She was about to give up and go back to the house when she heard Imani's voice, a few metres away.
Her mother's voice could never be mistaken for another's .Hers was an annoyingly shrill and cold one. She hated that voice especially when it yelled, "Amahle, go away! I don't want to see you here. Stop being a miserable child" everytime she tried to talk to her mother about how her husband tried to force himself on her.
She was very far from home, and so she wondered why she was hearing her mother's voice very closely now.
She traced the voice and stopped when she finally found Imani. She was standing facing a shed, and backing her. She was not alone either. Nicolas was standing right there with her, pointing at something in the open shed
What was her mother doing with her boyfriend? She thought. They never talked to each other. As a matter of fact, Imani was some termagant woman you didn't dare offend.
Ashley watched them from a corner. That shed was part of her boyfriend's apartment, but she never went there, because it was not important.
He did go there a few times but she never did, and never asked him what was in there because it didn't matter.
People kept whatever in their sheds and that was okay.
Nicolas for a fact kept junk stuff, stash of old notebooks, old tools and rotting furniture in there.
But right then, it appeared they were pointing at something that was definitely out of bounds
Ashley itched to hear them say something about it but they were very silent. On one or two occasions however, Nicolas wiped tears off his face with the hem of his top. There was blood on his cloth that Ash didn't notice earlier.
Imani didn't move. She remained unflinching but Ashley knew she was talking to him about whatever it was they saw in the shed.
That moment, she badly wanted to rush there and join them to peep, but she knew it was going to be a terrible decision.
Why did Nick bring her here? What are they looking at? Why are they even together?
It was very weird and she fought the urge to yell his name from the corner where she hid, and ask him what he was doing there with her evil mother instead of coming in to tend to her injuries.
If she did, her mother would yank her hair off with her fingers and force her home, while hitting her back violently, and then, she was never going to be able to meet Nick again, like usual.
Ashley turned back towards the front door when she saw her mother and boyfriend preparing to leave the shed. Her mind started to race as she ran all the way into Nick's room.
What if her mother had poisoned Nick's mind against her now?
She dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into her head. She could do it, fine, but Nicolas was not a traitor. He loved her truly. He had proved it for three and a half years.
They had been friends for a year before she agreed to be with him.
But Ashley was at a point in her life where she did not understand a thing anymore.
It started after the accident and it was unnerving.
She was going to ask him where he went to, and see if he will deny it.
She was going to ask him what was going on for real this time.
It was pointless and miserable to be in the dark.
As soon as she heard the front door creak open, Ashley waited until he entered the house then she ran down the stairs towards him. He jumped when she almost bumped into him on the staircase.
"What? Why are you scared?" She demanded, trying to search his face but he passed by without casting a glance at her. His ocean blue eyes were a little bloodshot
"Nicolas!" She yelled, flinging the door out of his hands. "Are you about to shut the door in my face?"
"I'm sorry...I jumped because I wasn't expecting you" he said, not looking at her. He went into the bathroom to clean himself immediately.
"What do you mean you were not expecting me? You left me in this house three hours ago!" Her head was pounding.
"I mean, I didn't see you walk down the stairs" he muttered from the bathroom. Ashley sighed and hugged herself.
She suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine.
"What's going on? I think something is wrong with you,baby" she mumbled, her lips on the bathroom doorknob. "I think I have to report to Mrs Nelson. You would tell her anything"
"I'm fine, babe" he said simply. Although what she said was true, he was not ready to talk to anyone right now, not even the caring old lady who lived next door.
Silence hovered around them for a long time, each of them not knowing what to say to the other.
She wanted to ask him what he was doing with his mother out in his shed, and what they were discussing.
It was eating her up but she decided against it.
She wished she had just stayed inside and waited for him.
Some things were better left unseen.