The Silence Within

Chapter 50

Lola had her hand pressed to her face, embarrassment causing heat to rise against her cheeks. If she was not dark skinned then she would be as red as a beetroot. What had she done? Why had she been that way? She had shown him a part of her that made her extremely vulnerable.

The most embarrassing moment was waking up to be held by him and her snuggled into him. God! She laid her palms over her cheeks, tapping them lightly as if to reduce the heat that rose against them. The night before, she had held him, wrapped her hand around him and cried into his back as she wanted him to save her.

She wheezed out taking a hand full of her hair. That reminded her. She needed to loosen the extension and do something new on her head. The hair was already old and her look needed to change. She reached for a drawer beneath the vanity to search for scissors and a razor blade. Going natural for a day won't kill her and before the end of the day, she would have a new hairstyle on. That instigated her lips to stretch upwards. Excitement coursed through her. Oh! She can't wait. It's time to play with Snap Chat filters.

Loosening the extension was not easy. Searching for the thread to loosen and trying not to cut her hair with it was a tiring job. Why could she not just wait until she gets to the beauty parlour where everything from loosening to washing and making would be done?

Lola ran a towel through the kinky curls on her head to dampen the hair and halt water from dripping into her bathing robe. The sun had risen early compare to the day before. The sky was a lighter shade of blue and cloudless. It was the kind of day that urged her to take a walk. Her damp hands parted the curtains to reveal the windows. Bright beams of sunlight spilled into the room stinging her eyes. She shut her eyes the moment light splashed into them. The day was as though rain had not fallen the night before.

Beyond the window of the lush bedroom, the garden was a hue of green and different colours of flowers. Amidst the wide spread of grasses, she sighted a bird that hopped and hopped as it picked what she does not know from the soil. The gardener had arrived and amongst the bed of buttercups, he worked on the soil. Nature thrilled her but flowers do not. She never loved flowers or had the urge to own them because they never picked her interest. She had seen her sisters especially Sister Toke become touched at the sight of flowers when gifted to her by people. The only reason why she had them in her home was due to fact that they beautify the environment.

The distant sound of okada and vehicles passing by floated through the air. Horns blared causing an early morning noise pollution. She could hear the distant voice of a woman shouting and the voices of children screaming in the house next to theirs. The day had begun and most people had been pushed out of their homes.

With a leg slightly bent at the knee, Lola tipped her head a bit to have a look at her husband in bed. A little smile graced her dried lips. Joshua had his hand sprawled out at both sides of his head, back against the bed and the sheet half was through his body. She had no reason to why her heart had flapped at the sight and why that sight was a beautiful view to look at. She does not know where this new relationship was leading to but she knew she was already giving in too many things. She can't fall hopelessly for him. There had to be something she can do before she finds herself becoming more defenceless than she was. Hugging him last night was a way to take things further and she was sure Joshua was not the kind of man to let that chance slip away. She snatched the curtains together, turned around and headed for her dressing table while she found herself getting restless at the thought of him. Only if she had paid attention to another thing that got more restless. Her heart.

Joshua woke up to an empty room but the concentrated scent of a woman permeated through his nostrils into his nerves that reminded him of who it belonged to. His eyes scanned the room, mood grumpy, as he scratched the back of his neck. His mouth was dry and tasted funny. He grimaced, disliking the fact that another working day had begun. Work the day before had turned out to be more stressful than he had thought. If he had no boss to please, he would have left work earlier than he was released. His eyes fell on the wall clock. Mouth dropping, eyes wide, his heart beat increased. It was some minutes to eight. He was extremely late for work. Why had Lola not woken him up? Jumping off the bed, he knelt down, closed his eyes and interlocked his hands together to pray.