LS: The Beginning (37 page)

There was no way I could explain it to him without revealing the
entire incident that had occurred, so I was forced to lie.

“She wore it to the
dance.”

He grimaced. “That necklace is very important, so on no account should
she be using it as a fashion accessory. Make sure you convey this warning to her,”
he instructed, and then added, “Have a nice evening.”

“You too,” I said.

I left the room feeling guilty I’d lied to Ben, but that was
the least pressing issue at hand. The thought of David still roaming free frightened
every single bone in my body.

Chapter Twenty

Ironic Blunder

Once again David had disappeared from town. Lisa and I could only hope it was for good
this time around. He was indeed a big threat to Lisa,
but
unfortunately we were the only ones who knew about his new identity.

Lisa and Catherine’s relationship had grown to the point they would go shopping together and leave me idle at
home. During which, Calvin would keep me company. We’d play basketball and tennis all day, whiling away time until the ladies returned from shopping trips.

Derrick and Sharon became good friends ever since they met at the awards dance. I had a feeling Derrick wasn’t one to be trusted though, but then I didn’t want to put an end to the recent grins Sharon wore every time I saw her with him. Stacey moved to her house to spend
some time with her family, leaving the house unoccupied most of the time. Sometimes, Lisa and I stayed over at mine.

As expected, Lisa and I still hadn’t kissed. It was becoming weird but we
couldn’t confide in each other about it, let alone someone else. Sometimes we'd stare at each other for a long time, attempting to read each other’s mind – all to no avail.

***

The 25th of May was the day the earth completed its revolution around
the sun. For those who aren’t conversant with Physics, it means the day when
a year is completed. Virtually, everyday completes a year from its previous
year. This day is what we call a birthday; some also call it an anniversary.

On this day, I turned eighteen, officially making me an adult. Coincidentally, so did Lisa. What were the odds? Strange, right? I think it's because Lisa and I had entered
the university at the age of sixteen due to our remarkable academic prowess. It
had
never occurred to me that Stacey was two years older than me: maybe because she looked younger. Still, she respected me because I was the
mature one.

Lisa and I lay on her queen sized bed. She rested her head on my built chest – a
posture I always loved. Her legs were crossed over the duvet, and mine were underneath. We had spent the eve of our birthday playing golf with her family. It was
my very first time playing golf, but as usual, I was mysteriously good at it.

“Happy birthday, dear,” Lisa said; her voice so soft it created goose
bumps on my icy skin.

I leaned forward to have a glimpse at her. “Same to you,” I replied, smiling, She laughed. I was always glad to make her happy; I felt it was my
sworn duty.

Lisa and I stared at each other’s lips. The urge to press my soft lips against hers was consuming. I didn’t need a mind reader to tell me she felt the same way. This awkward situation had occurred nearly every day since we started dating.

Lisa smiled. “Are you ready for today?” she asked. Her question seemed rhetorical
but I decided to give it my usual type of answer.

“Are you?” I asked.

“Yeah, you know a lot’s going to happen. If we are lucky enough, they won’t throw us a
surprise party,” she said.

Oh, how could I forget about that? She was turning eighteen; a special year
in one’s life, so her family would like to share the joy with everyone they
could. As for me, I didn’t see myself being treated specially. Although, I'd been
taken aback the first day I stepped into the town.

“Don’t worry; they can’t surprise us, we’ve got the upper hand,” I assured her, knowing we would read their
minds to see if they had anything planned.

She grinned. “I know. I’m just saying it won’t be a normal day.”

"Yeah, obviously, it’s our day."

Just then my phone rang. It was my mother on the line, probably to give me her birthday
wishes. I still kept my parents in the dark about the attacks on Lisa. As a
matter of fact, I hadn’t told them much about Lisa at all. They only knew their son
had found a girl he loved and that they would get to meet her someday. I preferred to act on the following popular
statement:
‘
What Jack
doesn’t
know
won’t hurt
him
.’ However, I'd informed them
of every other aspect of my life, including my abilities. They sounded surprised at first, but soon became comfortable hearing me talk about it. This surprised me to be honest. I was expecting a chopper to land in front of my house with both my parents in it. Though, I’d begged my mom to stay away for a while. I didn’t want her to worry.

Rose was the first to speak. “Happy birthday, my boy,” my mom said. 

“Thanks Mom. How are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m very well, son. Hold on for your father. He wants to say hi.”

I looked at Lisa. My eyes were widened because my dad was hardly at home during my previous birthdays. “Hey, son,” he said.

“Hello, Dad. It’s been a while since we spoke,” I said. Indeed it was a long time since I’d personally heard from him. It was my mother I often spoke to.

“Yeah, it's been some time. Happy birthday, my boy,” he said. “How are you doing?”

Although he’d hardly stayed at home with my mother and I, deep
down I knew how much he loved me and wished the best for me. “Thanks, Dad. I’m very good. How’s everything been?”

“Good, business is great. I’m so glad I have the opportunity to spend
the summer with your mother and sister; they’ve been so wonderful,” he
stated.

“Oh, that’s really nice,” I responded.

“I’m so sorry about your birthday. We wanted to get you something
but I just arrived yesterday, so we couldn’t get something in short notice. No
worries; we’ll still send something before the year ends,” he said.

Just acknowledging the date and calling me was all I could ask for. They had given me the breath of life. What else was more important? I’d never
fancied material things. If I had them, nice, but if I didn't, it was okay.

“That’s okay, Dad. You don’t need to,” I said.

“Yes, we do,” he replied. “Your mother wants to say hi, even though she was the one to pick the phone.” We both laughed, and then he added, “Take care of yourself, son. We’re
very proud of you.” He couldn’t gather the courage to say goodbye, and I
couldn’t either.

My mother came back on the line. “Hey, baby. So how’s your
girlfriend?” she curiously inquired.

“She’s fine, mom. In fact, we happen to be birthday mates,” I told her.

“Oh really, is she there with you?”

I looked at Lisa, who then shook her head, signifying I should
say
no. “Yes mom.”

“Please can you give her the phone, so I can give my birthday wishes?”

“Okay, hold on for her.” I handed the phone to Lisa.

Lisa grimaced, but had no alternative than to take the phone. I
had no clue why she seemed so reluctant to speak with my mom. Was she shy? She began to sweat
as she removed her head from my chest.

“Hi, Lisa,” Rose said.

“Hello Mrs. Wilson,” she replied, still gazing at me with a reluctant
expression.

“Please, call me Rose. I heard
today’s your birthday?”

Why was it that all the mothers I knew wanted to
be addressed by their first name? My best guess was because the callers were
informally related. Back in Nigeria, people hardly addressed their elders by their first names.

“Yes, it is. Stephen and I happen to be birthday mates,” Lisa confirmed. Her voice sounded
shaky.

“Oh wow, happy birthday, dear,” she said.

Lisa looked at me, smiling. “Thank you, Rose.”

“You’re welcome. I believe you’re the reason my son’s been happy for a while now and
I’d love you to keep up the good work. I hope we get to meet sometime. Have a blessed day.”

Lisa replied, “You too, Rose.” She handed the phone to me
and immediately got up from the bed in case I decided to give her
the phone to speak with my father.

“She has a lovely
voice, dear. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl,” Rose said.

“Yeah, she is mom. So how’s my baby sister?” I asked.

Sadly, I'd never spoken
to her. I'd only seen her pictures. Jacqueline was mixed Russian and American,
and
she looked so beautiful. It was as if she'd collected the good looks from both races. Her maroon colored hair swung from her shoulders, and she had the exact color eyes as the mysterious David. Just then I wondered how my mother had found her in Africa. I never had the courage to ask her.

“She’s wonderful. In fact she’s sitting beside me here in the living room.”

I needed to speak to her, at least hear her voice. It was the least I could do from thousands of miles away. Although there was the option of Skype, but I didn't really fancy it.

“Please could
you give her the phone?”

“Hello is this Stephen?” she asked, pronouncing my name in a funny
way
. Her voice was sweeter than anyone’s voice I’d come across. At that instance, I wished I
could just hold her so tight and never let her go. That was how bad I'd wanted a younger sister.

I smiled, looking at Lisa as she combed her hair.

“Yes, darling,” I answered.
“H
ow you are doing?”

“I’m fine. Mommy said today is your birthday. Happy birthday,” Jacqueline's
soft little voice said.