Brown Skinned Bet

Chapter XLVII

•Kainene•

           "Are you okay Kaine?" Jade inquired as we walked down the apian way. We'd taken our time to trudge over the slabway,neither of us saying anything for most of the time and simply enjoying our company.

          "I'm fine" I gave her a low reply,my hands crossing over my chest to caress my arms in response to the chilly breeze of the night which had wheezed past us.

          "No you're not. Your eyes have been swollen since afternoon. You've been crying since" she pointed out,causing me to pause in my tracks. I slowly lowered myself unto the elevated blocks on the rear sides of the slabway,right beneath the slabway light.

         "Because I messed up Jade" I told her. "It's about university abi?" She inquired,settling beside me and taking my palm in hers. I replied with a nod.

         "What happened?" She pressed on. "Daryl doesn't want us to break up" I started,looking to her and trying to keep my voice steady as her gaze urged me to go on. "He's been trying to make it work,even if it means him having to study in Nigeria and not abroad. And I...well.." I finished with another sigh.

          "You've just been wanting to go to Nile" she completed. "Yeah" I choked back a tear,tilting my head upwards and allowing the cool air to dry up the salty water so it wouldn't escape my eyes.

         "But you didn't know he was doing all of that right?" Jade questioned and I nodded negative. "Is he angry?" She inquired further. "Kind of,I don't even know. If its you,won't you be angry. When it feels like you're the only one fighting for the relationship to work" I explained to her.

         "Its true sha. But Kaine...do you want to break up with Daryl?" She asked. "Because if you guys aren't going to be around each other,you'd have to break up eventually" she added.

          "I don't think I want to Jade. But I don't just think its logical to put all these fleeting and flickering feelings before my future. I can't go to a school because of...." I preferred to leave my sentence unfinished. Now,I was really sounding selfish.

         "But look at it this way Kaine. Your mum wants you to go to Yale. Honestly,we both know that's much better than Nile. Don't let this whole thing cloud your judgement. Emotions and all aside,do what's actually best for your future" she told me.

         "Is that why you're breaking up with Yomi? Is it also for your future?" I found myself asking her. It had been bugging me for too long. I'd seen how stiff they'd been around each other since the advent of the new week,how she always tried to avoid him and how he always tried to get hold of her. I hadn't been through one didn't mean I didn't know a break up when I saw it.

           Jade stiffened,the palm which held mine suddenly growing cold. Her eyes glazed and she looked away from me. "I'm going abroad on Saturday Kaine and I'm not coming back" she told me plainly,hurt clearly interwoven with her words.

          "How? Why?" I questioned all at once,the information being novel to me. "I'm too sick Kaine" she cried. "I don't want him to see me go through it. Look at how he was during the break. I started to wonder who was really sick,if it was me or him" she gave off a pained chuckle.

         "Jesus,Jade" I cried bringing her into my embrace. To think I thought I had it bad,I couldn't imagine this,this sacrifice Jade was making. "Jade,no naw ehn. Don't do like this. What's wrong? Are you going to be admitted again?" I cried as we pulled away from each other.

          "I have to Kaine. They say the surgery has a relatively low survival rate. I don't want him to watch me hit rock bottom,he won't be able to bear it. Besides,his father is set on sending him to UNILAG(University of Lagos) and I don't know when my treatment is going to be over,if it'll ever be over. And when it's over,I'm sure my dad would never want to bring me back to Nigeria" she explained.