Black ( Lemon )

Chapter 7

Do not wait forever but do wait
Just remember
It's not your responsibility to fix a broken man
             Gentlemenhood

Lemon
I watched as his hand came resting on mine and I flinched. I pulled it away and shook my head. I should have taken my seat at the back of the car but that would have been rude.
"How many times have I told you I don't appreciate physical contact? Why is it so difficult for you to not take every opportunity to touch me? It's plain wrong, even Islamically and you know that."
I said to Ibrahim.

" Okay Okay. I am sorry." He said looking so sheepish I couldn't help smiling. Every friend had at least one bad habit and I was sure to correct this one with time. He was being of great help also so I would pardon him. He had jumped on the offer to drive me to the airport when I knew no one else who would.

"So this friend of yours that you've not said anything about must not be some kind of mafia, cause here I am driving you to the airport to pick him. Hold on, I dont even know if it's a he or she. At least tell me which it is." He said.

Black I thought , I still couldn't believe he was actually coming. I had hurt him, so much and he still wanted to see me. I had blamed him for so long, thinking if I had not listened to him telling us to leave our cell phones in the car that day, we might have gotten there sooner and they would still be alive, what a stupid thing to do but I knew better now. Pain did so much to a person, he had loved Abba and Ummi as much as I did. We should have grieved and healed together. I couldn't  believe it took me four years to realize that. Even still I had not the courage to call Black. Thinking about it hurt so much, even after all these years. I missed them, I missed my old life, I missed it all.

Dr Umar called very often, he'd visit me whenever he was around and give me more money than I had use for. Daddy too was still healing, I knew I was a major reason for his moving out of the country, I ought to have stayed a while more.

Even after a month when I resumed school, I knew It couldn't have hurt my studies if I'd stayed a bit longer. Oh, the stupid mistakes I made! Why did I even stop picking Black's calls? I still remember how I'd just keep staring at his caller ID, till it rang out whenever he called. Was my parents death enough reason? Samuel had consoled me and stayed with me all through. I had also ignored him totally in the beginning, but he was relentless.

He managed to find my hostel and would wait outside half an hour before my lectures and I would still avoid him, though he'd walk with me and talk till I got to the lecture hall without me saying a word to him. After a month, he was impossible to ignore and little by little I began to talk to him. I told him all that happened and he grieved with me. I was still putting blame on Black then, and Samuel would always tell me I was being too hard on him and myself but I would never listen. Now, Sam was in Delta state, so far away and I was stuck with Ibrahim. He could never measure up to Sam but he was nice and always ready to help with whatever I needed.

Ibrahim and I met in my fourth year in school, I didn't need to know him for long to see he was a child who got everything on a platter of gold. He was really famous in school being the child of a Senator. Every award ceremony featured him, he drove a different car every semester and the girls, surely, drooled over him. I avoided him, like I always avoided people. To me, he was just one of them. Then one day I was going over some lecture materials with Sam and he walked up to us. Seeing I didn't even acknowledge his presence, Sam greeted him politely.

" May we help you?" Sam said.

" Not you, but the lady most definitely can" Ibrahim said.

I then looked up at him, he was tall, slim face and quite handsome. Still, nothing compared to my Black. Even then, I was thinking about Black and it made me furious.

" I don't think I want to help you in any way so please excuse us!" I said, menace filling every word.

Sam looked at me like I was crazy, I never made outbursts like that.

" Are you alright? " Sam asked

"I am fine." I said, a bit more relaxed. I turned to look at our company, he seemed amused, he was enjoying this.

" You've got a lot of fire in you. I just want to be friends. Nothing more. Oh and please don't say no, I never give up." He said.

He had guts, that I had to admit. I couldn't blame him, it came with all the attention he got on a daily base.

" I have one friend, as you can see..." motioning to Sam " and he serves as a thousand. The space is full and taken, but thanks a lot. I'm honored you asked." I said, sarcasm dripping from the word in the last statement.

He then, did the unexpected, when all I was wanting from him was anger, he laughed, loud and annoyingly.

"We'll see. It was nice meeting you though." He said and left before I could get another word in.

I turned to Sam who had an "I'm gonna burst into laughter any minute" expression on his face. " Why did you just stand there? You're so useless. Remind me again why am your friend?" I said to him.

" It's a long list, where do I start from?" He said.

I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just finish up here, that duche bag just made me start craving chocolate. Imagine the effrontery, Black would have beaten him into a pulp." I said smiling, then I caught myself, Black again. Argh!

Sam must have noticed my frustration. " Saj, you really should stop tormenting yourself, it's been four years. For God's sake, forgive him already, you are both suffering. He's a good guy, I shouldn't be the one telling you this, you know it." he said.

" I just said let's finish this up. I am craving chocolate. The earlier I get it. The better." I said.

Knowing I was closing the topic, Sam said no more and I was more than grateful to him. He knew when to stop and he knew exactly what to say before that. I really needed chocolate. It helped with the stress. I missed Black, I missed him then and I still missed him. I guess I never stopped, I was just too blinded by my pain to see.

Ibrahim kept stalking me and eventually I began to tolerate him and having had him promise to keep it only on a basis of friendship, I relaxed more around him, though for some reason I was never comfortable with him. That was a year ago, now Sam wasn't present and Ibrahim was my only friend who had a car. He was my only friend actually. The least I could do was get a ride back to my place for Black. I knew he'd book a hotel where he'd stay and I had already checked out a couple few for him. I cooked coconut Jollof rice, just the way Ummi always did for him then he would go and literally kiss her feet after eating. I smiled to myself, picturing them, those were good times. I didn't know how to go about an apology but the food was a start.

I was so nervous, I felt myself trembling.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you sick? You just went cold on me and now you're shaking. It's a mafia right?." Ibrahim said.

I had totally forgotten about him. I could remember him talking but I couldn't make anything out whatever he had said.

I managed to smile and shoved my hands under my armpits.

" It's a He, and his record is very clean." I said.

His face dulled a bit, the soft amused expression he always had was gone then replaced with so much hardness. All facial features contorted into a menacing look. I felt a chill down my spine. I blinked and his face was normal again, was I imagining things?

He smiled. "Off we go then, let's pick mystery man."

Though he sounded alright, I knew something was up but I couldn't  worry about that now.

Mystery man? Not Black. I knew him in and out and despite my nerves being on high alert, I found myself smiling. I just hoped it all went well.