Rats, Roses And Paper Bones

CHAPTER 21: A saxophone tale

I was repulsed by my dad.

The things he said to me, the things he said about me, and the way he treated me made me furious almost every time I thought about him. At this point, I honestly couldn't imagine anything that could change the way I felt.

Then I looked at Victoria.

She was sitting beside me, crying like a little child because her father was sick.

Something softened inside me.

She loved her dad. It was obvious from the way she worried about him, the way her voice trembled whenever she spoke about him.

I wished I could love my dad the same way.

But it was difficult.

Very difficult.

Victoria even preferred her dad to her mum. For me, it was the complete opposite. My mum was the one I ran to whenever things went wrong. She was the one who defended me whenever my dad started one of his many lectures.

“She wouldn't tell me what was wrong with him,” Victoria said between sobs. “She just told me to pray for him. I'm so worried, Doyin. He hardly ever gets sick.”

That made me even more worried.

If her parents were keeping the details from her, then it had to be serious.

At least, that's what my mind told me.

I sighed and gently patted her back.

“Don't worry. Your dad is going to be fine.”

She sniffed.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

I wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Your mum told you what to do, didn't she? Pray for him and trust God. So do that. God is the Great Healer, remember?”

She nodded slowly.

“I will.”

“Good. And stop crying before your eyes become permanently swollen.”

She laughed weakly.

“Thank you, Doyin.”

“Anytime.”

I stood up and held out my hand.

“Come on. Let's go back to the field.”

She took my hand and stood.

“Okay.”

Her face had already begun to brighten.

And somehow, seeing her smile made me feel a little better too.

---

* * * * * * * * * *

“Welcome back, Cinderella.”

I rolled my eyes the moment Bolaji said it.

At this point, I had given up trying to get him to stop calling me that. He seemed determined to use every opportunity he got to remind me of the nickname.

Besides, I had actually grown quite fond of him over the past few weeks.

He was kind, thoughtful and surprisingly good at giving advice during night prep.

I dropped my books on the table and sat across from him.

“So…” I said.

He looked up.