HER LAST WISH Episode 41 by Azeemah Salami
Layla walked into the house, just getting back from the church.
She couldn’t wait to visit Aria, she had been so unhappy and down since yesterday after Phil broke the news to her.
Imagining how Aria must be feeling now is just breaking her heart more.
She had cried yesterday and couldn’t even make dinner for Phil, Phil ended up ordering something after yelling at her to stop crying.
“Hi Phil” She said, stepping into the living room.
She untied her scarf and dropped her Bible on the table.
“Hi.” Phil turned back to the TV.
“Have you called Aria?” Layla asked.
“Yeah, her husband picked up. She had been discharged already, we’ll go visit her soon, go get ready” Phil said.
“Okay Phil” Layla said, hurrying to her room, feeling so glad she’ll be seeing Aria soon.
She pulled off her church wear and quickly freshened up.
Feeling refreshed and better, she threw on a large T-shirt and a pair of jeans, gently pulled her hair in a loose ponytail, slipped on her slippers and walked out of her room.
“I’m ready” She announced to Phil as she walked back into the living room.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Phil asked.
“I’m okay” Layla said.
“You didn’t have anything yesterday night and you didn’t eat out of the breakfast you prepared this morning!” Phil complained.
“That’s because I don’t feel like eating anything, besides I already ate with Dan and co before coming home yesterday”
“And today?… It is 1pm already and you’re not going to eat anything because you don’t feel like? Layla, you’re not in the condition to choose to eat whenever you like and you know that. Don’t aggravate your condition. I know how much Aria means to you but you can’t do this to yourself”
“I seriously do not feel like eating anything, it feels like I’m gonna throw up if anything goes down my throat. Let’s just go, I’ll try to eat when we get back”
“Suit yourself” Phil sigh, getting to her feet, she switched off the TV and told Layla to get her bag from her room.
Layla returned with the bag almost immediately and Phil wondered what kind of speed that was.
Once outside, they flagged a cab to Aria’s address.
None of them has been there before, though they were familiar with where Aria lived before relocating to this new place with her family, the old place was not so far from the Cafe and Layla drops by once in a while after church to say hi to them, Phil’s only been there once.
~~
Dave opened the door after they rang the bell and after exchanging greetings and telling him how sorry they were about what happened, he led them to the living room where Aria was laying on the couch with Jane huddled beside her. They were both watching the TV, yet to notice their presence, Aria had a faraway look in her puffy eyes. Her always bright and cheerful eyes looked so dark and gloomy.
That’s very much expected.
She looked sick and pale, not like the Aria Layla laughed with just a day before. How things can completely change within seconds, minutes, hours, days remains a mystery.
Seeing how puffy and red Aria eyes looked explained to Layla just how much Aria had hurt, cried and the fact that Aria is even yet to notice their presence even when Jane got off the couch and said hi to them shows how faraway her mind is.
It made Layla burst into tears, finally alerting Aria of their presence.
“Layla!” She got to her feet, looking startled.
“Aria” Layla moved closer to her and they both cried embracing each other.
After a long embrace and so much tears, they finally sat, sniffing back more threatening tears.
“I’m so sorry about what happened Aria, so sorry” Phil said, holding her hand and patting it gently.
“Thanks Phil” Aria said, blowing her nose into an handkerchief.
“I can understand how painful it is, just let out your emotions okay? Don’t try bottling anything in. You’ll be fine” Phil consoled her more.
Aria nodded.
“I’m so sorry Phil, I’m so sorry about the baby.” Layla hugged her again.
“Thanks Layla” Aria said.
“Everything will be fine okay?” Layla assured and Aria nodded.
“Look how puffy your eyes are, you must have cried so much” Layla said, trying hard not to burst into tears again. ” I don’t want you hurting yourself, you really need to stop crying okay? I know how painful it is but your eyes need to be in perfect condition for when another baby comes” Layla said and Aria smiled for the first time since the incidence.
Dave sigh in relief, he had thought it’d be ages before he would see his wife smile again.
“Did you request to get discharged this soon? I know you must still be hurting, you couldn’t have healed completely so soon” Phil said.
“Yeah, I badly wanted to come home so I insisted on getting discharged, staying there made me feel so uncomfortable, I’m going to continue my treatment at home”
“Good enough” Phil said, nodding.
Aria was starting to look a bit better than she had when they walked in and Layla felt glad.
She patted her back, consoling her silently.
Jane was fast asleep in her dad’s arms, snoring softly, it’s been a while since Layla saw her and she smiled at how much the girl had grown. Jane’s so pretty and smart, as jovial as her mum.
If it hadn’t been for the present situation,she would have been so glad to catch up with the little girl and she’s sure Jane would have loved to also catch up with her.
Dave’s a good-looking guy also, very kind and really befitting of Aria.
“The work would have been so stressful yesterday right?” Aria asked Layla.
“Don’t dare feel guilty or bad about that, it’s not your fault okay? You didn’t mean for what happened to happen. Besides, my friends came over to help”
“Really? They did?”
“Yeah, they did”
“That’s so nice of them, I’m glad they came over to assist you” Aria said.
“Yeah”
“You know I told you I was going to come over after I visit the clinic?” Aria said and Layla nodded.
“So, I woke up yesterday to slight pains in my stomach, i didn’t even take it serious but then it started getting intense and I knew I had to rush to the hospital, by the time we got there it felt like I would die from the pain I was feeling, I was already bleeding heavily by the time we stepped out of the cab…it all happened so fast, so sudden, shocking….” Aria trailed off, fighting back tears.
“OMG” Phil sigh, feeling so sorry for Aria.
“God! It must have been so hard to bear. I’m so sorry Aria” Layla said, holding her hands in a comforting manner and trying hard not to cry.
“And the doctor said it’s as a result of stress, I’m sorry to have spoken to you that way Phil but Aria won’t be coming to work anymore” Dave said.
“Dave” Aria said, sitting up.
“Yeah babe, you won’t be going anymore” Dave said looking like he’s made up his mind.
Phil swallowed hard. “It’s fine, it was nice to have Aria work with us”
Layla sigh deeply. She understands how Dave must be feeling. He had lost his baby to the stress of his wife’s work. Any other person would react the same way, besides she still needs some time to completely heal. But she’s really going to miss Aria, the thought of not working with Aria anymore brought fresh tears to her eyes.
“I’m going to drop Jane in her bedroom” Dave said, getting up with his daughter in his arms, he walked into a door.
“C’mon, wipe your tears, I’m still going to work there, Dave only said that in the heat of the moment, he doesn’t mean it” Aria assured Layla.
“No, I’m also in support of Dave. You should stop working, the work made you loose your baby, how could you continue without feeling any type of way, it’s going to keep coming to your mind, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. I’m really going to miss you Aria but I can’t support your decision just because it’s going to make me happy” Layla said.
“No! You guys don’t just get it, do you? Not working at the Cafe anymore is even going to make me feel worse than staying at home, I need to get my hands on something, sitting idly is going to make it all worse I swear” Aria said.
“Alright, but even at that, I can’t allow you resume so soon, you still need lots of rest. Besides, your husband seems to be very against it so I guess you guys still need to talk about it” Phil said and Aria nodded.
“Whatever conclusion you come to, I just want you to be fine, anything that makes you happy is fine” Layla said.
Dave walked back into the living room with three glasses of water on a tray and Layla realised how thirsty she is, her throat is parched from the tears.
“I’m sorry, I should have offered you this earlier” Dave said, dropping the tray gently on the table.
“It’s fine” Phil said accepting a glass from Dave, he passed one to Layla also and then Aria who refused it.
“You need to drink water” He said, crouching in front of her.
“I don’t want to”
“You’ve literally not had anything since yesterday!” He complained.
“That’s because I don’t feel like, it’s not like you’ve had anything to eat also”
“You need it more than I do, please, you’re only going to complicate your health further”
The conversation going on between Aria and Dave made Layla remember how Phil had also tried to persuade her to eat something before they left the house and it made her smile.
Dave sigh loudly after he was unable to persuade Aria to drink the water.
“C’mon Aria, I understand it must be hard to eat something but you should at least stay hydrated or it’s gonna tell on your health and you’re not even in a good health now, don’t try to complicate things further” Phil advised.
“You really need to not only drink water but also eat something, please” Layla added.
“Like you’ve also eaten since you came back yesterday” Phil said, rolling her eyes.
“You’ve not eaten since yesterday!” Aria looked alarmed.
“Yeah, after I broke the news to her, she refused to have anything” Phil said.
“That’s not true though, I had something before going home yesterday and I was so filled up. Today, I just don’t feel like eating anything yet”
“You’ve not had anything to eat today? You need to eat Layla” Aria said, looking at her worriedly.
“Well, you need to eat also” Layla said.
“No, you need to eat”
“If you do not eat anything, I’m also going to starve myself” Layla said.
“What? C’mon!” Aria scolded.
“Yeah, so I need to see you eat something”
“Are you really going to eat if I also do?” Aria asked.
“Of course”
“Okay, I’m going to”
“Yes!” Dave said excitedly. “I’m going to microwave the pasta immediately”
“But…” Aria said, looking at Layla.
“What?”
“You’re going to eat with me”
“Well…fine, if that’s gonna make you eat something” Layla said.
“And Dave, you also have to eat” Aria said.
“I will” He said.
Aria looked at him skeptically..
“I promise” He chuckled and she smiled.
“Phil, do you also care for some?” Aria asked.
“No, I had something before coming. I’m fine”
“Alright, I’ll be right back” Dave said, so glad Aria’s finally going to eat something, he had made the pasta immediately they got back from the hospital and spent some time trying to persuade her to eat which yielded to no result, he was starting to get really worried. The doctor had said she needed to eat before using her medication and she was refusing to eat, that means she won’t be able to use her medication which literally means she won’t get better soon, all those thoughts made him really worried and now…she finally agreed to eat, he couldn’t be more glad.
“You have a nice apartment by the way” Phil said, and Layla also took the time to look around.
The apartment is indeed beautiful, a minimalist apartment with white and brown aesthetics. Everything looks super clean and well arranged.
~~~
“Thanks for coming, I must admit you guys lifted my mood a bit” Aria said as she and Dave walked Phil and Layla to the door.
They were ready to leave after spending enough time with them.
“Make sure to take a lot of rest okay?” Phil said.
“Alright Phil”
“I’ll call you from time to time, take care and say hi to Jane for me” Layla said, kissing Aria’s cheeks.
Aria smiled and nodded.
“And Phil, I’m sorry to have spoken to you that way yesterday” Dave said, looking ashamed.
“C’mon, it’s fine. I totally understand, anyone would react that way in that condition. Just take good care of Aria okay?”
“Okay Phil. Thanks”
“Okay, we have to leave now” Phil said.
“Bye” Layla gave Aria a quick hug.
“Bye” Aria waved.
“We’ll need to stop by the grocery store before heading home” Phil said to Layla as they stepped outside of the house.
“Oh okay” Layla said.
***
“Gracias!! Layla, where have you been?” Daniel asked when Layla finally picked his call.
He had chatted her up yesterday night and she hadn’t replied, which is unlike her, even if she does not reply immediately, she’s definitely gonna reply..he expected her reply late into the night yesterday and then thought she had probably slept off due to her tired she was.
He also slept, knowing he would receive a morning text from her but this morning, he saw nothing and then he started calling, she didn’t pick up till this minute.
“I’m sorry Dan” She said and by the tone of her voice, he knew something was wrong.
“What happened? Are you okay? Do you want me to come over” He asked worriedly.
“No, I’m fine. I’m going to tell you everything tomorrow” She said.
“Okay”
“Yeah, Bye”
“Bye”
“Layla!” Phil shouted from the living room.
“Coming” Layla said, getting up from her bed.
“Don’t think you’re going to skip making dinner like you did yesterday, I only let you because your tears could boil potatoes! Now, get up..we already got things from the grocery store, go put them to use” Phil shouted loudly from the living room.
Oh…well..
“Okay Phil” Layla said loudly, smiling as she slipped on her slippers.
HER LAST WISH Episode 42 by Azeemah Salami
“Dave! I’m not going to stop going to work” Aria said, trying not to yell.
“You will, you have to” Dave said sternly.
“Really?” Aria asked, getting frustrated. They’ve been on this for minutes and Dave’s refusing to give in.
It’s very unlike him, he allows her do whatever she wants, he supports whatever decision she makes and now he’s being like this??
She knows loosing the baby hurt him and the fact that it happened due to the stress of the work he had warned her about hurt him more.
“Yeah” Dave said, sitting on the chair in their room.
It was hours after Layla and Phil left, the nurse had come in almost immediately to continue her treatment and after the treatment,she had been advised to rest for an hour before getting up to do anything and she did just that, she got up after an hour and started arguing with Dave.
“I know loosing the baby hurt you but I’m hurt also” Aria said.
“I know Babe and I’m sorry about that”
“I’m sorry also…but why don’t you just give in already” Aria said in a pleading tone.
“The last time I did, you got hurt. I’m not going to allow you get hurt again”
“It wasn’t that painful” Aria lied.
“Lies, losing that baby hurt you physically and mentally”
“Staying at home is not going to make the pain go away, I need to go out and get my hands on something!”
“I’m going to find you another job then, a less stressful job with a better pay I promise but you’re not going back there” Dave said.
“I don’t want another job! I don’t want a better pay, I’m fine with that Job. Dave!” Aria sigh loudly, getting pissed at how adamant he is.
“I don’t know why you do not want to leave that place, despite coming home every evening looking exhausted and the fact that the pay is so little…”
“I’m not working there because of pay! and I’ve never for once complained that I’m exhausted whenever I get back home” Aria said.
“You don’t have to, it’s usually so written all over your face. You kept working there even after I told you I could afford to open a store for you…who wouldn’t choose owning a store over working so hard in a cafe with a very little pay!”
“I don’t want a store! I want to keep working at the Cafe.”
“If it’s actually because of Layla you really want to go back, I’m sure that girl is not going to support your decision either, I overheard what she told you yesterday, she doesn’t mind you not coming back to work, she just wants you to be fine” Dave said.
“Layla only said that because she cares about me but trust me, she’ll feel so lonely without me and not only that. I like working there and I’m not saying I’ll get back to work immediately, I’ll make sure I recover fully before going back, I promise” Aria said.
“Whatever, I am still not going to give in, how could you even want to go back to the job that made us lose our baby”
“The job didn’t make us loose the baby! I did! It was my lame decision to continue working even after knowing I was pregnant” Aria said, close to crying again.
“If I knew this would happen, I would have stopped working, I wouldn’t risk that baby’s life” Aria said, she’s low-key blaming herself for loosing their baby, she caused it. How could she continue working knowing she’s carrying a baby and knowing how stressful the work is. But to be honest, the thought of having a miscarriage never crossed her mind because while she was pregnant with Jane, she worked 9-5 and nothing had happened. So she thought she’ll be fine. How could she even have overlooked the fact that something could happen to the baby, how could she have compared her 9-5 job to working in a cafe where she’s literally on her feet all day. How could she! If she knew this would happen, she would have stopped working, she wouldn’t put her baby’s life on the line for anything.
She started crying again “It’s my fault”
“C’mon, it’s not. Stop thinking that way!” He reprimanded, getting to his feet to console her. The last thing he wants is for her to blame herself.
He’s the one to blame here, he’s the one who gave in to her request to continue working. If he had refused, she would have stopped and nothing would have happened to the baby.
“Having a miscarriage is a painful thing that can happen to anyone but it’s seems as though i caused this one. The pregnancy is still in it’s early stage, I should have made you stop working immediately you figured you were pregnant, how could I have been so dumb to give in to your request to continue working, how! What was I even thinking! I feel so…. responsible for the loss of this baby” Dave said, his voice laced with pain.
Aria finally knew what was wrong. Dave is also blaming himself for her miscarriage.
“It’s not your fault Dave, it’s mine” Aria said, looking into his eyes, sniffing as he wiped her tears.
“It’s mine babe, do not blame yourself okay? You’re hurting enough, do not add any blame to the pain you’re already feeling. We’ll be fine, this pain we’re both feeling will pass, I know that and you know I love you right?” He said.
“I love you too” She said and somehow their lips locked.
***
“Good morning Phil” Layla greeted, walking into the living room fully dressed for school.
“Good morning” Phil greeted handing her allowance to her.
“Thank you” Layla said. “And….” She trailed off.
“What?” Phil asked.
“What are you going to do about the morning shift now that Aria would no longer be coming?” Layla asked, swallowing hard at that thought. She’s still yet to digest the fact that she would no longer be seeing Aria daily anymore, the jokes, banters,chats, gossips they do have will all be gone. She tried not to cry thinking about it.
“I’m going to employ another person”
“Did you already?”
“No, I’m going to put out the notice today, I’m sure we’ll see someone soon”
“Then, who’s going to be there this morning?”
“Nobody” Phil said.
“Nobody?” Layla asked.
“Yeah, or do you expect me to go there and do the morning shift?” Phil asked.
“Of course no, I’ll get going now” Layla said.
“Try to arrive as early as you can okay?”
“Okay, Bye” Layla said before walking out of the house.
***
“What’s the matter?” Dan asked worriedly as he stared at Layla.
He had been so worried since yesterday, he suspected something was wrong even before she picked up his call yesterday and then she had confirmed his suspicion by saying she’s going to tell him what happened today..
Through out the ride to school, anyone could tell Layla’s countenance is not the usual.
They were seated in class already and she’s still looking so gloomy.
“I’m not happy..I guess you know that already…” She was saying when a teacher walked in.
“Oh, I guess we’ll talk about this later” She sigh.
“You’ll be fine, everything will be fine okay?” He patted her hand and she nodded.
He doesn’t like seeing her in a bad mood, it affects his mood.
He hopes whatever it is, he hopes whatever is bothering her clears away soon and if there’s a way he can help, he’s going to make sure he does.
~~
“Dan” Layla called, halting their walk to the cafeteria.
It’s lunch break already.
“Huh?” He asked, standing in front of her.
She rested her back on the wall and sigh.
“You’re ready to talk?” He asked and she nodded.
Tears build in her eyes… Sometimes, she doesn’t like the fact that she cries so much, she hates it whenever she cries over little things but right now she doesn’t care. She knows she’s cried over a dozen times yesterday but Aria is worth crying for over and over again, that woman was literally her only friend when she had nobody, she knew she was one of the reasons Aria kept coming to work even after getting pregnant.. and then something that sad and painful happened to her. She wonder why good people get hurt the most.
She sniffed, feeling so bad.
“Aria won’t be coming to work anymore, she had a miscarriage and it was due to the stress of the work.”
“Oh My God!!” Dan exclaimed. “Oh My God”
He has his palm over his mouth, feeling so sorry for Aria. God, this is so sad.
“I feel like it’s my fault, if it hadn’t been for me Aria would have probably stopped working the minute she discovered she was pregnant, she didn’t want me to feel lonely at work and now…the baby’s gone” Layla said, crying now.
“C’mon, don’t think that way” He said, pulling her in a hug. He very much understand how she’s feeling right now and it’s just so sad.
“Don’t blame yourself for anything, it’s not your fault, I’m sure Aria won’t be happy if she’s to know you’re blaming yourself for her miscarriage, just stop okay?” He said wiping her tears with his hands.
They were both oblivious of the students passing and staring at them.
“This is very unfair to someone like Aria, she doesn’t deserve this and to think I could probably be the reason it happened, it hurts so much” Layla said with a heavy heart.
“I understand how you’re feeling. No one deserves a miscarriage. But life and its ways, Layla you really need to let go of that thought, you’re not responsible for it. Do you think Aria would continue working if she knew she was going to have a miscarriage? No, she won’t. Perhaps she worked during Jane’s pregnancy and then felt nothing is gonna happen if she did same for this one. No mother will continue working knowing their baby’s life is at risk, not even for anything or anyone, Aria would never have risked her baby’s life for anything or even you. She didn’t know she was gonna have a miscarriage, or she would have stopped working. Believe me” Dan said.
Layla fell silent, thinking about what Dan just said.
“Really?” She finally asked, his words starting to make sense to her.
“Of course” Dan said..
She stared ahead with a ‘deep-in-thought’ look.
“I think you’re right” She finally said. “Aria wouldn’t continue working if she knew her baby was gonna get hurt, not even for me”
“Of course, that’s very right” Dan said and Layla nodded.
“So, promise me you’ll put an end to blaming yourself”
“I promise” She said after a little hesitation. The blame she was feeling is not so strong like it was before she spoke to Dan.
This guy is a mood lifter, whenever she’s sad, all she has to do is go to Dan, he always makes her less sad and she doesn’t even know how he does it.
How lucky is she to have someone who literally clears her sorrows.
“Good, and I don’t like seeing you sad, it breaks my heart” He said and she stared at him not knowing what to say. She felt emotional and won’t lie he made her heart thump in her chest, it’s been going on for some time now. Daniel making her heart thump randomly, it feels strange but good as well. She doesn’t know what it is yet or rather she doesn’t want to admit what it is yet but she really hope whatever she’s feeling for Dan is just due to the fact that they are friends… best friends.
Although Dan has never been seriously sad since she knew him but whenever he gets moody, if affects her mood also.
“I don’t like seeing you get moody, it affects my mood also, I’ve never seen you get sad but I’m sure it’s going to break my heart as well if you ever do” Layla said.
Dan nodded, resisting every urge to tell her how much he loves her, how deeply he has fallen for her. His heart aches painfully anytime he tries to restrain confessing his feelings to her. If only she wasn’t so head over heels for Dylan. Well… He knows he’s going to tell her one day, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t accept him, he’s going to let out his feelings soon, his heart needs to stop suffering.
“Should we go to the Cafeteria now?” He asked and she nodded.
~
“But the fact that Aria had a miscarriage is just so sad. I feel so sorry for her” Dan said as they settled down to eat.
“Yeah, it’s sad. She doesn’t even look the cheerful Aria when we visited, her eyes were so puffy and red that I couldn’t stop my tears” Layla said.
“What a pity, that’s so sad. I can’t even imagine how she must be feeling now” Dan shook his head.
“I’ll be going to visit her soon, will you like to come along?”
“Of course, I would love to”
“Alright”
“Now that Aria would no longer be coming, I guess Phil will have to employ another person” Dan said.
“Yeah”
“I hope the person would be as kind as Aria”
Layla smiled “I don’t think there’s anyone who’s gonna be like her”
“Sure” Dan said, knowing how much Layla will miss Aria, he felt quite sorry for her, it’s gonna be so hard for her to cope.
“You’ll be fine okay?” Dan brushed his hand on her cheeks.
She nodded.
“Hi Dan” Dylan said as he walked past Dan with his tray of food in hand.
“Huh?” Layla’s eyes widen in surprise.
“What was that?” She asked Dan, in complete surprise. The last thing she could remember is that Dan and Dylan were enemies or rather.. Dylan hated Dan intensely and Dan doesn’t like him either but did he just say hi to Dan??
“Well..I’m surprised also” Dan said.
“Did you guys became friends in the school detention?”
“Friends? No, I only..gave him…this little advise, didn’t even know he would take it” Dan shrugged.
“Your words have a way of turning people around! You should seriously consider being a counselor” Layla said and Dan laughed.
” Okay, you really need to tell me the details” Layla said.
“Alright, grab your drink. Storytime” He said and she chuckled.
*†*
“Dan, what are you doing here?” Layla asked as he walked up to her in the cafeteria, she was by the counter, setting things up, she’s just opening the Cafe and she’s even yet to turn the sign by the door to “We Are Open” She needs everything to be in order first.
Walking into the Cafe without meeting Aria dawned on her that Aria would really not be coming again and it hurt her so much.
“I’m here to…keep you company” Dan said.
“What? No no, you can’t do that again today. I’m fine, I’ll be fine, trust me. You can leave” Layla said.
“But I want to stay” He said. With Aria gone, he knows she’s deeply going to miss her presence, there’ll be no one for her to chat with or work with and he’s ready to be that person till she get used to Aria’s absence.
“Just leave, Dan. I can’t keep making you do this! Besides, there’s nothing much to do today, the days of the week are not always busy, we only have few customers during the days of the week, it’s something I can handle” Layla assured.
“Well..I still want to keep you company, there’s nothing I’m doing at home, I’m just so bored so I decided to come along. Just let me stay” He said.
Layla sigh. “Really? You’ve never gotten bored when Aria was still working here, what’s with the sudden boredom?” She asked with a raised brow and he laughed.
“Okay, to be honest, I’m here to assist you and also keep you company”
“Thanks Dan, I’m so grateful but really…I need no help” Layla insisted. She doesn’t like putting people in unnecessary and uncomfortable condition.
“Well..I’m going to stay. I brought pies..so we’re gonna eat while we work. Yeah!” He grinned, raising the paper bag in his hand, he dropped it on the counter and proceeded to wash his hands.
“What? I’ve not said you can stay!” Layla said, furrowing her brows.
“Well..I am” He said, grinning.
“Gosh, really?”
“Yup, let’s get to work Coffee girl” He winked, his heart melting as he watched her laugh.
HER LAST WISH Episode 43 by Azeemah Salami
“How do you guys feel about the upcoming exam?” Sabrina asked her friends, they were all going to school together in Chloe’s car, they had a sleepover at her place the night before.
“I feel anxious, you know after this exam, we’ll then have our final exam and then start applying for college” Christy said.
“I can’t wait! I want to be in college so badly!” Miranda said excitedly.
The car drove into the school parking lot and they all prepared to alight.
“Im not even bothered about the exam. Guys, Dan is still not giving me attention even after I pretended to be a changed person, he only says hi to me. What am I going to do?” Chloe asked her friends worriedly as they alighted from her car.
“If only Layla had kept eating with Dylan, that would have given you a good chance to spend time with Dan. I don’t know why she suddenly stopped. I’m sure Dan equally likes you but that bitch is obstructing him” Miranda said in contempt.
“You don’t get this Mira, do you? Dan simply doesn’t feel anything for Chloe, if he does, not even Layla can stop him. Even after Chloe pretended to turn a new leaf, he still doesn’t give her attention, tell me…who treats who they like that way?” Christy asked.
“Exactly! That should really tell you he doesn’t feel anything for you, we all thought he didn’t like you because he felt your behavior wasn’t nice but even after you pretended to change, he still doesn’t give you a second glance. The guy is really not into you, honestly” Sabrina added.
“How could you tell Chloe that to her face!” Miranda yelled at Sabrina.
“I’m sorry Chloe” Rina said rolling her eyes at Mira.
“It’s fine” Chloe said and they all stared at her in surprise, this isn’t the first time Chloe will be surprising them since her pretence of being a changed person.
It feels like she’s not even pretending anymore, like it’s become part of her.
“Chloe, you don’t have to pretend to be a changed person when you’re with us” Miranda said.
“Well…I’m not..actually pretending” Chloe said. “Sometimes I even forget it’s all pretence”
“Really?” They asked.
The same thought was in their minds, Chloe’s genuinely turning a new leaf, it’s been so obvious but they hadn’t taken notice. At first, they had thought she only behaved that way just because they’re in school and in the midst of students and of course she’ll really want Dan to see that she’s now a changed person but Chloe also behave that way whenever they are not in school, she doesn’t yell at every single thing anymore, she doesn’t flare up at the slightest thing anymore but they’ve all overlooked it.
But now, they do not think she’s pretending anymore.
“Chloe, I think your pretence has become part of you, I don’t think you’re pretending anymore, you’re really becoming a changed person and trust me, this is so nice!” Christy said.
“Chloe, do not listen to her, if you keep behaving this way, you’ll no longer be respected by anyone, anyone will feel they can just walk up to you and say anything to your face, that fear and huge respect would no longer be there, you need to cut off this pretence and go back to who you are, if you keep this up, it’s gonna breed disrespect for you. Just exactly how Rina disrespected you by saying to your face that Dan doesn’t like you, did she dare say that to you before” Mira glared at Sabrina.
“Chloe, do not listen to Mira! So many people are in love with the new you, do you want to go back to the old you and have people fear and avoid you like you’re a terrible witch!?” Sabrina asked.
“Or do you want to go back to the old you and then let people know you’ve been pretending all this while and then the hatred people have for you multiplies? Mira, I can’t even believe you’re advising Chloe to go back to her old behavior, knowing how bad it was, are you really her friend?” Sabrina questioned with a disgusted look.
“So why the hell are you both attacking me, isn’t that what Chloe wants!” Mira yelled.
“No, I don’t think I want that anymore” Chloe said, they were walking into the class now.
At first, she had been pretending to be a changed person but it seems she’s truly becoming one, and the shocking part, she likes it. The fact that she doesn’t yell every seconds and at every single person just brings her this peace she can’t even explain, the fact that people now look at her without dislike or fear is something she likes. There’s this calmness within her now that she hasn’t experienced in a long time.
She doesn’t even think she can bare the thought of hurting people anymore, she can’t do that anymore.
Even her parents are so happy with her now and she’s also happy with herself. To think she’ll really become a changed person from pretending to be one is really amazing.
“OMG! Chloe, this is the best decision you’ve ever made!” Sabrina said, feeling so glad.
“Yes Chloe! I’m so happy” Christy said.
“Really?” Chloe asked.
“Yes!”
“You guys didn’t like how I behaved?” Chloe asked, they were now seated. Mira sat grudgingly, feeling so pissed at them all.
“Well..to be honest, a lot of people didn’t like your behavior including Rina and I, we were not satisfied with it but we love you and didn’t want to stop being your friend so we had to keep up with it” Christy said and Sabrina nodded in agreement.
“You should have just told me then that I was behaving badly” Chloe said.
“Huh!!” Rina and Christy exclaimed, widening their eyes in the process.
“Was I that bad?” Chloe asked, chuckling.
“Hmm” Sabrina and Christy sigh and they all laughed expect Mira who looked sullen.
“Hi Chloe” Dan smiled with a wave as he walked to his seat with Layla.
“Hi Dan” Chloe said, grinning as she watched him walk away.
Christy and Rina glanced at each other, they both know what’s left to do now is to make Chloe stop fantasizing over Dan and now that Chloe’s a changed person, it should be easy.
***
“Anne” Layla smiled as Anne walked into the Cafe.
“She just finished serving the first customer of the day when Anne walked in.
Phil is still yet to get a replacement for Aria although she only put out the notice yesterday.
“Hi Layla” Anne smiled and they both walked towards the counter.
“How are you?” Layla asked.
“I’m good” Anne said.
“How’s Dan? He didn’t come with you?” Layla asked wondering why Dan did not come with her.
He always come with her whenever she comes to get coffee.
He likes going with his sister everywhere.
“Dan’s fine, at home and he didn’t come with me because I’m not here to get coffee” Anne said, pressing her lips together.
“Oh…really?” Layla asked.
“Yeah” Anne said, not knowing how to tell Layla she’s here to work with her.
“Oh…you just said to say hi to me, you’re going somewhere?” Layla asked, that’s the only reasonable explanation Anne’s here if she’s not here to get coffee.
“Well..no” Anne said, smiling sheepishly.
Layla stared at her, starting to smile also. Anne’s smile is so contagious.
“Do you want to tell me something?” She asked.
“I’m here to…work with you” Anne finally said.
“What?” Layla asked, now understanding why Anne’s here.
“Yeah, I want to work with you” Anne repeated.
“No Anne, no no…” Layla was saying.
“I know you’re going to say no but I really want to help. I told Dan to stay behind when he said he’s so sure you’re not going to allow him work today, and he doesn’t want you to be by yourself, so I came instead. Don’t tell me to leave because I’m not going to ” Anne pouted.
Layla sigh…”Thank you, but you don’t have to do this honestly, I’m fine on my own, you guys are making me feel…”
“You don’t have to feel whatsoever way, we’re your friends and you shouldn’t have to feel anyhow whenever we offer to help or keep you company. It’s what friends do for one another. Just accept and enjoy the privileges that comes with friendship. I know it’s hard because you’re not used to it but you really have to get used to it now because we won’t stop” Anne said.
“Oh look, a customer is here, let me ask him what he wants” Anne said, walking towards the customer who just got seated.
Layla smiled, trying to fight back tears.
What did she do to deserve such wonderful people, losing her parents and brother, she never thought she’ll ever come across anyone else who’ll fill that empty space in her heart.
She’s so glad she happened to come across them, even if she’ll not get to enjoy their company for as long as she would love to.
Atleast she’ll have something to hold on to before whatever happens happen.
And she should really accept and enjoy the privileges that comes with friendship like Anne had said. She has limited time, she shouldn’t push her friends away, she should spend as much time with them as she can.
And not only her friends but her family also.
She’s going to give Aunt Esther a call today and tell her to visit with David. She’s going to make sure to spend quality time with everyone she loves, she doesn’t want to have any regret.
“The customer wants…” Anne was saying before Layla pulled her in a tight hug.
Anne was a bit surprised but she hugged her back anyway.
“C’mon it’s fine, you don’t have to hug me for coming here to help you” Anne said when Layla finally let go of her.
Layla smiled, she’s not hugging Anne for coming here to help her, she’s hugging Anne for giving her that piece of advice that made her have a change of mind and make her see things in a more realistic way.
Both Dan and Anne just have a way with words.
“Thank you” Layla said again.
“It’s nothing, c’mon. Let’s attend to the customer” Anne said.
“Oh, what does he wants to wants?”
“Espresso” Anne said going to the sink to wash her hands.
“I hope you brought your inhaler with you?” Layla asked, preparing the coffee.
“Yeah, I did” Anne dried her hands and grabbed an apron and hair cover.
~
“Wow I actually love working here with you!” Anne said excitedly after minutes of working.
“Really?” Layla asked.
“Yeah, it’s so exciting” She said, picking up the tray containing a customer’s order before walking away.
Layla smiled. She won’t also mind having Anne here again.
***
“You mean, you want your aunt and her son to visit? In my house? You should know they definitely can’t, I can never allow that” Phil said with a note of finality.
Layla sigh, she knew Phil wasn’t going to give in easily, she doesn’t like Aunt Esther and Aunt Esther doesn’t like Phil either so she wasn’t expecting Phil to say yes, the minute she asked.
Though she’s yet to tell Aunt Esther, she needed Phil’s consent first.
And she’ll keep persuading until Phil gives in.
They both continue eating in silence.
Phil cleared her throat, breaking the silence almost at the end of their dinner..
“They can come” She said.
“What?” Layla asked,not quite getting her.
“Your Aunt and her kid, they are free to visit” Phil said.
“OMG! OMG! Phil, are you for real?” Layla asked to be sure.
“Of course” Phil said.
“Yes!!!!” Layla shouted, bouncing on the chair in excitement.
“Thank you so much Phil, thank you, thank you” She said happily, excitement written all over her face.
“Are you that excited? Just because your black Aunt will be coming?” Phil rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I’m very excited. Thanks so much Phil, I love you!” Layla said, grinning widely.
Phil stared at her, this will be the first time Layla would say that to her and she can’t lie it feels so good. Though she knows Layla probably said that out of excitement but hearing I Love You from her niece for the first time actually made her feel better that she would have thought it would.
She knows she hasn’t been the nicest person to Layla and lately, the guilt has been eating her away. If Layla had not received that bad news, she knows she would never have reconsidered treating her better. She’s a very terrible person and she knows it.
She doubt she’ll ever recover from the guilt of treating her niece badly.
“Thank you Phil, I’m so grateful you chose to accommodate Aunt Esther and her kid, even if you do not really like them, you did so for my sake. Thank you” Layla said and Phil nodded slowly.
“It’s fine but they are only allowed to spend a week.”
“That’s very fine with me, a week is more than enough! I just need to spend time with them” Layla smiled.
“And will you really get to spend enough time with them? You’ll be going to school and also to the Cafe after school” Phil said and Layla sigh.
“Yeah, but we’ll be starting our exam soon and after that there’s gonna be a long ass holiday. I’m going to tell Aunt Esther to come during that time”
“What if her son is not on holiday during your own holiday, do you think she’ll allow him skip school for a week just because you want them to visit?” Phil asked.
“Well… I hope that doesn’t happen” Layla said biting her lips. She had not even thought about that”Even if it does, we’ll figure out something…I’m sure” She said.
“Okay then, Goodnight” Phil said, getting to her feet.
“Goodnight Phil” Layla said, still grinning as she cleared the table.
She washed the dishes and also went to her room.
~
After freshening up for the night, she sat on the bed, her phone in hand, smiling at interval as she chatted with Dan. She couldn’t keep her excitement, she had told him Phil said Aunt Esther can visit and he’s also excited to be meeting her soon.
“I’m actually worried, what if David’s holiday doesn’t align with mine, I won’t want him to skip school because of me” She texted Dan.
“And what if it does…you know our holiday is gonna be a long one, so there’s a high percentage of that happening”
“Really?”
“Of course, i think you should even call Aunt Esther to confirm.”
“No, she might be sleeping right now, I wouldn’t like to disrupt her sleep” She texted back.
“Sleeping? Have you forgotten there’s a time difference? It’s definitely not night in Nigeria. It’s 12am here which means it’ll be 9am in Nigeria, Nigeria is nine hours ahead of Las Vegas”
“OMG! Thats true. Totally forgot about that!”
“So are you going to give her a call now?”
“Yes! I’ll be right back”
“Okay”
~
“Aunt Esther” Layla said, smiling as Aunt Esther finally picked after the third ring.
“Moremi, I’m so sorry, I was in the shop, i didn’t know my phone was ringing in the room”
“It’s fine, how are you and David also?”
“We thank God o, I hope you’re good also and isn’t it supposed to be night over there, you’re supposed to be sleeping. I hope there’s nothing wrong?”
“There’s nothing wrong and yeah I’m supposed to be sleeping but I’m not…Aunt Esther, I want you to visit with David” Layla said.
“Really?” Aunt Esther smiled.
“Yes!”
“Wow, I’ve been dying to see you again, David would be so excited to hear this”
“I’ve been dying to see you guys again also. It’s been so long”
“But… your aunt, you’re staying with her right?”
“Yeah, I am”
“And you want us to come? Yunno she doesn’t like us. I don’t want wahala o, if there’s any affordable hotel around there, we’ll just stay there till we leave”
“Phil actually consented to you guys coming” Layla smiled.
“Really?” She’s willing to accommodate us?”
“Yes, Phil’s actually a changed person now” Layla said, low-key hoping Phil and Aunt Esther won’t quarrel. Phil’s a changed person but that doesn’t make her like Aunt Esther and she also knows her Nigerian Aunt won’t also tolerate any form of mistreatment from Phil.
“Wow, that’s good to hear. But I don’t think we will be able to come for now, it’ll take some weeks for David to be done with school for this term”
“Same here! David should be on holiday in atleast four weeks right?” Layla asked.
“Yes, it’s not even going to take up to four weeks sef”
“Yes!!!” Layla said in excitement, finally relieved. “I think David’s holiday also aligns with mine. That means we’ll get to spend a whole lot of time together and also catch up on so many things”
“That’s great! I can’t wait to see you again Moremi, I miss you so much”
“I miss you too, and David also. I just can’t wait. By the way.. he’s left to school right?” Layla asked, knowing if David was home, she would have heard him tell his mum he wants to speak to her.
“Yes o, I get to relax properly when he’s at school, his wahala is too much”
Layla laughed, knowing that means David is troublesome.
“Mummy David, I wan buy Maggi o” Layla heard someone say in the background.
“I’m coming o” Aunt Esther shouted.
“I think I should let you go now, Bye and say hi to Dave for me”
“Alright, take care of yourself. Bye”
Layla smiled, disconnecting the call, she wonder why Aunt Esther uses ‘O’ in most of her sentences, it must be common in Nigeria.
“Goodnight o” She said to herself and burst into laughter due to how weird it sounded.
Dan’s call disrupted her laughter, replacing it with a smile.
“Good news!” She said, on picking the call.
“Oh, I already know what it is. David’s holiday aligns with ours. Yaaaaay” Dan said excited and she laughed.
“Dan, I’m actually worried about something”
“Really? What’s that?”
“You’re aware Aunt Esther and Phil doesn’t like each other, what if they quarrel or even…fight each other” Layla sigh and was surprised when Dan burst into laughter.
Seconds later, she was laughing with him.
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