Chapter 21: Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

“I’m sorry sir, your card is blocked”

“what” Andra and I exclaimed in unison.

ANDRA’S POV

“that can’t be possible, I literally transferred money to it two days ago” Alex tried to explain.

“I’m sorry sir” the receptionist apologized, why is she apologizing as if this is her fault.

Alex sighed, he slipped his hand in his left pocket and picked out his wallet, he brought out another credit card and handed it to the girl, she collected it and slipped into the machine. It beeped and she smiled lightly and lifted her head to us.

“it’s blocked too sir” she stated.

It felt as though the building was crumbling on us, I looked up at Alex and hell, dude is tired already, he seems to have given up.

I slipped my hands into his and he turned to me, his eyes managed to lighten up a little and it made me smile too. He turned back to the receptionist and demanded for the card. I guess this is it, we are officially homeless, nowhere to go, the thought of it makes me shiver.

Alex gently took my right arm and we walked out of the hotel.

Dean Broadway parkpark......

“you know, when we were kids, my brothers and I, we usually sneak out of the house to come to the park and play, it’s so quiet over there” Alex pointed to a quiet and a little dark part of the park we were strolling in, well there’s nowhere else to go.

A few people were walking around, a few college students were reading and playing, some were walking with their dogs. I couldn’t help but think of how lonely and deadly it would be when they all leave the park.

“why the park, why not around home?” I managed to ask him, I’ve been trying not to show him how scared I am, I don’t want him to think of me as a coward or to worry about me, I definitely know that the thinking is not good for my condition but I can’t help it.

“mum and dad were mostly at home then, they didn’t work too much like they do now, and we don’t like them watching us like little kids..”

“but you were little kids” I cut him off and he laughed. Beautiful.

“well we or perhaps my brothers mostly like to see themselves as big boys then” he replied and I didn’t know when I started laughing.

“that’s hilarious”

“it’s crazy” he replied.

we finally sat down on a long park bench, we went silent as we watched the park growing lonelier by the minute and my heart increasing its pace in every second.

I looked up at Alex and saw him looking at a direction, I turned to the direction and saw a little girl playing with her dog, I smiled.

“I wish she would be a girl, the baby” he stated and I turned to him, how he’s taking all this lightly still baffles me even to the extent of leaving his house for me.

“I’m sorry Alex” I apologized for the umpteenth time.

“I’ve told you Andra, stop the apology”

I sighed, I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, he caressed my back and leaned his head on mine.

“rest Andra” he stated as he continued caressing my back.

I dozed off.

My eye lids finally flickered open, I saw the green tress which were looking a little black in color cause of the pitch-black darkness hovering in the park, I slowly sat up when I realized I was no longer on the bench, where am I? I looked around and realized I was in a room-like tiny shrub hut, it looks fresh, maybe Alex made it himself.

Speaking of, where is he, I was leaning on him before, if I’m here, he’s supposed to be beside me. I turned behind and didn’t see him, I turned to the right and didn’t see him, fear gripped me and I sprang up immediately.

“Alex!” I screamed but I heard nothing but the whistling of crickets. “no, no, no please no, Alex” I screamed again, at the top of my voice this time, and still I heard nothing.

He left me, after giving me hope, dude left me. Why, did I do something wrong, am I that much of a burden to him, why would he leave me alone.

“if I have done anything wrong to provoke you Alex, please I’m sorry, don’t leave, come back” I muttered and dragged myself around the park, I didn’t care about it’s deadly quietness anymore, I don’t care about death anymore, the only person who got my back has left me, why am I so unfortunate. I cried as I hopelessly walked around.

Suddenly a strong cold hand gripped me and twirled me around, fear gripped me and I covered my face with my palms expecting the worst, but instead his beautiful voice called me back to life.

“Andra what are you doing out here, I thought you were sleeping” Alex asked me.

I ran into his arms and held him tightly.

“Alex” I breathed out.

“Andi, I can’t breathe” he complained, I loosened up and he took in a deep breathe.

“what are you doing out here, it’s dangerous”

“I thought you left me” I cried.

“what?” he chuckled out. “why would you even think that”

“cause I woke up and didn’t see you, I got worried and scared”

He laughed, is this funny to him.

“Andra I just went to get us dinner” he replied.

“oh” I sighed in embarrassment. He shook his head and took my hand.

“let’s go” we walked back to the shrubs which I can now call a tent.

He sat me down, I looked up at him and that was when I realized he was carrying a back pack.

“you didn’t have that since morning” I asked him, cause I was sure the only back he came out with was one of his travelling bags.

“yea I just bought it.” He replied, he dropped the back pack and sat down. He unzipped it and brought out a blanket, he spread it on the floor and asked me to lie down on it and I did. He brought out four packs of disposable plates and two cans of soda.

“do you like Chinese rice?” he asked and I almost clapped in excitement.

“yea, and the beef sauce, although I wonder why they make beef, I thought their meat is usually pork” I stated in a thoughtful expression and Alex laughed.

“you are funny, but it mustn’t be pork, they also love duck and chicken” Alex explained as he opened two of the plates and the aroma of the rice and beef spread around the park and even beyond I’m sure, lol.

He handed one of the plates to me, I collected it and that’s when the hunger hit me the most, I felt like throwing the whole plate into my mouth but I don’t want to look like a hungry beast, so I had to be picking the food one after the other.

Alex took his own food, he unscrewed the head and gave me one can of pepsi soda, I collected it and took a long gulp, gush it’s chilled, just what I needed.

I started eating my food, I noticed the innocent food was going down harder than I wanted it to, I just want to keep eating while the food will keep increasing.

I frowned at the food when it’s almost finished, I stopped eating but the baby wouldn’t listen to the fact that I want to be seeing the food and not finish it, it began to cry in my womb and that hurts, I winced, Alex looked at me in concern.

“are you ok, is it the food?” he asked and I nodded childishly. “why, you don’t like it”

“this baby is turning me into a baby” I whinned and he laughed. I threw my spoon at him. “it’s not funny, I’m so hungry and I really want to eat all the food but I got this urge that made me want to keep staring at the food and not finish it.” I cried.

“huh?” Alex asked in amusement.

“dude this ain’t funny”

”wait let me understand, so you want to finish the food cause you are hungry but you don’t want the food to finish it cause you want to keep staring at it” he asked me.

“yes”

“so how did the baby get into it” he asked, wasn’t he listening to me.

“and now the baby wants the food, but I don’t want to release it, we’ve been fighting for minutes now” I cried out and Alex burst into a heavy laughter.

“Jesus Andra, you won’t kill me, what do you mean you guys have been fighting”

“you won’t understand because you don’t know the things of the spirit”

“well teach me the things of the spirit, also, you can take my fo….” Before he finished I already grabbed the plate, he laughed. “you can keep your own food and watch it while you give the baby my own food” he stated and I felt like crying, seriously I’m turning into a baby overnight, I feel like crawling too.

“you know babies love food, right?” I asked as I munched on his food, Alex is funny, he actually said I should watch my food while I give the baby his. Crazy guy.

“yea, they can literally eat 8 times a day” he answered and we both laughed.

“I wasn’t such a hearty eater when I was a baby” I stated and took a sip of my pepsi.

“but now you can eat a truck load of food” he replied and sipped his own drink too, awwww, I’m making him go hungry tonight, I’m so sorry.

“hey, I’m pregnant, that’s why I’m eating all this stuff” i said and he laughed.

“I’m so sorry I’m starving you tonight” I apologized.

“it’s ok, you need the food, I wasn’t that hungry anyway, I’m not a hearty eater like you” he teased and I smacked him, I picked up his spoon and started eating my food.

“that’s a lie, all boys are such hearty eaters, I bet this baby is a boy that’s why he’s making me eat too much like this, I’m so freaking angry with him, I’ll starve him for at least 2 weeks when I get him out of his comfort zone”

“and you think you will survive” Alex asked with a chuckle, he picked up the remaining two plates in the plastic bag, I had forgotten about them, I wonder what’s in there.

He handed one to me and opened his.

“wow, lemon and strawberry pie, I love it” I giggled out, I drop the empty plate of food that I almost licked out all the crumbles from it, I hugged the plate of pie and sniffed it with a huge smile. I opened it and in it laid the exact copy of Alex’s pie, I took a forkful and opened my mouth. “get in here baby” I muttered, Alex laughed as I shove the pie into my mouth, and within few minutes, just like it started, it ended with ease.

I licked my lips, dropped the plate on the floor, sipped the remaining of my drink and turned to Alex with puppy eyes.

He sighed and shook his head. “you can have mine hungry racoon” he gave me his own pie and I looked at him with pity. “it’s ok, I’m fine” he assured me and I grabbed the pie and started shoving into my mouth. “pregnancy hormones, it scares me each time I see a pregnant woman” he complained with a chuckle and I nodded my head, agreeing to what he said.

“I’m done” I exclaimed. Alex’s eyes almost popped out when he saw the plate of pie he just gave me empty.

“I’m done too, I give it to pregnant women” he said and packed the plates back into the plastic bag.

“you need to go to sleep now Andra, it’s been a long day” he stated as he took the bag to the nearest trash can which was few feet away from the tent. He came back, he sat beside me. He smiled at me and I smiled back. “it’s gonna be ok” he said and I nodded.

I turned to lie down but the ringing of his phone stopped me, I sat back up and turned to him, he was staring at the screen.

“who is it” I asked.

“strange number” he replied.

“are you gonna answer” I asked and he nodded. He slid the call to answer.

“hello” he asked and the voice that I suspected to be Lola's spoke out.

TBC.