Forbidden

There's just this thing about Grief

Patricia had showed up at their house one afternoon, unexpected. When Isabelle opened the door, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Sunday brought me here. He said, this was where you stay now" Patricia started off. She looked so tired, so Isabelle let her in. It was only her and Dami at the house as usual. Their parents were at work and the boys went with Tosin to play with their neighbors in the estate. Dami was taking a nap upstairs.

"Do you want anything? Maybe like water? Juice?" Isabelle started off. Patricia declined and sat in the sofa, staring at her

"How are you doing?" She started off.

I don't know, myself. Have I been okay? Have I been not okay?

"Fine" Isabelle replied, warily.

"Your mother asked of you. They've been looking for you"

"They wanted me out of the house. They've gotten what they wished for"

"It's not the same without you in the house, Isabelle."

She refused to listen that her parents who think of her as nothing more than a prostitute is looking for her. She sat there and looked anywhere but at Patricia.

"That's nice to hear, Aunty. But please don't lie to me"

Patricia gave her a wounded look. She felt bad about her words and apologised.

"Do they treat you good here?"
Isabelle stared into the older woman's eyes, and she knew that Patricia meant well. It was only a slight transition, but she was okay with it.

"It feels like home"

"But it is not your home, Sweetheart. Please, come home"

"Aunty, I cannot do that" Patricia was acting like everything was normal, that her parents actually want her back. She knew they don't even think of her. Her father disowned her and her mum said nothing. They don't care about her anymore. "You know I can't"

Patricia leaned forward, grasped her hand. "Isabelle, please "

"I'm not going anywhere"

"Okay, but will you think about it?"

That was easier to give a lie to. "Yes" She said, already rejected the thought.

Patricia reached into her bag and brought out a wad of cash, five hundred naira notes. "Fifty thousand. Your mum told me to give you, if I should find you"

What? Her mum? Isabelle looked questionably. That was a lot of money. She stared at Patricia's stretched hand

"I don't want it. She can keep her money"

"I beg of you Isabelle, have it and use it to take care of yourself"

"It's not needed. I'm being taken care off" Just the other day, she went maternity shopping with Mrs Alabi and Dami. They were getting little things for her and her child.

Patricia left it by her side, anyway. When she got to the door to see her off, Patricia hugged her.

"I'm going to miss you" She said, leaning against Isabelle. Isabelle didn't lean into the hug, like she thought she would, but later on, she wrapped her arms around her. She already misses her. She misses her family. She misses home.

She lingered by the door for a while after Patricia left, and tears came to her eyes. Maybe she had been to harsh on them, maybe, if they let her in, she would return back to the guest house and things might return back to normal.

Or these were just silly thoughts of her missing what her life used to be.

Tosin came in then, with Ore. She looked sleepy and tried.
"She said she wanted to come home" He said, looking at Isabelle. "Is that alright with you?"