Love & Denial

Chapter 5

Esther is the only one among them who seems nicer and whose behavior of acting wealthy is not to show off. Whenever Theresa and Molly talk about how guys send them money or take them out, she always says, "Money doesn't attract me to a man. If I want a man, I don't fight for him. I'd rather make him come to me." She knows her way around men, and the way she carries herself with so much respect is the reason why men her age don't find the courage to approach her.

It was a Friday morning. Theresa, Molly, and Esther didn't attend lectures; they all slept at Esther's place. While Esther was still sleeping, Theresa and Molly sneaked out of the room to avoid waking her. Molly made a call and told the person she was outside. She walked to the door and opened it. The stranger handed over a white box to her. She gently closed the door and joined Theresa in the kitchen to fix breakfast.

"The delivery man has brought the package. Let's go before she wakes up," Molly said to Theresa. They sneaked in the same way they had sneaked out. Molly moved closer to the light switch and turned it on. Immediately, they started singing Happy Birthday song. Esther forced her eyes open at the sound of their voices. She sat on the bed and kept blushing with her sleepy eyes.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," they both said, handing over the white box to her. She happily opened it and saw a beautiful pink gown adorned with silver stones and a pair of black heels.

"Oh my God! This is so beautiful! You guys are the best, I love you," she said, opening her arms wide for a hug. They jumped on the bed and hugged her at once.

"Get ready, girls, we will go shopping," Esther said, raising her hand in excitement.

"Definitely," Theresa replied.

"24 looks good on you," Molly said.

"Soon you'll be in your mid-20s, and someone will come and take you to his house," Theresa said.

"Take me where?" Esther asked, not really needing an answer but to show disapproval.

"Allow me to enjoy my single hood."

"Are you saying that you don't need a man for the rest of your life?" Molly asked, surprised.

"I will marry, but not early."

"I won't waste time staying single; I'm just waiting for my dear husband to come for me." Theresa said.

"Single hood is not a waste of time, my dear," Molly interrupted.

"And who is that dear husband?" Esther asked.

"David, of course," she replied, closing her arms tight as if she was hugging someone. They both looked at her in disbelief.

"This one is still dreaming of David," Molly said and left for the kitchen.

David lay on the bed staring at the crystal chandelier. He counted the dangling crystals, but that did not take away his nervousness.

"Will she accept the gift?" he thought to himself. Almost immediately, his phone rang. He checked and saw a message from Lola.

"She accepted the gift, but she's not coming with us to the birthday party." He sat up and started typing.

"Try your best to persuade her. You're very good with words, please do your best." He sent the message and took a deep breath.

Lola saw how engrossed Shemagh was with her book. She thought of how best to start talking to her about the party without mentioning the word "party." She jumped down from the bed and sat on the floor just to get Shemagh's attention.

"Why did you jump down to the floor? Did something bite you there?"

"No, I just want to sit on the floor." Shemagh knew that Lola was heading somewhere with that attitude.

"Please say whatever you have to say. If it's something I can do for you, I will. Stop making a big scene out of it."

"Okay. Promise you won't say no."

"I can't make any promise without knowing what I'm promising for. What if you want to sell me? Should my answer still be yes?" Shemagh joked.

"You know I won't hurt you," Lola responded innocently.

"Yes, I do. That was a joke. How can I help you?"

"There's a guy I want to see, and he'll be at Esther's birthday. I really need to see this guy. David said he won't go. You know her invitation was first to him before it was extended to us. I can't go alone. I know Samuel will be there, and you know how he behaves."

"So how can I help you?" Shemagh leaned on the wall.

"I want you to persuade David to go with me. Promise me you'll do everything you can to make him change his mind." Lola fixed her eyes on Shemagh, waiting for a response.

"I will, I promise."

"Give me his number." Lola was surprised at how fast she was acting.

"Seriously, right now?"

"Is the birthday tomorrow?" Without responding to the question, she handed over the phone to her. The moment she did that, it dawned on her that she didn't plan this with David. She prayed in her heart that he wouldn't mess up.

"What is wrong? You look startled."Shemagh asked.

"Nothing is wrong," she said, faking a smile.

"I will call him now." She dialed the number and put it on speaker. Lola quickly climbed back on her bed and began pressing her phone to avoid looking at Shemagh. Her heart was beating faster than usual.

"Hello! It's Shemagh."

"Wow! Shemagh? What a surprise!"

"Hope you're fine," she continued.

"With this call, I'm more than just fine."

"Please, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, Shemagh, anything at all, just mention it. Lola opened her ears wide to listen.

"Please honor Esther's birthday invitation."

"I don't understand?" he responded confused.

"Lola just told me that you changed your mind about going. She really wants to attend the party because she wants to meet a long-time-no-see friend, so please go with her, even if you won't be part of the celebration." David perceived that Lola planned it all, so he played along.

"I will go only if you'll follow us. If not, I won't go." His response sent her into confusion. She had promised Lola, and now it has bounced back on her. Lola made an innocent baby face to emotionally blackmail her.

"Hello! Are you still there?" David asked.

"Yes, I'm here. I will follow you guys, but you must not spend much time there."

"Yes! Yes!" David was so excited. Even without seeing him, one could tell the degree of his excitement.

"Thank you so much, Shemagh. I love you," Lola said.