Manifest

Three

A heavy rumble in the sky brought with it the sound of thunder, as the rain poured from the heavens.

Somewhere out there, Abasi Enyong had risen.

By Nature's calculations, the god of the heavens was among them. He'd have awoken, angry and lost. Worried that his people had abandoned him. In a way, they all had. For survival, they'd made the choice not to seek him the way they were supposed to. It was a new day, and the old god would have to find a way to do things a new way.

As Nature groaned, coming awake in his bed, slim, firm hands wrapped themselves around his waist. They were buried beneath the blankets that kept them warm. Still sleepy, Nature raised one of the hands to his lips, dropping a delicate kiss on the delicate wrist as the woman behind him giggled.

"You're awake," Anne said, her lips brushing against his back.

"You have a big day today," Nature replied, pulling Anne's hands tightly around his body.

"A big day that I must get to."

With one last kiss, she patted him on the stomach and pulled away, shifting out from the bed as the cold air chilled Nature's back. When he turned to watch her, he felt like there was a hole in his bed, with her gone. He wanted to call her back, to keep her with him.

To stop her from her mission, altogether.

She disappeared into the bathroom. From the room, he could hear her murmuring in prayer. Closing his eyes, he mouthed the prayer along with her, as he'd done everyday since they met.

The fathers of my father
The mothers of my mother
Bless my day as I go
Let me hear you
Let me bring your peace with me

Over and over, they whispered in Ibibio, calling on the ones who came before to do what they had always done. Protect.

In the same way that Abasi Enyong had once done.

By the time the shower came on, Nature was done, but he could still hear Anne repeating it, over and over as she got ready.

Reaching out, in the dark room, he opened the side cupboard and retrieved a small, velvet, maroon box. A secret he'd kept since the beginning of the year. He'd known a few weeks after meeting Anne that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but the time wasn't right.

There wasn't a rule in the faith, but seeing as everyone knew Abasi Enyong was coming, most people were holding off on big changes. People like Nature. People with secrets that could change the course of their lives and the lives of loved ones, forever.

He wanted to give Anne the ring, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not when things were so unresolved.

It was perfect for Anne. The moment Nature saw it, he knew. It was a stud-less band of 16-carat gold with a thin line of silver dug round the center. Simple, classy and without pieces that were likely to fall off. Considering the kind of life she led, Nature knew diamond studs would be a revolving door when she broke or misplaced one every single day.

She emerged from the bathroom in his singlet and a pair of lacy underwear. She walked past the bed, still murmuring in prayer.

The room was wide and empty except for a desk where he kept his books and laptop. His wardrobe and dresser were built into the walls, keeping the place spartan. With the curtains not drawn, they were moving around in relative darkness.

Anne opened the dresser as the lights came on, illuminating her bare face that had no make-up. She pulled the shower cap off as her hair stood out, on its own. Her brown eyes were shaded by long, lash extensions and her eyebrows were almost nonexistent. She opened her make-up bag and began applying, covering up her skin, pinkening her black and brown beautiful lips till they were bouncy and shining.