As stealthily as she could manage with the extremely dim lighting, Hope tiptoed out of her room and headed for the kitchen. She was craving a snack so bad and knew herself well enough to risk going to bed hungry. She needed all the sleep she could get to make up for the one she'd lost the previous night.
"Hope? Is that you?"
Hope's steps halted and she tapped on her phone screen twice to wake it up. She switched on the flashlight and pointed it at Val's figure seated on the couch, a bowl of cereal in hand. Changing her mind, she made her way over to the couch instead.
"I'm going to pretend it's not weird that you're sitting alone here in total darkness taking cornflakes," Hope said as she plopped herself on the seat beside Val.
Val smiled, munching on a spoonful. "It's NEPA's fault since they decided to bless us with darkness this night."
Hope waved her phone before setting it on the table to serve as an illuminant.
"Low battery," Val replied, catching the drift. "I'm saving power."
"There's a lamp around here somewhere," Hope insisted, glancing around as if expecting said lamp to miraculously appear.
"Yes, and when was the last time either of us bothered to charge it?" Val asked then chuckled at the sheepish look on Hope's face. "Exactly."
Hope laughed. "It's because I'm not used to it jare. My roommate and I never bothered to get another lamp after the last one we had broke. We almost never need it anyway because we have light basically 24/7 and the few times we don't, our phones do the job."
Val shook her head, chuckling. "It's not you people's fault na. Private school students. Go to correct public university where you can go days without NEPA blinking the light. We'll know then if you'll be able to say the same."
Hope chuckled, "So you that went to correct public university, what's your excuse?"
"Forgetful mind," Val answered simply, taking another spoonful of now soggy cornflakes.
Hope's eyes followed the movement and her stomach rumbled, reminding her why she was up that late in the first place. She licked her lips as she felt herself salivating. "See how this your cornflakes is just beckoning on me to come and eat it."
Val shifted away from Hope, creating as much distance between them as she can.
"Is that why you're shifting away like that?" Hope laughed. "What will you do if I just jump on you and snatch the food?"
"You know the way to the kitchen. Don't play rough play oo," Val warned, her expression serious.
Hope stared at her a second before bursting into another round of laughter. "So you're stingy like this. Na wa oo, Aunty Val."
Val's face scrunched up. It was obvious she didn't find the term endearing. "Don't call me Aunty, please. I'm not that much older than you are."
"It's my mum you should tell that one to." Hope scoffed, remembering the time her mum had promised her a beating because she'd called Val by her name. "I've been meaning to ask though. How old are you?"
"Twenty four," Val replied, finishing off the last of the food.
"Really? I'll be roughly your age during my service year as well," Hope observed.
"That's true," Val replied thoughtfully. "Your education seems a bit slow compared to Sophie's. Why is that?"
"You don't know?" Hope asked, surprised Val didn't know her story.
Val shook her head, indicating that she indeed didn't know.
Hope hesitated. It was that part of her life she usually didn't like thinking back to or dwelling on. She'd raised Val's curiosity however and it was only fair she shared.
"I fell sick a few weeks after my WASSCE. I wasn't even able to write NECO exam. Thank God I made all my papers at once."
"Really?" Val asked, surprised and shocked. "I had no idea."
"It was a kidney problem and I needed a transplant," Hope continued on autopilot. She'd found it was easier to tell when she pretended the story wasn't hers. "I was in the hospital for way over a year because mum and Sophie had no way of raising the money for a transplant. Some say it was a miracle I could even hold on for that long."
"Oh my God, I had no idea your family went through that," Val whispered. "I'm so sorry. How were you finally able to get a transplant?"
"Alex," Hope supplied. "He was my savior. He had only just met Sophie at the time but he not only paid for the surgery, he also flew me out of the country for treatment. Long story short, here I am today. Good as new."
Hope didn't like telling people what she'd gone through and the reason was plastered all over Val's face at the moment. People tended to react with pitying looks and it never sat well with her. It was the past and she was fine. End of story. Pitying her only served to remind her of how helpless she had been at the time.
"Really? That's it?" Val asked, her tone unsure.
Hope added as an afterthought, laughing to force away her tears. "I'm fine, Val. Yes, I have to live on drugs for the rest of my life and go for constant checkups to ensure my body is not rejecting the kidney. But that's not happening yet and as the doctor says, I'm very much good and it's almost like I've never had a transplant at all. I know he was exaggerating but still."
"What happens if your body rejects the kidney?" Val asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
"I'll probably need another transplant or die." Hope replied bluntly then laughed at the horror on Val's face. "But there's no sign of that happening yet so don't worry, you'll still have me bothering you for many more years to come."
"I'd love that very much," Val said, unable to control the tear that streamed down her face. "I'm really sorry you had to go through all that."
"Me too," Hope said, her smile bittersweet. She'd for the longest time wondered why she'd had to go through that as well. But at the end, she'd come to terms with the fact that things just happened without reason sometimes and she'd had no choice but to deal with the hand life had dealt her.
"Anyway, back to what started all this. After I recuperated, I had to prepare for another year before I could take the UTME so yeah, the illness stole almost three years of my life," Hope concluded.
Val shook her head and her hands clutched onto Hope's. "I really don't know what to say. You're so strong, Hope. No one could tell you went through all that. You're always so full of life and smiling. You're so admirable."
"Ooh, I'm blushing," Hope laughed and angrily wiped away at the tears that finally forced their way out. The tears were more of the result of Val's compassionate words than the reminiscence of her past. "Now you've gone and made me cry. You were supposed to listen to my story and not make me cry. Ugh! I can sue you for this, you know?"
Val chuckled, shaking her head. "You're such an unbelievable person."
Hope rolled her eyes and simultaneously tapped her hands against each other. "Stop being such a crybaby. Honestly, I can't even say I wish to take back those three years of my life because I think of it sometimes and I'm like . . . The reason Sophie went to work for Alex in the first place was because of me so if I hadn't fallen sick, Sophie and Alex wouldn't have met and fallen in love. And I, of course, wouldn't be attending one of the best private universities in Nigeria!"
Val laughed, finally conceding to Hope's attempt at lightening the mood. "Really?"
"Yes," Hope affirmed with a nod. "Believe it or not, Alex and Sophie owe their epic love story to me."
"Hm. But you do realize even if you hadn't fallen sick, they still would have met another way, right? It's fate. What would be would be," Val bantered.
"Lalalalala," Hope sang with her two index fingers blocking her ears. "I'm sorry. Did you say something? I can't hear you over the sound of my theory being right."
Val raised both hands up in surrender. "I concede, madam. You win. Your theory is right."
"Much better." Hope chuckled, dropping her hands back on her lap.
"Your family is amazing," Val stated, sighing. "The way you all look out for one another . . . "
Hope shrugged. To her, it was simple really. That was the whole essence of family in the first place. "We're all we've got."
"Yeah, well, not everyone has that. My dad. . . " Val snorted. "He left my mum and I when I was just two. It was so hard for her to raise me on her own because we didn't have that much. But you know what the funny part is?"
Hope shook her head, sensing it wasn't going to be funny at all.
"This man's monthly income was enough to take care of my school fees conveniently for a whole year and still leave us extra but he never spent even a dime on us after he left."
"That's horrible. Does he have another family?"
"It'd have been good if he did. At least there would be a viable reason other than the obvious fact that he just didn't care."
Hope's heart broke at the abject sorrow on Val's face. In an attempt to console her, she muttered, "I lost my own dad when I was four."
"At least your dad didn't leave you on purpose. My dad later died as well, but it was good riddance to bad rubbish really," Val replied coldly.
Hope flinched. That tone of voice was a lot foreign coming from Val. The girl was all sweetness ninety percent of the time.
Val sighed, noticing she'd made Hope uncomfortable. "I know that was harsh but I can't help how I feel about it."
It was obvious to Hope that Val's mood had plummeted right to the very lowest and her mind scrambled for something to say to cheer her up again. A big smile stretched her lips as an idea struck her.
"Wanna hear a funny story?" She asked.
"What story?" Val muttered. She'd lost all interest and it was clear as day.
"It's about uncle Ray," Hope supplied, wiggling her brows.
Val tried to hide it but Hope was watching closely so she caught the faint flicker of interest at the sound of Raymond's name. Val's eyes narrowed, knowing what Hope was playing at.
Hope shrugged. "It's fine if you're not interested . . . "
Val's smile was reluctant but eventually, she gave in. "Alright, fine. Let's hear it."
Hope clapped in mock glee. She repositioned herself on the couch so her legs were tucked under her and she was facing Val squarely. Her tongue flicked over her lips and she had on the look of someone who was about to share something really interesting.
Val couldn't resist laughing. "This better be good," she warned.
Hope placed a hand over Val's lips, hushing her. "Don't say anything, okay? I'm trying to get into my element here."
Val snorted but didn't utter another word.
Hope cleared her throat dramatically. "Okay. So, a long time ago, there lived a man named Raymond . . . insert drum roll--"
"Real--"
"Shhh. Stop interrupting me!" Hope snapped playfully and she was rewarded when Val chuckled again. She could see the pain in Val's eyes fading and it drew a smile to Hope's lips as well.
"So, this happened during Angel's fourteenth birthday party, that was roughly two years ago."
Val nodded, urging her to continue.
"But before then, Uncle Ray had this girlfriend. Sophie and I called her . . . " She leaned forward to whisper in Val's ear just for the thrill, " . . . the ghost girlfriend."
"The ghost girlfriend? Why?" Val asked, now intrigued.
"Yes. Why?" Hope laughed. "Because he wouldn't introduce anyone to her na. It was so obvious he was head over heels for this girl but he was so secretive about the relationship to the extent we even started thinking she was from his imagination. Like, was the girl the president's daughter or what? Even if she was sef . . . All we knew was that her name was Rose and we'd meet her in the future."
Val shifted, so she was now conveniently facing Hope as well. "So what happened on Angel's birthday? Did you guys finally meet her?"
Hope nodded. "Yes. Now, fast forward to the birthday party . . . We met her, but not in the way we expected."
"How so?"
"Ah." Hope let put a dramatic sigh. "Do you know Ama, Sophie's best friend?"
Val nodded.
"Good. You know her husband, Uncle Dan?"
Val searched her memory for a recollection of the name. "Yeah . . . I think I do. He was there during the wedding, right? He's also close friends with Sophie?"
Hope gave her a thumbs up. "You have wonderful memory. So that day, Uncle Dan came with his girlfriend and you can guess what happened."
Val's mouth dropped open, guessing where the story was headed. "Don't tell me . . . "
"Bingo! It was Rose. But to uncle Dan, her name was Sharon."
"Oh, wow."
"But that's not even the funniest part," Hope continued. "Uncle Ray and Dan were also kinda friends, they had mutual friends, you get the drift?"
Val nodded.
"It turns out they both met her at the same party," Hope concluded with a laugh.
Val wasn't finding it very funny. "That must have really hurt him."
Hope waved her concern off. "Forget that one jor. The whole thing was hilarious. You needed to have seen the way the girl hightailed it out of there like the devil himself was chasing her. Needless to say, it was a birthday party to remember."
Val's head tilted, studying Hope who seemed to be having the time of her life and she couldn't help the slight annoyance she felt. "You must have really enjoyed it, didn't you?"
Hope's eyebrows raised. She recognized that look Val was shooting her. She was obviously not getting the reaction she expected, but then in a way, maybe she was. She shrugged in response to Val's question. "It was funny to watch, honestly. I won't lie."
"But if he loved her as much as you said, it must have really broken him," Val reasoned.
"Broken is right," Hope replied, chuckling as she thought back on the incident. It had hurt him, alright? And at that time, him hurting had hurt her as well. To Val, she said, "You don't know the half of it. That was only the start of it."
"Are you saying there's more?" Val asked, curious to know more.
Hope nodded. "Much more. But you're not going to hear it from me. You're going to have to ask uncle Ray himself."
Val's brows furrowed in annoyance. "So why tell me this in the first place?"
Hope chuckled. Somehow, she found the gesture cute. "Why do you think?"
"For laughs? I didn't find it funny though," Val pointed out.
"I didn't think you would. So you really don't know? But I'm sure you've been wondering why he's so closed off."
"Yeah, I . . . Oh." Val's hands came up to rub her face when she finally understood what Hope was saying.
Hope nodded. "Yeah. Exactly."
"You're such a weird person to figure out sometimes. What kind of person are you sef?" Val demanded seriously although the dots were now connecting in her head.
Hope full out laughed this time. "For now, I'm someone who had almost totally forgotten why she came out in the first place."
"And why is that?"
"To get snacks," Hope replied, standing. She retrieved her phone from the table she'd placed it on. "Goodnight, and enjoy your darkness, Val. See you tomorrow. Dream of me."
"Not happening. Thanks, Hope," Val said sincerely.
Hope's brows scrunched up, like she wasn't entirely sure what she was being thanked for. She shrugged it off anyway. "Yeah yeah. If you're so grateful, pay me for my story teller services." That said, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, the sound of Val's laughter accompanying her all the way in.
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