The third day came a long and found Anikka sleeping. She lay motionless, her mouth slact, she slept and dreamt about Manuel. She saw him coming close to her. He was dropping his coat on the floor and reaching for her with arms that felt strong and determined.
His lips that skimmed her face and finally settled on her mouth seemed warm and alive. 'Manuel,' she whispered and slid her fingers around his neck.
'I love you... I love you... I love you.' he said over and over again between desperate, starving kisses.
But how could she possibly believe anything was real when she was only dreaming.
It was a little after a quarter past eight when the loud music from Jay's room woke her up.
Jay was Anikka's cousin. Anikka is one of the few people who knew the misery and horrible childhood Jay has had. Very few people knew that Jay was the product of the slum of Livingstone.
As soon as he had been able to walk, he had roved the streets of Livingstone with a band of other filthy, ragged children, preying on tourists, surrounding them, with dirty hands outstretched, while chanting the only English word he knew: 'money-money-money.'
He lived with his father, a short stocky Zambian, with the flat black eyes of a gangster, who had never done a days work in his life.
If Jay failed to bring home less than k100 a day, his father would seize hold of him, raise his ragged clothes, and savegely whip his naked flesh with his belt.
This existence continued until he was fifteen years old. Then one night, on returning home with less than the required amount, his mind and body cringing at the thought of the thrashing he could receive, he found Anikka's mom, Kate determined to take him away and provide him with a better future and education and that's how he ended up staying with Anikka and her parents.
Frustrated and angry, Anikka went and burst open into Jay's room like a run away cyclone for disturbing her beauty sleep.
"What kind of poor fish are you?" she snapped at Jay, "it's so early in the morning, and some of us are trying to sleep?"
Jay sat up, wide-eyed with surprise, "Ooh, good morning your highness, you know what nobody cares, so just take a chill pill, go back to your room and start day dreaming about Manuel." Jay said and laughed sarcastically.
"Lucky for you, I happen to be in a good mood today. If not, I would have destroyed you." she said curtly and walked away.
Around ten, after a good cold bath and sliding into her best outfit, she heard a tap on the door. 'Now, who could that be?' she thought as she went to open the door.
" Oh, it's you. What's up?" she said as her mom entered the room.
"Breakfast is ready, I've been calling out for you, don't you wanna eat?" Kate asked her concerned.
"I don't think I am hungry, so I will pass." Anikka said, picking up a brash from the dressing table.
"Am not taking no for an answer, young lady. You haven't had a decent meal for days. You need to go eat right now."
"F.Y.I am not a little girl anymore mom, am old enough to decide what's good for me." she said, brashing through her black, thick, long hair, "you had your chance of controlling me when I was young but not anymore, so please keep that in mind."
"I won't tolerate such kind of behavior from you Anikka, what has gotten into you? You never used to be like this, so spoiled and screwed up." Kate said, keeping her temper in check.
"You know what, mom, you are definitely right, I wasn't like this, and you know why? Because people change, we tend to grow up and enjoy real life."
'Wow, Anikka, you are nailing it girl, come on tell her more-tell her that you are not that little naive child she used to know.' said the voice in her head.
"Mom, you are getting old worrying about others. Try worrying about yourself for a change." she said, dropping the brash and easing Kate to the door. "Come on, we don't want the food to get cold, now do we?"
"I will catch up with you later. Let me call you your dad." Kate said and crossed over to the other room.
YOU ARE READING
TO DIE FOR
Misteri / Thriller[COMPLETED] "My darling Anikka, I know I'm an idiot, inclined to jump to all the wrong conclusions, but that doesn't mean I'm fool enough to think I can manage without you. I mean it when I say that I love you, Anikka , and there's no use my fighti...
