Some promises fall silently

Chapter three: The photograph

CHAPTER THREE

The Photograph

The next day, after the morning assembly, things seemed to be returning to normal.

At least, that's what I thought.

I didn't know that everything was only beginning to fall apart.

After our classes and other school activities, Mmesoma had to leave early for a doctor's appointment.

I watched her leave.

Then, after school, I saw it.

The same notebook.

The notebook I had promised her I wouldn't touch.

It was sitting there.

Waiting.

I tried to ignore it.

I really did.

I told myself to walk away.

I reminded myself of the promise I had made.

But there are some things that are simply too tempting to resist.

And my curiosity had already won.

I slowly walked toward the notebook.

Step by step.

The closer I got, the more uncertain I became.

Should I open it?

Should I take it home?

Should I put it back where I found it?

I stood there for several seconds.

Then I made a decision.

I would only open one page.

Just one.

That couldn't possibly hurt.

I picked up the notebook and slowly opened it.

The page was almost completely empty.

Almost.

There was only one thing on it.

A photograph.

I stared at it.

My mind went blank.

It was a picture of my cousin.

But not just any picture.

It was a picture of the cousin I considered dead to me.

Not actually dead.

But dead to me.

And, honestly, there were times when I wished he really was dead.

I wasn't the only one.

There were plenty of people who hated him.

People who had every reason to.

My cousin was a menace.

A complete mess.

A criminal.

He wasn't the kind of person anyone wanted around.

He was one of those people who could ruin innocent lives without thinking twice.

And yes, we were related.

But being related didn't mean we were alike.

We were two completely different people living in two completely different worlds.

I liked peace.

He seemed to thrive on chaos.

Still, one question kept bothering me.

How did Mmesoma know him?

What did she have to do with him?

What was their relationship?

What secret were they hiding?

Did she know he was my cousin?

And why had she refused to tell me?

I stared at the photograph for several more seconds before placing it carefully back inside the notebook.

Then I left.

I didn't tell anyone.

I went straight home.

A few minutes after I arrived, my phone buzzed.

It was Mmesoma.

"I think I left my notebook in school."

I stared at the message.

Then another message came.

"The one you promised me you wouldn't open."

"Okay," I replied.

Her response came almost immediately.

"Tell me you didn't open it."

"I didn't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you didn't open it?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"How are you not sure? I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"How you're not sure whether you opened the book or not."

"No, I'm sure."

"Oh. You're sure you didn't open it?"

"No."

"So you didn't open it?"

"I'm sure I did."

There was a pause.

"You opened the book?"

"Yes."

"But you said you didn't open it."

"Yes."

"So you lied to me."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Why are you lying now?"

"I'm not lying to you."

"Then why did you lie before?"

"I didn't."

"Okay. Explain to me how you didn't lie."

"Okay."

I smiled slightly before typing.

"You told me to tell you that I didn't touch the book."

"And I did touch it."

"So how am I lying?"

A few seconds passed.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"But you knew what I was talking about, so why didn't you just go straight to the point?"

"Nothing."

Then another message appeared.

"Whatever you see, don't believe it completely."

"Okay."

"What did you see in the book?"

"Nothing much."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

I hesitated.

"Except for one thing."

"Which is what?"

"I saw something."

"What did you see?"

"A picture of my cousin."

There was a pause.

"Is that all you saw?"

"Yes. Is there anything you wanted me to see?"

"No."

I stared at the screen.

Then I asked the questions that had been bothering me.

"How did you get that picture?"

"How did you get to know him?"

"What is your relationship with him?"

Her answer came slowly.

"Like I said, you'll know when the time is right."

I stared at the message.

Something about the way she said it didn't feel right.

It felt like there was more to it.

She didn't just know my cousin.

She seemed to know things about him that even I didn't know.

Like she knew him far better than I ever had.

I had so many questions.

I was about to type another message when the words appeared on my screen.

Mmesoma is typing...

Then they disappeared.

A few seconds later:

Mmesoma is typing...

Then they disappeared again.

I stared at the screen, waiting.

Finally, a message came through.

"Please don't ask me about him again."

I frowned.

That wasn't an answer.

If anything, it made me even more suspicious.

I was about to reply when another notification appeared.

This time, it wasn't a message.

It was a photograph.

I opened it.

My entire body went still.

It was another picture of my cousin.

But this time, he wasn't alone.

Someone was standing beside him.

Someone I knew.

Someone I had never expected to see in the same photograph as him.

Mmesoma.

I stared at the picture for what felt like minutes.

But that wasn't even the strangest part.

I noticed something else.

The photograph didn't look old.

It looked recent.

Very recent.

I checked the date.

My stomach dropped.

The photograph had been taken after I had already met Mmesoma.

Which meant she had known my cousin before she ever became my friend.

And suddenly, one question became louder than all the others in my head.

Why had Mmesoma lied to me about knowing him?