With Him I'm Okay

16- Lost But Found

Prior to the crow of the cocks, Missus Magdalene had geared up for the day's activity. While Mister Felix was sleeping like a log, snoring his big head off, his wife was restlessly seated in the porch with her arms folded amidst the unfavorable weather. Her husband's irritating snore wasn't coming between her and her thoughts. She had widened her eyes and slapping sleep off her pale face, every split second.
She was getting uneasy and looked at the sky to tell the time.

"Ah! Children of these days, how can you keep a grown-up like me awake? Waiting for you?"

She said in vexation.

The wooden front door was heard creaking as it swung open behind her. Mrs Magdalene tilted her head to find Winnie, her eldest daughter, rubbing her big brown eyes.

"Mama, " she yawned, "Mama, why are you up at the crack of dawn? "

"I'm waiting for someone, you go back to sleep" Mrs Magdalene gave a faint smile.

"Waiting for who? By this time?'

"Winnie, you just go to bed" Mrs Magdalene insisted.

"No, I can't just leave you here. Look at the way you are covered in goose pimples " she pointed.

"Oh! I said I'm okay, Mercy will be here in no time"  Mrs Maggie assured.

"Mercy? Do you mean Mercedes? Christine's friend? But...why are you waiting for her?"

Winnie leered.

" We are going to Christine, she knows where she is"

"Oh that's good! Then I'll like to..."

"No, you are not coming along" Mrs Maggie shot back immediately.

"But why?"

"You do have work to attend to, don't you?" Mrs Maggie questioned.

"My little sister is more important than work"

"Okay, then what if we don't come back early? I don't want that boyfriend of yours...um..what's his ugly name?..."

Mrs Magdalene frowned.

"Kingsley! Meaning royalty, or Kings meadow..."

"Please, I didn't ask for any onomology this morning of twilight. Spare me the lecture please" Mrs Maggie begged.

"Mama! Can you stop this? Kingsley is a..."

"Gossip!" Mrs Maggie pouted, "I don't like gossips"

"No,he isn't" Winnie cried.

"Ah! You are acting as though you don't remember the confusion he caused between your father and the baker"

"That wasn't his fault, he was misinformed" Winnie defended.

"By who? Huh? By who, young lady? I've already informed you, if you want us to accept him, then he could turn a new leaf"

Mrs Maggie warned.

"But..."

"Peep, Peep"
A horn sounded from the entrance.
Mrs Maggie's eyes lit up as she rushed to meet Mercedes.

"Ah! Finally, can we proceed now?" She embraced the young lady in a blue dress and unintentionally got a whiff of her perfume. It smelled expensive.

"Yes Mrs Maggie, Sorry for the delay, I had..."

"Oh nevermind dear, I wasn't even bothered" Mrs Maggie lied.

Just as they were heading out,

"Wait, Wait for me"  Winnie called from behind.

Mrs Maggie didn't notice the time when her nosy daughter rushed in to change her clothes and cleanse her face. She presumed Winnie did not even brush her teeth.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Mrs Maggie whispered into her ears when Mercedes was out of earshot.

Winnie grinned.

              ___________________

The jazz from the car stereo was the only thing sounding, apart from the weird noise the car made whenever the driver took a turn. Mercedes sat at the front seat and she stared at the dim clouds as she recalled her previous encounter with Nate and Christine.
Once again she saw herself exchanging spalling words with her bosom friend. And from nowhere, SLAP!
Mercedes felt her cheek, if she was just visualizing or she had received another. She ringed her tongue in her mouth and could swear she still felt a pinch of pain in there.
The creeking sound of the car came in again, and the passengers kicked up a fuse over the big pothole they just drove into.

"Ei! Mister Driver, calm down"  Winnie frowned.

"Sorry woman. It's not my fault we have a bad government" he shot back.

"Well, it's your fault we drove into the pothole"

"If they had constructed the road well, there wouldn't be a pothole in the first place" he defended.

"But unfortunately, there is a pothole, so just don't drive into it!"

Winnie warned.

"But..."

"It's okay, I'm trying to focus Winnie" Mrs Maggi bumped in, "let the driver do his job in peace."

"But..."

"Please, we will get down right beside that big bin"  Mercedes concluded.

The cab creeked until it came to a stop, letting his furious passengers down. Winnie and her mother stood elsewhere as Mercedes paid the bill.
After the cab had briskly taken a turn, Winnie murmured something and Mrs Maggie just had to nudge her to hold her tongue.
After taking up a few stairs, Mrs Maggie had to complain about her legs.

"Oh, Christine, see the pain you put us through" Winnie said, as she helped her mother take a few more steps until they reached room number 52.
There they were, staring at the brown door, each recalling a golden memory and hesitating to knock.
Mrs Maggie heaved a sigh and after saying a silent word of prayer, knocked the door.
Initially, there was no response, but after a few more knocks, the neighbor next door came out.

"Umm..please they are not around" .

"Oh, really? Oh okay" Mercedes smiled.

As they were going away, Mrs Maggie just had to ask one more thing.

"Please..." She rushed to the gentleman, holding his hand firmly, "please, my daughter, I need to see my daughter, please"

He gazed into the big teary eyes and could see his long lost love in it.

"Christine..." He breathed.

"Yes! Yes!" Mrs Maggie gaped, "Th-That's my daughter, that's my daughter..."

Then, Mark hugged Mrs Maggie wholeheartedly and felt his cheek grow wet with tears.

"Hey, hey, leave my mother" Winnie angrily released Mark's embrace and he shook to reality.

"Do you know Christine?" Mercedes drew closer,

"Do you know her?"

END OF PART 16

THANKS FOR READING.

BY: ABOAGYE PRISCILLA ABOAGYEWAA.