EPISODE 1
I noticed his gaze was fixed on me,
It was intense,
because, I could feel the heat on my body,
I slowly chew my food,
Pondering on what next to do,
Mother was lying helpless in the hospital,
Father had left the house few months ago without informing anybody of his whereabouts,
I had met Lynda, an old school acquaintance who bought me lunch,
I tried so hard to conceal the rumbling in my belly but it was to no avail,
She had noticed and insisted on buying me food,
I gave in.
I glanced over at his spot again, and noticed he was still looking at me.
I was so ashamed of my self,
I was putting on an old tattered dress with stains of oil at both sides,
My hair was in a mess,
Mother had plaited my hair few months ago before she fell terribly sick,
And I have been carrying that cornrows for months now,
Lynda gossips a lot,
I knew she will inform the rest of us that she had met me in a messy state,
Not withstanding, I was not able to resist it when she offered to buy me a plate of food,
I had not eaten for days.
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Chief Harrison accepted to pay the deposit so that the doctor could commence treatment,
But he had given an ultimatum,
He said “Go down with me or get out of my house”,
I had chosen the latter not because I wanted to,
But I knew mother will quickly join her ancestors if she ever heard how the money came about, before or after treatment.
I thought of running away to an unknown place,
Just like father,
But I can’t bear the thought of leaving mother alone in the hospital,
Raised with no siblings,
She has showered me with so much love,
Our bond has been inexplicably great,
I wonder if poverty was etched in our names,
because I could remember vividly,
That the same amount of money the hospital demands to commence treatment on mother,
Was half of Cynthia’s allowance back then in school,
I bit my lips in pain.
I noticed I was rushing on my food,
Probably that was what accounted for such look,
I slowed down a bit,
I glanced at his spot again,
He was still looking at me,
His gaze was penetrating,
Cutting deep into my veins.
I quickly glanced at him,
He was good looking embellished with affluence,
But I wonder what he was doing in a cheap restaurant,
I knew that such place is not meant for men of his caliber,
I shrugged.
This stares were making me uncomfortable.
I was glad when someone came to greet him, they hugged and became enveloped in some sort of tete-a-tete conversation,
Maybe an old school friend,
Just as I had earlier bumped into Lynda,
Look like a kind of reunion though,
Probably he has been waiting for the latter,
I quickly finished my food and quietly left the restaurant.
Then, I noticed someone was calling my attention,
I turned back to meet the handsome face of my gazer.
I was shocked.
STAY GLUED FOR SECOND EPISODE.
