CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Value....

After watching the final scene in midnight sun, I switched to 500 days of summer and How to be single. But as much as I'd like to stay awake till the end of the last movie, my eyes wouldn't let me.

"Hey, Nifemi! Wake up." I heard a familiar voice from my sleep.

"What's wrong?" I opened my eyes only to find Cleo standing in front of me.

The voice I heard actually sounded like his but I couldn't bring myself to imagine he'll come all the way for  me after everything that happened!

"How could you leave all the doors open?" He scolded me."Why are you even home alone in the first place? You're burning up! You should be examined by the doct...."

"That's enough!" I yelled at him."You're the least person who should be here",tears rolled from my eyes down to my cheek.

"It's okay", he said." You have every right to because I'm not a saint here either".

The way I envisioned a conversation with Cleo after all that happened was not how it turned out. I expected him to be throwing hurtful words at me but he didn't.

For goodness sake, why did this person choose to be different from every other persons I've met? Why was he taunting me with his perfections(yet the fact still remains that no one is perfect)? Did he suddenly change because of me or that's just how he is?

With his very own lips, Cleo told me how the masturbation thing started. While he was growing up, his parents hired a nanny to take care of him because of their busy schedule. He didn't deny the fact that she did take good care of him but also abused him sexually for a couple of years and threatened not to play with him anymore if he told anyone. Eventually, his mom fired her because she was caught stealing but the damaged she caused him couldn't be easily erased. It was what led to his current predicament.

Due to his personality, Cleo wasn't very happy with what he was doing but it was very hard for him to stop. To avoid being hated by his Christian parents, he refused to them talk about till he got addicted to it. Later, his former best friend got to know of it when he went to his house for a sleepover and promised not to mention it to anyone.

I wanted Cleo to reveal the identity of the person so we can confront him but he refused to do so.

Still, I was glad Cleo could share his pain with me and more than anything else, I wanted to help him overcome them but I was still scared. I was scared of what the world will think of me.

Still, I decided to stand by this broken person and not be a bit affected by what people will say about me. I was determined not to be affected by what the world was going to say!

Saving Cleo was all that mattered to me. If it that meant accompanying him to visit his new therapist's office, I was ready to do it. He once fought for my freedom in Marie's high so why wouldn't I do the same for him?

"Goodness me! Nifemi, have you turned our house into a brothel?" Bola whispered to me in the kitchen, after seeing Cleo fast asleep on the living room's Chaise Lounge. 

He didn't close his eyes last night either so sleep finally decided to take its course after his mind has been cleared.

"Shut up!" I pulled her ear playfully.

"It's good to see you happy again", Gbemi hugged and pecked me.

"Thanks, baby",I smiled.

"Did you cook any food for us?" Segun asked."I'm very hungry"

"Something smells like Jollof rice",Tominwa sniffed.

"Nifemi ke? Jollof rice!"Bola laughed. "It's like you want to eat egbo this afternoon".

"Well, it's actually Jollof rice",I said boastfully, and she took a spoonful to check the taste.

"I understand that you're trying to form housewife material for Cleo", she said and fled to the living room to avoid getting hit with the hot turning stick I was holding yet I followed her there, only to realise Uncle B told Cleo to do 50 pushups for making me cry.

That precious uncle of mine can be very mean!

Having sorted out our misunderstanding in my home the previous day, Cleo and I also decided to release a press statement about what happened. My heart increased greatly as we walked to the pressroom with thousands of eyes watching, mocking and criticizing us behind. But because Cleo's hand was holding mind firmly, they wouldn't dare do anything stupid. I liked the fact that no Marie's high student dared to hurt me when he's around.

I couldn't have imagine what I would have done to myself if I turnout to be the reason I lost him.

"Good morning, guys",Ayo greeted us with a grin as we entered the pressroom."It's good to see you again"

"Same here", We chorused.

"I hope this interview isn't too much of a bother",Cleo handed her a breakfast package.

"Of course not. You guys are worth more than this", She placed the package at a corner and started setting up her equipment." Thanks for the gift. I haven't had breakfast in ages".

"Really!" I laughed, trying hard to release the tension building up inside me.

"Hey, guys", Shola came in and gave us each a hug." I was very shocked when I got the news. Who dared to come up with that kind of prank?"

"Well, you're about to find out if it's a prank or not", Cleo smiled in his usual enchanting manner.

How could someone be as carefree as that?

To be of great help to us, Shola decided to be in charge of the camera and left Ayo with the interview. But before we go on air, the sound engineer runs some test to ensure the studio equipments were in perfect condition then signalled Ayo to start and she did with excitement in her eyes.

First, she welcomed her listeners to her programme( named"What's up, Marie?") on Mars FM(owned by Marie's high) where she shares the latest gossip on what's going in school. Thereafter, she gave a report on the events that happened in school that morning briefly and focused on us.

Our interview went thus;

Ayo:Guys, here with me in the studio today is Cleo Martins and Nifemi Adeoye. As expected, I'll be asking questions to get facts about their recent scandal. Cleo and Nifemi, say hi to the audience.

Cleo:Hey, guys. How're you doing today. Since it's Friday I'm sure you're all very excited cause you can't wait to go party with your friends. Good luck with that!

Ayo: In case you haven't heard, Kelly Junior is throwing a party tonight to celebrate his upcoming success as the winner of the school's carol organizer contest. Cleo, since you're one of the contestants do you feel defeated by this?

Cleo: Not at all. I'm very confident about my abilities and I've got the best partner in the world!

Ayo:That's fantastic! How did you even manage to come here with her after what happened.

Cleo: Staying mad at her is one of the things I'm not good at.

Ayo: Wow! Over to you, Miss Nifemi.

I: Hi, guys. I'm Nifemi Adeoye, the girl who most of you consider as a nuisance in Marie's high, but I'm not leaving until I prove my worth. All I need is a chance!

Ayo:Speaking of chances, did you ever think Cleo would give your friendship a second chance when you saw that video?

I:No and I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. It still feels like a dream being in the studio with him today. Cleo is really a unique person.

Ayo: If he is, what made you post that awful video of him on your Twitter account? Was it really true or was it just a way of getting back at him. Rumor has it that he rejected your love.

I: That's not true. Cleo and I are pure friends.

Ayo: Is that true, Cleo?

Cleo:Yes. I know Nifemi values our relationship a lot so she wouldn't have done anything to hurt me. She wasn't the one who posted the video.

Ayo:Are you trying to say that her account was hacked?

Cleo:Yes and it's been suspended.

Ayo: I'm so sorry about that. What about the video itself? Is it fake too?

Cleo: No. It was real.

Ayo: Are you serious?

Cleo:Yes(narrates his ordeal)

Ayo: I'm so sorry about that.

Cleo: It's okay but that won't solve the problem. Instead of just wasting time condemning people like me, I think its better to help us. After all, each and everyone of us has a weakness. This world will be a much safer place if we can learn to accept others weakness, and help them in the best ways we can.

Ayo:Is that what Nifemi is doing to you?

Cleo:Yeah.

Ayo:That's pretty interesting. Do you think this scandal can affect your chances of winning the contest, Cleo?

Cleo: I don't think so. The contest is purely about testing one's organization skills.

Ayo;Okay. Thank you so much for coming.

Cleo: Thanks for hosting us as well

The interview had a positive influence on everyone who saw it. It brought about various videos of people apologizing for shaming Cleo and I. I would have loved to sit in my room all day and watch these, but Mrs Martins called to invite me for lunch in her home so I had to get ready.

"You should start paying me as your personal assistant", Bola looked through my closet to find me a perfect outfit for the outing.

"You owe me one too as your private tutor",I cleaned one of my old shoulder bag which I planned to take along.

"Who you help?" she brought out a pair sweat shirts with a blue jean."Just be yourself except you want her to think you're fit to be her daughter-in-law.

"Thanks", I kissed her cheek. I was glad that she wasn't going to force to wear a tight dress, high heels or do some makeup.

"But I'm still going to lend you my pretty hair band",she left my bedroom for hers.

"Urrrrgh",I sighed.

Once I rang the doorbell outside the Martin's Residence, Cleo came out to open the door for me. We both couldn't stop starting at each other for few seconds because we were putting on the same kind of outfit.

After hearing my voice, Mrs Martins wasted no time to come welcome me at the entrance. The first thing she did was apologize for what happened the other day, and I did likewise. Then, she led me to their private room to say hi to Mr Martins who was watching our interview on their flat screen TV.

Nevertheless, he also welcomed me warmly into his home. I gave them a bottle of white wine to thank them for inviting to their home, and they received it gladly.

Michelle on the other hand was hurt that her brother would give up his manly smell which he got from not having his bath regularly during weekends, and almost block her nostrils with his cologne because of me.

"I hope you'll enjoy my meal", Mrs Martins told me to pray before we started eating in the dining room."Cleo is the best cook in our house, but he's refused to be of good use today"

"Come on, mum", Cleo smiled." You're far better than me. You've been doing this way before giving birth to me, remember?"

"Every parent prays that their children should do more than them", she replied him.

"It's my gorgeous sister who needs that prayer",Cleo caressed Michelle's cheek." She doesn't even know how to boil water for tea"

"My husband's not going to be foodie like you and your pretty girlfriend. Some people are called vegetarians for a reason", she scoffed.

I couldn't help blushing because Michelle called me pretty but I was still worried that the 'girlfriend' she was referring to might not be me.

"How in the world do you expect a Nigerian man to turn a vegetarian because of your inability to cook, as expected of you as a woman?"Mr. Martins teased his daughter and made Cleo laugh.

"Hey, take it easy", I quickly pass him a glass of water from my side.

"Pheww..", he stayed calm for a while then opened his mouth to talk again. "I'll do anything for you lil sister. If you'd love to marry a vegetarian, I'll make sure to make friends with every male vegetarian my age, both home and abroad".

"That's so sweet of you, brother ",she gave him a middle finger without letting their parents know. Cleo planned to snitch on her so she'll get in trouble, but I cover his mouth with my hand.

" I'd like to make a toast",Mrs Martins said, and we all raise our glasses then clink them."To love and relationship".

"And our future vegetarian son-in-law as well", Mr Martins added.

I didn't like sharing gifts with people after giving them but as fate would have it, the wine I brought for the Martins got a bit cold before we started eating so it was the drink we used to make the toast.

Well, I hoped they didn't think I was trying to poison them, or maybe I mistook my wine for another one due to resemblance.

Mrs Martins' comment about her cooking skills was totally different from reality! Her vegetable soup was so sweet that I even bit my index finger while taking the final bit with a lump free morsel of semovita. She boiled and marinated the tender chicken in her soup to perfection, and added an adequate amount of various spices and seasonings to it. If I were to be her daughter, I would have been 3× better than Cleo.

Michelle was really missing a lot by not learning from her!

"Hi", I say to Cleo who was playing football with his control pads in his game room. I wanted to join Michelle who was washing the dishes in the kitchen, but she didn't let me.

I guess she didn't want me to think she was as lazy as Cleo and her parents portrayed her.

Before moving to Cleo's game, I had a conversation with his mom. I told her how much I loved her grocery store and she appreciated me for doing so. She said she was into farming too so most of the fruits sold there comes directly from her farm. Besides, she also distributes them to other wholesalers.

When I asked her why she decided to start the business, she told me some years back the bank she used to work for laid-off its workers and she was one of those. She got depressed
because the money her husband was making wasn't enough for their family's upkeep.

However, Cleo didn't like to see his mum unhappy so he came up with the farm idea. She didn't take it seriously because of the stress that comes with it but at a certain point, she got tired of being jobless so she took to his advice; went for agricultural seminars and eventually started the business with a plot of land. As the business continued to grow, she got the cash to acquire over thirty acres of land in different locations across the country. Her husband also invested in it so It became a family thing.

Her story was quite inspiring to me.

"Nifemi, are you okay?" Cleo waved his hand over my eyes. I was lost in thought.

"Yh", I got a hold of myself." Just wanted to check you".

"Did you get bored because mom left you for her husband? This is the time they like to be left alone", He knew I was having a conversation with her.

"Oh! That's cute", I started missing my parents again.

"Do you want to play with me?" He stretched his hand to give his second game pad.

"No way! It's football for crying out loud", I whinnied.

"What about boxing?"He asked with a look that confirmed that he desperately wanted to show me his skills.

"Why would I want to punch that beautiful face of yours?" I didn't realise I was flirting with him till those words came out.

"What can I do if my face was designed to accept hits from your nice fingers sometimes", he briefly taught me the basics of the game and defeated me three times.

"Ok, boss. I'm off", I got on my feet.

"Come on, don't be a lazy girl", he urged me to sit, and we went on another round.

This time, my story changed.

"Oh my goodness. I won", I hugged him excitedly.

"Congratulations", he smiled." Now, it's time to get your gift"

"No. You don't have to do that! I didn't offer you any gift for winning either", I refused his gift offer.

"It's alright",He took me to their well-structured library with different portions for every member of his family.

Each person had shelves for the books they've read, those they were reading, and those they haven't touched at all. Cleo had the highest number of books which are mostly based on business, science, and teen fiction. Mrs. Martins came second and her choice of books were based on agriculture and home building. Mr. Martins preferred daily devotions and business books while Miss Martins otherwise known as Michelle had nothing but stories about Vegetarians in her shelves.

Interesting!

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover", he advised as I scan books on his shelves, hoping to find the most interesting ones through their cover.

"Yes, sir", The book that really got my attention fell from my hand suddenly, and Mrs. Martins entered.

"You left your phone in the porch, and it's been ringing", She gave it to me.

"Oh! Thank you very much, ma'am", I unlocked my phone to check who the caller was.

Bola's name appeared on the screen so I returned her call immediately. "Hey, what's up?"

"Where the hell did you keep your phone all this while?" she yelled." I was trying to reach you because Segun got involved in an accident!"

A/N:
Sexual abuse is one of the big problems facing teens in different parts of the world. I think it's our responsibility to do everything we can to prevent our loved ones from being a victim of such. But if it eventually happens, shaming them is not the best thing to do. We should channel our energy towards their rehabilitation and support them in every way we can.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter?(I'll be waiting for your replies in the comment section).

Thanks for reading and keep staying safe.

Yours teenfictionly,
Eniola Oluwamuyiwa