Her Last Wish – Episode 6

(Moremi)

HER LAST WISH 
(Moremi)

Chapter 6

Zeemah Writes

🌀___

“Layla, what’s wrong?” Aria asked worriedly.
Layla sat numbly on the floor hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were wet and red,even a blind could tell she had been crying.
This would be the first time she would sit without attending to customers, leaving only Aria to do it but Aria didn’t mind,she was only worried about Layla who ignored her and everyone else,if it was left to Layla,she wouldn’t have come to the coffee shop today,she would have stayed home and cried her eyes out but she had reluctantly come here knowing Philia wouldn’t take it lightly.

Aria quickly went to take customers order,she served them and returned to Layla who still remained on the floor, staring at nothing in particular.
Aria sighed..just yesterday and a day before, Layla’s happy mood was unbeatable and now seeing how sad she looked made Aria worried.
She doesn’t even look this sad whenever Philia scolds her.

Aria was unable to concentrate on her because customers kept pouring in and she had to attend to them.
She would go to Layla when she had served the customers and then quickly run back to the counter whenever another customer walks in.

It was almost time to go pick her kid and Layla doesn’t look like she was ready to get up.
She looked lost and so sad.
What could be wrong?..Aria wondered worriedly.
Should she call Philia’s attention to it?

Aria returned to the counter after serving the last customer who walked in.
She picked her phone and placed a call across her husband.

“Hey Dave”
“Ariana,how are you?” Her husband’s voice broke in.
“I’m fine, you’re back from work right?”
“Yeah,I’m clearing the garden”
“Could you help me go pick Jane, i’ll be working late today”
“Oh fine,I’ll go now”
“I love you”
“Kisses”

She dropped her phone and sighed as she walked back to Layla.
She crouched in front of her and stroked her hair.
That didn’t even made Layla look up,the horrible words kept replaying in her mind -Dylan told everyone that your lips felt like a dead log of wood that wouldn’t even lit up if ignited by a wide burning fire- the words made her dumb and weak.
Her hopes were shattered, Dylan doesn’t have the tiniest feeling for her,he had been nice to her maybe because he just wanted to be her friend.
He doesn’t even see her as a potential lover.
Maybe she’s the last person he would ever consider dating.

Okay..agreed that he doesn’t have feelings for her,she also knows feelings can’t be forced.
But how dare he called her lips a dead log of wood,how dare he embarrass her that much.
She was starting to gain people’s respect only for him to shatter it again.

She bursted into fresh tears, recalling how everyone had mocked her.
Dylan hadn’t even looked like he was sorry.

“Layla c’mon, whatever it is,tell me. please” Aria said.
“Is my lips that dead that even a burning fire won’t ignite it?” Layla asked absentmindedly.
She was talking to herself and not to Aria.
She was wondering out aloud,tears dropping out like a waterfall.
Aria was about to respond to her when she saw Philia approaching.
“Get up get up, Philia is coming” Aria said to her but she didn’t get up,she didn’t even act like she heard what Aria had said.
“She’s gonna scold you! Get up Layla” Aria said, trying to pull her up but Philia already caught up on them.

“What’s going on here?” Philia asked casting the both of them a questioning gaze.
“Well…” Aria stuttered, glancing at Layla whose head was still down.
“I..well..Layla has been seated here crying and she refused to tell me what’s wrong” Aria said.
“Oh” Phil sighed, thinking Layla finally let out her emotions,the news she had received is enough to make her cry. She had been wondering why Layla had been so strong about the news,it’s something even an adult won’t stop crying about.
Poor girl,she had been trying to keep it all in but she’s not been able to any longer.

“Leave her to cry Aria,it’s worth it” Phil said.
“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” Aria asked.
“Yeah,i do. You’re set to leave right?” Phil asked.
“No,I’ll be taking up Layla’s shift. I already called my husband to go pick Jane” Aria said.
It was then Layla glanced up at her,she thanked Aria with her eyes and Aria nodded with a smile.
She had been wondering how she was gonna cope,serving customers when she was feeling so weak to the bones.

“That’s so sweet of you Aria” Philia smiled.
Aria rushed off to attend to another set of customers.

“Come with me to my office,come sit your a$$ on the chair” Philia said to Layla who ignored her.
“I bet your a$$ is gonna hurt by the time you finally get up from the floor,come with me” Philia persuaded gently and Layla shook her head.
Philia is being nice to her again because of a reason and that hurt her.
“Okay come with me and get a chance to talk to Aunt Esther or whatever her name is” Philia rolled her eyes and Layla’s face lit up.
She got to her feet and truly,her butt hurts.
“I can’t believe that black Aunt of yours made you get up” Philia groaned and Layla walked after her to her office.

Aunt Esther is definitely gonna light up her mood and David also.

Layla sat on the armchair in the small neat office while Philia dialled Aunt Esther’s number.
She handed the phone to Layla with a frown after Esther had picked.
Layla placed the phone on her ear happily.

“Moremi Ajansoro” Aunt Esther called happily into the phone and Layla felt better instantly.
Aunt Esther and David calls her by her native name ‘Moremi’ and she so much loves to hear it.
Her parents do call her that also once in a while.
She had fallen in love with the name after her father told her the story behind it.

Queen Moremi of ile Ife kingdom, Nigeria. Was a courageous woman and is believed to have contributed to the Yoruba tribe’s liberation from oppression,she willingly surrendered to the Invaders,got married to the enemy king and seized the opportunity to discover the secrets of the group’s military strategy,she revealed that secret to Ile Ife people after she had managed to escape.
She subsequently helped to devise a plan that led to Ile Ife’s responding victory over the invaders.

“Moremi was a brave lady” Her father would tell her.
“She practically sacrificed herself for her people’s liberation, she achieved something most males couldn’t even attempt. I found her admirable and i made a promise to myself to name my first daughter Moremi,in our culture,it is believed that one’s child’s name do have an impact in the child’s life, i also want you to be the best of yourself” Her father would smile and kiss her and she’ll giggle in his arms.

“Moremi,are you there?” Aunt Esther’s voice jolted her from her thoughts.
“Aunt Esther,i missed you” Layla whined on the phone like a baby and she laughed when she saw the look Philia sent her.

🦋

“Where’s that dude?” Felia asked, walking into the living room of the Keyes.
“Felia” Anne pulled her into a hug.
“Anne,how are you?” Felia asked.
“I’m good, you’re coming straight from school” Anne said, seeing Felia still clad in her school wears and backpack.
“Yap, i miss that dude so much” She groaned and Anne laughed.

Felia is this pretty strong girl that acts all bitchy but she’s actually so soft and kind on the inside.
At first glance,one would think she’s an irresponsible kid,only those closer to her knows what she’s like and she doesn’t even try to change others perspective of her,she doesn’t care how anyone sees her,she just wants to do her thing and move forward.

“He’s not in at the moment” Anne said, sitting back on the couch.
“Oh,that crook with chicken legs” She growled and Anne laughed again.
“Where the f**k did he go?” She asked, dropping her backpack.
“He went to apologise to a girl..”
“For?” Felia asked.
“He accidentally spilled hot coffee on her leg while rushing to get my inhaler to me”
“Oh..wow,he really needs to apologise” Felia said.
“Yeah,i hope he sees her today, he has been going for days now without seeing her” Anne said.
“Maybe she doesn’t work there anymore” Felia said.
“Or maybe she’s still healing from the burn” Anne said sadly, it had happened because of her.
She really hope the girl is okay,the pain might have been unbearable,she knows how it feels whenever a drop of hot liquid touches her skin not to talk of a whole cup of hot coffee.

“C’mon Anne, it’s not your fault. It was destined to happen” Felia said.
“I caused it” Anne insisted.
“You know what? It was an accident,no one would have loved for it to happen. If Dan gets to see her today and apologises to her, maybe you should too so you would feel better”
Anne nodded.

“Mr and Mrs Keyes are not back from work yet right?” Felia asked, pulling her shoes and socks and walking barefooted to the kitchen.
“Yeah” Anne said and resumed watching her animation while Felia looked for what to eat in the kitchen.
~
“Did you get to see her?” Anne asked hopefully as Dan walked into the living room.
He shook his head and she sighed.

“Are you sure she’s working there? She might just be a customer” Anne said.
“I’m sure she’s working there, though i didn’t get to see her face clearly that day but she was on the shop’s apron” Dan said, sounding exhausted and Anne knew he was hungry.
“If she’s really working there,how come you’ve not seen her since you’ve been toiling that place”
“I also dunno,I’ll keep going” Dan said.

“But you didn’t get to see the girl’s face clearly,how would you recognize her when you see her,you might have seen her without knowing she’s the one” Anne said.
“Nah,i would know her by her hair,she has a long brown-golden hair because i remembered it almost flipped in my face when i accidentally spilled the coffee on her feet”
“Oh and so far,you haven’t seen anyone with that hair?” Anne said.
“No” Dan sighed.
“Maybe you should ask the other worker,the lady you said you do see at the counter whenever you go”
“Sure i will, after we’re back from school tomorrow” Dan said.

“Felia is around,she’s in the kitchen” Anne said.
“Really” Dan smiled.
He got to his feet the same time Felia was walking back into the living room.

“b***h” He laughed as she jumped on his back.
“How you?” Felia asked.
“I’m good except that your weight is almost killing me” Dan sighed.
“Endure it,I’ll be here for some time” Felia said and Dan groaned.
Anne laughed.
“Did you see the girl?” Fel asked.
“Oh, Anne told you. I didn’t see her,I’ll go back tomorrow after school” Dan said.
“You should ask other workers there about her” Felia suggested.
“I’ll do that tomorrow. f**k! Fel get off my back!!” Dan said.
“I’m going to, i know you’re a lazy a$$” She said, slapping his head as she got off.

Dan sighed and shook his head knowing Fel is a bag of trouble.

“Why are you still in your school wears?” He asked her.
“I came here straight from school because i was missing some as***ole” She deadpanned.
“I miss you more bush baby” Dan teased.
“f**k you” She casted him a look and he laughed.

“Anne,come eat,i made pasta” Fel said, deliberately leaving Dan out.
“What the hell…you didn’t make mine?” Dan asked,his stomach rumbling at the pasta Fel just mentioned.
Fel’s pasta is second to none.

“You weren’t home when i started making it so i didn’t include yours” Fel teased.
“You’re joking right?” Dan asked,he looked so serious that Fel bursted out laughing.
“Are you that hungry?” She asked.
“I am and i also know you are teasing me about not making mine. I’m off to the kitchen to dish out mine” He stuck out his tongue at Fel who shook her head.

“I really wish i didn’t made his” She scoffed and Anne chuckled.
“Let’s go dish out ours too,or i won’t be surprised if there’s nothing left in the pot anymore” Fel said and they both laughed as they rushed to the kitchen.

🦋

“Thanks so much Aria and I’m sorry to have made you work late” Layla said as they walked out of the coffee shop.
They were done for the day and she had felt better after talking to Aunt Esther and her nephew.
She really missed them, talking to them again after a long time made her happy,they made her forgot her worries during the time she was on the phone with them.

“It’s nothing,I’m glad you feel better now” Aria said.
Layla nodded,the sadness in her eyes was still obvious but at least she was feeling better.
“Seems Philia knows what’s wrong with you” Aria prodded.
“She doesn’t, she’s thinking about something else entirely” Layla said.
“Oh. I hope by tomorrow you will be able to tell me what went wrong” Aria said.
“Definitely” Layla said.
“Whatever it is,do not allow it weigh you down okay? it’s normal to face challenges,you just have to brace up,nothing should worth making a strong girl like you sad” Aria rubbed her shoulder affectionately.
Layla smiled “Thanks Aria”
“Yeah! Good to see that beautiful smile of yours” Aria cheered and Layla found herself laughing.

God..she felt so much better.

“I hope you both know I’m standing here” Philia yelled.
“Bye Aria,say hi to Jane for me” Layla waved.
“Okay Bye” Aria waved and they went their separate ways.

“Good to see you finally let out your emotions,i knew you wouldn’t be able to keep it in for long. Poor girl” Philia said pitifully to Layla as they walked home.
Layla wanted to tell her that wasn’t the reason she was down but she decided to let it go.

“So,do you want me to keep being nice to you?” Phil asked blowing out a pink bubble.
“You can clearly see how well i pampered you today,if you want that to keep going on,just say it but mind you..it’s because of your pathetic situation…” Phil was saying.
“If you won’t be nice to me without a reason,then keep your niceness to yourself” Layla cut her short.
“You’re just so unbelievable for someone in this your pathetic situation” Phil groaned.
“And you’re so unbelievable for an aunt who knows about her niece’s pathetic condition but doesn’t even feel an iota of pity for her” Layla said, walking away fast.
She doesn’t want Philia to see her cry.
She wants to keep being strong but no one is helping.
She’s yet to heal from Dylan’s poor words and now this!

“Does your black Aunt knows about it?” Philia shouted after her but Layla was done discussing her predicament.
“Don’t f****ng tell me you won’t be making dinner again tonight,i swear I’m gonna throw you out of my house!” Philia yelled and passer bys turned to look at her.
She rolled her eyes and huffed at them before running after Layla.

🦋🦋

Layla arrived to school late the next day and if the teachers hadn’t been having a meeting,class would have started.
She had trekked like she normally does but this time,she didn’t hurry,she had walked so slowly like she had all day.
She didn’t have the strength to hurry like she normally does.
She had felt cranky when she woke up this morning.

Walking into the classroom,she was prepared for the mockery but she was of course surprised to see the students attention on something else, they hadn’t even noticed she had walked in.
She wondered what could have their keen attention as she slowly walked to her seat.

She peered at Dylan’s seat and she could see he wasn’t there.
Even with what he had said about her,her feelings for him didn’t waver a bit.
She would gladly forgive him if he asks her to..No,she forgave him already.
Everyone makes mistakes and anything or anyone shouldn’t make her sad like Aria had said.

She got closer to her seat and saw it was a new student,he was backing her, going through the pasted timetable on the wall.
She was wondering why a new student would get everyone’s attention this keenly when something caught her attention also.
She had noticed his hair looked familiar at first but a lot of people has brown hair but then she saw the scar on his neck.
She peered closer to see she wasn’t mistaken..

Fu..c..k

“Hot coffee!” She screamed and everyone turned to her except the guy whose attention was still fixed on the wall.

“I can’t believe she’s starting to hit on the new guy” Miranda said irritably.
“I’m sure he’s gonna embarrass her more than Dylan had” Chloe said and laughed.
They all thought the ‘Hot coffee’ she had called him meant a sweet name not until Layla pounced on him, biting his back.

“Helpppp” Daniel screamed in pain and everyone rushed to them.

Zeemah

 

 

TBC

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