Welcome to a new chapter after over a week ð Most of you know I resumed school so schedule's been tight but for those that don't now you know
I'll try my best to continue with the updates weekly instead of twice or three times and by the grace of God we'll get there ð stay tuned, Transparent is sticking till the end
*
EDMOND'S POV
(Edmond Ehizojie Thompson)
"A year ago I'd have said this was impossible" she leans into my arm
"What?" I ask unsure
"Us, the both of us, together" she stares squarely into my orbs
"Y-yeah me too" I slide an arm around her shoulders and press a kiss to the side of her head
There's no denying that i've felt something more that just 'friendship' for her for as long as i can remember, i guess it took my mum making a joke about it for me to realise what i actually felt for her. I basically saw every sign to go ahead and ask her out but i guess i just needed one person's opinion, Trip
She told me to go for it and I can't deny how relieved I was when I heard the words come out of her mouth, she seemed so sure of what she was saying like she was some expert, note to self, tell Trip how it went. I'm sure she already knows though, since the entire senior has somehow started giving us the googly eyes and giving dumb ship names like 'Edpn or 'Esmond' the idea is one hundred percent cringe but I low-key like Esmond
I shrug my blue sweatshirt on and adjust my tie in front of the mirror, tugging on the edges so they cover my sleeves fully. I flash a wide toothy grin at the mirror and the reflection of the silver braces make me cringe, causing me to reduce my grin to a closed mouthed smile. I take a lasting look at the faded sides of my afro and the little brown tint I have at the tips. Sheffield has rules against coloured hair- rules that can be bent for some- it's high time I exercised my 'VVIP privilege'
I pull back the silver knob of my room door and exit my half scattered room, reaching back to switch the lights off it gives the cleaners an element of surprise when they arrive. Two voices are coming from the west wing- where my parents' room is- one is the loud and obviously angered voice of my dad while the other is the almost quiet voice of my mum. I can tell their positions from the way their voices sound
My dad is probably standing at the edge of the bed while my mum is at a running distance right behind the door, that was a skill I taught her; always be ready to bolt. According to her she will never have a reason to because my dad is not a violent person- whatever her own definition of violent is- but since she still follows my 'ready to bolt' rule, she probably has the same fears that I do. One day she might have to
I take slow steps towards the West wing but retract with even faster ones- I don't think I can deal with them right now- I stay fixed in my position, having an internal battle whether to go ahead and pretend I can't hear anything or to proceed and listen to their conversation- which mighy earn me a beating later. Their voices are reduced to whispers- that didn't last long- and soon I hear my dad's deep voice mumble something and my mum's response with a sigh- she's probably settling for one of his shitty terms again
I walk even faster towards the stairs so before either of them steps out of their room, I'd be long gone. I jog down the endless flight of stairs as quietly as possible and take my left to the dining room. I push the double doors open and find the table already set for three.
"Helen" I pssp one of the cooks. She points to herself to ask if I'm referring to her
No oh your shadow, I roll my eyes impatiently, she shuffles towards me
"What's going on?" I gesture towards the Chinese porcelain plates and the silver kitchen ware containing food to be dished out
"Madam and oga said they want all of you to eat together so we should set the table like this"
My heart stops beating
"You're joking?" I blink quickly in disbelief
She stares at me in confusion. I pull her closer by her shoulder
"Help me pack my own, I'm taking it to school" I whisper
"It is still early now, you can just eat before you go" she suggests
Did I ask you??!
"Help me pack it please, I have classes by seven o'clock" I lie confidently
She sighs then walks out of the room to the kitchen
My nostrils twitch from the aroma coming from the huge serving trays at the centre of the table, I'm tempted to pull the lid open but the silver plates will probably awaken the entire neighborhood
Helen walks in with a paper bag and a cup, probably sandwiches and coffee
"This coffee?" I ask as I take them from her
"No, tea, would you like me to make coffee instead?" She asks politely
"Nah it's okay" I place the items on the table "what's in there?" I gesture to the trays with my head
"That is chicken soup" she points to the second one that is equally as large "and that is spicy shrimp sauce"
I salivate at the thought of the delicacies she mentioned and the others yet to be uncovered
"Do you want me to pack some for you?" She asks with a knowing smile
I return the smile and wiggle my eyebrows, causing her to giggle. She dishes a portion of the chicken soup and moves on to dish the others, she makes eye contact to ask if i want each one before adding it,
"Add more rice yes thank you" i nod my head in contentment as she dishes the rice in the third container, stacking it with the rest she has already packed
I'm taking enough food to feed 5000 men
I hear a door creak open from upstairs and I don't need a second brain to tell me that one of them is about to come downstairs. Helen seems to notice the distress in my aura as she speeds up and packs all the food into a white plastic bag, ushering me out through the door. I pull back the handle of the grey Hex with the engine already running at the front porch and tell the driver to zoom off, mouthing a quick 'thanks' to Helen for helping me dump my food at the back seat of the car.
That was close
*
"Yo Thompson" my lips naturally curl up into a smile as I hear the angelic voice
"Young" I turn to face her flashing her my well practiced smile
She has her blue sweatshirt on too but trust Espn Young to spice her uniform up with a very conspicuous accessory. She has a peach coloured pendant necklace and matching earrings on, they are the ones I got for her on her sweet sixteen last year Yes, I have a good taste. Her Jordans look almost like mine- we literally bought it at the same store in Dubai- but hers has some glitter she probably added by herself just to give it the usual 'Espn glow'
She walks in for a hug, pulling me in by my waist, resting her cheek on my chest, probably hearing how fast my heart is beating. I wrap my arms around her much smaller stature gently as she pulls away to link her arm with mine instead
"What is our theme for Valentines?" She asks as she browses through Pinterest on her phone
Shite I forgot about that
"Uhm African?" I suggest, scratching the back of my neck for more thoughts
"Na-uh, It's Valentines not cultural day" she clicks her tongue
She clicks on a picture to fill the screen then shoves her phone in my face
"Roses"
"I'm not wearing pink" I state as I stare at the valentine model picture right in front of my eyes
"No dummy" she retracts her device "you just have to wear a corsage of the dress I'm wearing" she rolls her eyes
"You're wearing a dress?" I ask in disbelief
"Hm-hmm" she hums in reply
"YOU Espn are wearing a dress?" She never wears dresses for occasions like this, we both pulled up in suits last Valentines
"Well there's always a first time for everything" she shrugs as she continues swiping through the endless fleet of photos
There's always a first time for everything
This isnât the first time the both of us will be going to the Valentines dinner together, it's the first time we are going together as an item.
Gosh the thought alone gives me the chills
"Hey Amanda" Erling's voice booms from across the hallway
I follow his gaze to the girl who is attempting to speed walk while flipping him a middle finger. He runs over to meet her while struggling not to burst in a fit of laughter
Well that's new
My attention is drawn away by Espn stretching to plant a peck on my cheek as she skittles to her classroom. I give a small smile which seems a little forced as I can't take my mind of the sight I just witnessed, I thought they hated each other?
Instead of feeling sparks and maybe a little nervousness from the little show of affection from my girlfriend, my mind can't help but wander elsewhere...
**
"Hey baby" I grin extra wide at my screen
"You're not supposed to be calling me now, I'm trying to get set" she scoffs
"However you look is the definition of perfect, you're second to none" she rolls her eyes but I don't miss the smile threatening to make its way to her lips
"Yeah whatever, I still need to slay a hundred percent, it's my last Valentines in High-school" she settles down on her dressing chair, placing her phone in front of her as she works on her face
"What time do you want me to come pick you up?"
"In an hour, we can run a little late" she winks
"Yeah the party is starting in twenty minutes, we could literally miss the entire event" I chuckle breathily
"It's a dinner not a party and PS I know the only reason you want to go early is cos of the food" she giggles
Or you want to see if THEY are going together?
"A guy's gotta take care of his belly" I cough out, concealing my intrusive thoughts
"Of course, I know you like the back of my hand" she dusts invisible dirt off her shoulders
Yep, you know me
Knock knock
Oh, must be the chef- I told her to get me appetisers just in case I get hungry before I leave
"Come in" I pull the door open
Oh shit-
"Good evening dad" I bow my head slightly and quickly move out of his way, shoving Espn into my pocket- she might actually fit if I try it literally-
"What have you been up to" he scans the room with his eyes, picking up a picture frame on my desk then setting it back down
"Nothing sir" I stutter
He walks towards me then stops right in front of me, before pulling on hair strands right in the middle of my hair. Oh God I knew I should have worn a hat
"What's this?" He asks with his eyebrow raised
"It's my hair s-sir" I reply, the last strand of my confidence cuts
"I thought it was your shirt" he replies sarcastically in a bored tone "what did you do to it?"
"I-I added some tint sir, but just a little" I say and fix my gaze on the ground
"You took it to school this way?"
If I say yes he'll probably kill me for breaking dress code, if I lie he'll know I'm lying because according to him I'm a terrible liar, so anyway I will still end up dead
"Yes sir, I did" I reply, preparing my final words in my head
He let's my hair go and at the same time let's out a very loud, booming laughter
"You little rascal" he says in between laughs
"S-sir?" I'm too frightened to let out an audible sentence
"Has your mum seen it?" He folds his arms, giving me an amused look
"No, I don't think so" I scratch the back of my neck
"For the first time, you actually behave like my son, wow" he takes slow steps from where he is, deeper into the room
Am I dreaming?
"I'm guessing you're going to your school's Valentines dinner?" He leans against my reading table, facing his body towards me
"Yes I am" I swallow
"With who?"
There's no point lying, he'll know anyway
"Espn" I say in one breath
"Peter's daughter?" I nod my head while he rolls his eyes
"You're so boring, the same girl every year? I'm starting to doubt you have any of my blood in you" he shakes his head
I should tell him there's a development this year, that we aren't going as friends this time-
"Good evening Mr Thompson" a cheery voice rings out from my pocket
Shoot! I didn't hang up
My dad gives me a weird look, gesturing towards my pocket. I reach for my phone awkwardly to show it to him
"Hello Espn, how are you" he says with a wide smile which she probably has on too
They go on talking as if she didn't just hear his remark about me being boring by taking the same girl every year. They start to converse like real family members while I stand there awkwardly as the third party in the conversation. Her voice sparkles in adoration for him as he answers all her questions about work, everyone has the same expression while speaking to 'the great Hex', well everyone except me
AMANDA'S POV
(Amanda Aderinsola Akinde)
"Aderin are you ready?" My mum calls from outside my bedroom door
"I'll be down in ten minutes mum" I continue to lay my edges perfectly
Nana and I chose to dress for our own Valentines night in anything other than red, we aren't even allowed to wear red shoes- it was my idea- given that this year's Valentines isn't one to celebrate. I picked a two piece Belle-air hoodie and shorts to wear for our not-so-fancy get together since I've decided not to look like my problems. The words are actually Nancy's not mine,
"Why the heck would you wear that for Valentines?! You might be going through a lot but Never look like your problems" Nancy's voice squealed from the other side of the video chat
I was fine with a plain black hooded shirt and grey slacks but Nana just had to say I looked like 'her uncle going on a morning run'. That immediately had me racing to my closet and doing an overall outfit change. Even if I lose in every game of life, I won't be losing in the game of fashion. I apply a little lip gloss to my naturally pink lips- a trait from my mum- and arrange my makeup supplies neatly at the edge of my desk
I'm not overly organised, my mum won't just let me step out of the house if my room isn't in perfect order
I take a lasting look at my reflection in the mirror and decide at the last minute to take a mirror selfie, showing off my outfit a little
The photo
I post the picture on my status with a caption that reads
"Valentine is Cyan over here"
I smile cheekily at my catchy caption and give myself a mental pat on the back for coming up with a super cool phrase. The first view comes in about five seconds and if I didn't know better I'd say he was stalking me with the rate at which this has been occurring with all my other updates lately
Viewed by Eddyð
A small smile makes its way to my lips then disappears almost as quickly as it came- Eddy
My pettiness almost makes me edit his name in my contact book to something less sweet like 'Edmond Thompson' or 'Edmond' or 'Edmond Sheffield'. I consider the last one and I almost start to edit it
"Aderin!" My mum yells from downstairs
"Coming mummy" I dump my phone into my white purse and skid down stairs
I fasten my seatbelt at the same time a message comes in, its from Nana.
I stare at the photo displayed on my screen and I can't help but grin from how good my friend looks, she posted the same picture on her WhatsApp status two minutes after I posted mine. She has a white low cut v-neck tank top and short skirts with her signature white manicured nails and a black hair band she always has on her wrist incase 'the going gets tough'
The photo
Her own caption reads 'it could also be white'
I smirk when I think about the obvious meaning of her caption, some might not understand since its a little coded unless you view my own status first. Its like having a code language- not really but- yeah you get it
Me
Hehe someone's looking hottt ð¥
5:12pm
Bear Nana ð»
Ikrrrr 𥺠You look so dayumm ð
5:12pm
Okay... I was referring to her actually but the compliment was needed- I feel so dayummm
"They live in Gahi? Do you know the way to their house?" My mum asks as she drives out of the gates of Trinity Gardens City
"No, let's use the maps, I have their address"
I type the address into the screen below the dashboard and click on 'start journey'
The trip to the house takes shorter time than we expected, seems the distance gets shorter when you actually know where you're going
"Is this it?" My mum asks as we stop in front of two huge black gates
"Yes, if I remember well" I try to peep into the compound through the small hole between the fence and the gate but it's of no use as no part of the house can be seen from outside
"Who are you looking for?" A short man in a purple and black uniform asks as he emerges from the security house
"Uhm I'm Idara and Erling's friend, they live here" I wind my glass lower so he can see my face properly, hoping he'll recognise me, he doesn't
"Call them na"
I dial Nana's number twice but she doesn't pick up
"Call that her brother or something, if they are not around I'll have to take you back" my mum honks the horn again
Better pick up you cow! I'm not following my mum back home and wasting this drip
"Hello?" His voice rings from the other side of the line
"Hey I'm at your house and I'm trying to-
"Hello?" He calls again, not seeming to be able to hear me
How will you hear? When the music at the background is louder than appropriate for even a clubhouse
"Hey I'm in front of your gate-
"Amanda?" He asks
No oh, Abike
"I can hear you, can you hear me?" I ask impatiently, shifting uncomfortably under my mum and the guards gazes
"This place is very noisy I'll call you back"
"What- no-
He hangs up immediately, I mentally face palm
"Uhm, he'll call back" I say to the guard who is still watching me suspiciously, my mum increases the volume of the sermon playing on the radio
Ringg
Finally
"Hello" I call into the microphone
"Amanda" he answers, this time he can hear me
"I'm in front of your house, I've been trying to call Nana but she's not answering and the security guard is not going to let me in unless he speaks with you" I ramble into the speaker
"Put him on the phone" he replies lowly
I click the loud speaker icon and hold my hand out so he can speak to him
"Hello Mr Nnamdi, open the gate for her, she's my guest" he simply states
"Okay sir" the guard replies with a nod and proceeds to unlock the gate
"What are you doing mum? You can just drop me off here, I'll go in myself" I state in confusion as my mum attempts to go into the compound
"Don't they have parents? I need to know in whoms house I'm dropping my daughter" she says with a tone of finality and zooms into the compound like its her own, driving straight to the parking lot to join the three other automobiles already parked
Two of the cars are covered but I recognise the third one as the land cruiser that drops the both of them off at school every morning and comes to pick them in the afternoons
"Tripppppp" a cheery voice yells from the balcony upstairs
I look up to find a squealing Idara that appears to be on a sugar rush as she bolts into the house gesturing with her hands that she'll be down in a minute. I can't help but chew out of her web of excitement as my mum and i wait for her to meet with us downstairs, feeding our eyes in the process. I guess my nervousness the first time I was here didn't permit me to probably take in the exterior look of their house
The house in one word can be described as 'simple'. No fancy water fountain at the centre of the overly large space, no special aesthetics asides the tennis table beside the parking lot, just simply trimmed flowers by the fences and a probably viscious dog barking from the other side of the compound.
Like the interior, the exterior house design isn't much of a big deal, just simple colours like black, blue and grey but that's enough to make it a sight to look at. I'm sure my mum will have something to say about the designs when we get home, if not for her our house would have probably looked as plain as this or even worse. Maybe their mum didnât help in designing theirs
We walk to the front porch and I can almost smell the 'homey' scent i perceived the last time I was here, that's the most beautiful part of their house
"Yo what's up?" Nana says as she opens the door wide and her arms wider
"Good evening ma'am" she mumbles to my mum while squishing my lungs in a tight embrace
She pulls away from the hug and moves to hug my mum who happily spreads her arms to envelope her smaller frame in an embrace
"How are you my dear" my mum's eyes sparkle as she holds on to both of Idara's hands
"I'm very fine ma, thank you" she pushes the front door open and ushers the both of us in
My jaws hang open in shock as I regard the middle aged man in front of me, okay Erling's dad is hella fine. If no one told me, and maybe if we weren't standing in the middle of his living room I wouldn't have believed that this caramel skinned- supposed to be a runway model- man casually slouched on the sofa with the remote hanging lazily in his hand birthed that cow
He meets our gazes and sits up in a split second when he realises two strangers are standing in front of him
"Good evening sir" I duck my head slightly
"Good evening sir" my mum says almost at the same time
He springs up to his feet and stretches his hand towards my mum for a handshake, my mum returns the gesture
"Good evening, you must be the friend my daughter talked about" he nods his head firmly at me "and her mum" he offers a smile
"Yes sir, nice to meet you sir" my mum replies
They talk about work, they talk about the kids, about Nigeria's economic situation and that is when Nana and I take the cue to leave
*
"Welcome to my room" Nana says as she switches on the lights to her very aesthetic bedroom
I can bet my brother's left ear that her room is the only decorated room in this house, it literally feels like we stepped into another dimension
"Wow" that's all my two remaining brain cells can come up with as I step into the piece of artwork
"Impressed?" She asks with a smirk
"Hm-hmm"
From the doors, to the mahogany reading table; to the convertible bed with an in built shelf; to the actual shelf then the aesthetic lights hung around like Christmas decorations but with a single colour; to the little gold fish tank by her window, I need to start taking notes!
Her room looks too out of place in the house, I'd have expected it to be a little splash of blue, white and grey paintings on the wall and maybe an alarm clock by her bed to keep her sleeping in check, but this-
It feels like we stepped into a wrong house, maybe Toke's
That's right, Toke
I haven't seen her since the day I went all 'biyatch mode' on her. I'm still a little pissed- and maybe not ready to apologise- but she has not even given me the chance to if I wanted to, she totally went ghost on me. She's one of those cool kids who hardly post status updates, have no Display picture on WhatsApp and have their read receipts turned off, bummer. So even if I wanted to stalk her to see what she was up to, I can't
I shrug any thoughts of her off my mind, we agreed to have no negative energy so I'm not about to bring up some person to spoil my Valentines mood
"What do you want us to do first?" Nana asks as she throws a pack of chips- which I catch skillfully- and settles down with a bowl of hers
"I have a list" I say cheekily as I dig into my purse to fetch the list I made earlier when I was bored
"1. Netflix"
She beckons on me to go on
"That's all I got, you got something better?" I shrug nonchalantly
She considers it for a second
"Netflix it is" she props herself off the bed "Let me get Erling's laptop, my subscription is expired"
She smirks mischievously before dashing out of the room
I stretch my legs out and make myself comfortable on the bed, taking my shoes off and leaving only my socks on. My eyes catch a fallen picture frame in between the bed frame and the bedside table, I squeeze my hand through the hole to retrieve it, cleaning it slightly even though it doesn't appear dusty
It's a picture of four people, two white women standing at the middle of the two men, holding their toddlers planted on their hips in a similar stance while the two men at the edges have their hands places firmly on the waists of the women. What draws my attention more is the man on the left, the only features that identify him as a man are his obviously built physique and the brown khakis he has on, asides that none other- his head has been cropped off in the picture with either a pair of scissors or a blade.
I take a closer look at the man at the right and I can't help but notice the familiarity. My eyes widen in shock
That's the man downstairs!
Oh my, these babies, could one of them be Erling? Or could the both of them be Erling and Nana? Are those their mums??
So many questions
Why have I never heard or seen either of the mums?
No amount of squinting helps me find out which baby is the boy or the girl, they are basically dressed the same with the same length of hair and their mothers even look like twins
But why is the man's face cropped out though? Are the parents of child A separated?
Hmm that's probably why Nana never mentions her parents, that's really a lot to go through-
The sound of the door nob turning causes me to fall from the bed in fright while trying to hide the picture frame back where I found it
"Are you okay" she inquires, her voice laced with concern
"Yeah I'm okay, I slipped" I say with a groan as I skillfully push the remaining part of the frame showing back into it's hiding place
"Sorry" she replies with a mocking tone as she sets the silver laptop on the bed
"What?" She asks, not taking her eyes off the laptop screen
"What what?"
"You're boring holes into my head with your eyes, I can feel your stare"
I didn't even realise I was staring
"Oh sorry" I quickly catch myself and shift my gaze to the screen instead
"Erling is at the party, in case you were wondering" she states plainly
"Yeah I know he- wait why would I be wondering?" I give her an awkward look causing her to giggle
"Just saying" she hums as she continues to searches through the movies, occasionally drawing my attention to some she thinks might interest me
"He's going to be joining us soon, he just went there to represent us 'senior prefects', he doesnât like the parties either" she adds
Yeah he mentioned that at Aidan's party
"Is Aidan at the party?" I nudge her elbow playfully
"Yes, I'm sure he couldnât ditch his date"
That's why she offered for the both of us to ditch the party
"I know what you're thinking but that's not why I'm not going, I just don't want to"
"Hm-hmm I believe you" I say, my voice easily betraying my pretense
She swats my arm painfully causing me to wince
"Let's watch fast and furious X" she squeals excitedly as she clicks on the movie
I grab my chips from the desk as she walks over to switch the lights off
Well this is going to be one evening to remember
*
For those that might be wondering ð¤§, there's still gonna be a lot of drama, and my dears don't rule Eddy out of your story just yet ð nothing is predictable oh
Next chapter is dramatic, I can promise you that. You'll literally want to slap some of your favorite characters and you'll want to give some of them fist bumps for being sensible ð¤ well anyway, ANTICIPATE!!
Hehehe End of chapter my people ð (I can literally hear one of my readers replying with "after how many years") ð
Well as y'all must have noticed, this is my longest chapter yet with a total of 5123 words ð¤ (you're free to applaud I'm not complaining)
Stay tuned to transparent, I don't know when the next chapter is coming but please be patient ð I geh school work. Love all of you â¤ï¸, thanks for sticking this far
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