GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
Episode 25
By Faith Lucky.
Nina woke up the next morning at the hospital but still couldn’t think of going home. She wanted to be around Theo every single minute.
She just ordered for some clothes and took her bath there in the hospital.
She had been the only one there in the room with Theo since the previous night, sleeping on a chair with her head placed on the edge of the bed. She couldn’t tell why his parents didn’t show up again.
When she was done taking her bath and returned to the room, she met Miles, Owen and Lancelot In, communicating and staring at Theo. And the moment they noticed her, they brightened up.
“Hey, Nina. Wats up?” It was Miles.
He was sitting on the bed.
“Hi. Good morning” Nina replied perfunctorily.
She was feeling so weak.
“Hey, Nina. Have you eaten?” Lancelot asked grimly. “You look so strange”.
“Yes, Nina. You do” Owen added.
“Uhm..
Don’t worry about me. I’ll get something to eat” she replied but seriously, she wasn’t having any appetite.
“How’s Theo doing?” Owen asked. “Heard you spent the night here”.
“Yes, I did. But, I don’t think he’s getting any better.” She replied.
“But what really happened Nina? Why did you break up with him?”
“Did he do something wrong? Or was it really for Alvin?
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
Talking about Alvin, Nina quickly thought of him.
She hadn’t communicated with him for a long time and that was probably because her phone had been switched off. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
“Nina?” Miles broke into her thoughts, noticing she was absent minded.
“Uhm…yes.” She replied shaking her head.
“Yes what? What’re you thinking?”
“Uhm..look guys, I’m so sorry about Theo. But I didn’t really mean to hurt him. It was all a mistake.” She replied.
“Today was meant to be your wedding eve, Nina but now, the groom is on his death bed.” Lancelot said.
“I even got punch on my face from him.” Owen said and miles and Lancelot chuckled.
“Anyway” miles continued. Let’s just pray he gets out of this Alive.”
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
In a short time, members from the Sidney family started trooping in and out of the room became filled up.
Nina couldn’t think of staying among then and so, she had to go home and planned on returning later.
When she got home, she met just Denise, although they only exchanged a simple greeting.
She headed for her room to check around tor something and ran into her talking teddy.
She took it up and smiled ruefully at it, tears beginning to firm up in her eyes . She pressed the red button and there was a beep but no reply, unlike the way it normally did.
She could remember joking around it with Theo but now, it wasn’t working.
“Hey, teddy” she called, staring at it. “How have you been? Have you eaten?
“Why aren’t you saying something? Are you mad at me? I’m sorry if I offended you in anyway. I promise to change. Please just come back for me.
“Why keeping quiet? Won’t you forgive me? Say something” she cried and juddered it and kept it on the bed.
She took what she wanted and left the room, heading to the kitchen and wiping off her tears. She decided to make some Salmorejo for Theo.
While blending the tomatoes and preparing the other ingredients, Denise walked in and stood behind her. Although she was aware if her presence.
Even just standing behind her, Denise could notice she was exhausted.
“Nina, I think you need some rest. You’re stressing out” she said to her but Nina gave no reply as she just concentrated on what she was doing.
“Nina…”
“This was meant to be our wedding eve.” She cut in. “And tomorrow the wedding.
She paused and placed it egg on the gas to boil.
“Theo’s such a nice person ” she continued, working on the vinegar. “It’s just someone who isn’t close to him that might misunderstand him. Anyway, I won’t hide the fact he’s a spoilt brat.
“The first time I met him, he was so rude to me. But that was also a cherishable moment because that was the first time I got to meet someone of his kind.
“He was so cute and was being celebrated by everyone around. To be sincere, the first time i saw him, I crushed on him. And when our ends was announced, although apart of me felt bittered, the other part was kind of glad.
“And at first, I had to deal with his arrogance, but in time when I got to know him, we became close friends. He’s so funny and can brighten you up even when you want to be moody.
“Too bad he’s in danger right now .and it hurts me a lot to know I’m the reason behind it. I never wanted to hurt him. How could I be so indecisive?”
She busted into tears and didn’t even realize when she busted into Denise opened arms.
She rested her chest on her head and wept bitterly and surprisingly, Denise found herself consoling her.
She rubbed her ears as she did so and Nina felt a little amused.
That was what her mum always did each time she cried.
“By the time she returned to the hospital, most members of the Sidney family had left and the few that remainedremained were just hanging around.
She went for Theo’s room and met Harmony in, sitting beside him.
Immediately she saw her, she stood up, hissed and left.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
Nina ignored it and budged forward to sit on the chair close to Theo.
She opened th bag she came with and brought out her prepared Salmorejo together with a spoon.
She looked at Theo who looked like someone who was in deep sleep. And despite the ailment, he still looked handsome.
“Hey, Theo. Made some Salmorejo” She finally said fraily and took in a spoonful of it.
“Believe me, Theo. This tastes good and a lot better than the other. I think I’ve figured out the reason the first Salmorejo wasn’t good. I think there was excess baggrette in it.
“Believe me theo, this particular Salmorejo is going to blow you off. So, you see? It’s no exactly like I’m not a good cook. I just miscalculated the recipe, that’s all.
“But to be sincere, I think your flemish carbonade kind of tasted good. Sorry, I had to pretend back then. But it’s not like i’m saying you cook better than me. Yours was good, but mine was better.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you scared of tasting my Salmorejo because you feel I might blast you for it? Don’t worry Theo. I promise not to bully you. Just open your eyes and have a taste of it.”
She took a spoonful of it and brought it close to his mouth.
“Come on Theo. Look at me. Please!” She cried and started weeping again and the spoon she held fell on the floor.
She wept for a long time and finally left, going to get some flowers.
She sat close to the window in the car hoping to get some air to cool her off. Her head was feeling so hot and muzzy.
Theo’s condition was eating yer up and getting her traumatic.
She stopped at the flower garden, paid the bills and walked into the garden with a basket to pick varieties.
She went for the sweet rose, guessing Theo might like them.
While picking the flowers, someone came into the garden but she didn’t torn around to see whom it was. That wasn’t important to her. All she felt was important was getting some flowers for Theo.
But the person walked up to her and tapped her from behind and that was when she turned around to have a look.
It ws Alvin.
She stood properly, staring at him, not knowing what to say. She noticed he ws kind of looking worried.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
“Nina, where’ve you been? I’ve been trying to reach you. I couldn’t get the location of the hospital in time and when I did, I saw you leaving and followed you here.” He spoke quickly without a pause.
He felt he needed to say something.
“I’ve been busy” Nina replied.
“Too busy to give me a call? What have you been doing?”
“I’ve been taking care of Theo, Alvin. He’s still my fiance and I need to be there for him.”
Her voice had come out loud and harsh and Alvin ws gobsmacked.
“Your fiance?” He managed to say, surprised.
“Did you just call him your fiance?”
This time around, nina bent her head and wept.
“I’m sorry Alvin. But it was all a mistake. My marriage to Theo is inevitable and I’ve gotten to know I simply can’t leave him. He’s too previous to me. Forgive me, Alvin” she said tearfully and turned around to leave.
“So you’re just walking away?” He asked and she stopped to listen, although she didn’t turn around to look at him.
She was still weeping.
“You promised me! I took a lot of risks because you promised to be there with me. How could you betray me?”
She stood there crying and didn’t know what to say. She felt so guilty.
Her lips were shaking and the next thing she did was run away.
She forgot about the flowers and hurried back to the hospital, crying the whole time.
She felt she was a bad person. Each decision she made was hurting someone. why was her life that complicated?
She liked Theo and was ready to get married to him to save his life. But Alvin had taken a drastic decision just to be with her. He disobeyed his mom and was thrown out of the house for her sake.
How could she dump him like that? She felt so horrible.
She sat on the bed staring at the sleeping Theo. Her eye lids were beginning to droop.
She’s been sitting and staring at him for a long time, holding his hand.
Her tears flowed freely as she recalled how lot of things, much of which were her regrets.
She got wistful and wished she could change th hands of time so she could make certain decisions that would make things different.
There were so many things she had to say and do; so many things and needed to change. And she also needed Theo back.
“Theo” she called softly still holding his hand.
“I miss you so much and I’m sorry for making you go through this. But I want to make amends. I only wish you’d hear me out. I love you”.
And after that, she leaned forward and kssed him.
It was a snogging kss, filled with an unusual fervour; tempestuous.
Perhaps, she might not have stopped if she hadn’t been distracted by the sound of the anaesthetic machine beeping.
She quickly broke the kiss to confirm it was really beeping.
With her eyes wide open, she looked back at Theo and noticed his eye lids were fluttering and she caught his index finger tap the bed.
“Theo?” She called with her eyes bulging out and her heart beating faster.
The machine was beginning to beat faster.
“Theo?” She called again and jumped on the bed, running out and calling out to the doctor and nurses.
She returned with two doctors and some nurses, but she wasnt allowed to go in.
She was asked to remain outside and she quickly ran to the transparent window to have a view of everything.
The doctors and nurses were all busy on him and at that time, his eyes were already opened.
Nina was shaking and really hoped everything was okay. Nothing could happen to him.
She noticed his eyes were open and at that point, he started staring at her.
They exchanged looks at each other and none of them got tired of staring.
GRUMPY AND THE PRIEST : EPISODE 21 – THE END
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