To Love And Be Loved

Chapter 11

Cass sat on a chair before her mirror and wondered what colour of lipstick would match her dress. It was a black sleeveless gown with thin shoulder straps. She picked up her phone and dialled Fatima's number. The network gave the same message it had been giving for the past hour: Number not available.

She heard the door open and turned round, it was Hanna. She was wearing red leggings and a Barbie shirt.

Hanna smiled. "Where are you off to, sis?" She closed the door and jumped onto her bed in one graceful, lithe motion.

"On a date."

Hanna had been attending ballet classes for close to a year now and one of the things Cass envied her sister for was her gracefulness. The way she talked, walked and even smiled, all seemed like carefully coordinated moves. She did everything with ease and grace.

"Have you never gone on a date before?"

"Nope." Cass turned back to the mirror, pondering over her overall appearance.

"If you ask me, I'll say you don't need that makeup."

"Really?" Cass turned.

"Yeah, you're beautiful enough already and my ballet teacher says that sometimes less is more," Hanna said, scuttling to the side of the bed and letting her legs hang over the edge.

"Thanks darling." Cass dropped the lipstick and settled for lip gloss instead. She stood up and twirled round. "How do I look?"

Hanna gave a thumbs up. "Ten over ten."

The both walked out of her room and went down the stairs. Gabriel was sitting cross legged on the couch, playing a video game. His hands flew on the pad while blood and gore rained down in the television. Cass shook her head. Boys and video games.

He paused the game when he saw her. "Where is my twin and what have you done to her?"

"What happened to the television in your room?" Cass asked.

Gabriel made a face. "Its making weird sounds. Where are you off to?"

"On a date with Emeka."

"Emeka?" He frowned. "That guy in your class?"

"Yeah, whats wrong with him?"

"He's...he's weird. He's super friendly. Don't you find that weird."

"No. In fact, its weird that you find that weird."

Gabriel shrugged and turned back to his video game. "Whatever, don't forget to bring something when you come home."

"Oh, like a souvenir. Sure, I'll bring you a toothpick or a napkin or a bottle of water." She bent to unplug her laptop from the charging point. "What could be wrong with your television that you cant fix? Aren't you an engineering student?"

"Yes, I am an engineering student, that means I can thrust my hand into any piece of electrical equipment I find." He sighed dramatically. "I am in my first year of chemical engineering, Cassie. What could I possibly know about circuitry?"

Cass laughed and took her pumps off the shoe racks next to the door. She stepped onto the porch and turned to Hanna who was behind her. "See you later?"

"When is dad coming home?" Hanna asked.

Cass frowned, she dreaded having this conversation with her. She was sensitive. Very sensitive for a kid her age.

"Very soon." Cass hoped she wasn't lying. She suddenly remembered that Hanna hadn't really seen much of her dad, not like how any kid in a normal family should.