Night Before the Swing

Beginning of a Tumultuous Ending

CHAPTER 20

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Academic wise, the fourth year was tough for Nala and she knew having a baby was a major contributor to her struggle to fully focus. Every time she thought she was getting the hang of things, something new came along. When she adjusted to waking up early because her lectures were now scheduled from 8am, Narrel became clingy and cried for her when she was about to leave. Subsequently, she stayed a bit longer to comfort her baby and assure her she'll be back soon and ended up arriving late for classes. When Narrel settled and got used to her mama leaving early and coming back just before Connie left, the Forests happened. Warren's parents decided Sundays are family days and made it clear that their son and his little family had no choice but to show up. Nala knew on their first Sunday lunch that she didn't want to drive for twenty minutes every first day of the week so she asked if they can make the gathering every second weekend instead. Mrs. Forest and her husband brushed the suggestion aside and rambled for what seemed like forever about how good the meetings are for Narrel. According to Warren's parents, Narrel needs the most love and attention from all family members because her mind is forming the foundational memories.

"knowing that more people either that her parents love her, will make her a self-assured and confident adult", Mrs. Forest preached.

In the end Nala just did what was expected of her; help with the lunch preparations and the cleaning up afterwards. Losing her relaxation day didn't sit well with her but Warren told her he too had no choice so the Sunday family gatherings stayed. Then one Friday afternoon during her last class, an extra lesson session was announced to begin the next day. The lecturer emphasised the importance of everyone's attendance at the 10am Saturday class stating that extra notes that will greatly assist in the examinations will be given. Nala wanted to scream at the lecturer but she remembered that everyone perceives her as a reflection of Warren, so she angrily sucked it all in. The best thing about the final year was that the classes during the week were scheduled to finish early. On the second term of the academic year, all classes during the week, finished at 12:30pm and Nala greatly appreciated the afternoons she spent either resting or bonding with her child. Every now and then, she had to deal with Warren's mother dropping in unexpectedly to see her granddaughter but those lasted an hour at most, thanks to the work that awaited her at the university.

Nala wished she and Warren lived far from campus so much, she started day dreaming about it. She took her dreaming a step further and browsed apartments a little further from the university. Not because she was planning on moving but to satisfy her curiosity. There were beautiful and newly build flats forty kilometers from the campus and Nala fell in love with the pictures more than anything. There were two to four bedroomed apartments with beautiful kitchen units and lovely bathrooms. She could totally see herself living in one and decided to take another step by calling the offices of the land lord. Her mobile phone was charging in the main bedroom so she used the land line phone in the kitchen. The number looked familiar and when she dialed it, it felt like even her heart and fingers knew which button to press next. But she was so excited about talking to whoever will pick up, she didn't pay attention. When the voice on the other side answered, she paused and looked at the number on the laptop screen again. Her ears had not deceived her. Christian Mason answered the phone and she immediately recalled her papa's 2nd cell number. He got it during the father-daughter trip to The Great Mall on the day she first met Lizzy! She dropped the call then looked back at the number on the Web page of the apartment spaces and the number remained the same. She dialed Nandi and her friend answered excitedly thinking it was a social call. Nandi refused to call Lizzy to ask about the renting spaces but offered to call the number and inquire. That was good enough for Nala who impatiently waited next to the phone for Nandi's feedback. Nandi called back eight minutes later and confirmed the gentleman who answered was Christian Mason, the owner and Landlord. He took Nandi's details and promised to have his secretary call her back on Monday. "What's Christian doing in property when he has a job as a surgeon" Nala wondered. She thought about Chad's mother and wished she hadn't chased her away without even taking her call number. She wanted answers from anyone but Lizzy. She knew for sure that she wasn't going to reach out to Lizzy albeit the fact that she might be the only one closest to the situation.