Luckily for me, after biology I didn't have any class with Chase, if I did, I didn't see him in class. School was over, I had to get home. I miss mum so much.
"Lisa!" I heard a familiar voice and turned.
"Oh hey Carly." I smiled at her.
She smiled too. "You going home?"
"Yeah, seems like you're leaving also. Let's go together, you're going in my direction."
"Okay then." I smiled. We walked passed the school gate and were already passing by the 'Funke's Restaurant'. I could already smell the aroma of the Yoruba tribe's ewedu soup, so mouth watering. It brought back memories of the times dad usually brought home the ewedu and amala dish. It was sold by a Yoruba woman who married an Ibo man. Though it wasn't a native dish, this meal was so much enjoyed by the whole street because of its peculiar taste.
"So...how're you feeling?" Carly's voice snapped me back to reality, I paused for a while and fully understood what she meant.
"Huh?" I knew what she was insinuating but I wanted to play dumb. I was expecting this but not this soon.
As we passed by the restaurant and its amazing aroma, so that flashback passed.
She teasingly brushed my arm with hers. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm saying."
"You're the talk of the school now, word has gone out about how the rigid Chase stood up for you. I'm jealous." After hearing that, I momentarily looked into space. I began to speak.
"I honestly don't know what to say, it's overwhelming. Everything is. Carly, I never asked for this and I really don't want it. His protection, his favour. Him in general." She was looking so dumbfounded at me, as if I just said words likened to what a child says. Foolish.
"My plan is to stay as low profile as possible until I graduate, I can't be attracting this much attention just on the first day of school. I don't want to be hated by anyone"
"Calm" she elongated the letter l. "Lisa, no one hates you, they're just curious about you, girl. Even I am." Using her right hand, she held my left shoulder and looked at me with warm eyes.
"This is not a regular happening in this school, Lisa. Chase has never done this before, so it's quite understandable that it catches everyone's attention, but I assure you, it'll all die down, soon." She gave me an assuring smile. I hope it does.
"TIN Tan To... Tin To Ta" A very loud tune disrupted our conversation. We both looked at each other at the same time and said in accordance.
"Ice Cream!!!" At an increased pace, we walked in the direction of the tune and finally found it. A white van with an opened window, and a man sitting in the van, selling ice cream to a few kids beside it.
Walking straight towards it, we got to the cue and stood. After a moment that felt like 10 minutes, we got our ice creams. Carly got strawberry and I, chocolate. Then we continued on our journey home while licking our ice creams.
After walking a few blocks from the van, Carly alerted that she had already reached home, which was surprisingly and coincidentally a 15 mins walk from mine. I walked her to her doorstep and bade her goodbye, was about to leave but...
"Don't tell me you're leaving without coming in?" She asked while pouting her mouth in a really weird position. I smiled as I retreated. Immediately, she joyfully entered inside while leaving the door ajar.
Though, Carly and I already bonded both in school and on the way here, but it didn't change the fact that this was our first meeting. Entering her house would naturally feel awkward.
I set my right leg inside, while opening the door wider with my hand, pausing for a while, and taking a deep breath. After all, this was the first time entering another's house since ages. I lifted my second leg and I was successfully inside.
Compared to the bland exterior look of this 1 storey building, the interior was exceptionally beautiful. From different colourful chandeliers, one in the waiting room, one in the sitting room, another in the dinning room (of course, all these were visible from the doorstep). I opened my mouth for a split second, then closed up immediately after remembering my manners.
"My parents aren't around, they usually come home late from work, so the house is always free to me around this time."
"Oh okay, good for you" I said as I began looking around the house.
There were different paintings all around this ridiculously spacious building, in every visible room, giving off the impression that there was one in the home with a talent, and who did regular brush ups. Paintings of the sea, the sunset, birds; paintings of nature at most. I was in awe.
I successfully controlled my physical expressions, but could do nothing about my motion and focus, I wasn't aware of when I stopped following Carly. Shit, where's she? Now, she's long gone to a particular part of this humongous house I know not.
Instead of going in search for her or screaming her name, I stood in the waiting room looking at the room's available paintings.
The painting of the sea looked adorable and detailed, showing the seabed and the movement of the waves as it crashed on a rock. Above the sea, in the heavens was the sky, veiled with clouds that at last connected to the sea. The setting sun which gave the painting an orange background, and a group of birds flying in a perfect triangular formation. It was indeed a beautiful sight.
I moved to the far right of this cream painted walled room that possessed furniture, which comprised of an emerald painted centre table with a glass surface, 2 emerald and cream coloured cushions and a small emerald painted bookshelf that had roughly 15 books in it, comprising of magazines, novels and the sorts. A window that was adorned with emerald and cream coloured curtains, a man-made plant that had beautiful flowers of different shades of pink, and a gold chandelier over at the centre of the room. The room had a cooling system, as there was a standing air conditioner by the corner.
When I moved to the far right, I figured there was a particular painting which stood out more out of the other paintings in the room. It was a painting of an African goddess.
She was indeed a goddess, for she was so beautiful. I've never seen a goddess before, not even a picture, but it was as if this painting itself spoke to me of who she was. Weird but amazing. But she also looked a little familiar.
She had a thick black skin, gold slanted eyes, a well defined nose, plump pitch lips, high cheekbones and a perfect figure.
She wore an orange African wrapper that was skillfully tied around her perfect body; around her breasts as a tube m, and around her waist as a skirt. The same material of this wrapper was used too to beautify her gold crown which sat on her long flowing gold afro.
She was also adorned with different accessories, 5 earrings on each ear, 6 gold african chokers on her neck, 10 African bangles on each wrist, 4 anklets on each ankle and 5 waist beads. She wore no shoes, for her feet glowed glamorously. Her legs and hands were tattooed with red paint, that shone. She was sitting on a gold throne, she was majestic. She looked really familiar.
"There you are! I searched everywhere for you. I was even calling out to you, didn't you hear?" Carly appeared. I wanted to turn and answer, but my body was fixated on that spot looking at the painting, as if I was bewitched. I was mentally conscious, but my body wasn't.
"Lisa!" Then I felt a very hard slap on my back, my fingers could now move, and my rigid legs found their flexibility. I turned to Carly, obviously in pain.
"Ouuuuuchh!!!" Though I was in pain, but it could not be compared to the helplessness I felt as I was rigid. I was grateful.
"I'm so sorry Lisa, I thou..." She looked sorry.
"It's fine Carly" I caught her off. "It wasn't even that painful." I smiled so wide.
She looked dumbfounded and walked towards me. "What were you staring so focused at that you couldn't even respond?" She came forward and looked at the painting. "What's so good about this? It's just a blank frame." She gave me a 'you're so unbelievable' look.
"Blank?" I looked back at the painting and it was indeed blank. What? I stared back at her. "There was something there Carly, I swear!" She gave me the look again.
"You're so weird" She walked out of the room. I looked back at the frame and the painting appeared. "Follow me, Lisa!!" Carly returned and the painting mysteriously vanished. When she left, I closed my eyes, shook my head and opened them up. The painting appeared. Woah!!
Though this event was abnormal, but the kind of personality I had was a very composed one. I just couldn't freak out no matter how freaky this appeared. I followed Carly to the kitchen and on the floor, eating from a bowl was a cute white fluffy puppy.
I was awed. "Her name's AD" Carly said. I stooped and played with her for a short while, she was all over me, guess she liked me. Afterwards, I reminded Carly that I had to leave. Mum must be expecting me by now.
"Oh yeah, you have to go home. Silly me forgot my manners." She walked me to her door, we bade ourselves goodbye for the second time and I left.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Moments later after Lisa left,
Inside the 1 storey building, sitting restlessly on the emerald and cream coloured cushion was a purple eyed Carly staring intently at the blank frame hung on the wall.
"SHE COULD SEE THE PAINTING!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Mooooom?!!" I screamed as I arrived at my house.
"Dear!" I heard my mom run down the stairs. Seeing her so eager to come to me made me run to her. When we reached each other, we had a heartwarming hug.
"Oh hon, I missed you so much. It was so lonely staying here alone."
"I missed you too mom, but you could've gone for a walk or gone to visit Mrs Ayomide or Mrs Abigail. Aren't they your friends?" I asked her while still in a hug.
"I didn't have the vibe to mingle dingle" What?! I burst into laughter.
"Mom, I remember telling you to stop trying so hard to act like a 21st century kid, you're old school." I teased her.
"What? Me? Old school? That's impossible. Well, I think I pulled it off so well. I could even attend your school and no one would notice I'm older." She pouted and at the same time rested her arms on her waist. I laughed again.
Now, we were separated. Noticing a burden at my back, I quickly dropped my bag pack on the dinning table and jumped to sit on the kitchen counter feeling relieved.
"No, mom, that's impossible! You wouldn't even be able to make it passed the school gate." I said after remembering the stares of the security guards earlier today. She laughed hard.
"What did you eat for lunch?"
"I didn't feel like eating, so I remained in class."
"Thought as much!" 'PANG' She spanked my legs!
"Ouch!" I whined.
"Mechie onu gi!!" She shut me up in our native language. "I always tell you to eat your meals but you never listen, what if you fall sick?"
She was pissed. I came down from the counter and hugged her back playfully. "I'm so sorry mom, don't be so angry." I gave her the puppy eyes.
She laughed and we hugged again.
Just as quick as she hugged me, she pushed me away, held me and turned my back to face her. She wiped it with a big force.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I was shocked.
"Oh nothing, hon, nothing. Just thought I saw an insect on your back." She laughed, but her eyes looked troubled.