Tragedy of the African Cinderella [Black Book3]✔

1.

The buzzing of his phone against the mangrove polished bedside table just adjacent his head resulted in an abrupt snap of head to its direction.
Ace reached for his phone after releasing a groan of annoyance as he wondered on who could possibly have the effrontery to disturb his morning sleep.

"Hello," he said, with a hoarse voice seeping through cracked lips. With his eyes shut, he awaited to hear a voice from the other end other than ruffles from what seemed to be an aluminum foil and then the shattering of a what...a cup?
"Hellooooo?" he reiterated.
His patience was wearing thin. It was no fun amusing with someone's sleep but the person on the other end found it rather interesting.
Ace decided to do what he should've done a long time ago- view the caller ID- when suddenly, the familiarity of a tiny voice got him sober.

"Ace?" The ever so shy voice called.

"Nate, what's going on?"

Nathan, preferably Nate, was the fourteen years old family Benjamin who's shyness was a major call for concern. He reached to Ace whenever he was in difficulties--which usually were tips on how to approach girls as the center of discussion-- rather than anyone else in the family. What an irong.
Before Ace left for the hell hole he was currently at, he and Nate had made a deal to reach each other twice a week; Mondays and Fridays. But for whatsoever reason, Nate hadn't reached him the Friday of the previous week.

"I heard something shatter down he...oh my God, my coffee mug, Nathan!" Another not-so-soothing-at-the- moment voice added into the scenery. He could picture the facial expression his mum had on at that very point in time.

"Mum, 'twas a mistake ok?"

"I'm not going to swallow that pill this time around. Why you with that phone by the way, have you forgotten you're grounded? Gimme that,"

"But mum, I need to talk with Ace,"

"Ace is at school and right now, all you're doing is distracting him. Go to your room now," the bickering ceased after a faint 'ok', then the voice addressed to him, "Hello?"

Ace sat up straight whilst struggling to clear out the hoarseness from his throat, but he knew his mum won't hesitate to figure out what he had been doing the previous day. "Hmm?" he hummed affirmatively though it won't be for a long time.

"Sorry for the disturbance. I hope everything is fine?"

"Uh-hmm." again, he hummed.

"What's your program today? I'll love to call you during your free time. There's something we need to discuss."

That was it. She was actually looking for every possible means to dig him out and it worked each time; it was time for him to vent out and if he did, he will be betraying himself but another thing was, he couldn't hang up the phone on her, lest she flies into town within the next four days, hunt him down and shower him the bickering of his existence.
Again, he cleared his throat, exiting his bed premises to the large veranda attached to his room.

The sun was burning in all its radiance; Mid-January was the dry season in the southwest of Cameroon. It was only ten in the morning but the rate at which the sun shone would make one think it was twelve midday in the desert.
The southwest of the Africa in miniature-as it is known worldwide due to the presence of all four climatic zones in one; Deserts and Savannahs in the north, tropical rain forests in the east, coasts in the west and mountains in the center-unlike the one he had spent twenty years of existence in, was almost not busy. The activities were shy at dawn and sharp at night. The latter being his favorite time.

He stood outside, bare torso, with the aim of using the little noisiness of the environment to mask his coarse voice. Luckily enough for him, a couple of cabs were already present, horning in full blast. A neighbor or two at the opposite side of the street had their woofer speakers as well in full blast. Also, the chattering of the local store owners was loud enough to aid his act.