MARIE'S HIGH - CHAPTER SIX

MY KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR

"Hi, girls", I acted as if everything was normal." It's nice seeing you, again"

"Hi, Niffy", Rose grinned, placed her arms around my stiff neck, and led me to her dark Mercedes Benz.

Thereafter, she covered my eyes with a blindfold then lay me flat to experience Michelle's rough ride.

Also at an underground basement with dangerous weapons like guns, swords, brand new cutlasses scattered everywhere, the skull and crossed bone sign all over, traces of dry blood, and iron rod, they tied my hands, mouth, and legs to a wing chair. I also went through the agony of watching my cherished belongings (phone, laptop, shoes) burn in a metal bowl of fire.

With eyes filled with anger, resentment, hatred, bitterness, jealousy, revenge, and painful pleasure, Rose and the other girl hit me at intervals, using a horsewhip. I pleaded for forgiveness and tried to explain what happened since she accused me of trying to seduce her boyfriend to the extent of inviting him for lunch but I didn't get the opportunity to express myself.

Like chicks flock hide under mother hen for protection, like dogs bark at their cute little puppies, like kids lie in their mama's warm back for sweet afternoon naps, I longed for mine too. I longed to sit on her lap and tell her very iota of pain rendering me sleepless nights, I wanted us to hold hands when things get out of hand, I wanted us to sing,"sun goes down...", Iike Rosella and her mom did in Barbie's island princess. I wanted her to plait my hair, do justice to my soggy plate of noodles even if the whole world condemns it, teach me how to talk back to the likes of Rose, become irresistible to hardcore fellows like Freaky who treated me like trash.

All that seemed impossible before I was thrown into her new world.

"Mum, dad. I've missed you so much",  With tears in my eyes, I embraced my parents for a long time.

Mum was just as ravishing as grandma described her in her long white flowing gown with white crystals. If I had her kind of beauty, not even the Marie angel squad would stand a chance against me. Unfortunately, I took after my dad and she had no other child who could have her features.

"I'm sorry I left you all by yourself", Dad patted my back.

"Let's not think of the past anymore", mum rubbed my cheek. "What matters is we're now together and nothing can separate us again".

"Our home isn't far anymore", we started walking." There, I can make your favorite yam porridge".

"I can't wait to cook with you", I said excitedly.

"She's the best cook ever ", Dad blew her a kiss.

" Uh oh", I looked into their eyes, seeing only undying, everlasting love.

I doubted if I'll ever be able to experience that.

"Nifemi, can you hear me?" I heard the most annoying voice in the world.

"Leave me alone, ass hole", I hissed." There's nothing you can do to me now".

"Who are you talking to?" mum asked.

"It's a wicked boy in my class that makes life difficult for me", I told him.

"Don't mind him", she failed in hiding her anger." He won't be able to do that anymore ", we hastened our footstep".

"Please, Nifemi. I need you. Don't leave me alone", he begged.

Don't listen to him, he wants to use you as usual. Focus Nifemi. This is a very rare opportunity. You've waited for this all your life!

"Home sweet home", mum unlocked the door with a key.

"I promise to stop playing pranks on you. I don't wanna lose you. I love you", he sobbed.

For Freaky to have cried for me and told me he loved me, I knew something wrong was definitely going on so I couldn't pursue the journey with my parents.

"Mum, give me a sec", I turned my back on them."I need to give Freaky an audience. He seemed unhappy".

"No, dear. Don't mind him", He came after me." That's the strategy those stupid boys use to get a girl's attention".

"I'll just confirm if he's okay....one sec", I released myself from her grip.

"Please don't! "Mum yelled in agony.

The moment I released myself from her grip, I was unable to see both of my parents anymore. Then, I slowly began to slowly comprehend my new environment.  I was the middle of a dark field exhausted. Close to me was DJ Freaky who was giving me mouth-to-mouth CPR and a dark man with beards having a phone conversation. While DJ Freaky and I were still thinking of the right words to say to each other, an ambulance arrived to convey me to Shonowo's hospital.

After examining my wounds, the dark man whose name was Doctor Show said the injury beside my right eye required stitching while the others just needed cleansing and bandaging then he went ahead with the procedures which hurt me terribly though his hands were mild.Even in my painful state, I didn't fail to notice the presence of a pretty young boy who walked in with enthusiasm as I was getting treatment. After he was done greeting Dr. show, one other nurse and, Nurse Doyin who he called, "my mummy", he told me 'sorry' like an adult and I couldn't stop laughing.

"My mummy", he said like the rest of us in the room didn't have one. Well, I didn't but I actually did, she was only late. "why do you use gloves when you're working?" he was curious to know about everything related to medicine.

"To protect us from germs", Nurse Doyin replied.

"Oh! Like those ones we use to see before that small girl use Dettol to watch her hands on television!" he opened his mouth in awe.

"Yes", she nodded.

The treatment section ended and I was transferred to a ward.

" But my mummy, why can't I see them?" Danny focused his eyes on his palms like the germs might just pop out in a sec.

"They're very tiny. You need a microscope", She showed me my bed. It had navy blue spread and a cabinet.

"When will you buy my own?" he gave up the experiment he was having earlier.

"Forget it. I've not even finished paying for your textbooks", she attended to another patient in the ward, who needed a change of drip.

Obviously use to their drama, everyone in the ward were just smiling.

"My daddy will buy it, I'll not let my mummy use it", he said confidently.

"He can't. Your school fees have not been fully paid for", she spoilt his mood.

"But my mummy, you always tell me to think positively", he still didn't lose hope.

"Daniel, Fimisile", she yelled at him and got scolded by the other patients. "I did not kill my mother so any child cannot kill me before my time".

I knew Nurse Doyin would have gotten her son what he wanted if she had the means to do so. But, he also needed to understand that we don't always get what we want in life. He needed to know that life goes around in circles. If only I could be the one to explain these things to him!

" Hey, Danny", I eventually called him.

"Yes, auntie", he came close to me.

"What do you want to be in the future?" I created a space for him on my bed.

"A doctor", he said blissfully and every other person in the ward gave him a round of applause.

I was also impressed by his answer. Even I didn't know my choice of profession back then.

"Why", I gained more interest in his career, expecting him to say his mummy was his source of inspiration.

"I want to be commanding those nurses like Doctor show", he said instead.

A louder round of handclapping and laughter filled the room.

"Hey, you. Give me that cup of tea", he commanded Nurse Doyin playfully.

"I don't have your time", she gave it to me. I could only take a few sips due to lack of appetite so I gave him the rest but he rejected it, saying rich people don't take leftovers. Whereas his mom must have told him not to take things from strangers like my grandma does, while a kid who was attracted to it from the extreme end came to stay beside me, hoping I'd pass it to him. He has even finished it before me in his mind. Too bad he didn't get a taste of it because I forced myself to finish it to avoid giving it to him and he finally left when Daniel abused of being greedy.

Barely ten minutes after I took the beverage Nurse Doyin got me, I slept off hoping for another encounter with my parents. I was determined not to let DJ Freaky's bloody eyes stop me this time around. However, nothing happened within my two hours of sleep. Without anyone's help, I opened my eyes to see grandma sitting on a plastic chair facing me. There were bits of tears in her eyes yet she was begging Segun to stop crying. Seeing me awake, they gathered around to hug me tightly.

"Please, don't leave us", Gbemi held me with her cold hands.

"Hey, what kind of big sis makes her siblings cry?", Bola said brutally.

"This is not the time for that, Bola", Grandma eyed her."You heard Freaky, she almost died!"

Nurse Doyin came on time to stop an endless argument to take place between the duo. She greeted grandma in our local dialect and turned to Danny who didn't say anything.

"Daniel, greet grandma now!" she ordered him.

" No, my mummy ", he shrugged.

"Are you deaf?" she pulled his ear.

"Stop hurting him", grandma saved the poor boy.

"Why don't you want to greet her?"I pulled him closer.

"My mummy did not greet our landlady this morning and she wants me to be greeting everybody", he accused her of not being a good example.

"I already told you I didn't see her", she defended herself.

"Ah!"Danny left his mouth wide open." Stop lying my mummy. Our aunty told us liars will go to hellfire", he made a description of the place with his small dark hands as if he's being there. Would have taken this boy home if I have the opportunity so the rest of my days can be fun-filled!

"Okay", She admitted her mistake to avoid further embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I promise to greet her when we get home so greet grandma now".

"What should I do if you don't keep your promise?" he acted like a judge.

"Anything my lord", she bowed.

"Hmmm..okay oo", he breathed out heavily."I'm sorry. E kale ma(Good evening ma)", he prostrated to greet grandma at last.

"God bless you,omo mi (my child). May you continue to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding", grandma replied.

" Amen", we said in harmony.

After taking an injection from Nurse Doyin, the Doctor did a final checkup on me then signed my discharge papers. As much as I wanted to leave the hospital, I didn't want to say goodbye to little Danny who made me happy all through my stay there, the kind Dr. Show who came to my rescue though he had no idea who I was, Nurse Doyin who gave me her new clothes because my blood-stained clothes were disposed and others. I couldn't appreciate them enough for the love and support they gave me.

Above all, Dr. Show told grandma not to worry about paying my hospital bill and wanted to take us home if his car was in good condition. Instead, he made Freaky drive us home in his black sports car since Uncle B was out of town. Well, he received tons of gratitude from grandma in the form of prayers. I wish we could repay in other ways but we couldn't. After all, we were just some folks recovering from the poverty illness.

The reaction I got from Gbemi for appearing in the dining room the next day in an adire (tie and dye) off-shoulder top with a black jeans and ballerina shoes was superb. It made her grounded, and spit-filled chunk of pancake escaped her oily mouth.

"Gross!" Bola let out her anger on the poor, powerless dining table. "Get a hold of yourself, young lady! You have no etiquette!"

"I'm sorry", Gbemi wiped the mess made on her cloth with a pink napkin with white triangular shapes designed on it.

What happened due to my presence made me feel I was indeed a 'walking disaster' like Rose said.

"Excuse me", Bola had the intention of leaving the dining room.

"Sit down", Grandma wanted her to stay.

"I've lost my appetite, grandma", She frowned.

"Yay!" Tominwa took part of her food. That little thing never gets tired of eating like a horse.

"Put that down!" Grandma ordered him and turned to Bola."You're going to be a mum someday so stop being easily irritated besides what will you do if Segun urinates in his pants? Throw it away and buy another every time he does that?"

"That means I can wee as I like", Segun high fived Tominwa.

"Yeah", grandma smiled evilly."You should also get ready to wash your pants thoroughly till I can see my teeth in them and have your butt bitten by Scott", she licked the small honey remaining in her plate.

"No, grandma. Please", he sobbed."I promise not to do that".

"That's my boy", she patted his hair.

Of course, Grandma kicked against going to school in my present condition but I couldn't stay home no matter how hard she tried convincing me to do that. Having no source to point as it's distributor, my assault video became on the on top list of cyber citizens search, including that of Freaky and Doctor Show rescuing me.
Shola also wrote an article about DJ Freaky and me which was titled, "Love or accident". It didn't make any sense to me and every other person who read it, yet she insisted on keeping it on her blog and refused to be threatened by the Marie Angels.

I sincerely hoped the Marie Angels get a dose of the medicine they gave me so they can understand how I felt.

Because of them, my fingers ached and I couldn't write properly in all the classes I attended that day.

My eyes hurt, so the images I could barely see were blurry.

I felt naked without my glasses but I had to do away with it for the time being. I missed it so much.

Our people are right when they say you still feel alright and strong when something hits you but get ready to tell another story the next day. Anyways, I couldn't tell my story to anyone. Not even to the ladies who gave me cold stares in the rest room I went to cool down a bit. They were loyal fans of Rose and DJ Freaky who would do anything to anyone that tries to disrupt their relationship.

Author's Note:

You didn't see that coming, did you?

I didn't either 😱

How could Rose be so cruel? Well, I don't blame her, love sometimes makes people do crazy stuff but I still blame her😂

Thanks for reading again.

This chapter is dedicated to Mr. Samson Imoleayo Shonowo for his humanitarian services to the society @ Shonowo's hospital free hernia surgery. In case you don't know, he's my big bro, mentor, role model. I'm very proud of him.

This chapter has a lot to do with health. Apologies for any wrong medical procedure. It's purely friction.

Apologizes for any swear word and grammatical error.

As you all can see, our dear Nifemi is going through a hard time, let's keep her alive with our support.

This work is also available on Wattpad and web novel. You can also join me in wattsap on 08133255664 and other social media platforms @  Eniola Oluwamuyiwa.

Thanks for your time. God bless you all😁😍