ONE WRONG TURN
EPISODE 16
We came out of the bathroom, feeling fresh and new. I put on his cloths again, and sat up on the bed, chatting on my phone, while Matthew entered the kitchen to prepare supper.
“Where will you tell your parents you spent the night?” A message came from Sarah. I had no idea what to say, but I knew I had to come up with a very convincing lie, or else Matthew would be in serious trouble.
“I have no idea” I replied.
“I‘ll figure out something, just keep your phone on” Sarah texted again. I knew I could always count on Sarah to cover my mess, she was like a genie to me. I owed her a lot of gratitude.
I was still in between thoughts when Matthew shoved a tray of food in front of me. I put my phone away to receive the tray, thanking him and feeling very special. Matthew did know how to make me feel special, I always felt like a princess around him. I loved him with all my heart.
The meal was simple. Fried eggs and bread which was my favourite. I ate slowly, savoring the taste of each bite. Matthew was a really good cook I thought to myself. His phone rang, and he answered in my presence. I paid no attention to his conversation, I just focused on enjoying my meal.
“That was Sarah, she wants me to take you to Hannah’s house before daybreak.” Matthew said
“Why?” I queried Matthew had no idea either, so I reached for my phone and pinged Sarah again. She explained everything clearly to me, and I understood the plan. Sarah had planned a lie all the way to the end. She was an evil genius indeed!
I tucked my phone under the pillow, as I would have done in my own room. Matthew joined me on the bed, putting on a pair of shorts. He laid beside me, and I rested my head on his bare chest, as we both slept off.
I had no idea how long I had slept, but tiny kisses on my face and a hand moving through my body woke me up. Matthew was up, and his actions showed exactly what he wanted. I willfully obliged. I had no idea how long it lasted, but few minutes after he was through, a thought hit me. He was not using a protection! For the remaining part of the night, while Matthew fell asleep, I remained awake. My mind hovered around a lot of things.
Did anyone miss me at home? How‘ll I be received when I get back? Were‘ll I tell them I passed the night? I knew for certain I couldn’t tell anyone I had slept with Matthew, the thought of me sleeping in a boy’s house would make my parents freak out. Even Matthew will not be free from the complicated situation that will surely follow. Silently, I prayed that Sarah’s plan works out. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I picked it up, it was Hannah. I looked at the wall clock to ascertain the time before answering.
“Better start coming now” she said, in a hush tone.
“Its still dark, it’s just 4 a.m” I protested, stealing another glance at the wall clock.
“Better come now that everyone is asleep” she replied and ended the call. I never fully understood what the plan was, but from Hannah’s voice, I knew I had to hurry.
I tapped Matthew, lightly to wake him up. “Hannah said we should start coming” I whispered to him.
“This early?” He replied, trying to reach for the light switch. We got up slowly and prepared to leave. I took off the cloths Matthew had given, and wore the cloths I left home with. Matthew grabbed his keys and we made our way outside towards the car.
The compound was much quiet now, everyone was asleep. Most of the lights were switched off, making the entire compound dark. I sort of preferred it this way. We entered the car and Matthew drove off, towards Hannah’s house. Much like the hostel, the city was very quiet and devoid of human activities too, but the street lights kept the roads and surroundings bright.
A few meters away, we could see a group of people, clothed in black carrying touch lights. It was a police checkpoint. As soon as the officers caught sight of the car, they planted themselves in the middle of the road and ordered Matthew to pull over. He parked conveniently at the side of the road, awaiting the policemen. The sight of the policemen brought some chills. I became scared as I recognized one of the men approaching. A rather short, funny looking man, He was a friend of my father. I slumped on the seat instantly, staring down with my chin almost touching my chest.
“Where are you coming from and where are you going to at this time of the night” one of the officers barked. I paid no attention to their conversation, I was busy trying to hide my face from one of the officers.
As they ended their conversation, one of the officers pointed his torch at my face. I faced the opposite direction, and put my hands across my face to protect my eyes from the blinding rays of the light.
“Hey let me see your face” the officer ordered. I turned around slowly, without removing my hand from my face. I put the other hand across my chest. I was putting on a loose singlet, and some private part of my body were exposed. I was slightly embarrassed, and feared being recognized at the same time.
“So na ashawo you carry” the officer commented, before ordering us to proceed.
“Why was that man looking at you”? Matthew asked.
That very question sent cold shivers down my spine. I could only hope he did not recognize me. Few minutes later, we arrived at Hannah’s house. The compound was quiet, and well lighted, and surrounded by a low fence that made it visible. I called Hannah to let her know that we were outside. Matthew and I sat patiently inside the car, just in front of the gate, anticipating her arrival.
About three minutes later, Hannah emerged from the side of the building, and hurried straight to the car. She opened the door to my seat, pulling me slightly out of the car.
“Matthew bye bye,” she said, waving hurriedly at Matthew. He started the engines and drove away. I took a careful look at Hannah. She did not look like had slept at all. She was putting on a pair of trousers and a t-shirt, with a small bag tied around her hips. The perfume from her cloths and the make up on her face clearly painted the picture of someone who had been outdoors, probably partying.
“Let’s go, be quiet please” she said, as we tip-toed towards the side of the fence. She stood on her toes and stretched across to observe the compound.
“Follow me” she ordered, as she climbed over the fence into the compound. I followed her lead, and we were both inside the compound.
The house was fairly big, probably a three bedroom flat. It had the design of a church, with several doors at the side. We tiptoed to a door at the side of the house. Hannah searched through her bag and brought out a key to open the door. As soon as we were in, she closed the door gently, and put the key back into her bag. She flicked a switch, and a light bulb came on. We tip-toed into a bedroom close to the entrance and made our way in. Hannah collapsed on the bed instantly. She must have been exhausted. It was almost 5 a.m. I crawled up beside her on the bed and laid still. There was no way I could sleep, I had no idea what I was doing here, I just had to co-operate and see where their plan was leading to.
The six o’clock alarm buzzed, and Hannah sprang up from her bed. She tapped me lightly probably to wake me up.
“If anybody asks, we both slept in this room” she said, pulling her ear with her hands. I nodded in agreement, like the naive little girl I was. The plan had gradually began to make sense to me.
“Wait I’m coming”, she said as she walked gently out of her room. I laid back on the bed, just staring at the ceiling. It would be much easier for my parents to swallow me if I told them I slept in Hannah’s house as compared to them knowing I slept at Matthew’s house. It made more sense to me.
Elsewhere, I could hear slight argument between two people. One voice was Hannah’s, I couldn’t quite figure out whose voice the other was. I sat up too and tried to listen to their conversation, but I got nothing. Moments later the door to the room flew open. Hannah entered, followed closely by her elder sister.
“Good morning ma” I stood up immediately to greet.
“Morning, hope you slept well” she responded. I simply nodded my head in answer.
“Sorry for what happened, it’s not easy to have such parents, I hope you can talk things over with them if they let you in” she said in a friendly tone, parting my back slightly. I had no idea what Hannah had told her, but what ever it was I’m glad she bought it. Hannah motioned me to the bathroom, I took a shower hurriedly and dressed up. I put on Hannah’s cloths. I couldn’t walk in day light with the cloths I came with. She offered me some money, and saw me off to the gate. I waited patiently for about fifteen minutes, before flagging down a taxi heading towards my house. I could feel my heart beating fast this time around as we approached my house. I kept wondering what the reception will be like. I had no idea what had happened the previous night after my “prison break”.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 17
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