Chapter 14: Chapter 14

FOURTEEN- THE PAST MEETS THE PRESENT

"Wake up...It's morning." She heard Louisa gush as she hastily turned to her side and used a pillow to cover her face.

"I don't know how you're so energetic this early in the morning but please get out and lemme sleep.” She complained bitterly.

But Louisa was undeterred, pausing briefly from her active task of opening the curtains, she stated. "But you said we'd think of what to do with the girls today. You said we'd have so much fun with you here and a-"

"I know I know...But I'm sure it's only six o'clock. We have the whole day and you know I don't joke with my weekend sleep... plus I can't even have coffee so lemme catch some extra shuteye- thirty minutes I promise." Naa Larley pleaded.

Louisa sighed. "Well alright, I'll be downstairs, but just so you know it's eleven, not six."

The duo had slept really late last night, all plans of sleep had fled when they had crept to bed and they had spent time chatting instead.

Louisa decided to make some coffee, as Naa Larley's mention of the stuff had had her craving it... plus she figured that even though her best friend couldn't drink it, she could definitely smell it and feel a little better. She looked outside from the kitchen window as she poured some water into the tea kettle. The window overlooked the beautiful garden her mother tended and the fusion of colours and the wonderful smell always left her in a great mood whenever she had the time to appreciate it. She could see the old lady busy working on a sunflower patch and wanted to call out and say hello, but stopped on second thought figuring that she'd do it later instead.

She quickly made omelettes and toasted some bread for Naa and the girls as she waited for the water to boil and smiled to herself as she heard the girls rushing down the stairs.

"Morning mum."

"Morning auntie Louisa." They both greeted simultaneously.

"Hey girls. Breakfast is almost ready. Isa please get me some plates from the cabinet." She replied as she expertly flipped an egg.

"Auntie Louisa, that was so cool, could you teach me how to do that?" Melissa asked in awe as Isabel scoffed.

"It's just flipping of eggs Mel, not saving the universe, even I can do it."

Louisa rolled her eyes. "Don't be rude Isa, even you can't do it right."

Isabel gently placed the plates on the counter and looked at her mum as if to say It's on.

"Okay, let's have a bet mum, if I nail it...I get to go to bed an hour later than my bedtime for a month."

"A week." Louisa amended.

"Two weeks."

"Alright, you have yourself a deal." Louisa agreed as she flipped another egg and neatly put it on one of the plates. She washed her hands and cleaned them as she settled on one of those long stools to watch her daughter in action.

Melissa was excited. She really wouldn't let her friend live it down if she was unable to win this challenge and she told her so.

The two spectators watched on as Isabel tentatively tried to crack an egg into a bowl and burst into loud guffaws when she accidentally held the egg too hard and broke it.

"See, I told you she couldn't do it Mel." Louisa said as she wiped a tear from her left eye. She hadn't laughed that hard in a long while.

Sighing dramatically, she made her way over to her daughter who wisely kept her mouth shut in shame but glared at Melissa who still shook in silent laughter.

"I can't help myself Isa, that should have been on tape. It was epic." Her friend mused.

All it took was two minutes for Isabel to admit that it was indeed quite a funny incident and eventually joined in on the laughter as her mother taught them how to perfectly fry eggs.

Naa Larley joined them in the kitchen when they were almost done with breakfast and just like Louisa had guessed, the smell of coffee seemed to have roused her senses.

"Alright girls-" She began dramatically as she stifled yawn and placed a hand over her baby bump.

"I apologise for waking up late and all, but the day is not over yet, I'm going to make sure you guys have a lot of fun... just like I promised." She finished.

The girls giggled in excitement as they took in her words. She was already dressed in blue jeans and a baggy t-shirt and her make up was on point. Louisa was dressed in almost the same ensemble only that she was in black jeans instead. The two quickly rushed up stairs to change their clothes and returned before the two older women could say Jack Robinson.

Everyone snaked to the garden to say hello to Mrs. Mensah and as she looked at them in casual clothes, looking all sweet, she couldn't help but ask, where they were going.

"Just to the beach Mama, wanna come along?" Louisa responded as she leaned in to smell a sunflower. Her mother seemed to think about it for a moment, and then eventually agreed.

As they all made themselves comfortable in the car, Naa Larley couldn't help but shout, "To the beach we go!"

Everyone laughed at her crazy antics.

○●○●○●○●

William lay on the beach chair reading. He really didn't know how he had let Reggie persuade him into come to the beach for he was a little bit afraid of the sea but no one knew that. He raised his head in search of his fiancée and relaxed a little when he saw her enjoying a swim with some female friends. He shuddered involuntarily. No one could ever convince him that the sea was a clean place to swim, especially when he had heard stories on some of the polluting stuff that happened at its beaches. He took a gulp of his coke and rolled his eyes when a couple of girls giggled at his action. They didn't even look away, and William found it annoying. The only one he wanted checking him out was Louisa Mensah and he couldn't have her... at least not yet but he would soon.

The thing was, he had woken up with the intention of breaking things with Reggie but her excitement at finally having him to herself for the weekend unnerved him. He sighed. He had to find a way to end things and he had to do it soon.

After a while, his butt began to feel numb from sitting down for too long so, he decided to take a small walk and that was when he saw her.

○●○●○●

Louisa was in the process of laughing over something Naa had said when she stopped and paled all of a sudden causing her friend to lean in in concern.

"Louisa are you alright?"

Before Louisa could reply, they heard a voice. "Good evening ladies."

Naa Larley turned, and paled as well.

William shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know my coming over to say hello will upset you guys so."

"You just gave us a shock, after all we didn't expect to see you here." Naa Larley took over the conversation for she realised her friend had become mute in what seemed to be shock and fear. Luckily for them, Isabel and Melissa had moved away from them and were playing table tennis with a bunch of girls quite far away, but the two older women could see them from where they sat at the bar.

"Uh...what are you doing here?" Louisa asked after she realised she had been suspiciously quiet for quite a long time.

"William!!" Someone called out his name before he could give Louisa a reply. He groaned inwardly when he realised it was Reggie and that she was coming towards him.

"Oh uh...hi." Reggie said tentatively. She could feel a palpable tension in the air and briefly wondered if she was the reason.

William sighed. Now he had to do an introduction...his past was going to meet his present, he really wasn't looking forward to it.

"Ladies, this is Reggie, my fiancée. Reggie meet Louisa and Naa Larley."

Reggie grinned in surprise, "Oh hey Naa, I didn't recognise you. How are you doing? And, Louisa, nice to meet you."

Naa Larley came to the rescue and steered the conversation away from her friend, claiming that she was not feeling well. The fact that Louisa was nervous and scared didn't stop her however from assessing her ex's fiancée, the woman was beautiful and very friendly, that Louisa could tell. She could see how Will would fall in love with her, she screamed perfection. Louisa wasn't really paying attention to their conversation with her best friend as her brain was wishing her daughter away from them at least till the two had taken their leave. She sighed in relief as the couple said their goodbyes and took leave of them and that was when she fell into her friend's arms and felt herself breakdown in sobs.

"Please let's get out of here." She managed to whisper.

"Shh. It's alright love, the storm has passed." Naa Larley consoled her friend as they wiped her tears and made her look presentable.

They then went to get the girls and Mrs. Mensah who all seemed very happy and drove home.