Unfulfilled promises 50

Unfulfilled Promises

Written by Audrey Timms

episode 50

When she was spent, she laid on the bed and slept off. It was her mum who woke her up to tell her dinner was ready. She thanked her but told her she wasn’t hungry. She got up and tried the numbers of Zinny and Marvy she found in her former phone after changing the battery but they were no longer in use. She decided to go over to their houses the following day.

She wondered if her mum’s lover boy was still around. She didn’t give a hoot. It just shocked her. No wonder she hadn’t seen her mum in more than a year. She hadn’t spent the previous Christmas holiday with them. She hadn’t known she was rollicking with her lover boy or man rather. She had wondered all these years if her mum had a male friend and now that she knew, the shock of it was overwhelming. She wondered if they would get married. She doubted it. They were probably just having an affair. She chuckled. So her mum was getting down with a man. Her always cold looking mum finally attracted a man. Very funny. What about her motto that all men were bastards? Maybe loneliness finally caught up with her.

 

Oleng continued her musings while she cleaned up her room. When she got hungry, she brought out the snacks Dave had bought for her on their sojourn to Port Harcourt. She ate them with relish thinking how eating them was better than eating her mum’s food.

She got up early the following morning and continued her cleaning. When she was through, she had her bath and decided it was time to go and look for her long lost friends. As she was about leaving the house, she saw her mum entering the compound in her new car or was it that of her man friend, she wondered.

“Where are you off to?” Mrs. Akpan asked as she got down from the jeep.

“To look for my friends.” she said nonchalantly.

“So you’re bent on looking for them.” she replied.

“Yes.” Oleng shortly replied and began walking away.

“Have you eaten?”

“No.” She didn’t bother turning around.

“Are you watching your weight or something?” her mum quizzed.

She turned around then. “No. I usually don’t have an appetite in the morning.”

“Are you all right? Hope you’re not sick.” her mum asked with concern.

Oleng looked at her strangely. What was the caring mother act for? “If you had really known me then, you’d know now that I’ve never been much of an eater. Even while I was pregnant.” she threw at the woman who claimed to be her mother.

She quietly walked away leaving her mother to stare after her. She didn’t care a d--n about her feelings. If her mum had been half this caring six years ago, she would have loved her more than life itself but right now, she felt nothing for the woman called Mrs. Linda Akpan. Only avoid.

 

She prayed she would be able to remember Zinny’s house. She went the wrong way at first before finally finding the house. When she saw the gateman, she knew she had gotten the exact place. The man didn’t even recognize her. She didn’t blame him though after all, it’s been six years and she hadn’t visited here much before she left. She was glad when he told her that Zinny was at home because she didn’t know much about private universities academic calendar.

She walked up to the house and discovered there were changes here also. Everyone seemed to have moved on. She knocked on the oak door and waited. She knocked again before she heard Zinny’s voice saying she was coming. Excitement filled her.

“Yes?” Zinny said as she opened the door. Oleng just stood there smiling.

Zinny screamed when she recognized the person standing there. “It’s a lie! It’s a lie!” she yelled.

Oleng stepped forward and hugged her. They hugged each other fiercely. “It’s a lie. It’s a lie.” Zinny continued ranting.

“It’s true. I’m here with you.” Oleng informed her friend still smiling.

“I can’t believe this!” she screamed and hugged her again. “Oleng! Is this really you?” she cried.

“Yes!”

“Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Where’re my manners? Please come in.” she held her friend’s hand and led her in.

“Where’s everyone?”

“They’ve all gone out. I’m alone at home. I was preparing breakfast. Would you like some?”

“Should I call my doctor first?” Oleng asked chuckling. She remembered that Zinny had been a bad cook.

“You’re not serious. I’ll have you know that I’m now the one in charge of the kitchen. My dad even told my mum to relinquish her kitchen duties to me.” she bragged.

“Really?Like washing of plates and pots kind of duties?” Oleng teased.

Zinny eyed her and they both laughed.

Oleng followed her to the kitchen.

“I intend preparing fried eggs and toast. Just sit and tell me every thing that happened…no wait. Let me call Marvy to come over first.” She rushed to pick up her phone.

“Is she around?” Oleng enquired sitting down and facing her friend.

“Yes. We’ll both be resuming by October…hello. Come over to my house immediately…don’t question me. Just come…propose indeed! I want you to come and see the person who decided to grace my house this morning…not him now! Oooh…come jor! Wetin dey worry you sef? Please come and make it snappy. Okay…bye. I never knew Marvy was so inquisitive.” she grinned as she flipped her phone shut.

She went to hug her friend again. “I really can’t believe you are here. There was a time I thought you were dead. I thought your mother took you for an abortion and you died in the process. I wept myself silly. The gateman wasn’t cooperative either. He kept telling us that you no longer lived there. We even tried to bribe him to tell us if you were dead but he chased us out. We had to give up and told your soul to rest in peace. Any time I dreamt of you, I would cry woefully. I can’t believe you’re here, alive, hale and hearty.” she narrated slowly

To be continued