TWIST IN THE WIND (RITA SONWU AND ELECTA ALEN)
Episode 6:
The buzz of the phone woke him up from the short nap he had slipped into, not deliberately. He had just drifted into sleep, without changing into his night clothes nor putting out the lights. He shifted his gaze to the wall clock. 12:15am, it read. He sleepily took the call to hear a feminine voice at the other end of the line.
'Hello.'
'Hello,' he said, drowsily.
'Good morning,' the soft voice greeted.
'Oh... Is this Annabel?' he asked, as he suddenly recognised the voice. 'I have been trying to reach you. I'm yet to save the number and that's why I didn't know it was you at first. Pardon me.'
'No problems. I saw my missed call from you. I see you must have been asleep. I'm sorry I ruined your peaceful slumber.'
'I'm glad you did, Annie. How are you? Why are you still up? It's late, you know.'
'I'm all right. And Eric, I was just busy with some trivial stuff.'
'What could the Queen be busy with? It must have been very important,' Eric said, overcome by curiosity.
'I don't know, but my parents say I have to take some of my drugs by 11pm.'
'Oh dear. Do the drugs repel you?'
'Of course. But don't worry about that, I'm fine.' She sighed, and quickly changed the topic. 'What did you score on your Chemistry test?'
'96%. You?'
'99%,' she said. 'What about Math?' she asked excitedly.
'100%.'
'95%.'
'I'm sure you'll get straight A's in WASSCE.'
'You really think so, Eric? Don't flatter me.'
'Sure I do. You're amazing. Everyone knows that.'
'Thanks, Eric.'
'What do you intend to study?'
'Industrial Chemistry.'
'Wow. I dream to be a Chemical Engineer.' He smiled. 'You could work in my company, you know. I'll treat you right.'
'Who says I can't own a company?' They both broke into a laugh, subdued though because the night was dead silent. They talked on and on until there was nothing else to say and they had to bade each other goodbye. Eric promised he'd call the next day. As he lay in bed, he reminisced the words Annabel said a few minutes ago, on the phone. I MISS YOU. Her voice had been soft and singsong. He was not sure what would have escaped his lips if she hadn't ended the call before he could utter a reply. He kept reliving the words in his head until he succumbed to the power of sleep with a wide smile etched on his face.
'Hello.'
'Hello,' he said, drowsily.
'Good morning,' the soft voice greeted.
'Oh... Is this Annabel?' he asked, as he suddenly recognised the voice. 'I have been trying to reach you. I'm yet to save the number and that's why I didn't know it was you at first. Pardon me.'
'No problems. I saw my missed call from you. I see you must have been asleep. I'm sorry I ruined your peaceful slumber.'
'I'm glad you did, Annie. How are you? Why are you still up? It's late, you know.'
'I'm all right. And Eric, I was just busy with some trivial stuff.'
'What could the Queen be busy with? It must have been very important,' Eric said, overcome by curiosity.
'I don't know, but my parents say I have to take some of my drugs by 11pm.'
'Oh dear. Do the drugs repel you?'
'Of course. But don't worry about that, I'm fine.' She sighed, and quickly changed the topic. 'What did you score on your Chemistry test?'
'96%. You?'
'99%,' she said. 'What about Math?' she asked excitedly.
'100%.'
'95%.'
'I'm sure you'll get straight A's in WASSCE.'
'You really think so, Eric? Don't flatter me.'
'Sure I do. You're amazing. Everyone knows that.'
'Thanks, Eric.'
'What do you intend to study?'
'Industrial Chemistry.'
'Wow. I dream to be a Chemical Engineer.' He smiled. 'You could work in my company, you know. I'll treat you right.'
'Who says I can't own a company?' They both broke into a laugh, subdued though because the night was dead silent. They talked on and on until there was nothing else to say and they had to bade each other goodbye. Eric promised he'd call the next day. As he lay in bed, he reminisced the words Annabel said a few minutes ago, on the phone. I MISS YOU. Her voice had been soft and singsong. He was not sure what would have escaped his lips if she hadn't ended the call before he could utter a reply. He kept reliving the words in his head until he succumbed to the power of sleep with a wide smile etched on his face.
'Annie,' she heard someone call from behind.
'Ah! You scared me,' Annabel said, visibly shocked at seeing Eric.
'C'mon. Don't be such a scaredy cat,' he teased, now standing before her. 'What are you doing here, and alone?' he inquired.
'I just feel weird. I don't know what's wrong. My head seems to be swirling around.'
'Hey girl, stop being paranoid,' he said as though he wasn't aware of her condition. He could still remember the information he stumbled upon at the hospital. 'Let's play an intriguing game,' he suggested in a bid to cheer her up.
'What game is that?'
'Eric...' They both turned towards the direction of the voice to see Stella approaching them. 'Hello Ann,' she said to Annabel in a rush. 'He-llo Eric,' she cooed.
'Hi Stella,' Annabel replied, uninterested in whatever she had to say.
'What's up, Stel?' Eric said.
'Please come with me. I won't keep you for long,' she said to Eric, and threw a quick glance at Annabel.
'Right away?'
'Yes, please.'
'All right. Excuse me, Annabel. I'll be back.' Before he walked away with Stella, he whispered into Annabel's ears, 'Cheer up, pumpkin.'
Chris joined Annabel just as Eric walked away with Stella.
'Beautiful rose,' he said. Annabel wasn't sure who he was referring to until she saw that his eyes were fixed on the flower she was caressing. She had plucked the stalk off the plant. 'How are you, Ann?' he asked, staring at her now.
'I'm all right, Chris. You?'
'I'm good as always. Why are you alone?'
'Nothing.'
'I just bumped into Eric and Stella.'
'Yes. She just came to pull him away.'
'Ann, are you okay,' he said with a searching stare.
'No. Is anything going on between Stella and Eric?' she asked.
'No. Why?' He asked and laughed heartily. To him, it'd be ridiculous for Eric and Stella to date.
'Errm. Nothing, Chris.'
'I smell jealousy. You like Eric, don't you?' Chris said with an impish smile. 'They are just friends. I suspect Stella fancies him though but fear not, Annie.'
'I hope so. I don't want anyone hurting my friend.'
'Amazing. How sweet. I'm going to tell it all to Eric!'
'Oh, no, please don't.'
'All right. All right.'
'I want to go for some snacks and maybe a drink. Do you want to come along?' she asked.
'All right. Let's go,' he said, and they both walked towards the school's mini-mall.
'Beautiful rose,' he said. Annabel wasn't sure who he was referring to until she saw that his eyes were fixed on the flower she was caressing. She had plucked the stalk off the plant. 'How are you, Ann?' he asked, staring at her now.
'I'm all right, Chris. You?'
'I'm good as always. Why are you alone?'
'Nothing.'
'I just bumped into Eric and Stella.'
'Yes. She just came to pull him away.'
'Ann, are you okay,' he said with a searching stare.
'No. Is anything going on between Stella and Eric?' she asked.
'No. Why?' He asked and laughed heartily. To him, it'd be ridiculous for Eric and Stella to date.
'Errm. Nothing, Chris.'
'I smell jealousy. You like Eric, don't you?' Chris said with an impish smile. 'They are just friends. I suspect Stella fancies him though but fear not, Annie.'
'I hope so. I don't want anyone hurting my friend.'
'Amazing. How sweet. I'm going to tell it all to Eric!'
'Oh, no, please don't.'
'All right. All right.'
'I want to go for some snacks and maybe a drink. Do you want to come along?' she asked.
'All right. Let's go,' he said, and they both walked towards the school's mini-mall.
'I don't know how to say this, Eric.'
'I'm all ears. You can tell me whatever you have to say, Stella.'
As they- Eric and Stella- talked on, Annabel caught sight of them and hid within earshot. She was by now, very curious. She listened attentively and heard when Stella said, 'Eric, I love you.' He just stared in surprise. He hadn't expected her to say those words to him. It hadn't crossed his narrow mind at all. Stella continued, breaking the awkward silence, 'I've had a crush on you for sometime now and...' She paused and put up a shy countenance that was rather false. '...I know you don't like me. I know you...'
'No, Stella. I like you a lot.'
Annabel felt her legs shake and a tear trickle down her cheek at the sound of his last words. 'I was right all along,' she muttered to herself and walked away. She didn't wait to hear the full conversation.
'I'm not in love with you, Stella. I value our friendship but let's not go beyond that.'
'Oh.' That was all Stella could say. She was quite disappointed.
'Stella, I have to go now. Someone might see us here and draw wrong conclusions. Plus, Annabel is waiting for me. Bye,' he said and swiftly walked away.
'Maybe I'd get another rich dude to capture. Just maybe,' she thought to herself.
'Hey, Chris. Have you seen Annie?'
'Annabel... We were together a...' Suddenly, he saw her walking towards them and declared, 'Here she comes. The Queen!'
'Chris, let's go,' she said without paying any attention to Eric.
'Annabel,' Eric called out. Annabel walked away, without looking back.
'Chris. What happened?'
'I don't know, man. I'm as surprised as you are,' Chris said and joined Annabel who was walking in quick strides. Eric just stared on, shocked and confused altogether.
'Annabel... We were together a...' Suddenly, he saw her walking towards them and declared, 'Here she comes. The Queen!'
'Chris, let's go,' she said without paying any attention to Eric.
'Annabel,' Eric called out. Annabel walked away, without looking back.
'Chris. What happened?'
'I don't know, man. I'm as surprised as you are,' Chris said and joined Annabel who was walking in quick strides. Eric just stared on, shocked and confused altogether.
