sounds interesting. So, he’s more like your betrothed, right? ”
“Yeah, kind of”
He smiled and fiddled with the keys for a short time.
“But you like him, right?” He asked ,not looking at her.
“Who? Theo?” She asked and squeezed her face. “Well, I do like him as a person. But he’s never been my dream husband”.
“Seriously? Why?”
“Well, he’s too arrogant, non challant, hot tempered, disrespectful and…so many of them. He’s just not my type.”
“And…how do you want your dream husband to be?”
“My dream husband” she asked and chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve wanted him to be a cute, smart, and gentle guy. I’ve wanted him to be someone that’d be a peace loving man and shower me with unending love”.
He stared at her and smiled before going back to the keyboard. Nina allowed him to play for a short time before speaking up.
“I’m just like you, right?” She asked and he instantly stopped to look at her.
“What do you mean?’ He asked looking surprised.
Nina dipped her hand into her pink purse and brought out the paper she had seen on the floor the other day in school.
She opened it and placed it in front of him on the keyboard.
“Where did you get these? Have you been invading my privacy?” He asked with demanding eyes.
“Why on earth will I do that? I just picked it on the floor the other day when we were done talking and you left. Well, I didn’t mean to pokenose but I was tempted to open it and then I saw this” she explained lucidly and he seemed to had calm down.
He folded it and slipped it into his pocket and continued playing on the keyboard. This time around, he was playing the particular tone Nina always liked and she could notice he was putting on a sad look.
He played the interlude for a short time and then entered with the lyrics.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
Nina was carried away by the harmony and didn’t even realize when he stopped and kept staring at her.
“This is the first song I composed few years back and I haven’t been able to complete it, not because I can’t, but because I feel it’s useless.
“I’ve always wanted to be a famed songwriter, but few years ago, mommy came up with an idea, telling me she wanted me to be a priest.
“I have four older siblings; one is a doctor, one is a psychologist, the other is an air hostess and the fourth is still in school, reading law. Each profession was decided by mom and now she claims she wants one of her kids to be a priest. According to her, she said there was a favor she once asked from God and promised if he’d do it, she’d dedicate one of her son’s life to him , making him serve him forever in his house.
“So, unfortunately, I happen to be the sacrificial lamb.”
He paused and touched two to three keys on the keyboard. Nina was already speechless.
“I’ve already written the exams and the results should be out in less than a week” he continued more palely. “So that’s it! I’m going to be a priest because mummy wants me to”.
“B…but, you can’t let your mom decide your destiny” Nina finally found something to say. “You need to take a stand for yourself.”
“So what do you expect me to do? Fight back at her? She’s my mom. I need to do what she says.”
“At the expense of your own happiness?” She asked and he kept mute.
“You heed to take a stand, Alvin and…”
“So why haven’t you taken a stand?” He cut her off, calmly, though. “You don’t like the engagement stuff, right? So, why haven’t you taken a stand?”
“Alvin, mine is different okay? Yours isn’t as complicated as mine…”
“Take a break, Nina. Besides, why are you emphasizing on it? Mom’s never gonna change her mind”.
“But don’t you want to fall in love and get married?”
“Fall in love?” He asked and chuckled.
“And will you give me someone to love? A reason to take a stand?” He asked, staring directly at her face, into her eyes.
She could feel her heart beating faster as their eyes became interlocked in each other’s and the wind seemed to move more slowly.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
“Alvin!” A voice ruined the *interesting* moment and they turned away from each other.
“June? What’re you doing here?” Alvin asked the young lady who had already gotten to where they were.
“Oh! I just dropped by to see you. Did I do something wrong?” She asked, faking a frown as she sat on his legs.
“Of course not” Alvin replied with a short laugh.
Nina kept staring in amusement.
“Oh my God! It’s Nina Wesley, right?” June asked as she left Alvin’s legs, taking a proper look at Nina.
“Please Nina, meet me kid sister, June.” Alvin introduced.
“Oh hi. Nice meeting you” Nina replied and exchanged a handshake with her.
“I’ve heard a lot about Nina. I’m also in CVHS 11th grade.”
“Wow! That’s great.”
“By the way, I heard you were in Spain Nina.Nina . so tell me all about Spain.”
“Spain? Well, it’s okay and…”
And that was how Nina and June ended up chatting the whole time.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 1 – 10
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