She Is Blind

Chapter Thirty-Two: One Year Later

ONE YEAR LATER.

It was hard to believe that school was at it's end. That we were finally graduating after five years of schooling in the varsity. Me, Peter, Amina, Chinaza, who was now always with the Cultist boy while thriwung glances at Peter, and everybody. It was the signing out day, and lots of students were clad in white shirts, whiteboard markers in their pockets, with plans to go wild and write all over each others clothes. Amina and I had promised each other that we  would be the first to write on each other's clothes, and I hated the resentment in Peter's eyes, hated that he was blind to how much she loved him.

We were both waiting for Amina, ignoring the other students pleading to write on our clothes, till Peter decided he had waited enough and ran off to join others. I still waited, under a tree, and laughed when I saw her in the distance, running away from a male student who chased after her.

I ran to them, and pleaded with the make student to leave her alone, which he did ever so reluctantly. I then went behind her, and wrote my name, 'David', letting it take up as much space as it could. She urged me to write it many more times, and I did, feeling shy as she asked me to write across her chest too. I then turned, letting her do same on my shirt too, and she laughed, doing it excitedly. When she was done, she turned and faced me, holding my two hands.

"I will miss you so much David. I really will."

"You are the best thing I have met in the past five years, even helping me to stop smoking. I will always love you Amina. I will tell Gift about you."

By stopping smoking, I had not meant stopped entirely. I now really only smoked a cigarette a day, and Amina seemed content with it. She knew it would be progressive, and hoped I really would stop.

"I love you too David. I will tell my kids about you. About Uncle David."

We both laughed, letting our foreheads touch just like we had before, and then I kissed her forehead before noticing Peter watching us from the distance. He had always looked at me like that for the past one year, always looking at us each time I shared a special moment, and I had half feared that he would burst out someday, say whatever was on his mind each time he looked like that, but he always retained the same look.

I had always wanted to ask Amina if she ever saw that look in his face, but I kept my thoughts to myself. After all I would not spend any more time after this.

"Peter please come and take photos of us," Amina called out.

He smiled, and took her phone from her, and we then stood a short distance away, waiting for him to take them. He took several shots, and then Amina grabbed her phone from him and ran off to go meet one of her friends.

Peter exhaled deeply, and I could see his eyes become wet.

"She really does love you. You should stop being jealous of me." I said.

"How do you know that?" he asked, a meagre attempt at defence.

"That is the reason I started smoking. I could see she loved you and could see no hope of me and her. Over the past one year I have noticed you watching us, swallowing your pain and pretending to be fine and okay. I know you come and watch us in the night, looking through the door, but I promise you, she just wants to spend time with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Gift is back again, and Amina knows that the time she has to remain as close as she has been to me is limited. She wants to enjoy as much of it as possible. And I advise you, confess your feelings to her and tell her how much she means to you. That is the same mistake I made with her that we are not together now."