"Tina, to be honest, I have a thing for your brother. I don't know if I should follow the feeling's path or not."
"Nancy, you might be having second thought about your feelings for him. Nevertheless, let me explain some things to you, if your heart still remains firm, so be it. If it doesn't, it is what it is."
Nancy nodded her to continue.
"Try not to freak out. My brother has something called..."
bipolar disorder , Nancy completed it in her mind.
"...manic depression"
Okay, that's new. She readjusted herself slightly on her seat.
"Manic depression?"
"Yes. It's also called Bipolar Disorder." Tina paused to watch Nancy for any uncomfortable gestures. She continued when she found none. "It started when he was ten. He had being showing weird emotions around eight years but it came in full picture when he was ten. He had hard time relating with his mates in school; he was irritable and hostile towards them. Dad changed his school several times. Most times, he'd be moody, gloomy, not talking to anyone. And sometimes, he'd be more energetic than ever. It was like a switch being controlled by someone else. During those times, I was six years, I thought that was the normal way to react but I saw his friends in school avoiding him. I once heard one of his classmates telling others from different class to avoid my brother because he was a hostile person. I once trailed my brother to his class during class recess and I found him staring at his classmates gloomily. Others went with their business while he sat there, staring at them. Anyone that made faces at him, he'd spring up and pounce on him or her. The sight frightened me. When I got home, I told my dad. He brushed it off. I couldn't tell my Mom because she was always indoors, unless Dad was traveling again and she follows. Only Auntie Ella, our nanny, was like a mother to us. I told her about it and begged her to convince Dad to do something about it."
"It could have been something else."
"I thought as much as well. But when he was twelve, his emotions worsened. He stopped eating his normal quantity of food and went for the less. He started sleeping more than usual and preferred to stay in his room. He'd cry and refuse to go to school. He also started having anxiety and panick attack. There was a time, during the end-of-session party, he was called to come receive an award, he was very brilliant, and when his name was called, his hands started trembling, his legs were shaking too. I was scared to see him like that. To see my bubbly brother went from being fearless to fearful. Auntie Ella, who followed us to the party, was scared to see him like that. She held his trepidating hands, helped him up and walked him to collect his award.
"Nancy, there are several scenarios that made me wonder if he was my brother or another thing. He'd yell at me, kick me out of his room and still come back to meet me outside and play with me like he wasn't the one kicking me out. All these while, my dad didn't believe my brother had changed. Auntie Ella tried telling her, he brushed her off too. The last straw that broke the camel's back were two incidents. When he was fourteen, he stood on the balcony of the second storey of our house, held the rail and turned to face Dad, who was reading a magazine. I was there and it was a memorable day for me. He faced Dad and asked him what will happen if he jumped over the balcony. Dad looked up and Dave gave him an unsettling smile. Dad was visible disturbed, he grabbed him by his waist and took him downstairs. Dad cautioned him and almost wanted to beat him. That night, he spoke with someone phone and I heard Dave's name coming up several times.
"The second incident was with my kitten, when he was fifteen I went with Auntie Ella to market because Dad was returning from Texas with Mom and Auntie Ella needs to prepare their meals. Then, our workers were just increasing in number. I got to the kitchen and saw trails of blood. It was as if someone dragged a leaking bag of blood or red paint. Scared, Auntie Ella and I traced the blood and when we got to the source, I almost passed out at the sight. Dave's hand was soiled with blood. My cat was lying on the tile in her blood. Dave had the knife in his hand and unflinchingly gave us an unsettling smile. I screamed, Auntie Ella covered my eyes with her palm but I had seen it all. It took several years for Auntie Ella to convince me that my brother meant no harm. The smile is now faint in my memory. Dad and Mom came early and unfortunately, they saw the scene before Auntie Ella could clean up.
"After few minutes, Dave began to tremble with fear. It was as if someone was controlling him. He threw the knife away and raced into his room. He kept apologizing as he ran in. That was the day Dad took him away. He wanted to hug me but I was scared so I backed away. He was wailing, reaching out for me as he got dragged away. After a couple of years, I overheard Auntie Ella and Dad discussing that he had an accident over there. I didn't know much about it till now. When I next saw him, that was when I went over there to pay him a visit, he was completely normal. He appeared cool. I figured he was seeing a therapist. I also figured he had a girlfriend, Dorcas. Well, until early this year, they were together. I told Auntie Ella that she left him because of this issue but she said otherwise.
"So, Nancy, I don't want my brother to go through another heartbreak. I'm telling you this so you'd know where your heart lies."
When she stopped, Nancy found her head spinning, she could have sworn she felt dizzy for a while. That was a lot to take in. But she was glad she heard that part about Dave. She wiped the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead. "How is he now?" She didn't know when the question dropped from her mouth.
"Yes. He is very much normal because I once asked him if he remembered how my kitten died, he said no. I also asked him about the balcony incident, he said he couldn't remember. I don't know if the therapist wiped his memory, but my brother is now my brother."
Amnesia. That means Wumi's story is true. She thought within herself as she digested everything her ears just swallowed. She was rendered speechless. She tried listening to her heartbeat, it was numb. She searched for the voice in her head, but the silence was too deafening. What would she do? What would she say? How can she disappear from her spot to her room? How can she turn this reality to a dream and just wake up from it? Does she still feel any tingle at all? Everything kept jumbling in her head.
When Tina realized the silence was getting too stretched between them, she told her to sleep on it and let her know her decision. "Take your time. I didn't tell you to discourage you, but I believe it's better to know now than know later when the connection between my brother and you get to the brim."
Absentmindedly, Nancy nodded, rose to her feet and approached the door. She felt like a sympathetic zombie. She reached for the door handle when she heard her name.
"Nancy,"
She turned to her slowly.
"My brother called us yesterday and he sent me to you. He apologized for the call the other day. He said he'd come by for further explanation when he arrives soon. He also apologized for not responding to your messages."
"He's coming back?" She found herself say.
"Yes. Before the end of this week."
"Alright." She turned to the door again, turned the knob and found her way out, into the cool breeze of the moonlight. She knew she'd have a long discussion with her brain and her heart. Especially with the faint tingle she could feel in her heart.
A tingle for Dave