FINESSE

√ TWENTY FOUR √

Ike walked into the school without her usual smile in her face. Different thoughts were running through her kind as she remembered her conversation with Doctor John the day before.

She didn't know whether she should tell Juola or not. Deep down, Ike knew that he deserved to know but she couldn't even bring herself to tell him.

What would she say?  Hey Juola, I have leukamia and I will die in two weeks. Wouldn't he even laugh at her joke?

Ike shook her head as she walked into a class and immediately wore a smile.

"Hey guys" Ike greeted as Gloria and Chidima waved at her.

"Have you guys seen Juola?" Ike asked as she stood up while Gloria's eyes widened.

"Ike, today is 16th of October" Gloria said and Ike shrugged.

"So? What does it have to do with Juola?" Ike asker as Gloria hissed.

"Don't you know that today is Juola's mom anniversary? He never comes to school" Gloria replied as Ike froze.

She swallowed her saliva as she walked out of the claws internally cursing herself for forgetting. She brought out her phone and dialed Dare's number.

His school allowed phones as well so Ike could only pray that classes hasn't started for them. God seem to have answered her unprayed prayer as Dare picked up just as the call was about to fall through.

"Dare, good morning" Ike greeted.

"What's up Ike? How are you?" Dare asked.

"I'm fine. I need to ask you something Dare" Ike said as she walked down the staircase.

"You sound serious. What is it?" Dare asked.

"Where was Juola's mom buried?" Ike asked as she heard silence on the other end and stopped walking.

"Dare please. I need to go to him okay?" Ike asked again her voice pleading.

"I'll send you the address" Dare said after another silence and hung up the call.

Ike bit on her lower lip and started walking towards the school gate when her phone buzzed in her pockets and she brought it out to see a message from Dare.

She flashed her pass card at the gateman as she walked out or the school. Still in her uniform, she flagged down a bike man and showed him the address on her phone.

"Do you know this place?" She asked him and the slightly older man looked at her weirdly before nodding.

Ike didn't think twice before getting on the bike. She wasn't surprised that the bikeman looked at her weirdly. After all, she was going to a cementary.

Ike walked briskly through the private cementary as she looked around looking Juola. She sighed as she couldn't seen and just as she was about to call him, she saw him afar off seating in front of a grave.

Juola stared at the grave in front of him, desolation in his eyes as he sighed before resting his chin on his palm.

"Everything's been going on fine Mom. I found someone who could make me smile without trying. But I'm so scared; that she might disappear right in front of my eyes" Juola said slowly as he pursed his lips.

"The way you did" Juola added as relieved his arm of the weight of his chin and moved to lay on the floor but his head landed on someone's laps.

Shocked and surprised he turned to see the ever familiar charcoal black eyes staring back at him. He stared at her unable to form words.

"Why are you here?" He finally asked and she shrugged her shoulders.

"To keep your company?" She asked as she pursed her lips and patted his head.

"You'll be fine" Ike mouthed as Juola adjusted his head on her laps as a tear slid down his cheek. Another tear slid down from his other eye and tears came streaming down. Not a single sound escaped Juola's lips but Ike knew he was crying.

Five years ago, he lost his mom. Although his father was a billionaire to reckon with, his mom was also both a brilliant lawyer and a brilliant writer.

None of her cases went unwon or unsolved. Juola liked seeing his mom in court and during her cases, he liked been there watching her. He made sure to read every single one of her articles and blog.

It was when Juola got admission into secondary school that he came home one day and met his mom at home. Surprised he asked his mom why she was at home at such an odd time of the day and her reply was that she had stopped everything she was doing and she was now going to take care of him.

Juola was very happy as both of his parents were both influential and busy people, they were rarely at home. So the fact that if he was leaving home in the morning, he would see his mom and if he came back at night, he would still see her made the young Juola happy.

And for seven months he was happy. Very happy, he went on holidays with her, went to parks, visited a lot of places and Juola? He felt like he had the best mom in the world and he wanted it to last forever.

But forevers didn't exist.

One day at school, one of the driver's suddenly came to pick him and drove him to the hospital. Juola was still wondering why he was there until he was led to a ward and he saw his mom with tubes all connected to her body.

Flabbergasted at the turn of events, the truth was finally told to him. After diagnosed with cancer, his mom wanted to spend her remaining months with her 12-year old son.

It explained the sudden enthusiasm, the huge smiles, the care, the attention. Juola couldn't take it as he ran to the nearby church. His mom had told him God answered prayers especially prayers of young children.

He prayed for a whole day and rushed back to the hospital believing that God had answered his prayers but when he got back, there was only an un moving body on the bed with a white cloth covering it.