AROUND THE HEART IN 80 DAYS

Epilogue

4 months later

"The sun is so warm today; I don't want to leave. I can just sleep here." Chinonso was stretched out on the concrete platform with her eyes up to the wonderfully blue skies. The six others agreed with her. They rounded up their game over an hour ago but the resting period was turning to a lazy stretch of minutes.

Gist flew regarding all their individual lives and future plans. The recent subject was too touchy to talk about but it was unavoidable. "Has Jack reached out to any of you yet?" Rob asked. The question had become the latest elephant in their midst when they were gathered in numbers. It was hard not to touch the subject, however. They had been a group for six years and counting and her going missing like that was impossible to miss.

Her last message to them as a group was her laying her deepest gratitude to each and everyone of them. When she was asked where she would be going, she had stated in quote: 'I don't know. But I really need to be away for a while. I promise you all I'll be okay.' And that was the exact reason they had not reported a missing person's report.

"You'd think by now she would have sent a text or something by now." Zara said tightly as she uncapped her water bottle. "It's been two months. How can you leave your friends worried for two months? The least you can do is reach out. A casual 'I'm fine this week' is more than ok. Does she realise what she's doing to us?"

"Calm down Za—"

"She's right." Lola interrupted Rob. "We're here busting our minds whether we like it or not for somebody who we saw withering away and she could be wherever she is not even helping to ease our worries. I try every single day to not add worry to my list but it's like, I pass the road leading to her bakery and my mind starts thinking of stupid crappy thoughts. Now, she better have encountered something crazy to not want to contact us at all."

"How can you guys even say that?" Martha asked in surprise. "It's obvious she was not well. We should be praying instead that she's ok rather than being mad that she isn't reaching out."

"Please!" Zara waved a hand dismissing the thought. "I know for a fact that she's alive. Being well is our major concern and that's why she needs to reach out. Her life could be in danger especially considering the issue with the baby. When I find her, she can bet it that I'll be giving her a new thing to grieve upon."

"You'd better find her then P.I. And while you're at it, drag that bastard Edrei down here. What he did was the last thing I'd expect an adult to do." Mike said. "I wish to just have some information about her whereabouts. Some serious issues were going on in her life. And I heard the loan on her shop had been paid off."

"What?" Chinonso sat up and steadied her sitting position.

"And who told you that piece of information?" Martha asked. "I have access to her accounts and I haven't seen any deposits lately. Do you think Edre—"

"Man, forget that jackass, I'm pretty sure he's not the one who paid. I bet the coward still hasn't come in contact with her. If not, at least one of them would be back here. Makes her disappearance even more mysterious."

"Who told you the debt's been paid?"

"I spoke to Alice. She used to work in the bakery when it was still open."

"It's now that the loan has been paid in full that the place is locked up. How ironic. I wonder if Jackie knows about it." Lola looked behind to where she and Zara's kids were playing with their mates. "If anything, she'd better be safe."

"What I have been pondering on all this while and I've still seen no result to, is what exactly she and Edrei quarrelled about before everything spiralled. We know it wasn't because he found out she was diabetic. He was mad at her before then. And it makes no sense to keep on saying this but I really wished Jackie had never taken up on this stupid agreement," Martha said.

"You're right, it does make no sense to keep on saying that." Zara's tone was not softening, obvious it was that this whole situation was taking a terrible toll on her. "I wanted to talk to that idiot Garrett to see if he knew something. Then I thought if he didn't know about her whereabout, it would be better he didn't know she was not in a good place right now. And I haven't seen the other Fitcher prima donnas."

"Lo, how about the blonde neighbour, or those gym people?" Jacob asked.

"I saw Genie once but she was in such a hurry to get into her car. I thought she could have been escaping me at first. Then the Lord guy at the gym is just as worried as we are. They said the manager of the centre was red with fury upon her disappearance. He had to explain that she was going through severe health battles. It's about to become seriously serious guys."

On Martha's side, she was seriously concerned about how Edrei was. How he'd been. If he had probably gotten over Jacqueline by now. And what exactly it was they had fought about. It would be good if both of them were doing fine. It would be best if they stayed away from each other to avoid this kind of issue from happening again.

"How is your married life going Martha? Should you not be in the honeymoon phase now?" Chinonso's voice broke into her train of thoughts. Upon looking up, six pairs of eyes were on her. Through beating heart, she smiled and fingered her wedding ring. "How can I enjoy it when my friend is missing?"

"You should enjoy it regardless. It's your marriage. And think of Luis too."

"Hm-hmm."

"And you, Lola, I hear you've hit up to a hundred thousand subscribers..."

Martha immediately let their conversations drown out in her head. Her own feelings were in the gutter and she found herself in the worst situation possible.