Brown Skinned Bet

Chapter XXIII

        "Taa bụ Wednesde. Kedu mgbe ị chọrọ ime ya? ka anyi mee ya kita.(Today is wednesday,when do you want to do it? Let's do it now)" she beseeched,causing me to take to my feet and saunter into the room.

         Giving into her request,I helped her manoeuvre my belongings through the complicated architecture of the house,a plain white duplex,half of its exterior walls lined with tiles. The interior on the other hand was surely something to write home about,I always wondered why my mother chose such a large and glamorous four bedroom mansion to house just us both,but then,who was I to question her?

           Chandeliers lined almost every sector of the ceiling,both upstairs and downstairs,fancy little lights lining most corridors and hallways. The cream emulsion painting which coated all the walls of the house,coupled with the mostly white and gold furniture and curtains,and of course the ever blasting air conditioners,gave the house a cooling effect throughout the day,almost making me forget that I still resided in the tropics.

          Dark pristine tiles lined the floors of the house,with the exception of the bedrooms,which had cream tiles. In summary,the kitchen,living rooms and guestrooms were situated at the ground floor of the duplex,while the bedrooms and laundry were at the top floor.

          We got to sorting my school clothes the minute we entered the laundry. Anne prepared the buckets and water while I took a seat on a nearby chair,taking out the clothes that needed washing from the little box.

          I pulled out the very last item and when I did,my brows bobbed up in recognition of the memories the piece of clothing brought rushing into my mind. There,Daryl's hoodie lay in my arms and I brought my fingers to feel its texture. And then I felt it,the hurt. I'd thought I had finally come victorious over the past few days but I seemed to be wrong,it was still there,budding and waiting to attack me again,at every chance it got,just like now.

         I quickly stuffed the hoodie back into the bag and zipped it close fiercely. Merely having his familiar scent wheezing past my nose again seemed to be too much to take on. I couldn't be like this anymore,I couldn't be more vulnerable to him or anything else related.

         "O we onye ku that bell,anama bia biko (There is somebody ringing the bell,I'm coming)" Anne's voice pulled me out of my thoughts,finally making me aware of the doorbell sound which was now cutting through the silence of the house.

         "Dont worry,let me go" I offered,seeing as she fought to put on her flip flops which she'd taken off prior to the commencement of our work. "Ah,thank you my dear" she appreciated just before I walked out of the laundry,down the hallway until I got to the stairs and made my descent.

          Not bothering to check the control unit,I went ahead,walking through the foyer and turning the knob of the door as I reached it. With all other conditions being kept constant,I was sure I had no appointment with the person I found standing behind the doors of my home. Temi,clad in a free grey cardigan and a pair of dark blue jean pants,his feet well housed by his pair of brown sandals,a black baseball cap resting over his head.

          "Hey" he greeted nervously,his hand going up to give his eyebrow a light scratch. I blinked several times,not just in my attempt to take in the light intensity of the day but also trying to comprehend what he was doing on the porch of my house. I had a strong urge to dismiss him vehemently,but I held myself back,reminding myself that I should be humane.

         "Hi,Temi" I lay an extra emphasis on his name,folding my arms over my chest. He stared at me for a while and with him being someone who could hardly hide his emotions,I could easily detect his remorse as his expressions morphed.