BROKEN

Chapter 8

Chapter 7

She easily got drunk. She woke before the man she lay in bed with. A knock on the door woke her. She was not well sobered up but she was able to think clearly. She remembered the passionate sex she had last night. It was the best ever.

She was a little tipsy. She did not get the time to look at the face of the stranger she had gone to bed with. In a haste, she tied her hair in a bun, wore her under garments and put on her dress. 

Opening the door, she rushed out to prevent anyone seeing her. She kept going till she felt a cool breeze on her face then it hit her. She had left her masquerade behind, but there was no going back. She loved that masquerade. It had the first letter of her name on it. She wore it to dance whenever she wanted to forget her problems. 

It was not her first time in Vienna but she rarely came.. After dancing with the guy she didn't know on the dance floor, she left for one of the reserved rooms. She was paid to dance. Her drunk side was the best dancer but whenever she was sober she sucked at dancing. She hoped no one would know she was there and hoped no one saw her. It was the first time she went to bed with a client.. Problems at home got her drinking. She wondered why she had sex with a stranger. Something she had never done. She sure was no virgin. She told herself she would never drink back in high school after she insulted and slapped her principal. Something she would never think of doing.

Drunk now, she did something much worst. 'Oh God, help me', she said and quietly sneaked into her room on reaching home. She took a cold bath, wore her headset and went to bed feeling the headache that came with getting drunk.

Esme

"How did it go with your parents?.", Maria inquired. With tears in my eyes I started narrating what happened.

"After the chauffeur picked me from the hospital to home, I headed for my room and slept. I woke up to the sound of  thunder. Not being able to sleep, I walked out of my room to watch TV at the hall when I heard by parents talking about Regina."

"Who is Regina??."

"Daphne, arrggghhh, would you stop interrupting her?".

"Regina's my little sister."

"What!!!", they screamed in unison.

"Well, according to my parents, this used to be where we stayed before moving to Accra and my nightmare really was something that happened.  I feel like I'm a murderer. I killed my sister", I cried harder, with more tears that could increase the level of the ocean and blow my nose as I finish my second box of tissue.

"No you're not. You didn't plan to burn the house down. All you wanted was to make something to eat.... You were a kid.. You cooked rice and forgot to turn the stove off. You were knocked out by the smoke from the flames and you do not remember how you woke up outside your home... I know you would have saved her if you had not blacked out." Maria said

"Maria is right. ", Daphne tried to assure me.

"I know, but if I had been patient and waited for my mum to get home",... I  choke on my tears.
"If only I had waited.", I kept repeating the words as I cried uncontrollably.

"It has been hard on you baby girl".

"It sure has been ", Maria says.

"When did you come in and why did you not come to us??."

"I came in yesterday evening. I was tired so I sneaked into my room to sleep since I was not ready to talk.", I truthfully told them.

"This place will only bring bad memories."

"Yes, Maria. But I liked it here. Don't worry guys. You can stay here. I'm done packing my things. Sorry for not informing you earlier. In a few hours time I'll be headed to Canada. I could use some distraction. I have finally decided to do my masters program..."

"You naughty child. That is no way to act.", Maria screams.

"We'll miss you Esme.", they say in unison.

"I love you all", I tell them.

..................

Travelling to Canada was what she thought was good for her. She did not know when she was returning. 

Thirty minutes after her departure, Zeke was found  at their doorstep. He received the news of her departure from the girls and rushed to the airport to declare his love for Esme but time was not in his side. But what he did not know was that, Dadson had been there minutes before him and had also missed her. Their search at the airport yielded no result. Just like Dadson, Zeke was unable to tell what he felt for her.. And she was gone. When she was returning, none knew.

After two years of studying, working and going on random dates in Canada, She thought of Dadson and Ezekiel and both brothers thought of her.

 Before leaving the country, she called her friends and they updated each other on what was going on. They always kept in touch no matter what. 

Done with her call she could not wait to see the look on their faces when they saw her hours later. As she sat in the plane, she realised she was missing something in her life. That was a companion, a keeper and someone who would be more than a friend,someone she could always go home to after a hectic day at work. Someone she could start her own family with.. Her heart kept yearning to go back home. 

She was ready to begin this new chapter of her life and forget about everything she had been through.