Chapter 24: Chapter 24

~Jade~

I felt like I just walked into a script.

I felt like I'm drowning.

I felt like I'm standing at the edge of cliff.

I stared at the woman, digesting what she just said. Her icy cold tone sounded familiar, sounded like an older Zee's voice. I looked at Zee, she was looking at the woman as if she has grown two heads. I looked at Mom, she looked pale and she staggered at the woman's word and she gripped a chair's handle to support herself.

'What daughter?'

Mom asked again and she moved closer to the woman.

'You're delusional' She continued. 'Get out.'

The stranger stared back at mom, eyes unwavering.

'Am I?' She turned away from mom again to stare at Zee who has now moved to the center of the sitting room.

'You look so much like me.' She continued, her voice croaking. 'I'm so sorry I did not come for you all these years.'

She started walking towards Zee who put out a hand to stop. Then she turned to mum.

'Mum, who's this lunatic?'

Yeah, she is a lunatic. That's the only logical explanation for all these.

'I'm your biological mother. Can't you see? Can't you see the resemblance?'

Zee shook her head.

'We have a psychiatrist ward in our hospital. Please check in. And please get out, you have the wrong house.'

The woman was about to say something else when Dad came out of his study. He did a double take.

'What are you doing here?'

He asked the woman, his voice raised.

'I'm here for my daughter, the one you and your wife stole from me.'

Zee dragged a hiss and turned back.

'Brother, please throw this woman out.'

And she walked past me to her room. I noticed how her legs quiver on the stairs, how she gripped the railings for support. Someone opened the first door and our security guard walked in. Someone must have called him.

'Yes Sir?'

'Please throw this woman out'

Our security guard turned to the woman, who was shooting daggers at Dad.

'Iya, do you want me to carry you or usher you out?'

The woman paid him no attention as she said

'I'll leave myself but I'll back for my daughter and when I do, I won't allow you guys to use power and money to steal from me like you did 18 years ago.'

And she walked out of the sitting room.

After she left, everywhere became quiet and I watched mom slumped on the floor, her chest heaving. I glanced at Saheed, he seems to have an idea of what's going on.

'Can anyone tell me what's going?'

I asked but I was only answered by silence. I did not even know what to think, what to do, what to say. What on earth is going on? Who was the woman? And what the fuck does she mean by what she said? I turned away and walked to Zee's room. Once outside her door, I paused and heaved a sigh. Then I turned the knob and opened the door. When I stepped inside, Zee was lying on her bed, earpiece in ears.

'Zee'

I called out but she did not answer. I guess she did not hear because of the music so I moved to her bed and laid on her bed. When she turned to me, her eyes were vacant and I couldn't decipher whatever emotions was behind those eyes.

'Baby'

'Hmm?'

I replied and laid down on her bed.

'Care to watch a movie together?'

She asked me and I nodded. I knew the film we were going. It was Girls Trip. That's one film we can watch over and over again.

Zee turned on her system and we started watching the film.

That's what we do, watch or do something we've done over and over again instead of talking about new things. We choose to ignore it.

I ate dinner in Zee's room that evening. We maranthoned five different films and we made pancakes and milkshake together. Mom did not come out of her room since the strange women left. Dad buried himself in his books in his study. Saheed came into Zee and lingered by the door. He asked what film we were watching and if we wanted him to get something for us when he is coming back from the hospital in the evening. He said nothing about the strange woman. I had a lot of questions about the woman. I wanted to say a lot of things but I did not.

I knew we were all in stage one of grief.

Denial.

*********

I slept in Zee's room for two consecutive days. We spent our days talking about everything but not the one thing that matters? Who the hell was that woman? What does she mean by Zee is her daughter? Why didn't mom renounce that immediately? Could she be telling the truth? But then, I'm sure Zee is my sister, in blood and flesh. There are pictures from her in our family album. From her christening to her One year old birthday to her two year old birthday to when she held my hands on the day I was christened. Nothing is making sense. But the woman said something like

'I won't allow you guys to use power and money to cheat me like you did 18 years ago?'

What the fuck does that mean? I was curious about lots of things but I'm scared of finding out the answers. I'm scared that the answer will ruin me.

Most importantly, ruin Zee.

******

'Ouch'

I said when I hit my body against something solid. Sure, I wasn't looking at where I was going. I was lost in my thoughts. I did not want to come the Saturday tutorial but I needed to get away from home, from Zee's overbearing silence, she was so silent about the whole stuff that I'm sure she's going to break soon.

I looked up to see Uthman grinning at me.

'look who's here. It's the girl that's crushing on me.'

I inhaled and turned to go away but he grabbed my hand. I shrugged his hands off angrily.

'I'm in no mood for your stupid and childish tease today so please.... Leave me alone.'

I attempted to walk away but he grabbed my hands again, the force made me stagger and he ended up yanking my body to his. My body heated up at the contact and when I looked up to his face, I realized how close our faces are to each other. There was something surprisingly warm about his eyes. They were not black as I'd always though, they were brown, almost caramel like.

'You okay?'

He asked, releasing me. I said nothing as I walked away.

Shame on you Jade, everything is going wrong at home and you are here with your hormones acting up.

Shame on you Jade, Zee is going through a lot and you're here noticing Uthman's eyes.

Uthman's eyes!!! For crying out sake.

Jade!! What the fuck is wrong with you?

*******

~Uthman~

I saw Jade as she walked up the stairs. She wasn't focused on where she was going and instead of me to leave her path, I stood there instead and she walked straight into me, into my chest.

'Ouch'

She said, touching her forehead and moving back from me.

'oh, look who's here, it's the girl that's crushing on me.'

A frown creased her forehead as she stared horridly at me and she turned away from me. I grabbed her hand and she shrugged it off quickly as if scalded by an iron.

'I don't have time for your stupid and childish tease today so please, leave me alone.'

There was something slightly different about her tone. She did not speak in her normal cold and mean voice. There was something about her tone, more like sad or dejected.

She attempted to move away again and I grabbed her without thinking twice, pulling her body to mine. Her body stiffened at the contact and I felt something beat erratically in her chest, or probably mine. She moved back a little to stare at my face. The first thing I noticed was her lips, I've been meaning to check that out since Dan talked about it. And he was right. Damn! Her lips!! Geez.

'You okay?'

I asked but she only glared at me and walked off. I glanced at her retreating figure. Whatever this thing is, I know it's not one-sided.

********

The class we came for was mathematics and almost all of SS3 students came but only like 6 of us are listening in class. I don't know why they came in the first place if they were not going to listen in class.

Hana was painting her nails again! Akin and Dan were exchanging notes. Everyone was doing one thing or the another in class. I found myself glancing at Jade in class, she's distracted. I can easily see that. But why?

And why do I even care?

After the class ended, Akin, Jade and I were walking towards the park. Wierd, right? I saw Akin walking with a quiet Jade and I joined them.

'Jade, you're very quiet today, you okay?'

She nodded and said nothing afterwards.

'Are you sure? This is so unlike you.'

She smiled, a smile I noticed did not reach her eyes.

'Really Jade? Is it boys issues?' He glanced briefly at me before he continued. 'Your sister said there's someone the other time, is he not treating you right?'

She laughed this time around, trowing her head back as she laughed.

'God! Akin, You're just ridiculous. Boys issue ko, man issue ni? Do I look like a girl that will allow a boy to give her headache?'

'Oh, that sounds better. More like the Jade I know.'

'Do you want me to wait with you for your driver?' He asked her as we got to the park.

'No, I'll be fine. You should go.'

'Oh come on, let me just wait with you.'

'If you inisist'

She replied almost coldly and even though my presence wasn't acknowledged. I stayed too, occasionally glancing at her, wondering what could have reduced the cold Jade to this. We did not stay for long when her driver turned up and she left, barely saying goodbye.

'What do you think might be wrong with her?'

I asked immediately she left and we started walking towards the field. We had a friendly match with Royal Academy.

'I don't know. She'll tell us lather. Probably when there is no third party around.'

Hmm. I nodded. I knew I was the third party except that I don't want to be the third party when it involves Jade.

********

I met Mom, no, Aunty Wura in the kitchen making jollof rice. Did I just say mom? These days, I find myself growing warm towards her. Maybe she really deserves better from me, she has never treated me wrongly. She was just a kid too when she came over and she never for once treated me wrongly.

'E ku ile ma.' I greeted her from the door. She turned to me with her smile on her face.

'Welcome home dear, how was school and practice?'

'Fine ma'

I lingered by the door for a minute longer.

'Do you need help in anything?'

I asked and she turned to me with a surprised expression on her face.

'What? I mean no. I'm good. Go freshen up. I'll call you when I'm done.'

'No, I want to help in anything. I'm practically useless in the kitchen and I'll leave for university soon.'

That earned a smile from her and she said

'Okay, if you insist. But go freshen up first.'

Yeah. I nodded and left to freshen up. I returned and she told me to chop the carrots. I actually cooked for more than an hour in the kitchen with her.

This might be a new beginning.

Except that I can't get Jade out of my mind.