'Did Ife break your heart? Have you guys dated
before?' Edna asked.
'None of your business, now if you'll let me, I
was busy' Narissa rose to her feet and started
towards the door.
Why was this woman playing nice? She knew
women like her, they were snakes.
Unpredictable and manipulating.
'You are hurting Narissa but don't be too
hardened in your hurt. Love always finds us
again' Edna rose to leave.
'Good point. Duly noted' she shut the door
loudly as the woman stepped out.
'Don't be too hardened in your hurt, love
always finds us again' she repeated the
woman's words. Could Love ever find her again?
Even if it did, would she have the courage to
welcome it?
She returned to her bed still plagued by those
words; slowly she pulled the duvet to her chest
then closed her eyes to sleep. Edna's voice
slowly faded to whispers then to colors, to
butterflies till everything was a blur. The last
face she saw before sleep embraced her fully
was his face. Ife's face.
The company had given him a duplex; they'd
even provided a truck to help him move from
his former house.
'I can't believe this is happening, everything
seems so perfect' Asa couldn't stop jumping,
hours after settling in.
'You better get to your food, it's cold' Obinna
chuckled softly. He liked to see his sister happy;
his next aim in life was to put her through
University.
'I will eat when I am done dancing' she
declined.
He couldn't blame her, they had suffered
enough in life; God had answered their prayers
through Iman and he was forever grateful to
God and to her.
'Shit' he swore as he remembered the necklace
he had bought her. He had forgotten to give it
to her.
'Asa, please get my phone' he asked. He
remembered the look she wore back in the car,
something wasn't right and he needed to get to
the root of it.
'Done' Asa resurfaced.
'Lower the volume of your song please' he
winked. She rushed towards the home theater
and reduced its volume.
He dialed her number and waited patiently for
her enchanting voice.
He thought of her slender frame; her beautiful
hands and eyes and her neat little bottom; he
thought about the first time they had made
love. It had been truly wonderful.
'Obinna' she drawled like she had just been
woken from sleep.
'Sweetheart' he felt excited.
'Were you sleeping?' He grinned foolishly.
'Yes but I am not complaining. I am glad you
called' her weak voice gained more strength.
'Can I see you very early tomorrow morning? I
have a little surprise for you' he asked.
'Last I checked it wasn't my birthday but I will
be there' Iman's heart raced, would he ask her
out?
'You deserve to be celebrated always darling.
You are a queen' Obinna replied.
'Thanks. Kindly text me your new address, I'll
see you in the morning' she assured him.
'Okay love. Have a beautiful night' he blew her
a kiss over the phone.
'Somebody is in love' Asa rolled her eyes.
'Better go and sleep smallie' he ignored her. He
still felt something troubled her; Iman wasn't
herself; there was this distance he felt while
talking to her. It troubled him, was he bugging
her? Did she have a man?
The morning had come quickly, Edna's words
still rang in her ears as she rushed towards her
car; she still felt suspicious of her stepmother,
why was she suddenly being nice?
'You're leaving? I thought you'd stay longer'
her father's smile faded as he saw her bag.
'I have to father but I promise to be back soon'
she moved towards him and kissed his face.
'Thanks, darling' he returned the kiss.
'Good morning Narissa' Edna stepped out from
the house.
'Edna'Narissa fiddled with her hands, not
knowing how to treat this woman, as an enemy?
Or as a friend.
'Take care, visit us soon' Edna smiled.
'Thanks. Thank you for your words last night'
she waved at her step mother and stepped into
the car.
Iman had fixed an early date so she headed
towards Rosydew; she couldn't wait to tell her
friend about Edna's change of behavior.
Narissa wore her hair down, the black biracial
curls scattered easily on her shoulders, her
denim shorts clung to her firm hips and a tank
top showed a little piece of her belly.
'Savage' she hissed as some men gaped at her.
She ignored their stares and took a seat at the
bar where she would wait for Iman. Men didn't
matter to her anymore, what was the point? She
had been hurt twice, maybe she wasn't destined
for love.
'Welcome Madam' a waitress approached her.
'Um, I'll love some wine, something easy'
Narissa drummed her hands on the table.
'Sorry Ma'am, I am not here to take your
order' the girl stammered.
'Wow interesting, so what are you here for?'
Narissa thought the girl to be one of her
numerous fans.
'That man over there asked me to give you this
note' she dropped a note on the table and
sauntered away.
Narissa's eyes searched the bar like that of a
predator; who was this mystery man?
Her eyes fell on the man she'd named Lucifer.
What did he want with her? What did Ife want?
Obinna had fixed a morning date with Iman so
he didn't plan on leaving early. Besides, his
boss had told him to take his time arranging his
new house.
'What's cooking? I love the smell of bacon and
fried eggs' he joined Asa in the kitchen.
'You deserve to eat the best; please I'll need
some money to go shopping. There's a lot we
need in this house' Asa reminded him.
'Sure. I know apples will be top on that list' he
winked.
'You know how much I like apples, don't you?'
She laughed.
'Of course' he poured himself a glass of water.
She finished making breakfast and they both
sat at the dining table. Obinna was a cheerful
person; nothing could easily tear him down but
he looked exceptionally happy this morning.
'Why are you so happy?' Asa dropped her fork
and stared at him.
'Shouldn't I be happy? I am always happy' he
shrugged and continued chewing his food.
'Wow, brilliant but not good enough. I can read
you like a book' she scoffed.
'From that look on your face, I'm guessing
Iman is coming' she added quickly.
He was about to say something when they heard
the doorbell.
'We'll talk about this later' Obinna rushed
towards the door.
'Welcome Iman! We were just talking about you'
Asa yelled atop her voice. She felt like adding
'my brother loves you' but she decided against
it. Unlike Ekene, Obinna wouldn't slap her, he'd
just ignore her for days; that was more painful
than a slap.
'Speaking of Ekene...' she trailed off. She had
not spoken to her brother in days after the
Nkoli incident. She quickly fetched her phone
and dialed his number.
To be continued....
