🌼🌻

He turned on the bed and laid on his back. Slowly, his eyes lazily fluttered open. For a second, he stared at the familiar ceiling before he sat up. Right away, he felt a splitting headache and brought his right hand to rub his temple.

He looked down at himself and realized he was shirtless. Slightly, he lifted the blanket and took notice of his bare nakedness. A silent sigh left his lips as he left the blanket. He drifted his eyes to the other side of the bed. It was empty. He looked away from it.

She's gone. His mind stated.

He ran both of his hands over his face and head before making his way off the bed, letting the blanket fall right off. Regardless, he marched his way towards the bathroom. One look at his reflection in the mirror, the memories of last night flashed through his mind. They were in pieces, mostly fuzzier than the rest. He rarely ever gets drunk, yet he lost himself last night. He wondered if it was the effect she had on him.

He sucked in a deep breath as he picked up his toothbrush, wondering if he'll ever get to meet her again, or better yet, would he be able to recognize her if they cross paths once more? He was a fair believer in fate. Well, coincidences seemed little like a genuine state. There were no coincidences. That was his belief.

Whatever will happen will happen. He applied the toothpaste on the toothbrush and put it into his mouth. Once he stepped out of the bathroom freshened up, his phone rang and he had to search for it amidst the chaos state the room was in. Eventually, he found it under the bed. As he drew it out, he chuckled at the mystery behind the location he found it in. One look at the caller ID, he slid the screen to answer.

"Welcome back to Nigeria!" The male voice on the other end cheered and he couldn't help laughing along. "From the deepest part of my heart, I'm sorry I wasn't at the airport to welcome you in person. You know how it has been with the preparations."

"Look, don't sweat it. I hope you had fun and everything went great with the event." He added, meaning every word that came through his mouth.

"Yeah, it was great. We thank God. Look, I've told mum and dad about your presence. They're excited and have asked me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow."

"Really?" He was a bit surprised at their warm embrace. He had told himself that they probably wouldn't remember who he was, the fact being he left the country years ago. He would be more or less a stranger to them, even though in the past, they'd been very kind to him.

"They... they remember who I am?"

"Of course. Do you need to ask? One mention of your name and a narration of an unforgettable memory was all it took." His friend expressed and a simple smile gradually drew across his face. It felt nice to know he influenced someone else's life, strong enough that he was never really forgotten.

"Alright, catch you in the lobby in about forty-five minutes."

"Cool." He added, and the call disconnected right after. He withdrew it away from his ear. He spared the screen one glance, and that's when he took notice of a text message, one that came through before the plane even took off.

The name 'Mrs.' displayed as the sender. For what would seem like a while, he stared at it the same way he did back on the plane. He hadn't bothered to tap on it, so it was still unread. He didn't need the emotional unrest through his stay here. After giving it a good thought, he'd seen it best to leave everything behind for the time being, but also, he couldn't help worrying about what message she'd left for him.

He tapped on it and the message drew out on a full display.

Where are you? Are you really leaving for Nigeria? Call me soon.

A sigh left his lips as he threw the phone on the bed and turned away from it. He lowered his head, staring at nothing in particular on the ground.

Slowly, a crease formed between his brows as he sighted something shiny on the ground, barely beneath the bedside table. He reached down for it and held up the small gold necklace in his hand. He doesn't put on jewellery. Steadily, the crease between his brows dissolved.

It's hers.

He concluded with a smirk.

That late evening, when the sun had hidden away, the stars and the moon hung in the sky amidst dark clouds. He stepped onto the last staircase and released a huff of breath right after. The one thing that went through echoed in his mind.

God! He might need to exercise more.

Who was he kidding? It's only ever going to be nothing but a thought. As he made his way down the hall, he could only blame his sister for choosing an apartment so stressful to get to. He placed a few knocks on the wooden door, but got no response.

"Ah ah, is she not back yet?" He wondered, before taking out his phone from one of his pocket trousers. Once he dialled the number, he brought the phone close to his ear.

"Hello." Her voice came through.

"I'm outside your apartment. Where are you?"

"Close-by. What are you doing there?" She inquired, and he rolled his eyes at her question.

"Seriously, by now, I don't think you need to ask that question anymore. You know what I'm doing here."

"Oh Jesus." He heard her mutter under her breath.

"What did she send this time?" She inquired, and he lifted the polythene bag close to his eyes, as if he could tell its contents at a glance. He'd perceived its aroma the moment he received it and he could tell what it was.

"Vegetable Soup and... I think that's all." He addressed and heard her sigh right after. He felt a little pissed off.

"You know, I'm not an errand boy. I have a family of my own and it is prime time I stop doing this. Can you simply pick her calls or come home more often? She might not say it, but she worries a lot, especially about your mar..." The rest of his words trailed away.

He was silent and so was she. The tension between their silence grew. He bit his lower lip as he lowered his eyes. He shouldn't be saying what he was going to say.

"I'm sorry..."

"Especially, about my marital status." She finished his sentence without a shake in her voice. "It's okay. You don't need to apologise. It's the truth." She added, and he heard her take in a deep breath. He felt bad and wished he could take back the last five seconds.

"Gene..."

"You can leave the bag by the door. I'll be home in a few minutes." She interrupted, and he unconsciously forced himself to hold back any apology he was about to share.

"Alright. Oh, before I forget; tomorrow, we're having dinner together and a special guest will be there so your presence is required." He narrated and for a moment, she was silent that he wondered if she'd disconnected already.

"We'll see." Eventually, she added, and the tone of her voice was low. "Is that all?" She queried.

"Yeah, yes, I guess so." He confirmed, and sooner than he expected, she disconnected the call. He withdrew the phone away from his ear. A slight frown appeared on his face but was quick to disappear as he shook his head at his older sister's attitude.

And she wonders why she is yet to marry.

He set the polythene bag just by her door as she'd instructed. When all seemed good to him, he turned away and began his first steps home. The moment Gene drove closer to the gate, she sighted her brother walking out of it. She stopped for a moment as she watched him hail an autorickshaw. He got in and they drove away.

She drove towards the gate and stopped in front of it. She got down and opened the gates before hurrying back to her car, then drove into the compound.