Our Naija Babe

Forty-one¶Cheer him up💃🕺🏾

Freddy's arms where still around me when Dami cleared his throat. I patted Freddy's back and he leaned away.

"How are you?" I asked awkwardly. I was still conscious of his mother's presence.

"I'm not fine!" Freddy replied and pouted.

I smiled and said, "I'm here to cheer you up".

He slipped his hand into mine and voiced, "Come into my room".

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "Mrs Okoro, can you please prepare some food? Freddy needs to eat".

Freddy rolled his eyes.

"Yes oo! You have to eat" I pointed at him and pursed my lips. "Don't even dare say no to me".

"Fine!" he threw his arms in the air in mock surreder. He slipped his hand back into mine and pulled me to his room.

"I will prepare the food!" His mother exclaimed and left.

Freddy's room was nice. There was a wallpaper of a bright white, red and black colour. It was plastered at all side of the room. It had that teenage boy atmosphere. Video games, comics, CDs and few novels were placed at different corner of the room. He had a large plasma TV hung on the wall of his room, a play station sat on a television stand and his bed was not made. The duvet and bedsheet were in a mess. His wardrobe was locked so there was no clothes lying around. The part of the room that shocked me was his drawer that had a mirror. I looked at the set of cologne, hair sprays and creams that were displayed on it.

"Freddy, haba!" I cried out.

"Yes?"

"What are you...I mean....Look!" I gestured at the cologne, hair spray and creams.

"I don't use all of them oo! It's my mom. She likes shopping so she buys them! Some of them are still new because I haven't used them" he explained and pulled me to the black couch closed to the television.

"What kind of PS is that?" I pointed at the controllers and rose a brow.

"PS 4!" he smirked.

"And I'm going to play!" Dami yelled as he walked to the front of the TV. He sat on the blue plastic chairs in front of it and picked one controller.

I dragged my glance to Freddy and my heart squeezed. His gloomy look and red puffy eyes touched me. He had his gaze fixed on the red rug on the floor. I lifted my hand and stroked his cheek. "I'm...I'm sorry about your grandma"

He cringed and looked at me. "It's...It's...It's not fair!" he stuttered. He bit his bottom lip and sniffed. "I promised my grandma that I would visit her during Christmas. I was looking forward to it. I can't believe she is gone. It's unbelievable and painful".

"Um..."

My brain is blank. How do you comfort a person? Hm...

"It is seriously not fair! My grandma was okay the last time I called her. That was last week" he mumbled and a tear escaped from his eyes.

After reading novels for years, I'm sure I should have something to say to comfort him.

"Freddy, death cannot take away our memory. I know that wherever your grandma is, she won't want to see you like this. I'm pretty sure your grandma loves to see you cheerful. You are always energetic and happy. It's one of your best qualities. Please cheer up"

I hope what I said makes sense.

He frowned and shook his head fiercely. "I can't cheer up. I will never see my grandma again. She's gone"