Chapter 2

Another morning came sooner than she expected. This time, Koshie slept so much that she could hear her mother's voice from afar and her gentle hands nudging her up from bed. She gaped at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter past seven.

"You're late for school, Koshie," said her mother. "You had better hurry. However, the neighbours are here to greet us briefly before you go."

"Awwww…... I'll be late for school," she whimpered.

"I thought you were eager to see them," she said. "So I didn't hesitate to agree when they suggested that they wanted to see you."

Koshie was a little bit disappointed. She had wanted to strike acquaintance at a suitable time so she would be at her best. Right now, the punishment she would receive for being late for school was going to deter her from being herself.

"A few seconds of acquaintance will not hurt anyone, my dear," said her mother. Koshie braced herself for the pleasantries, the long wait, and the nervous silence between the newcomers and her family. When she came out to see them, she felt slightly nervous and thought they would notice her anxiety. She pictured that look on the boy's face when she saw him out of her window. She could not figure out what exactly it was, but it made her get the creeps. The little boy smiled and helped her loosen up a little bit. He already had an impression on her. Could he have charmed her in any way? His appearance might not be a coincidence after all. He seemed to be whispering in her ears once again. She covered her ears again. He drew closer and took her hands off.

"Hi!" he said. She goggled at him. "Are you trying to avoid me?"

"No," she denied. He smiled at her. That charming smile again! She thought.

"I'm Odartey," extending his arms for a handshake.

"Mine is Koshie," she replied.

"Nice meeting you," he said.

"Same here,"

What a very short reply! He thought. I thought she would be happier to see me than this? Why is she so laid back? He became self-conscious and then came back to himself again. He could not afford to give his feelings away too early. The boy however asked her so many questions that she needed time to process them all before giving him appropriate answers. He gave her no time to regain her composure as she went from answering one question to another.

"I hear you lost your kitten," he inquired.

"How did you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"Your mother told me," he confessed. Koshie was disappointed her mother was the one to spill the beans. She could have let her do that herself. Why did Mum have to be talking to him about me? What makes her so sure of him? He shook her hands, shaking her out of her absent mindedness. She seemed to be in a world of her own. His hands felt so warm she wished she could hold them all day. He chafed them, bringing her cold body back to life once again. He was more charming and courteous than before. Whenever his curiosity began to bother her, she would hear him telling her softly behind her ears that it was okay. She wondered how he was able to do that without coming any closer. Perhaps, at this very moment, he was trying to encourage her to relax. She was beginning to feel that he could read her mind. She flinched and hid behind her mother's skirt.

"I can tell you're in a hurry to go to school," he said quickly, doing his best to regain her confidence. "We'll get there in no time. Don't worry." How did he know she was worried about being late for school? She instantly recalled her assumption that he could be a mind reader and yearned to ask him the questions that were running through her mind, yet, there seemed to be a barrier between them which prevented her from doing so no matter how hard she tried. There seemed to be an invisible wall that separated them. He kept communicating with her beyond physical barriers although no one could see those. Perhaps, he was holding something back too. When they were through with all the pleasantries, the little boy held her hand and took her outside. He lifted her up and placed her on his bicycle. Where was he taking her? Mum's the word! Koshie's mother watched him carefully. That was a very audacious move. She was glad he did not wait until they were out of their sight before doing so.

"There!" he said. "We will get there in no time."

Koshie's mother heaved a great sigh of relief. If he could fulfil that promise, much of her worries would be over. She was partly responsible for her tardiness and could not forgive herself for that. True to his words, he cycled down the road as fast as he could.

"Once again, my name is Odartey," he repeated when they were approaching the school gate. "Don't you forget that." He rubbed her hands with his. "You don't have to be afraid of me. Please do relax a little bit so you can concentrate on your studies for today. I'll be right here to meet you after school." He lifted her up from his bicycle and placed her gently on the ground, then disappeared into thin air. Koshie could not stop gaping. How did he do that with the speed of lightning? She rubbed her eyes again to ascertain whether she was seeing things or not. Was she supposed to notice his disappearing act? Was he going to appear again like a magician? As she stood in awe, he came back to help her avoid the wrath of the school's Principal as if he could read her mind. She kept leering at him in wonder. It was a wonder how he knew her reaction to her being all by herself outside the classroom.

The principal's deep voice brought her back to reality and she wondered why she was not as harsh as ever. Instead, she was being so nice to her.

Still gaping at Odartey, she realised he was smiling at the principal. That could explain the principal's behaviour towards her. He seemed to pack a punch on people. Did he know her already? If he did, how did he get to know her? He was supposed to be a new comer. Then, she suddenly remembered that she was a neighbour too and one of the board members of the neighbourhood watch committee. That could explain the familiarity.

"Get into your classroom, miss," said the principal. "And do so as quickly as you can. I believe your lesson might have started already." Turning to Odartey, she said: "Welcome, I hope you enjoy your stay here."

She quickly slipped into her class, waving Odartey goodbye. He whispered a 'see you after school' and she nodded. When she entered, the teacher affirmed her presence and showed her her seat. What could explain his extra attention to her today? He was talking about kittens.

"Not again!" she muttered to herself. "Why does everyone keep reminding me of my little kitten?"

"Koshie," her teacher suddenly interrupted her thoughts. "You're late today." Leering at her for an explanation. "Before you sit, can you please tell us a little about your kitten?" He had noticed her sleepy eyes and would like to help keep her awake lest she excluded herself from the ongoing discussions which were in honour of her." I have a feeling she might be responsible for your lateness." Waiting for response from her.

"I can't find my kitten," she said. "I wish you would not mention her. It makes me sad." She wiped a tear from her left eye as everyone sympathised with her.

"Sorry about that, Koshie," he said. "When did that happen?"

"Just this morning before I set off for school."

"You can sit down then," her teacher empathised. "We won't bother you anymore." She was grateful he had said that. If anyone asked one more question, she might burst into tears. The discussion went on and on and became more interesting with every passing minute. Koshie could not continue her sleep like she wished she could. Some of her classmates talked about their puppies and how they managed to replace them when they got missing. Others spoke of the process of mourning they went through and how they had been able to get over it afterwards without replacing them with any other pet, like or unlike the ones they had. After the class, many of her mates came around her to comfort her, especially those who said they had lost their pets before. She managed to keep her head up high and smile at them.

Seeing Odartey, the new neighbour, waiting for her from afar however, she politely excused herself and joined him whilst her mates looked on, whispering and wondering who he was. She smiled sheepishly as Odartey put her back on his bicycle and waved them goodbye, leaving them confused.

"Ooooooohhhh?" expressing some amount of awe at this friendship that was already brewing between the two. "Those two know each other already?" they whispered. "I hear he's the strange kind."

Koshie was aware they would be discussing Odartey and herself but ignored their curiousity and moved closer to him as he placed her back on his bicycle.

"I didn't know you would be waiting for me," she said to Odartey as he quietly directed the bicycle tyres with his steering wheel. He ignored her comment. She was as nervous as he was. Before they parted ways for their classrooms, he had specifically told her he would be waiting for her. Perhaps, she was too lost in her thoughts to allow his comment to sink in.

"Why not?" he replied. "I would like to give you a lift again and again since you do not have your kitten to do that." Koshie was amused. How could she be walking to school with a kitten? The rhyme Mary had a little lamb came to mind.

"I'm not Mary," she replied. "and she's not the little lamb either."

Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleet was white as snow

And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go… sang Odartey, shaking his head from one side to the other like a pendulum.

"Paddie was always at home," Koshie, laughing sheepishly.

"She was a girl?" he asked, excited. "I thought so. I'm honoured to be the first to transport you to wherever you may want to go." As she rode and he walked, he kept the conversation going.

"If I may ask, what happened to your kitten?"

"I heard noises during the night," said Koshie, "and then a shrill cry. I couldn't tell what it was and unfortunately, I couldn't go out to find out for myself what the noise was all about. I only looked through my window and saw a pathway leading away from the house."

"Like you were staring at me from your window today?" Koshie smiled and nodded sheepishly.

"The plants looked like they had been troubled by something or someone as he, she, or it passed there."

"I see," holding his chin like a concerned adult ready to ask his next question. Did he also want to be a detective like her? "Can we try tracing her path?" he asked. He seemed enthused and eager to solve this mystery by himself, since her kitten meant so much to her. "Would it be too late to look for her?"

"I don't think so," she replied, herself, enthused.

"We can always try. There's no harm in doing so."

"Let me tell my mother first," Koshie said, trying to act like a responsible girl. "She might be worried about us."

"We'll not go looking for her right away," he said, by way of assuring her. "I have a surprise for you. We are going to draw her."

"That's solely the job of professionals. How are you going to do that?"

"I will show you how. Just bring me a sketch pad."

"A sketch pad? Why would you need a sketchpad? Are you going to turn a drawing into a kitten by your magic?" Odartey stopped short of expressing shock at her comment. She had just let out a word that hit him like a bomb. A magician? What did she think of him? What impression had he created in her mind? No wonder she had been so nervous and absent minded. He must have created a wrong impression of himself.

"I've never drawn on my own before. All my sketchpads are at school. I'm just not good at it," said Koshie, oblivious of the state she had put him into. He managed to dash quickly into his room to get one for himself to prove to her that he was serious about his statement. Her words could keep him frozen at the same spot forever if he dwelt on its impact.

He came back with a very big sketchpad. "I guess you've never seen a big one like this before?" he said, as he noticed her jaw dropping. Both of them had said and done something that had caused each other to be taken aback.

"No, I haven't seen a big one like this before, although I would like my kitten to grow as big as this in future." Odartey laughed and so did she, glad to have broken the ice for the first time.

"I'm glad you have seen one now," he said proudly. "Now, sit back and watch me do this."

"Are you going to wave your magic wand over it?"

"Far from that," he replied. Why does she keep thinking that I'm a magician? He thought.

Odartey sat behind his table doing a quick sketch of what Koshie had just described to him. She was so impressed with his art that they kept smiling at each other. He had achieved his aim.

"What's her name?" he asked, although she had said that before.

"Paddie," she replied.

"That's a nice name," He proudly wrote her name on top of his sketch: 'Paddie'.

"The missing kitten should rather be the title," she said. "If we need to describe her, then we can add her name. Don't you think so?"

"You're right," He erased the cat's name, wrote 'missing kitten' on top rather than what he wrote earlier on and said: "Done!" To make her completely happy, he was willing to paste the pictures immediately.

"You seem to be up to something, Odartey," noticing how jittery he was.

"Yes," he replied. "I want to paste the posters right away."

"We would have to inform our parents first," she reminded him. They gaped at their parents, sitting around the couch and chatting leisurely. What if they disapproved of their plans? Would it be prudent to let them in?

Koshie was pleased to see both parents were already getting along pretty well yet, the fear of their disapproval caused her to be circumspect. She and Odartey slipped back into his room to add another touch to the sketch so they could while away the little time they had left. Those few moments seemed to be the defining moments of the success of their endevour. The final touch brought Paddie alive. Halfway through their incessant admiration of the picture, however, Koshie's mother disrupted all the fun by her announcement that it was time for her to go home.

"Koshie," she called. "Say goodbye to your friend. It's getting late." Koshie heaved a big sigh. Their parents were still not aware of their project. Had they been, they would have either discouraged them or made a few encouraging comments.

Everyone was willing to see Koshie with her little kitten once again. Odartey assured her that he would continue working on it feverishly whilst she was away and that seemed to calm her nerves a little bit. He hugged her tightly as he said goodbye under the watchful eyes of both parents. Koshie could not wait to show him her toys and her playroom when they met again in her house, oblivious of the fact that he might not be interested in playing with her toys. She was a girl and he was a boy. They had very different interests.

Her desire to get quick results caused her to be hasty, impatient, and brash every time. The following day, this trait of hers revealed itself in its full colours as they went running downstairs again into Odartey's house next-door right after they returned from school. Koshie had not yet changed into her housedress and neither had Odartey. They seemed to have been so engrossed with their thoughts about completing the assignment that they had forgotten to do so. This was very unlikely of her daughter.

"Hey, Koshie!" yelled her mother. "Come back here!"

Koshie stopped right in her tracks and returned as meek as a mouse. Odartey was impressed. She was a respectful little girl, well trained for that matter.

At every chance he had, he continued perfecting the drawing of Paddie and finished it with a perfect painting. It was good they had not pasted them right away after all. Koshie would certainly love the added touch. Odartey definitely needed the permission of his parents to photocopy several copies of the picture. He did have their blessing at last.