A bitter-sweet nightmare – Episode 12

A BITTER-SWEET NIGHTMARE
Episode 12

FALSE AWAKENING (2)

“I never knew…” Alice said in a whisper.

This was after Janine had just finished telling her what had happened in one of her previous relationships. The only relationship that she wished she could forget and never recall a thing about. If only that could be the case, as things were, Max was back in the picture.

“I think Chansa is calling…”
“Please don’t leave. Stay with me a little longer. Am sure he wouldn’t mind, would he?” Janine asked.
“Yeah! Let’s get you washed up and find something to eat. If you not okay with Chansa being here I can ask him to leave…” Alice told her.
“That wouldn’t be necessary. You guys should put your time together on hold for me. I might just be paranoid!” She exclaimed.
“Well, you are my friend and the only family you’ve got if you ask me.” Alice smiled as she spoke.
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#MAX
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“It’s her,” Max said strongly.
“What are you talking about?” His sister asked. She sat on the carpet, a glass of yoghurt and a remote in the other hand. Max was busy pacing up and down the living room.
“You just left your room to come down here and disturb me?” She asked him.
“No. It’s not like that…”
“Then what is it like? Because that’s all you’ve been doing. Apart from that, you keep saying ‘that’s her’ over and over again. Have you been smoking weed? Are you seeing ghosts now?” She asked him. It was one question after the other as she shot at him.

“It’s Janine!” Max finally spoke.
“Who is that?” She asked him.
“What do you who is that? Janine the young lady I used to stay with…” Max pointed out.
“You mean the girl you used to argue with every second you would get? Why in God’s name would you still be looking for her after all these years?” She asked.
“I realized she was the love of my life…” Before Max could even speak his mind he was cut short by the sister.
“It has been years she walked out, no!, She ran away from you. And here we are now… Years later and you telling me that you’ve been looking for her all this time?” “Little brother. You need to grow up, act your age for once and stop being some obsessed-emotional fool. You are lucky Dad never got to find out that you were cohabiting instead of focusing on your studies.” She pulled shots at him.
“Look, just because am telling you these things doesn’t mean you should talk to me like that. I know _ I know I treated her wrong. But sis, she was heaven.” Max said thoughtfully.
“Do you realize that you sound like some sick-obsessed man right now? How did you even find her?” She asked her brother.

Max wasn’t the type to shut up when he had a good story to tell. At least that was the version of the story told by him.

“I remained with some photos on my phone, as you are already aware she formatted my laptop before leaving. It just occurred to me that if I could use Google Lens to search her photo on the web may be a positive result could come up. And boom! Just like I thought, a positive match showed up from Facebook. When I checked the account it had everything locked up. Except for her display photo.” Max explained.
“I see… So, what you are trying to tell me now is that you are officially a stalker? Let her live her life. Stop bothering the poor girl. She was already going through a lot when you added you sh*t on top of her.” Her sister said. She was pissed, she didn’t care about what Max was saying. All that she needed was for him to leave the room.
“Am going to get to the bottom of this. Am sure that man that answered her phone is the boyfriend.” He spoke to himself.
“Let me ask you something… Am just curious, what is your motive behind all this?” His sister asked.
“I want my woman back. Have you even been listening to anything I’ve said this far?” He sighed.

#MARKUS

“You know… It wouldn’t hurt for you to just call and check on how she is doing.” Markus’ mother told him.
“No! Am done with her mum.” He responded.
“She is a lady. You need to be patient with her, if you keep behaving like that every time you don’t get what you want, you will end up not having anything.” She told him.
“Nope. Mum you not getting it… I’ve tried everything I can think of to make Janine comfortable with me. The only thing that we end up doing successfully is argue. I don’t want to end up with someone like that. You and Dad were perfect, not a single day did I hear him raise his voice at you.” Markus said.
“Just because you never heard, doesn’t mean it never happened. Your father and I had our fair share of arguments and fights. We just never did it Infront of you guys.” She told him, “If you really like this girl _ then don’t try to go 50/50 with her. Show her that you care, show her that you are there when she needs you and that she can always count on you. That is how you will get her to open up to you. Am sure with time she will tell you what has been bothering her.”
“Mum, Jesus might be coming soon. Am not going to risk my life like that. I mean, why can’t she at least appreciate my efforts? Am right here for her, yet it’s like she has locked herself up in the past. I can’t do this anymore.” Markus nagged.
“Well, am not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do. I wouldn’t want to see a day were you blame me for something in the future.” She told him.

They had sat outside while having the conversation. Markus was raised by a single mother, having to work in the Mines, the father was caught up in a terrible accident. He died on the spot.

Tbc…

KENNEDY C KATONGO