Chapter 5 LETTING HIM EASY
GODIVA POV
I felt that metallic taste on my lips as I stared at him in horror. He had missed Jenny’s face and punched mine as I stood in front of her like a human shield.
Blood trickled from my nose and stained my shirt; he panicked and reached for some wipes.
Liz’s legs gave way as she sat on the couch in fear.
It’s just a nosebleed, Jenny pouted. Why are you acting like a scared little puppy?
I’m so sorry, he said to me. I stared at him, anger and fury burning through my eyes.
What the hell is wrong with you, and why did you hit me? I asked as I took a wooden vase and launched it at him.
“Please stop, Lis pleaded. Father Young will be here any moment. Jenny, go get her one of your shirts. If Mr Young sees the blood, your brother would be expelled from this house. Do you want that?” Lis resorted to manipulation.
I didn’t want to let go. I would have reported Jerald, but the designer shirt he brought in exchange for my stained, worn-out T-shirt got me gasping for air. And just like that, I was out of the Young mansion, with a smile clearly written on my face.
I was five blocks away from my house when I sighted Dina waving at me from our rugged balcony. I always feared that the balcony was going to collapse soon. Seeing Dina waiting for me, I wasn’t shocked; that was so typical of Dina, who loved anything gossip, because giving out horrible advice was her only source of joy. I smiled as I approached my block. Deep inside, I felt grateful for having Dina in my life, who was always willing to cheer me up.
“Babes, what’s the update? Why were you so down earlier on?” Dina said with so much energy. I wasn’t really sure if telling her what was actually on my mind was the best idea, but I had already promised her.
“Girl, I might just have a lil bit of something for Leo, might be lust, might be lo...” She didn’t let me finish what I was saying. She jumped up excitedly, clapping and filling the peaceful air with her loud screams.
“Chill, girl, it’s only a crush, let’s leave it at that,” I added while standing up, heading for the door.
“We are definitely doing something about that,” she said, following me behind.
We took a stroll to the Garden of Love. The Garden of Love was the pride of our quarters; sometimes, youths strolled into our quarters to take pictures there.
The garden was located at the heart of our quarters. It was beautifully decorated with patterned flowers, fixed chairs, and the most attractive statue of the ‘Benin mask’. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I knew it was the pride of Nigerians. There was also a statue of two lovers seated on a chair, hence the title ‘Garden of Love’.
We sat down when Dina spoke to me in a serious tone I had never heard her use. “Why do you run away from whatever looks like love?”
“Where was this question coming from?” I thought to myself.
“I don’t run away, girl; it’s not just attractive.”
“You lie, bro,” she said, laughing hard. “I have seen about ten romance series you read in secret and hide in your safe box,” she added.
Hearing this, I panicked as I turned around to make sure no one heard our conversation. “What the hell made you go through my safe box?” I said aggressively.
“That’s not the point. Why are you pretending and forcing yourself not to care about love?” she continued, ignoring my question.
I just stared at her, speechless. “I know your mama is against love or whatever, but bro, this is your life. Whatever happened to Mama shouldn’t affect you,” she said, sounding more serious.
That was the second time I was seeing Dina serious. The first was when she rejected Dan, her longtime crush, and that was her putting on a show just to control her feelings—she cried after rejecting him.
Mama grew up as a young girl full of dreams and hopes and always looked forward to having a beautiful family of her own. Mama’s first kiss was in her ninth grade, with a guy she thought was her forever. I guess the kiss changed everything, and she began avoiding him.
Mama never dated anyone until her last year in the School of Nursing at Westham. In her first year, she lost both her parents, and giving up on her dream of becoming a nurse wasn’t in her plan.
She became a night runner; she basically hooked up with strange guys just to meet ends’ needs. Once, in her final year, she hooked up with a guy who almost took her life, demanding two straight hours of nonstop sex because he had taken pills.
When Mama didn’t oblige, he intensified his pressure, and it took Mama’s grace to escape from his claws. After that experience, she made up her mind to quit and manage her life until graduation. Unfortunately for her, she needed over a hundred dollars for her thesis, and she had just sixty-four dollars. She knew it would only take one more night of sex to complete her payment.
That night, Mama did something extremely dangerous: She followed a strange man into an apartment off campus. He smiled easily and paid in advance.
Minutes later, Mama realised something was wrong. The pills on the table weren’t his. And when she tried to open the door, it wouldn’t open.