Chapter 71 GETTING READY
Godiva POV
All through our journey back from church, Dina and I kept brainstorming on the best excuse to give our mothers just in case they went to the skatepark and didn’t see us there.
"How was service today?" Mama asked the moment I returned from church.
"Service was splendid. I didn’t see you at church today, you okay?" I asked, heading for the kitchen.
"Yes, I had a little headache earlier on, and I needed to rest a bit before my shift," Mama replied, sounding tired.
"Shift?" I exclaimed. "I thought you were off duty today." I waited impatiently for her response.
"Yes, I am supposed to be off duty, but I’ll be covering for Mrs Omar," Mama replied.
My face lit up instantly.
Hearing those words from Mama felt like heaven opening. I didn’t need any excuse, any lie, any carefully rehearsed story. She would be away till seven, and that was enough time for me to go and return.
"I know you’re sad. I also wish I could stay home with you today," Mama continued, heaving a sigh.
"Yes, Mama, I’m really sad. I just wish we could spend the day together," I replied, pretending to sound miserable.
"I need to cover for her so I can get a day off to visit a friend," Mama said, rising from the worn-out couch.
"Alright," I replied, giggling inwardly as I threw a spoonful of Mama’s signature Korean rice into my mouth.
"Better still, you could accompany me to work today since it won’t be so busy," Mama said out of the blue.
"What!" I choked violently on my food.
"Careful, baby." Mama handed me a cup of water.
"I can’t possibly accompany you to the hospital. I have plans with Dina," I responded quickly between coughs.
"That’s fine," Mama replied, heading to her room.
"Haew, that was close," I whispered to myself the second she disappeared.
Back in my room, I stared at my wardrobe for over ten minutes without moving an inch. I kept scrolling through my clothes, searching for something decent enough for a party.
"Girl, I can’t find what to wear to the party!" I said, flinging Dina’s door open.
"If we weren’t the same age, I’d have thought you owned this house," Dina teased, ignoring my panic.
"What do you plan on wearing?" I asked, leaning by her door.
"You can’t possibly not have what to put on," Dina replied, standing up and slipping on her shoes.
Back at our house, Dina dragged out every single cloth I owned, tossing them around in search of the perfect outfit.
"Come to think of it, girl, how do we even know the best outfit for parties? We’ve never been to a real party," Dina said, throwing herself dramatically on the floor.
"But at least we have ideas from movies," I replied, laughing at her sudden realization.
"Movies don’t show the real deal. They exaggerate everything for clout," Dina argued, laughing with me.
"Then let’s freestyle this shi…" I said, making a loud trumpet sound with my mouth, fully aware of how much she hated it.
"Eww, girl! Are you an elephant? Why are you trumpeting?" Dina thundered, looking disgusted.
"I’m off to work!" Mama shouted from the living room.
"What!" Dina gasped. "Mama is going to work?"
"Shh." I smiled, pressing my finger against my lips.
"Bye, Mama, be safe," I said, pecking her cheeks.
"Bye, Mum, be long," Dina added, pecking her too.
"Okay…?" Mama replied hesitantly, clearly trying to decode what Dina meant.
"Don’t mind her, Mama. Just be safe," I said, opening the door for her.
The second Mama disappeared from sight, I spun toward Dina.
"Girl, you wanna blow my cover?" I thundered.
"Then why didn’t you tell me Mama was going to work?" Dina fired back.
"Because I forgot to call," I replied, trying my best to stay calm.
"Whatever, dude. Mum is also going to visit a friend," Dina screamed.
We both hugged and jumped in circles like escaped prisoners.
"So let’s find the perfect fit," Dina announced suddenly as we marched back to my room.
"Damn you, Gorgeous Godiva!" Dina exclaimed the moment I stepped out dressed in black baggy crazy jean trousers, a peach body-fit top, Mama’s portable Chanel bag, and an Adidas sneaker.
"You flatter me, mi lady," I teased with a smile. "I really don’t know why you always beat me to the flattery."
"That’s because I’m faster," Dina said, bowing.
"You look extremely gorgeous, Dina," I said, staring at her. She had on almost the same outfit as me, except her top was red to match the Valentine theme.
"Gorgeous Dina doesn’t make sense," Dina argued. "Find a better word."
"How doesn’t it make sense?" I asked as we walked toward the quarters gate.
"It doesn’t because Gorgeous Godiva put together means beautiful gift of God," Dina explained, nodding proudly.
"Sorry, Ma’am. I’ll find a better word to attach before your name," I replied, laughing.
"Why did we style our hair alike again?" I asked, adjusting her perm.
"What better reason could there be than to confuse our enemies?" Dina replied with a grin.
"Damn, you’re really pretty," I said, admiring her.
"I’m glad we look almost identical," Dina said.
"But come to think of it, how do we look so alike?" I asked, laughing as we approached the bridge.
"You sure Jerald and Ben would be here to pick us?" I asked, anxiety creeping in.
"Yes, they would. Don’t jinx it," Dina warned.
"Told you," I muttered the second we reached our meeting point and found neither Jerald nor Ben in sight.