Sharp Tongue

Episode 20

Sheila la!d on her bed and turned on her
side.

Sleep had evaded her. She debated whether
to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich and
down it with a cup of hot beverage or remain in
her room and try to s£duce sleep.

The return of her memory had been a great
news.

Her parents were relieved and happy. She
would be returning to school soon. She had only
missed a couple of weeks. She had called her
classmates and they had informed her that she had dozens of assignments and a few tests to sort out.

Her parents had gone to see the head of her
department and adviced him on her
situation.

That would definitely take care of any
difficult lecturer.

She had been amazed at the way each and
every member of her family treated her during the period of her illness. They were there for her
when she needed them most. Despite the way she related to them in the past, no one took
their pound of flesh. Except her aunt, Martha.

She sat up and drew her pillows close to
her bossom. Everybody forgave her and helped
her, all except Martha. Her aunt couldn’t look
past their past and reach out to assist her in her
time of need. It became clear to her that her
aunt’s hatred for her ran deep. Would that woman ever find it in her heart to forgive her?

She had decided to start afresh with
everyone.

Regardless of what they might do or say to
her, she would always respond in love. After all,
they were her family.

---

Edidiong stood at a corner with her friends.

The seating areas at the Lagoon front was
occupied with several students. Some were reading while most of them were just gisting. A few were taking naps. She wished she could go and wake them up and send them off to their rooms or wherever they came from. She cleared her mind from crazy thoughts and tried to listen to what one of her friends was saying.

She sighted Sheila heading towards the
exit.

Should she call out to her? Will she
respond? She had only seen her cousin once after she regained her memory. She wondered if the old Sheila was back. She prefered the new Sheila, the one she had built a growing friendship with. She bit at her
lower lip and decided to give it a trial. If her
cousin rejected her, it would be on record
that at least she made an effort.

“Sheila!” She left her friends and went after
her cousin.

Sheila halted. She heard something that
sounded like her name. Was someone calling her?

She looked around her.
“Sheila!”
She heard it again. Someone was definitely
calling
her. Who could that be? She turned in the
direction of the sound and saw her cousin
walking
towards her.

“Edidiong!” She waved at her. She had been
thinking of calling her cousin since she got
back to school but procrastination had delayed
her.

“Hey you… ” She closed the gap between
them and pulled her into a bear hug.

“I was thinking of calling you.”
“Really?” She pulled away, “When did you
resume
school?”
“This week.”

“And you have been thinking of calling all
week long? I am definitely at the bottom of your
list.”

“Ah! Not so.”
“If you say so.”
“What are you doing here?” She adjusted
the leather folder she was carrying.
“Just chilling out with friends.”
Sheila nodded, “I was about going to one of
those fake cafeterias to have lunch.”

“Really? I will come with you.”
“Great!”
“Let’s get my car.”
“Okay.”

They headed for the exit. Edidiong was glad
that things were moving on smoothly between
them.

God had definitely used the accident to give
them a second chance.

“When is Boma completing his NYSC
programme?” She looked at her cousin who
was smiling sheepishly. It was obvious her mind
had travelled far away. She tugged at her
blouse.

“What?” She blinked.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“What about a pound sterling?”
“Yeah right.”
They both giggled.
“When is Boma coming home?”
Edidiong shrugged, “In a couple of months.”
“I can’t wait to graduate.”
“Welcome to the club.”
They walked up to Edidiong’s car and got
in.
“Why don’t we eat out?”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
Edidiong winked at her and started the car.