Psyche

°X. Confetti

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
_John Lennon

Adekunle Gold's young love was showing on the TV and Irene moved her body slightly to the rhythm. She was among the lovers of his music. She had gone to drop the bottle of Yoghurt ever since Tola looked at her with disgust and shifted away from her using the throw pillow as a blockade. Tola, Dimeji and Irene watched the video with rapt attention like they hadn't watched it before. They were just some things that wouldn't tire you anytime soon. There was nothing to say.

"I just love love young love". Irene said, her gaze still on the TV but slightly turned to see Tola and Dimeji's reaction and turned back to the TV.

"You love young love or young as in terms of age". Tola said, facing Irene who gave him a are- you- serious- look.

"Are you whining me?" Irene says but shakes her head quickly knowing Tola, he would keep throwing stupid questions her way so it was better she avoided it, "Don't answer that. It's young love as in Adekunle's song. The video that's playing now on MTV base and in case you don't know that station, it's in Ds- ..."

Tola interjects, "it's not station". Irene raised her brows in askance but Tola continues, "You said station. It's called channel, a particular television station, I mean. So you don't say Station because it's the place. For instance, a TV station is TVC, AIT, Channels blah blah blah. You get?"

"Osheyy! Tola knows what a channel is". Dimeji says, raising his arms in the air in form of hailing him but he drops it after speaking and gives a deadpan expression, "So where has that placed you?". Irene gives a hearty laugh and Dimeji joins her.

Tola doesn't mind them because he knows that sometimes he doesn't speak like someone who is going to the university soon. Soon enough, he might not see their faces again.

"So I go first". Tola says, they both stop and face Tola.

"What are we doing again?" Irene stands up to open the fridge and brings out a bottle of orange juice with ice cubes. " That's why I love your house, Dimeji. Everything I need is here". She gestures her hands to the fridge, giving Dimeji a mischievous smile.

"Don't take anything else from that fridge. It's for my mum's guest. If you have taken anything, just drop it". Irene pouts and raises the orange juice, " Even this!" Dimeji turns to see what she was implying and nods his head negatively, "Yes, Even that."

"Can I continue?" Tola asks and they all nod. Irene drops back the bottle and ice cubes in the fridge. "I have a girlfriend, guys". Tola hesitates and stares at both of them. Irene shifts her weight and all the iron mixed bricks crumble leaving her heart on the bare floor with no gate to protect it. A tear starts to form in her eyes but she rolls her eyeballs backwards to prevent them from falling.

"Her name is Farayola and I really want you guys to be kind to her. She might come anytime..." He looks at his brown leather watch and raises his eyes,...soon. Anytime soon".

Dimeji widens his eyes in disbelief. Not only did he just break Irene but he also wants to shatter her. His eyes dart to Irene and she doesn't seem moved or is it his eyes? Anger brews within him. Dimeji hardly got angry and even if he did, it was for a good cause. Like now.

"Not only are you just telling us but you're also bringing her to my house without informing me. Is your thinking faculty this bad? This is my house, guy!"Dimeji shouts, surprising everybody.

Tola raises his hands, "Okay! Okay! Relax guys. I am just messing with you. I just wanted to lighten the mood but it seems I aggravated it". Irene heaves putting her hand on her chest and gives thanks to all the heavenly bodies. Her creator didn't put her to shame. Dimeji calms down and folds his arm, "it's not funny. You almost gave me a heart attack".
"Here too". Irene seconds but it comes out in a whisper.

"So I once had this friend who was very close to me. We were on our way to becoming best of friends". The atmosphere is no longer tense as they pay attention to what Tola is saying. "We had a fallout and I had told him almost everything about me including my Dad". Tola looks down to his feet. They all knew how touchy the subject of his dad was. Tola's Dad had travelled to Texas leaving he and his mother just when he clocked four. His mother however tried to understand when he didn't call for three months. She kept on hoping when it got to six months and alas he called. He told her the reason why he hadn't reached out to them and she nodded her head saying she understood. From then on,every month, he would call to check up on them and finally he stopped calling. The last he heard from his father was a blue folder which had been delivered to them by a mailman. His mother checked the folder and she fainted. Tola had just clocked ten. The folder contained divorce papers saying he had met someone better. It devastated them both. It took his mother a year to sign it. She however signed it, packed out from the house, worked hard enough to feed them both and now who doesn't know Mrs Adeola.

Tola raised his eyes to meet both of them eyes. They were ready to listen and not judge. He could tell from their faces. He took two deep breaths and counted from two to five, skipping number one so it'll be faster. "He told everyone that my dad left mum and I because she...." Irene stared at him nudging him to go on but he shook his head.

"We're both here. We know what you tell us aren't lies. Your eyes won't deceive us like that. Remember what they did not how they made you feel". Dimeji said and Tola brought the creases that were starting to form on his forehead and nodded.

"...He told them that my mother is a slut and that I am a bastard. Everyone called me names". Tola said, his gaze transfixed on the plush rug waiting for it to absorb what he felt. He looked at both of them and asked, "Do you know how I dealt with it? I acted like it didn't hurt. I would throw comebacks at them and some waved it off while others didn't".

The hinges on the door shook as a key turned to clearly open the door but it  wasn't locked and they all turned sharply to see who it was. The knob turned and there stood Dimeji's father in all glory with a long overflowing sparkling white Agbada but it did not cover the purple suede shoes that matched with his fila. A Rolex watch was clad on his wrists. The tailor did a hell of a job in sewing his dress. He was just coming in from the board of directors meeting and unknown to Dimeji, this was his spot too.

"Dimeji! What's going on here?" Mr Adekunle's thick voice filled the already tensioned room leaving no room for any whispers. Irene and Tola scrambled for their belongings as they greeted the white elephant and scurried away leaving Dimeji with his heart in his mouth.

"If this is a party, where's the confetti?"

Note;

Where Sia at?