New flame

Chapter 38

After I freshened up and changed into cargo shorts and a hoodie set with a pair of Nike slides, I walked out to see Karen already waiting for me outside the porch.

She wore a jean jacket on her strapless crop top while still wearing her denim shorts and a pair of flip-flop slippers. I get off the porch and we start walking side by side to the gate through the tiled lawn.

The weather seems so nice with the palm trees planted in the yard keep blowing gently in the wind. It's clement with no clouds in the sky.

I clear my throat to break the silence.

"So are you not going to kick Angela's ass for telling me?" I back up.

"Why wouldn't I? She betrayed me," She retorts.

"I swear, it was my fault," I try to defend Angela again. "I was worried you missed the test,"

"How did you even know that?" She inquires in confusion, glancing at me.

"Tobi came to me," I answer. "She said a lot to me that I keep wondering if it is true she is crushing on me," I add, and she bursts into a laugh.

It warms my heart that I made her laugh. Then I proceed.

"Even though I can see she cares about you. Have you ever tried to make up with her?"

"Do not flatter her, she had warned me to stop hanging out with you,"  She lets out and I raise my brows in surprise.

"What!" I exclaim. "Why?"

"Because she is worried about me since you and I are different. I can't even compare myself to her, talkless of you,"

I groan in annoyance, rolling my eyes.

"Then you shouldn't make up with her," I mutter and she chuckles softly indicating she heard me.

"All the same, we are all worried about you today," I add. At this moment we reached the gate and I opened the small one for us to step out of the courtyard.

I suggest we walk down the west footpath of the street. Everywhere is well-lit with streetlights while folks are also passing us by. Some unique brands of music are purveying from the nearby clubs and bars. It has been a while since I stroll out like this in the night.

I wanted to know more about how her dad got in jail, that is the reason I don't want us to end the conversation.

"Happy birthday to him," I let out.

"Thank you," She replied with a soft smile. I wonder why It's so hard for me to ask about it.

"But would you still visit him if you knew you had a test?"

"Of course not," She answers. "I just risked it. I pray he does a makeup test for me,"

"I hope so,"

"I do make sure I spent most of my time with him on his birthdays and I wanted it to happen this year also. I would bake cakes for him, and we would bribe the warders to make me spend more time than my normal visiting time with him,"

"That's...That's so nice," I commend, stuttering. "What happened? 20 years is a lifetime," I finally asked, and she sighed heavily.

"He is convicted for embezzling some jewelry worth 3 million dollars from a store where he worked at,"

"What! How?" I exclaimed.

"Hearing the side of the story from him, I learned that the store was robbed but his boss couldn't believe him since there were no traces of the crime,"

"So he was being framed," I reason with her and she nods yes.

"That is so sad to hear, it must be hard for you,"