Facade (Romola 1)

24: Temper and Temperature

"God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken."

Olumide knocked on the door for the tenth time. Romola still wasn't picking his calls. He had expected that she would open the door. She had told him that she would be home. He had driven all the way from the island just to see her. Even if she wasn't home, he sighed and leaned against the door post, Yetunde ought to be back home by now. He had tried calling Yetunde's phone too and Yetunde didn't pick up either.

He turned to return to his car and begin his journey home when it occurred to him that he should try to open the door by himself. He banished the thought. There was no way the girls would be home and leave him knocking at the door for so long. His heart hung as he realized that he wouldn't be seeing Romola today. He didn't want to let her down as he had let her down on Tuesday.

His hand curled around the metal handle of the door. It opened with a slight push and his eyes narrowed. The door had been unlocked the whole time. He stepped into the flat with the white nylon bag that contained two tubs of ice cream. Yetunde was probably the one at home and she had forgotten to lock the door again. At least one of them was home and his visit and ice cream wouldn't got to waste.

He raised his head, looking around the rectangular room. His eyes lit on Romola's body convulsing beside a pool of sticky yellow liquid. He rushed to her, watching her body jerk and writhe in pain. Crouching beside her, he stared at her body. Her teeth were clamped shut. Her face twitched and she was drowning in her own sweat. Olumide's heart rammed against his chest as he saw her eyes roll to the back of her head. Her dark skin was white like it had been left in the harmattan wind.

He tried to pick her up but drew back his hand when he touched her skin. Her body was on fire. He let the ice cream bags drop to the floor. He slipped his hands underneath her body and pulled her to his chest while he stood to his full height. His feet stretched to take the first step to the nearest hospital. He had seen it a few streets away. He took the first step, only for Yetunde to appear out of nowhere and stand before him.

Her face was a canvas of anxiety. "What are you doing?"

"Can't you see? So you've been here all along. Why didn't you answer the door?" He struggled between keeping Romola's body unmoving and giving Yetunde his ears.

"I was watching her. She will be fine."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes... This is.. this is normal." Yetunde smirked at him.

As thought to prove her words, Romola's body stopped jerking. He stared down at her face that was still scrunched in pain. Her eyes were barely visible now. It looked more like a white canvas with a little black spot at the top. That wasn't normal.

"Really? What condition is she suffering from?"

"It's very simple. Epilepsy."

Olumide would have questioned Yetunde further if Romola's chest didn't rise and her eyes didn't seem to pop back to the center of her face. Her pupils were dilated and even though she remained staring at the light bulb above their heads, her pupil's remained that way. Romola gasped and then shut her eyes. She kept gasping, almost as though she was searching for air. He felt her body temperature rise. It worried him. He had only carried her for a few minutes and he was already soaked in her sweat. He was no medical expert but he doubted that Romola was suffering from epilepsy. Whatever it was, he had to get her to the hospital quick.

"Get out of my way, Yetunde." he said in the calmest voice he could muster. He stared hard at her wondering how she could be so calm watching her friend suffer.

"She'll be fine. I promise. Don't take her to the hospital." For a brief moment, he got a glimpse of the Yetunde that he knew. Her soft voice and big round eyes almost won him over but he stared at Romola again. His shirt was plastered to his body by sweat. He was sweating everywhere that her body touched his. Romola's body was on fire. She was definitely not fine.

"Excuse me." He walked around Yetunde and headed for the door.

"I promise you. She'll be fine. It's just a little ecstasy."

Olumide stopped walking, turning to her with a murderous glare. "A little what?"

Yetunde's fingers twitched and she avoided his gaze. That was when he noticed that her pupils were as large as Romola's. Her hands fidgeted. Her body swayed. Her jaw jutted out but quivered.

"You're on drugs right now. Aren't you?"

"She will be fine."

Romola jerked again. Her body became still. Her eyes remained hidden. He jaw slacked. . Olumide tensed when he saw that there was no desperate gasp for air following this jerk.

"Get out of my way." He yelled, advancing. "I'll deal with you later."

Yetunde stood firm. "I don't get you. You used to do drugs, what happened to you, Mide?"

"You saw what it did to Muyi. It killed him."

"Did it really? Or did you kill Muyi?"

"It was an accident." A profound silence followed his words.

"What are you doing here, Olumide?" She asked staring at him. Her face had become a mask of confusion. He realized that the last minutes of their conversation was lost as she seemed to peer past him to the door.

He got to the door, realizing that Yetunde was following him. "Stay in the house. I'll get Dami to come."

"Please, don't tell Dami."

He saw her eyes water but he knew what had to be done. He tore his gaze from hers and skipped down the staircase, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't arrived when he did. What if he hadn't tried to open the door? Perhaps, Romola would be dead just like Muyi had died. The thought of Romola dying had him rushing to his car.