ᴅᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ

53

Chimdi stilled. She wasn't seeing things, that was definitely his voice. And as his eyes collided with hers, she saw him visibly relax, before turning to the hefty men.

"See that girl over there? She's a friend." He declared, motioning to where she stood, frozen and all. "Dee, tell them." He slurred.

It really is him.

Hastening her step, Chimdi found herself making to where he was.

"Farouq?" Her voice came out in a whisper.

The lean boy smiled, eyes bloodshot and tired as he went slack in the arms of the hefty men.

"Told ya," he slurred again, while she narrowed her eyes at his state.

"Do you know him?" One of the hefty men, the one with the least scariest face asked.

She swallowed, whilst nodding. "Yes, he's a friend."

With heart beating rapidly, she stumbled to catch the staggering boy as they let him go.

She knew it wouldn't take time till they alerted Adaeze and Omoshola, her hosts.

"Told them I knew you were here." Chimdi heard the boy let out in slurred words as she let him down on the white beach sand.

This time, she took a good look at him. He was nothing like the boy who'd grabbed her hand and had spoken to her few days ago. The boy before her was lost and was drowning in sorrow.

And if she could recall accurately, Farouq Waziri didn't do alcohol. He'd rather get high than get shit faced drunk and that was why she asked.

"Are you high?"

The lean boy snorted, before sitting up. His bloodshot eyes which was meant to scare Chimdi, doing the exact opposite.

"High?" He scoffed, unshed tears filling his eyes. "I'm down here Dee." He slurred, hands going low that he almost tumbled over. "So down here."

Chimdi sighed, before steading him. "What happened Farouq?" Why are you here?

"Didn't do it I swear Dee." His slurry words came out as he sniffed. "Didn't do it. Promise."

And that moment, Chimdi didn't know she'd been holding on to her breath that long. She'd never craved relief that much.

Fighting a smile, she turned to the intoxicated boy. "What happened?"

He let out a relieved sigh, as if, he too was relieved she believed him and wasn't sending him away.

Sitting up, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand, eyes, almost sober.

"She's after me," he began, confusing Chimdi some more.

"Come again Farouq. Who's after you?"

He sniffed again and instead of giving Chimdi the answers she sort, he said. "Dee I'm sorry. I just wanted to give Mama a good life. I just wanted mama to be happy. And she'd promised just that if I did it. Can't I be selfish for once? Can't I afford such opportunities Dee?"

The words he uttered were enough to obnubilate her.

She was struggling to make sense of everything he spouted, while trying hard to swim out of the pool of confusion he'd dumped her into.

"Farouq," she said softly, as she watched the once bright and glossy skinned boy, now almost frail, wither before her. "Calm down, okay. What happened? Tell me, who's after you?"

His once bright eyes stared at her in uncertainty and fear. "Mama has gone Dee." He said instead. "She's left me."

"Why? Is she after you? Where did she go to?"