The Swirl

Ep. 7

A few days down the line, Mabea's mother came and she decided to go and get her from the taxi rank where the bus would drop her. As she waited, her phone rang and she looked at the caller ID-Hiroto. She tapped her foot nervously and ignored the ringing, eventually putting it on silent.

After their night together, she had snuck out of his house while he was still sleeping and ordered a taxi to her house where she found Oratile already having left for school. She went to the bathroom and got ready for work. Hiroto had tried to call her many times but she kept ignoring his calls. Because she felt guilty.

Yes. Guilty.

He had made love to her and she had enjoyed every single minute of it but she regretted it immediately after because she knew that it wasn't even going to become a thing between them. He was going to go back to his home and she was going to stay here taking care of her brother and mother. She knew that Hiroto had feelings for her because while he was giving her miniature heart attacks with his sweet sweet...ahem!...he kept telling her how much he loved her and wanted her to be by him.  He kept promising her that he would stay for her and she agreed to everything in the heat of the moment. But that was then  and they had to live in reality-whereby their relationship would be seen as Taboo or weird by outsiders.

In that moment when Hiroto kept whispering dirty and sweet nothings (maybe somethings) into her ear, she had believed he was sincere and she had almost spit out her feelings for him as well but she bit her tongue and just focused on what he was doing with his hands. Those were experienced hands, she could tell.   Now here they were, with him calling 24/7 and her ignoring his calls. She didn't wanna be put back in the position they were in with their very obvious feelings for each other so she did what she did best, trying to ignore the problem and hoping it would go away.

The bus pulled into the rank and Mabea's mother was the first passenger out, with a huge plastic bag that held her clothes. Mabea grinned when she realised that her mother was dressed in what she believed was her best outfit-a scotch black and white two piece ladies' dress suit. She had even put on her favorite black beret with the rose in it.

Mabea ran to her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug then placing a small kiss on her mother's lips.

Her mother could only grin as the showered compliments on her, telling her how she looked good in her beret and suit. They took a taxi to her house and mama couldn't stop talking the whole hour and half to her house.

Oratile had prepared what he called "Mother's Welcome" what with his newfound chef skills and he was in the bathroom preparing himself. As soon as Mama came in, she dumped the plastic bag on the floor and found herself a seat, digging into everything that was within eye sight.

Oratile came out dusting off some invisible dust from his shoulders and before he could even utter a word, Mama was on him, pulling him into a hug which had him struggling to breathe as he tried to get away. She smothered him with kisses and Mabea giggled in the background-that was how Mama showed her love for them and ever since he became a teenager, Oratile absolutely hated it.

"My boy!" Mama sniffled. Then she suddenly pulled his ear and twisted, hard. "How dare you! How dare you leave without telling me!" Holding on to Oratile's ear, she dragged him over to Mabea and grabbed her ear as well. "You bad terrible children!"

"What did I do?" Mabea whined, wincing as her mother pulled her ear. "Mama! Oh father!"

She pulled hard on both their ears. "How dare you steal my child away from me, Mabea? I thought that stupid gang of his had finally gotten him killed! And I grieved and as I am crying, this one-" she twisted Oratile's ear. "-this one calls me and he tells me that he's here attending school!"