Two Princes and a choice

Chapter Twenty

Tan woke up around four in the morning, he had been dreaming about the girl from yesterday it was a pleasant dream until he woke up not knowing what woke him up. Although he tried to go back to sleep but he was too restless and so he decided to finish his reading of Roots. It was quiet in the house, the silence only punctuated by Jon’s snores and snorts and a bird singing outside.

Tan couldn’t concentrate on the book, his mind kept wandering over to that girl, and he wondered what her name was, he never got a chance to ask. Sighing he massaged his temple and leaned back against the chair, his phone rang again and he ignored it. He didn’t need to check before her could tell that was his mother. Feeling frustrated he stood up and went downstairs to watch movie.

***

Aisha stepped out of the car and looked about. Ibadan, she thought sighing in her usual bored way. She walked into the hotel waling straight for the counter.

‘I’m Miss Adeoye; I believe you have a suite reserved for me.’

The lady clicked on her computer, ‘of course, Miss Adeoye. Please follow me.’ She led her into the lift, the hall porter too with her luggage. The lift stopped at the third floor and they stepped into the hallway.

‘Here we are,’ she input a code in the box and the door clicked open. She pushed it open. ‘It’s one of our finest suites.’

Aisha walked in running an inspecting eye over everything. ‘It’s nice,’ she said. ‘Just too much colours.’ She turned to face the woman. ‘Not everyone like colours.’ She preferred a less colourful room.

‘Of course,’ the lady smiled. She handed her a card. ‘This is the key, if you need anything, ring us up.’ She left and Aisha tipped the porter 200 Pounds. The man left her grinning happily. Left alone, she called Tan.

***

They were hiking the wooded part of Molete. Twenty years ago this parts had been filled with uncompleted buildings which the government had torn down and planted trees in place. The area of the woodland was an hundred mile long. Stretching to Oke Ado, Ring Road, Challenge, Bode and Orita. A part of the Ogunpa river flow through the woods. Hayley had been here before about seven years ago with Lois and Hibiscus; it had been easier to hike then when she had two ankles that were working properly.

The doctor that they had gone to see had put her ankle in brace and given her instructions, dos and don’ts: don’t rest much weight on it, always keep it levitated and so on, he had also given Hibiscus some more instructions and they left.

It would have been fun if her ankle was not sprained; she remembered how she Lois and Hibiscus had chased one another about the forest area, playing tag hide and seek and racing. It wouldn’t be so much fun with one leg. Stupid, stupid ankle she thought angrily as she hitched behind Hibiscus. Hayley used to beat them when walking; she was always the one in front daring them to catch up with her.

‘Can’t you walk faster?’ Hibiscus demanded stopping to look at her. ‘We are hiking not on the run way.’

Hayley half hobbled up to her. ‘My ankle,’ she growled feeling irritated ‘the river is up front,’ she told her.

‘Is that your way of saying you want to stop and rest?’ Hibiscus asked teasing.

Hayley glowered at her but Hibiscus smiled back and skipped away. Hayley glared after her, show off, she thought but as usual it was hard to stay angry at Hibiscus for long. The girl radiated sunniness but she still felt sullen as she went after Hibiscus down the rise. Then she stopped for a moment eyes round in amazement, it was just how she remembered it. The quiet bubbling of river, birds singing, Hayley ran down the steps that curved around the water like a U despite the pain in her ankle and plopped down two steps away from the water, her feet on the last step. She leaned forward and put her hand into the water, she could see small silver fishes flickering about in the depths.

Hibiscus sat beside her and stretched out her legs in front of her. ‘Should have brought fishing pole,’ she muttered.

‘I didn’t know you know how to fish,’ Hayley said incredulous.

Hibiscus shrugged ‘I don’t but I know how to steal out of Kunle’s food when he’s sitting outside from upstairs with a hook and line so it’s not that different.’

Hayley shook her head chuckling and took off her back pack, ‘and what does Kunle do when he finds out a piece of his food is missing?’ she wanted to know.

Hibiscus planted her leg on the same step as Hayley and answered: ‘nothing, he doesn’t know I usually take out of his large suya he always thinks he had eaten it and forgotten that he had once I heard him talking to Charta that he was losing his memory and he would go to the doctor to check if he was right.’ She shot a huge grin at Hayley, ‘imagine losing your memory and you are not yet fifty.’

‘He looks grouchy,’ Hayley observed.

‘He is grouchy,’ Hibiscus corrected, ‘even having a wife and family won’t cure it.’

‘He is married?’ Hayley was surprised.

Hibiscus shook her head and flashed something like a roughish grin, ‘he wishes he was but he has a girlfriend I do hope she lasts.’

Hayley laughed and Hibiscus joined in then her phone rang.

‘Blast it,’ Hibiscus said under her breath yanking the phone out of her pocket. ‘Can’t a girl have four hours to herself,’ she picked it, ‘I’m not with a boy,’ she muttered irritated into the Phone. Hayley giggled beside her, and then her tone turned serious and urgent, ‘really? I’ll be on my way.’

She hung up and turned to face Hayley, ‘how well do you remember Ibadan?’ she asked.

‘Fairly well,’ Hayley answered, ‘why did you ask?’ she wanted to know reading the worry in her friend’s face.

‘Junior ate some expire chocolate and something more than that and no one is at home except he and Grace so I have to go, I’ll be back in no time.’

Hayley did not know who was Grace or Junior out of the faces of all Hibiscus’ family but she felt concerned so she said: ‘I’ll be fine, I still remember they sell food at that kiosk over there and if I got bored of sitting and went away I’ll text you where I am,’ she assured Hibiscus.

‘Okay,’ Hibiscus gave her a quick hug and sprinted away. She moved swiftly she disappeared out of sight, Hayley sighed and stretched her legs, removing her shoes she put her uninjured foot in the warm water. It was warm for a minute but it became cool, she relaxed closing her eyes and sang Sia Chandelier in a low tone. She ended it and re sang it again then played it on her phone.

‘Don’t you think you are going to wear that song out?’

The rich voice made her look over her shoulder in shock but the real shock to her was how long has the person been standing there? Another thing made her gasp in shock was that the person that spoke was the boy that helped her yesterday. Hayley wasn’t so sure because she didn’t have a good look at him very well yesterday night but she was sure.

‘Are you…?’ she trailed off.’

‘What?’ he approached, ‘you don’t remember me?’ it somehow irked him that she had forgotten him, wasn’t it just yesterday?’

‘No, I didn’t get a good look of your face so I just wanted to make sure.’ She explained. ‘Thanks for yesterday,’ she added with a smile.

Tan merely nodded, ‘how is your ankle?’ he asked her, if her wasn’t mistaken her ankle was hurt yesterday.

Hayley looked down at the leg in brace, ‘it will be fine,’ she mumbled.

‘Have you been here before?’ Tan asked walking down the steps to her.

Hayley disturbed the water with her hand. ‘Yes.’

‘With who, your friend?’ he wanted to know.

She nodded, ‘yeah, most of the times when we were younger.’

‘Ahh,’ he said, ‘did you come here alone?’

Hayley looked at him. ‘No, I followed Hibiscus but she had to leave to do something at home, she’ll soon be back.’

He sat down at her side nodding in comprehension. They sat in silence for some time.

‘How long have you been standing there? ’ Hayley asked as she took her hand out of the dark water.

‘Since you began singing the song for the first time, I think halfway through you were singing sun is up I’m a mess.’

‘Ohh,’ she nodded, silence again. ‘Why didn’t you talk and announce your presence?’

‘Curious to see if you will notice someone is behind you but you didn’t. You’ll be a sitting duck for assassins.’

Hayley laughed, ‘I was just into the music I didn’t notice.’

Tan liked her laugh, easy and charming, his eyes went down to her jutting collar bones and then to her clothes. She was wearing kneel ankle length jeans, vest top and a checked orange shirt on top, her sneakers on the last step a charm bracelet about her skinny wrist. He saw the steel brace on her leg and felt sorry for her. To him she looked skinny, dark circles under her eyeballs.

‘Don’t you sleep enough?’ he teased and when she looked at him questioningly he pointed at the smudge under her eyes that flawed her perfect pale brown skin he noted despite himself. He was always a critic of the female specie noting the flaws not the perfection but to tell the truth her skin was creamy, smooth and would be soft if he could touch it.

‘I do sleep, sometimes,’ she confessed.

‘Sometimes?’ he repeated.

‘Yeah,’ she nodded a small smile on her lips. Tan thought of how perfectly they were arched, get a grip man, he told himself. ‘I work a lot so sometimes I don’t have time to sleep.’

‘How many jobs?’ he inquired curious.

‘Many.’

‘Many!’ he repeated. ‘Don’t you go to school?’

She eyed him and hissed at him still smiling.

‘Sorry, no wonder you are skinny. You don’t eat to right?’

She scowled and stared at the river.

‘When did you come here last?’ he asked smiling.

‘When I was twelve, my friends and I used to sing rhymes here,’ she inhaled the scent of the quiet river and exhaled deeply smiling.

‘Well,’ he took off his back pack ‘since we are here, let’s enjoy the breeze. Do you wanna sing rhymes?’

‘Do you wanna sing along?’ she inquired.

‘Of course not, rhymes are babyish.’

‘And you are a kill joy. Can’t you ever stop teasing?’ she asked turning her face sideways to his.

‘Nah, I live for teasing. It brings me joy.’ Her eyes were a light shade of brown mingled with another colour he couldn’t point out, red or ash.

‘And me great anger,’ she smiled widely exposing brilliant white teeth.

‘Are you saying you are going to hit me?’

‘If it’s necessary.’

He smiled lopsidedly. ‘Do your punches hurt?’

‘I’m bony, so of course it’ll hurt.’

He chuckled. ‘Are you always this funny?’

‘I have my moments.’

‘You’re cute.’ He told her.

‘It’s good you know,’ she smiled.

His phone rang. He dug into his pockets for it. It was Aisha, he wondered if he should pick it up right in front of her.

‘You aren’t going to answer?’ she asked.

‘Is it any of your business?’ he demanded. She kept quiet and he looked up. ‘I mean,’ he rejected the call and placed I in his pocket. ‘It’s one of my friends he wants to ask if I’m at home.’

‘Ok,’ she said quietly and continued looking at the river.

‘Where can we get something to eat?’

‘There is a kiosk down over there,’ she pointed, her small face screwed up. ‘I don’t know how to give directions but just go straight.’

‘So I could get lost? He asked rhetorically, ‘you go and buy something for us to eat since you know this place well I’m the new comer here.’

Hayley shook her head and put on her shoes, wincing slightly as she put the shoe on the left foot where she had injured herself, after she held out a small hand.

‘What?’ he asked, eyeing her outstretched hand.

‘Money, they don’t sell things for free.’

He gave her his wallet. ‘There buy whatever you see that is eatable.’ He told her.

‘Wow,’ she said opening the wallet. ‘It’s fully packed.’

‘Don’t think about robbing me.’

‘No,’ she took out two fifty Pounds note and gave him back his wallet. She stood up.

‘Are you sure that’ll be enough? I eat a lot you know. Take at least a thousand and are you sure you’ll be able to manage with your ankle?’

‘Now he’s worried,’ Hayley muttered under her breath but loud enough so he could hear and smile before she spoke out loud, ‘I’m going to buy form a kiosk not a fancy restaurant and I can manage. I’ll be back.’

Tan chuckled watching her walk away. She was tugging at him he realised. Something on girl has ever done before. His phone rang again. ‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Where are you? Why didn’t you answer the first time?’

‘Don’t whine, it doesn’t suit you.’ Aisha was already irritating him, why was she calling? He wondered. Somehow he doesn’t want to see her but that was just wishful thinking.

‘Really? Don’t blame me I’m just trying to act my part. The part of a doting fiancée. But it’s babyish you know that.’

‘Glad you know that. Why did you call?’ He wished she could end her prattle and go straight to the point.

‘Are you at home?’

‘So what if I am?’ Tan asked back

‘I’d like to visit, ’ she told him

‘I’m not so don’t,’ he informed her.

‘Where are you?’

‘Somewhere.’

‘That somewhere doesn’t have a name?’ Aisha demanded but when Tan didn’t reply she sighed and continued, ‘when will you be back?’

‘You being my fiancé don’t include you monitoring my every move. Bye.’ He hung up.

Aisha felt like crying but swallowed it. Tan was always like this so no need to cry and still she doesn’t like him. So it doesn’t hurt much she told herself.

Hayley came back in a period of fifteen minutes holding two polythene bags. Tan was glad to see her, he felt the irritation he was feeling when Aisha called die down.

‘Where did you go to? Did you just have to build up the kiosk yourself?’

Hayley grinned. ‘Don’t whine,’ she gave him one of the polythene bags and sat down.

Tan scanned the contents, two sausage rolls, two Madeira cakes and a can of coke. ‘Are you sure this is enough?’

‘Hey, foodie. Have you been fasting before? Even the people that have been fasting for hundred days do not complain.

‘I don’t get hungry.’ He told her.

‘Oh my, what a pampered boy you must have been.’ She said in a bored tone.

Tan smiled at her he wondered what she will do if he told her he was the Prince. Will she get all formal like and bow to him or just simply say figures.

‘My parents don’t like to see me suffer.’

‘No parents do but circumstances may make it difficult.’ She sighed despondently. He saw her look at the water forlornly. He wondered what to say . Her expression changed and she looked up.

‘Oh,’ she said and stood up.

‘What is it?’

‘I saw something now,’ she peered into it leaning down a little. She lost a foot and wobbled slightly.

Tan rose up and caught her. ‘Dummy,’ he said. ‘That’s why I said girls are a burden.’

Her eyes burned with indignation. Let me go,’ she told him.

He smiled. ‘Okay, your call.’ He let her go. She fell into the water.

When she surfaced, she was frowning.

‘You said to let you go, and I did,’ Tan said crouching. ‘Here,’ he held out his hand.

She ignored him and climbed out herself and sat away from him.

‘Are you ok?’ he reached out to touch her face feeling half sober.

She avoided his hand. ‘No need.’

He could tell she was pissed but it was still funny to him, that’s why they call him a grown up boy with a two year old mentality. She needed a change of cloth.