The Externals Reloaded - Chapter Fourteen

 

"I'm so sorry.." They ended up talking at the same time.

"You go first", It was the most awkward moment for each.

"Ladies first, remember?", Quinn insisted after Lily shut her lips.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for putting us in this position. I should have kept track of time as the assistant", Lily's voice was trembling.

"It wasn't your fault, Lily. I'm the man here. I should have handled things better. I shouldn't have you through this. I'm so sorry", Quinn replied. He also spoke nervously but Lily didn't notice. She was too excited about the fact that they were really having an informal conversation.

"It's okay. It's not your fault either", Lily said, worried that there would be no other reason for them to continue their conversation until her stomach growled.

"Arghh..I wish this thing would just work if only for five minutes so I can just order you pizza or something", Quinn tightened his grip on the switch button of his phone. He wasn't happy to be the reason Lily was starving. At least if they weren't in their current situation, he wouldn't have to care so much. Besides, he knows how much she loves food.

During the previous week, Lily got to see Johnson College's home economics room because while she was entering the school compound, she saw the subject teacher also coming in with a crate of eggs and other food items needed for a practical, then offered to help her carry it there. So as Quinn was cussing angrily, she went in search of the room to see if she could still locate it. Fortunately, she did and it wasn't locked when she attempted to open it. It was a place anyone would want to live forever since it was rich in kitchen equipment and edibles.

The cooking practical room had a huge freezer, the home of raw fish, meat, and chicken as well as a separate refrigerator for fruits and vegetables. Its silver faucet was running efficiently and the drawers for food and spices could be easily opened and closed. Also, plates designed brilliantly for serving local and international dishes were sitting elegantly in a gold-plated plate rack with a dryer underneath. To sum it up, the kitchen was standard but Lily wasn't convinced the proprietor spent money on it for the student's sake alone. That was because she once heard a student say the man cooks there sometimes when he stays late in the office.

"This is awesome!" Quinn smiled effortlessly when he saw the room though he wasn't sure he would find something worth eating in there. He was happy for Lily's sake.

"What would you like to eat?" Quinn being by her side and the general state of the kitchen inspired Lily to cook.

"Don't bother. You can't get the recipe for whatever it is I feel like eating now", Quinn replied politely.

"Come on. We did it before so we can do it again", Lily handed him an apron that suited him perfectly. 

"I said no!" Quinn said, making the excitement in Lily die down.

"I'm so sorry..." Lily was scared he'd never speak with her again, and she planned on not forgiving herself.

"What do you have to do to make the kind of meal you want?" Quinn tried making it up to her for what happened since he couldn't bring himself to apologize to them again. He didn't want to be seen as soft.

Lily brought some fresh pepper and tomato balls out of the refrigerator. Before she could say jack, he started removing their stalks, washed and cut them into pieces to make grinding easy, like he had seen the twins do. While he was doing that, she was washing and seasoning the goat meat she planned on using to make soup for them. She even spent more than the usual time doing that to prevent any mistakes.

Whenever Martha gisted girls who wanted to know about Quinn, she had cared enough to eavesdrop, and from doing that she knew he had never agreed to eat any of the Nigerian meals they cooked - which was why she asked for the meal he had in mind. But even though he rejected her offer rudely, she decided to make the yoruba style of soup with ewedu and yam flour for his sake. Even though the chances of him joining her for dinnerware were slim, she wanted him to have a special Nigerian meal as his first experience if he decided to.

As Lily took turns stirring the soup she was cooking and the meat she was boiling, Quinn took delight in watching her when she wasn't noticing. He couldn't explain where the sudden interest in watching a Nigerian girl cook came from, yet was enjoying it. He wanted to move close enough to wipe the beads of sweat on her forehead with a napkin but just had to refrain himself, so nothing more stupid came out of that. He also prayed for her....lol. He prayed that her meal would be delicious so she wouldn't die of embarrassment. Then began to wonder why he even prayed for that since the original plan was for her to eat the meal alone.

Lily always succeeded in making lumps whenever her aunt allowed her to make yam flour for their dinner so she was surprised at how smooth the one she made that night turned out. It was so smooth and round that Quinn couldn't resist the temptation to take a bite when she served it in the dining area of the room, designed for any guest invited to taste whatever food students make. He originally started eating with a spoon but soon switched to his bare hands as Lily advised to get more effect. Wow!

After eating, they both took a glass of orange juice and relaxed for a bit because they were extremely tired. Having regained energy, they decided to wash the kitchen utensils they used but the electricity company serving the school's neighborhood soon interrupted the electricity supply, leaving them in utter darkness. Lily was so scared of the dark that she clung on to Quinn like a snail would do to its shell. Given the situation on the ground, she also thought she wouldn't even sleep in a wink. She thought she would be able to stay awake all night watching out for their safety but soon fell asleep on the dining table, leaving Quinn to watch out for their safety and deal with the mosquitoes bent on sucking her dry.

Barely thirty minutes after Quinn finally gave up on staying awake for Lily because he was too tired, Lily woke up and discovered the gateman had returned to the school premises. Him knowing they both spent the night there might put the two of them in big trouble so both agreed on sneaking out of the compound and their desire was successfully achieved. Outside Johnson's College, the two walked slowly, so it would take more time to get to the spot where they would split up. The weather was a bit cold, but being near each other provided a bit of warmth for both of them. At intervals, their eyes would collide since they were looking after themselves. Yet, they wouldn't talk. They wouldn't let go of the gravity of words pulling them apart.

When it was time for them to separate, Lily told him with sad eyes. He wouldn't let her see how greatly this affected him so he went his own way without even saying goodbye. But a few seconds later, he took to following her footsteps to know where she was headed. Quinn had heard Lily speak and act severally like a civilized Nigerian, so he was at least expecting her home to be a one-bedroom apartment. However, he was surprised to see her walk into a building mainly for sick people. He got scared thinking, not staying at the hospital all night might have worsened her situation. Then, he finally walked to the front desk to make inquiries about her health.

"Hey there, Quinn", Quinn started wondering why a nurse he had never seen would know his name, then took a closer look at her.

"Is that really you Titi?" He raised his eyeball in confusion and then observed the environment around him.

"Are you like having an amnesia or something?" Titi observed him from head to toe with her medical eyes. She could easily discover he didn't have a good night's sleep.

"Didn't you see he just walked him with the same girl he helped the other day? Na love dey turns him head", Her colleague added.

"Excuse me. What did you just say?" Quinn was shocked

In Mr. Allen's private ward, his elder sister was keeping him company with a gist about how she prevented a NEPA officer from disconnecting their light at home when Lily entered. As much as she loved telling her brother that story, she immediately changed the subject of discussion to her wicked niece who left her sick father alone all day and night. Right then, Lily knew she was in for hours of shouting but her dad was kind enough to prevent that from happening. In return, she complained that he spoiled her too much but Mr. Allen still didn't let her words get to him so she left home angrily.

"I'm sorry for making you fight with your sister", Lily told her dad after Aunt Tolani went out of his private ward.

"Come on, you already know how your Aunt can be", He picked up his jotter from his bedside table to write some things down. "So where were you all night?"

"Hmmm", Lily told him everything that happened. She couldn't bear to hide anything from her dad.

"Oh, I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me", Her Dad responded. He didn't blame her for anything nor suspected that she might have done anything forbidden with Quinn.

On Sunday, Quinn and Lily saw each other again in church. Since the RCCG he was attending with Mary and Martha was closer to the hospital than the one she was attending back at home, she decided to go there. Normally, Quinn would connect his iPod and rather listen to music when either of the teenagers was asked to host a talk session on the pulpit but because Lily anchored it, he was forced to pay full attention. One of the excos of the church gave her that privilege because she knew how active she was back home. Lily was worse than any other speaker who mounted the podium before her, yet he enjoyed her speech. Only that he made sure no one knew he was listening.

"Hello, children. How was church today", Mrs Kunbi who couldn't attend church due to menstrual cramps opened the door for them when they returned.

"Boring", Mary rolled her eyes.

"That GMC girl made things worse", Martha removed her hat and poured herself a glass of water.

"What the heck are you silly girls saying? She nailed it!" Quinn said before realizing he had given himself away.

"That only means..." Mary was about to expose his secret.

"Mary, you said you didn't have the data to match the wrestling match taking place today so would you like to use my wifi?" Quinn spoke like a gentleman.

"Sure!" Mary danced happily, forgot what she wanted to do, and followed him to his bedroom.

"What's up with the two of them?" Martha was confused.

"You'd better leave the door open", Mrs yelled but they barely heard her since they've already locked it.

"I want to watch wrestling too", Mary went after them even though she really hated it.

"Hey! I need help with cooking lunch", Mrs. Kunbi ruined her show.

"Mom, why didn't you stop Martha earlier", Mary frowned.

"You're a better cook and olobe look", Mrs said, knowing that usually makes her happy.

"Then, why is Quinn with her and not with me?" Martha grumpily took her cooking apron.

"God, why has this oyinbo boy done to my daughter", Mrs. Kunbi shook her head.