Save Shade

9

"Shade!" Keziah calls from her seat facing the back of the class just as the Biology teacher, a tall fair young man, leaves the class at the signal of the bell.
  Shade looks up from the note on her desk and wiggles her eyebrows in question while Keziah makes hand signals for her to wait. She nods in understanding and resumes copying the note from the white marker board into her note. Keziah packs her bag and goes over to Shade's seat.
  "Slow writer. You want to write this small note for hundred years abi?" She teases.
  "Na you sabi o." Shade replies taking her time for a while before she finally closes the book and drops it into her blue coloured backpack. She looks up to Keziah as if waiting for her to say something and when the latter doesn't get her message she asks.
  "Why did you ask me to wait?"
  "Today is Friday nau. Don't tell me you forgot."
  "Forgot that?"
"We have fellowship today." Keziah informs her with excitement clearly evident in her tone but she doesn't miss the change of expressions on her friend's face.
  "What's wrong? You didn't tell your step mother?"
  "That's true. And I don't know what her reaction will be if I get home late."
  "You know, I told you before. Just as it I saw it coming. I told you to inform her since the beginning of this term. If you had then we won't be facing this problem."
  "I will wait." Shade states standing up as Keziah motions for them to leave the classroom.
  "Ah! I can't advise that o. I just came around to visit you lasan see the way she reacted. I don't want her wahala o. If there is anything now, I am extra sure you won't tell me anything." She counters shaking her head mildly just as they leave the classroom.
  "Seriously K, she's not like that."
"Of course..." She replies sarcastically.
"I'm serious o. She probably had a disrupted mood that day. She's naturally not like that."
  "At least she was artificially like that the day I came over." Keziah says as Shade smiles sensing her jokes and lightened mood.
  "Thanks dear." She appreciates her.
"I didn't do anything o. Oya go home."
  "I'm following you to fellowship o. If I see they're taking too long I will excuse myself."
"Really?"
"Yes ma'am. You're annoyed with me already I shouldn't add to it."
   "It's not like I'm annoyed okay? It's just that you keep hiding stuff from me and making me worried. I don't like it. Not one bit." Keziah expresses her heartfelt grievances as they step into the 1000 capacity auditorium stationed for the Christian society in the school compound for their activities.
   "Here are we friend. I wish you a life changing experience just like I had the first time I stepped in here."
  "The air here is different actually. It feels like someone poured love out of a container and added peace to it. It's different from the other time." Shade gushes truthfully expressing her feelings.
"I love it already." She adds as she moves following Keziah to one of the front rows at the middle column of the auditorium. Just as they settle in their seats, Keziah replies her;
  "I'm glad you do."

Shade knocks on the gate feeling bubbly and with smiles printed all over her face. Musa, the gateman opens the door and immediately the worried expression on his face disappears.
  "Good afternoon sir." She greets him stepping into the compound.
  "Small madam, welcome."
"My name is Shade o, Mr Musa." She says turning to go.
  "Madam come abeg." Musa calls out to her making her turn to face him.
  "Hope there is no problem sir?"
  "There is o. Where you bin dey since? Big madam don vex tire." He says as her eyes widen in fear.
  "I'm just coming from school. I waited for fellowship." She explains to him.
  "You for don collect person phone use am call her o. She don dey waka upandan since afternoon time."
  "Thank you sir. Let me go in and explain to her. I'm sorry if I made you worry sir."
"No wahala." He replies with a smile as she runs to the door and presses the bell.
  "Where did you go to?" An annoyed hoarse voice asked as the door opens to reveal Abeni dressed in a red and black colored long bubu and black slippers.
  "I'm sorry for making you worry ma. I'm coming from school. I waited for fellowship."
  "And since when do you wait for fellowship?"
  "I ought to have informed you before I left home. I'm really sorry ma."
  "You didn't answer my question."
  "I used to attend before Mom died, but I stopped because of my health."
  "Mchteew!" Abeni hisses and goes into the living room as Shade follows her inside.
  "I really hope there is no more to your story. If there is, I promise you that you will regret it. Big time!" She spits and goes into her room.
  Shade wipes away a lone tear and trudges into her room.

Hi family 💃. How have you been? How has June been treating you? Well, here I am deciding to be serious with my June. Well I discovered that we're not getting enough reads and votes on this book and I decided to increase the publicity. You can help me with it to in our journey with a mission to "Save Shade”.
  Thanks so much as you vote 🌟, comment and share. You're sincerely appreciated. Much love 💖❣️

   Yours in Ink; Bethel ™