The sound of my phone ringing wakes me up. I blindly search for my phone on the bed. My hand bumps into the phone, I pick it up to check who is calling. Mom. Why is she calling so early. It's Saturday for Christ sake.
The ringing stops only to start again. I answer the call.
"good morning Mom." My voice probably sounds croaky from sleep.
"Tobi, don't tell me you're still in bed."
"of course I am. Where else will I be on a cold Saturday morning."
Silences. "you're supposed to be on your way here. Don't tell me you forgot?"
I frown. I try to remember what she's talking about but turn out blank. "uhhh forgot what?"
"Tobi don't get me angry. I sent you a message last night, asking you to come over and your replied with a thumbs up emoji."
Okay. This is getting weird. When did I do that. I quickly go to my message box. Oh. The evidence is right there. I can't remember any of this happening. What the fuck.
"yeah I just saw it." I sigh. "but mom, I can't come today, I just want to stay in this weekend." Its not a lie. I just want to laze around so I can get my mind back on track. It seems I've been spiraling recently, more than usual though.
"Tobi you can't back out from this. We have something important we.. uh have to discuss with you."
I frown. "what is it?"
She huffs. "we can't discuss about it on the phone. You have to come."
What if…. No, it can't be. It can't be this fast. I jerk up into a sitting position. Tension freezes my heart and it seems I'm having trouble breathing because I'm just about heaving.
"mom" my voice cracks as tears fill my vision. "I'm I in trouble?"
I'm stronger than this. I'm stronger than this. I chant in my mind.
She doesn't reply for a while. Then she sigh. "no you're not in trouble. Why would you think that." I hear noise in the background. It sounds like my mom's voice. "if you must know, your sister is getting engaged and Peter is planning a surprise engagement party at our house and I want you to come prepare with us."
I thoughts screech to a halt. A party. A fucking party? I thought they found out I'm bi. I've been killing myself since thinking my life is over and it's just all about an engagement?
"are you there?"
"yeah mom, wow, I'm happy for her." I fall back on the bed. "I'll shower and start coming anytime from now."
"okay son. Drive safely."
I nod as if she can see me before ending the call.
I get there at eleven o'clock. The house is already bustling with energy. People are coming and going, doing one thing or the other. A lot of the faces are familiar while the others are strange.
I see my mom talking to a man at the corner.
"hey mom, mom. What's up?"
My mom turns to me. "Thank God you're here." She pulls me forward. "meet Ade, He's Peter's younger brother. He's in charge of the drinks. I want you boys to work together so everything can go seamlessly."
I roll my eyes. "mom, it's just an engagement party."
My mom scowls. "behave yourself." She turns back to Ade with a smile. "don't mind him. He's just a child." The man shrugs. Mom pats his shoulder and turns to me with a warning frown. "behave" she whispers before going off probably to handle something else.
I turn to the Ade guy. He looks older than me. I'm not surprised though. Peter is around thirty-eight or thirty-nine so I believe his only brother here might be nothing less than thirty-five.
He looks at me, and expression I couldn't quite catch passes his face. Huh. "so what are we doing?" I ask after standing in awkward silence for some time.
He clears his throat and looks down to the printed paper on his palm. He hands it over to me. "this is the list of the drinks I wrote out for us to get."
I scan the list. There's vodka, wine, both alcoholic and non alcoholic, beers and other drinks I don't care much about. Good choices. I didn't think he would even know drinks this good, not with how shabby he's dressed. I mean who wears a fez cap on a traditional wear. Horrendous.
I nod. "This are good drinks." I pass the paper back to Ade, but he just stares at it without collecting it.
"Why are you giving it back?" he asks.
I frown. "because you gave it to me first or did you want me to keep it for myself?"
"why wo- no. You're not to keep it to yourself. I'm giving it to you so you go get the drinks."
….
"what?" I frown. "are you maybe trying to send me on an errand? Or maybe I didn't here you clearly."
He laughs condescendingly. "so everything they said about you is true."
What the hell? I narrow my eyes at him. "and what might that be?" I grit out.
"That you're an arrogant selfish brat."
"oh, I guess that's true." this grown as man is such a fool. I fold the paper in four. "but no one talks about you, neither good not bad. Why do you think know one talks about you?" I look him up to down. "I certainly haven't heard of your existence until today."
"because I don't go around fooling myself." He grits out.
"no, that's not it." I slip the paper in his side pocket. " sir, No one talks about you because you're irrelevant. Even your foolish actions are too foolish to be spared a second thought." I pat his chest. "that's why."
I ignore his angry face and turn to head inside. I'm done with foolery for the day. But before I could comprehend what is happening, I feel a hand turn me and a hard punch on my face snaps my head back. I stagger back a bit before righting myself. I just know this fool will always make foolish decisions. I groan, this guy is trying to ruin my handsome face. I swear to God if I car, I fill find him and make him wish to hell he never raised a hand on me.
"that should put you in your place." He says. I turn to look at him and he is just standing there with his chest puffing up and down like a fucking pig.
I laugh. I feel blood trickling down my nose. "you're something else." I remove a handkerchief from my pocket to wipe at the blood. "was that supposed to be a punch?" I walk towards him and sigh. He is looking at me e confused and a little curious about why I wasn't retaliating. "man, you're so underwhelming. This is why no one talks about you. You clearly don't know how to throw a real punch." I raise my right hand between us and clench my fist. "let me teach you. If you want to throw a real punch, you clench your fingers into a fist like this and you fold your thumb over it tightly, not inside, over, like this." I show him.
He frowns looking angrier by the second. "I don't need you to teach me how to-
My fist flies, connecting to his ugly fat nose. I hear a crunch and I savor the sound. He groans and staggers back. Before he could get himself together, I throw another one, colliding with his cheek. "wait-" he tries to say before I land another one his jaw and he staggers and lands on the floor.
Nice.
I look at my the back of my hand. A little bit bruised and bloodied. I turn to leave then remember the paper.
I bend to remove the paper from his pocket "on a second thought, I'll go get those drinks. Wouldn't want to ruin an engagement party for my sister." I pat his cheeks as I rise. "next time, don't run your mouth. Act like the old man you clearly are."