A fine line

Episode 26|Clean house.

|Dedicated to 🌺 3reebees |

Henrietta faced the ceiling and took deep breaths, she couldn't sleep at night again. She tried to sleep but she just couldn't. She knew her body needed sleep or it would eventually crash.

However, having knowledge about an issue and putting that knowledge to use, were two very different things.

She sighed. Maybe I should watch videos on how to sleep?

No, that won't work. She rolled her eyes.

She didn't mean the videos were fake, it wasn't that. The real problem with her and the Internet was that she often started out with the right intentions, but, ended up getting derailed by tweets, Instagram posts and stories. She would ultimately abandon her aim and spend her night comparing herself to those she saw on the Internet.

"No," she said jumping up to her feet. She had successfully steered clear from that path for a few weeks, she wasn't going to turn back now. Nope, not on her watch.

Terence! She remembered. He was a late nighter like herself. Two, he was great company—although she rather die than let him hear her say that—and he wouldn't mind her joining him.

She walked to the mirror and check herself out. She just loosened her hair in the afternoon since she had a hair appointment soon and she packed it up in an elastic band and bonnet before going to bed. However, the bonnet had disappeared.

She brushed her hair with her hands and pulled it into a fairly loose ponytail.

"Everyday they'll be saying use bonnet to cover your hair," she put her hands on her hips, "When you now lie down and close your eyes for just one second, the bonnet will jump off your head and run back to its village people." She hissed walking over to the bed to grab her black bonnet.

She spanked the bonnet like it weren't an inanimate object and said, "You, the day you will remain on my head from morning to night, that day I will go and share testimony in church." Then she put it back on. She adjusted her white night gown that hovered a few inches above her knees and since she wasn't wearing bra—because let's face it, where was the breast to even wear bra?—she covered her upper body with a wrapper. Then she crept out of the room as quietly as she could to avoid waking up Ivanna.

In the parlor she looked around for Terence but, he wasn't there. She drooped her shoulders in disappointment and exhaled deeply. What was she to do now?

"Jesus!"

She jumped at the sound of a shout and clattering of empty plates. Seeing it was Terence she rushed over and pressed his lips shut with her hand.

"What is your problem? Don't you know it's night?" She whispered sharply.

"Mhmm mhmm—"

"Shhhh!" She shushed him, "See if you wake Ivanna up this night, if you just wake her up, is only you and yourself that will put her back to sleep."

She looked back to her room while praying in her heart that Ivanna was still asleep. Ivanna these days wasn't like her sister, she was so moody and impossible to please. Henrietta understood it came with her pregnancy and so she was cautious around her.

He narrowed his eyes at her in the dimly lit room and motioned for her to remove her hands from his mouth. She eyed him and then slowly let go of his face.