Bomb To Death

Chapter five

Chapter Five
Dj had invited all her friends to the party, and had told them the dress code-black and gold. She didn't invite Joe because she didn't have his contact and thought it wasn't quite necessary to tell him, and she was still angry that he lied to her. Everything was already set-music, decoration, drinks, snacks, food and so on. Daniella used her recipes to prepare some snacks and they were quite delicious. The party was taking place in the Johnsons' house by the poolside since their pool was very big and was compassed by a garden where all the guests would stay and the party would go on, it was a pool party. The aroma of prepared foods and snacks filled a corner in the garden.
Dj smiled as she walked up to the Dj to give him a disc she wanted him to play.
"Hey, good afternoon" she smiled and showed her beautiful white teeth, she had been dressed up by her make-up artist-Diva who couldn't stay for the party because she had another appointment to keep up with.
"Good afternoon Dj, you look so beautiful" the Dj smiled at her.
"Thank you Falz" as everyone called him that, she gave the disc to him "please play this song when it's time for us to dance"
"ok, your wish is my command" he smiled and scratched his Dj stuff to make a sound that made Dj laugh, then winked at her.
"Thanks, don't forget"
"Sure I won't"
People had started arriving, including Blessing- Dj's best friend who also came yesterday to help her with the preparations. The party was almost set to start, people had surprisingly abided to the time given to them, by twenty minutes past four, the garden was already full with people rocking, the party started and was all package, comedians, singers performed right on stage, many games were being played, they had a matchmaking session and Blessing was matched with Tobi.
"Yes I knew it" Susan and Dj had said when they were matched together. Before it was time to dance she walked around greeting and appreciating people that came, when the dance music came on and the Dj had said they should all stop fronting and start balling Dj went to dance with her mum.
"You look so beautiful Dj, happy birthday once again"
"Thank you mum"
Then when she was done, she went to dance with her little sister Daniella whom she loves so much, she didn't know why she so much cherished her sister, she smiled as she thought of it.
"What's making you smile?" Ella asked when she saw her smiling.
"Nothing actually, it's a good and happy day so I'm happy, you wanna dance?"
"Of course I won't pass the chance my beautiful lady" Ella says in Italian accent and they both laugh, she'd have danced with her dad but he travelled for a business deal.
"Hey yo!" the Dj spinned the beat around "oh you guys can do better" he called out to the dancing guests "I'll turn this up a bit, ladies stop fronting and guys stop dulling" he said as he turned the beat up. Everyone laughed at the way he talked and rocked, rocked and danced.
"Blexo, didn't I tell you and Tobi are MTB?" Dj says, she had come to meet her friends, Blessing and Susan
"What does that mean?" Blessing asks confused from what MTB means.
"That you're meant to be" Dj rolled her eyes "isn't it obvious?"
"I hope so; I'm in love with him"
"Wow, I didn't know that, well you've got him, just don't lose him"
"I can't even think of it"
"Awn" Dj exclaimed and was pulling Blessing cheeks.
"What's it? Dj stop it hurts"
"You're so in love"
They both laughed, she danced with her friends, and they gist when she saw Tunde approach them.
"Can I have this dance?" he said with a smile as he walked up to her amongst her girlfriends.
"Of course" she smiled and followed him to the dance floor.
They start dancing and they were chatting about some random stuff, "did you invite Joe? You know, because I didn't see him yet"
Her leg missed and she stepped on Tunde when she heard him mention Joe's name "I'm sorry about that, I guess I'm not much good at dancing" she apologized"I didn't have his contact and had no idea where to get it from"
"Oh, okay" he smiled "I thought you just didn't want to invite him for the party"
"No not that" she smiled.
He turned her around and smiled "God! You're so beautiful Dj, any guy would be lucky to have you" he gave her one last dashing smile before he walked off. Dj danced with some other people and male friends. The dance was already over and they had all gathered back in the garden for refreshments.
"Can I have this dance?"
She recognized the voice and in surprise, she looked from his outstretched hand to his face.
Joe! How did he come? When did he come? Who told him?
Not knowing what to say she tried smiling but realized it must have come out awkwardly since it was forced.
"The dance is over Joe"
"True, but I've told the Dj to play us a song" he said smiling "if you'll just say yes" he brought forward his withdrawn hand again.
Blessing Susan and some other girlfriends of Dj who had noticed Joe asking her to a dance began to cheer .
"Yes, yes, yes Dj say yes"
"Yes" she said finally taking his hand.
"Now that's what I've been talking about" the Dj said and he put on some music for them to dance to. Only two of them were on the dance floor. Everyone was looking at them as they danced.
"Why are they staring?" she whispered into his ear as they danced.
"Because you're so beautiful" he kissed her left hand "happy birthday Dj"
"Thanks Joe"
"You're so beautiful" he touched her hair "I wish I could have you for myself" he hadn't intended to say that loud but.
Oops! She heard me.She smiled and didn't say anything.
"I guessed you'd do that"
"Do what?"
"Keep quiet"
"Oh!"
"Can we stroll out please?" he asked with a pleading smile.
"And why should I?"
"For no reason, I'm just pleading with you"
"Okay, let's go then"
They walked past the garden where everyone was and kept strolling.
"I wanted to explain about the picture"
"Its fine Joe, you don't owe me any explanations actually, I mean you have the right to do whatever you want"
"No, please let me explain please"
"Okay, I'm listening"
"You know Tonya right? I mean the way she's bitchy"
"Well yes, everyone knows that"
"Well, I really wanted to get something from her that day, and she said she was only going to give me if I kiss her, I didn't want to, so I told her I wasn't going to do that, then she said okay. I was surprised she agreed to me not doing it, in the process of collecting the stuff, she manipulated positions on me so my face was on her cheek, I didn't even know she had gotten an picture of it, talk less of sending it to you, then you came up on me and was very angry"
"Wow! I didn't know it was like that, and I was very angry when I saw the picture"
"Yea, I get you"
"I was so quick to believe the worse of you and I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have been like that, I was mainly like that because I've always seen you as this playboy type of guy, ever since the day we first met and my books had fallen"
"Why do you see me like that?"
"I don't know, maybe because you're too handsome for your own good and girls flock around you and you seem to enjoy it"
"No, I'm not a playboy I hope you believe me, and about girls flocking around me, I just hate to be rude so I let them talk, but nothing intimate or close goes on between us"
"I do believe you now, I'm sorry for being so judgmental"
"It's okay; I guess we all make wrong assumptions sometimes"
"Okay"
"Actually I have something else to tell you Dj"
"What's it?"
"I like you, I mean I have a crush on you" he looked down away from her eyes "actually no, not a crush I like you, I mean... I don't know Dj, you get what I mean right?'
"Yea I do" she said laughing.
"What's so funny to you?"
"How you are, I never thought you'd have a single problem explaining your feelings to any girl, and here you are acting all worked up"
"You're so funny Dj, first you're not just any girl, you're very beautiful, and I've not done this before so I guess..."
She laughed again "Stop it Joe, next thing you're going to tell me that you've not kissed a girl before"
He looked away from her and kept silent for two seconds "Well, let's go back to what I was saying, and stop laughing, it's not so easy to admit my feelings to someone who has disliked me from the very first day"
"So what are you saying now?'
"I'm saying that maybe if you could, you know" he sighed.Oh, God I suck at this."if you could you know gimme a chance to get to know you better and get closer to you, and if you want later and you feel the way I do too then you could maybe ermm be my girlfriend" God what the fuck did I just say?
"Well, a chance to get to know me you get and be closer to me, about the rest I'm not really ready for that"
"Well that's not a complete no so I guess I'll take that" he says with a grin
"Well, don't you have something for me?"
"I don't get you, like what?" his expression showing he was confused.
"I mean my gift, you should give me"
"Oh that! I'll be right back"
He came back after some minutes holding a big red bag.
"Happy birthday Dj" he kissed her cheek "I hope you like it"
"Wow, this looks much, I wonder what's in it" she tried opening the bag but couldn't still see what it was, it was in another bag in the bag.
"Patience"
"Okay, I guess I'm just eager, I should get back inside now, people must have been wondering where I am"
"Oh that's true"
They bade themselves bye, Joe left the party after collecting Dj's phone number.
When Dj got back to the pool side, by the garden she noticed that a lot of people were already leaving and were dropping their gifts, so she went and appreciated all of them for coming to celebrate with her, they were all given souvenirs and those that wanted to make a toast did so. The party ended with a general thanking speech and prayer from Dj.
"I think we'll be going now" Susan, Lola and Melvina said when they saw Dj at the gift stand.
"You have quite a lot of gifts o Dj" Susan said "that means a lot of gist when we resume back to school"
"Yes, thanks a lot girls for coming and making my day"
"You're welcome" they said and she hugged all of them.
They left and soon the garden and poolside was empty, the Dj was packing his stuffs. Blessing had stayed behind to help Dj out with whatever little stuffs they had to do. After an hour and some minutes, they had unpacked and packed whatever they could. Blessing was set to leave.
"who sangthe song that was playing when we were dancing?" Blessing asked Dj.
"It was me"
"Wow! That's very good" she said smiling and gave her a thumb up, hugged her and left.
DJ'S POV
I finally retired to my bed after opening some of my gifts; I liked Joe's gifts especially. I remembered the way we had talked and everything, I still could not believe I had judged him wrongly and the way he was acting when he was asking me out.
So cute, stammering for my sake Joe... I hope you call me soon, or should I call first?
No, I'll wait for him to call first.
I shake my head wondering why I was even acting this way.
Because you like him, dhurrrh a voice in my head said.
No I don't
Yes you do
No I don't
Keep telling yourself that
Okay maybe I do, but just a little
After that, I start wondering if I really like Joe. I wondered why I was so furious when I saw the picture on my bed.
Well I was just concerned,
Oh! Really?
I don't know, I challenged him about him being with so many girls before I saw the picture and he told me it's nothing so I guess I was just annoyed that he lied to me.
Okay, keep decieving yourself.
Well I do like him and that is not really a problem since he likes me back, I thought as I smiled.
Mum and dad had gotten me my license and a car for my birthday gift, I couldn't believe I was finally eighteen and I'm so excited, I can't wait to drive it to Blessings' place tomorrow.

Throughout the holidays Joe Praise went out with friends and partied around, he tried his best not to really spend much time at home because he was tired of his biting dad-what he now called him.
One day after new years' day the houseboy-Ali dashed to Joe's room and started knocking on his locked door, Joe was sleeping so he did not hear it at first but Ali banged the door harder.
"Oga Joe, abeg open door"
"Ali, what's the matter?" he said getting up from his bed to the door.
"It's madam"
On hearing that it was about his mother he opened the door quickly "what's wrong with my mother" he looked at Ali's scared face
"Oga she fell down the stairs"
"What, how, when?" Joe asked the series of questions confused, he ran to the staircase leading to his mums' room and saw his mother lying on the floor, her legs far apart and he noticed her head is covered with blood, probably from where she hit the floor; he looked at her more and realizes how pale she was.
He bent down confused and scared then began to shake his mother vigorously.
"Mum can you hear me?"
There was no reply; Ali kept looking at him with eyes full of fear. Joe sat on the floor beside his mum crying, scared and confused. He didn't know what would happen if he lost his mother, he stood up and bent over his mum again this time he tried to feel if she was still breathing and she was.
"Ali, she's breathing" he said out of relief.
"Thank God"
Joe placed a wet clothe on her forehead. Each time he mopped her head he got scared the more, his heart was beating fast. After that, he carried her to his room. After a while, his mum woke up and immediately Joe sprung up from the chair he was sitting on and went to meet her.
"Mum, how do you feel?"
"I'm fine, just have slight headache," she said weakly.
"No you're not fine mum, you're pale and you don't just get that from falling off the stairs" he said and held his mums hands "are you sick, mum?"
"No I'm not sick, I guess I'm just tired" she drifted her eyes away from him
"Look at me mum" he took her face and turned it to face his "Has dad been hitting you again? Is there something wrong? You're getting lean mum"
"I'm fine" she said again and didn't look at his face. Something about the way she looked away when she answered him made him uncomfortable.
The next day he forced her to go to the hospital for a check-up and he follows her. When it was their turn, the doctor had spent quite a long time checking her, when he came out he informed Joe that they'll have to run some tests and admit his mum.
I knew something was up with the way she was lying to me.

Joe informed his father about his mothers' illness and he had come home but returned to where he was coming from, he said it was of no use staying with her. He argued with his father one time when they were in the hospital when he said he was leaving.
"Are you just going to leave her and go back?" Joe asked angrily.
"Yes, what can I do? It's not like I'm the doctor treating her"
"You're such a wicked man, you're not supposed..."
"Don't talk to me like that"
"I will and I..."
"Joe please stop arguing with your father" she said with her faint voice "go home with your father, you can come back here tomorrow"
He kept visiting his mother in the hospital day after day without knowing what exactly is wrong with her or what the doctor said was wrong with her, but she gave him no concrete answer whenever he asked her. She had cancer and could not afford to tell him, because she thought it was too painful for him to bear and he needed to concentrate on his final senior certificate exams. His father never returned back to visit his mum, day and night in Joe took full responsibility of having a sick mother.