| Dedicated to Miriel_Oye |

•••

          While she slept, still and peaceful, nature-defying images in black and white colors played behind her lightly closed lids and her breaths went in and out like a butterfly brushing against flowers and swiftly taking off. Inches from her face, another dream, static, real, concrete and material, lay on a stool. A dream achievable, a dream powerful enough to change lives and give breathing a purpose. Dreams aren't just images the subconscious mind play when one's asleep, but are images it realizes while one's awake. Dreams are the portal to fantastical experiences, metaphorically and literally.

          Demi's eyes fluttered open.

Her vision blurred and her mind dazed as she stared at the cracks and cobwebs in the ceiling that was once white. A flesh-tearing pain ripped through her body, forcing her mind awake and back to reality. She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around the room as the pain clawed at her joints. The mattress she slept on was practically a flap foam. Sleeping on it was no different from sleeping on the hard, cold floor.

Ruthanne ... the thought slipped into her mind.

Her head rolled around to look at the letter and her heart did small flips. She gently pushed herself up, groaning as she did. She put her legs down onto the side of the mattress. Grabbing the letter, she dragged herself across the small room to the window overlooking the bustling ghetto street.

It's been three days since she received the scholarship letter and yet it still felt exhilarating, she felt flushed with happiness. Her body tingled in anticipation as each second, and minute, and hour ticked away and her heart inflated with hope.

And a burning optimism.

For what Ruthanne holds and what it hoards.

For the path set before her, for the memories and experiences.

For what lay ahead. And for what is to become, of her.

A bottle smashed and she jolted out of her thoughts.

She squinted her eyes and peered into the distance, trying to make out what was happening a little farther away from her. Screams and running feet filled the air, bodies, and objects collided. It was a commotion and beneath it all, she could hear a string of curses in raw voices. She settled back on her toes and into the room. It was the hooligans fighting again.

She turned away from the window and looked around the room. She was the only one at home. Jola had gone to work; Mide, to school; Posi, being an indolent ass, was definitely smoking and wasting away with other street girls, and she had chores to do.

Chores which she set to doing right away.

–––

        She pulled the room's door shut behind her and strolled to the middle of the parlor, carrying a chemistry textbook, a notepad, and a pencil. She settled onto the red carpet, sitting cross-legged and pulled the wooden table close to her. She set the things in her hands on the table and flipped the pages of the textbook till she got to a chapter titled Kinetic Theory.  She read a few pages, refreshing her memory and more as a pastime. Then she took the pad and the pencil, turned the textbook over to the last pages and began solving some questions based on the chapter she'd read.

She solved for three hours and a few minutes.

Then a few more she used in marking it. The pencil landed on the table with a plop as she released her grip on it. She hunched over the table, supporting her head with her fists and cracked her knuckles. Her eyes turned and saw red dots from exhaustion.

She'd gotten a hundred and eighty-nine of two hundred questions right.

An image of Ruthanne's colossal entrance flashed in her mind and she let it linger, imagining the time when she will be standing in front of it. She let out a sweet breath.

The image blurred away and was replaced by one of her sister's and Mom's in the crumbling, brick house they stay in.

It faded, merged into one of...

"David ... oh my God, I haven't told him."

She hoisted herself onto the chair behind her as a sharp pang had her squeezing at her stomach with thin fingers. A low grumble followed. Her eyes roamed the room till they settled on a locked cupboard housing swallow foods. Her stomach growled again.

She ignored it and peeled her eyes away, gave her attention to packing up her books instead. She stocked them up to one side on the table and stood up, went out of the house.

–––

          “Demi!” David hollered from behind the counter on seeing her stepping through the threshold of Kemmie's Food. A few heads turned in her direction and back to whatever their owners were doing.

Demi beamed at him. “Hey,” she called back.

David wiped his hand with a rag and dropped it onto the counter, turning around it to meet her as he did so.

She strolled towards him and they enveloped each other in a hug.

They pulled away and a smile found its way onto David's lips as he looked her up and down. "I haven't seen you in days."

Demi chuckled. “I was here three days ago.” her voice held a duh tone. The laughter died down quickly when a biting pain tugged at her innards.

David noticed the change in her demeanor. “What?” She shook her head but he'd put two and two together and asked knowingly, “Are you ... hungry?”

“No, I mean yeah but... I, don't have the money. I can't get anything to eat—don't worry--” she waved it off with a laugh. “I can manage.”

“And when are you going to have the money? Or where will you get it from?” David cocked a brow.

She shrugged and was silent.

“Sit, lemme get you something—”

“No, David...I...your boss—”

“Shut up and sit, Demi.” He nodded to a chair nearby. “I'll buy.”

She puffed her cheeks and released a long breath, stuffed her fists into her jeans pocket and walked over to a seat. She drummed her fingers on the table as she looked around the canteen. It was a little noisy today, no surprise since dusk was setting. Plates, spoons, and forks contended over delicious and mouthwatering morsels of local dishes: Fufu and Efo, Amala and Draw Soup, Eba and Egusi, cow skins, stock and catfishes, palm wine.

Her stomach knotted in a sharp pang again from thinking about the food and smelling their aroma. She was glad she'd allowed David to get her something. She really was famished.

He appeared right then, carrying a tray containing fried rice, meat, and an orange juice. He placed it on the table and slid into the seat opposite hers. “Here you go, eat now."

She smiled small and eyed the plate, salivating. Her stomach was already rumbling at the sight and she took all in her to restrain herself from gobbling up the food. “Thank you.” And oh, she was deeply thankful. She started eating.

David nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. He brought out his phone to browse through the sports section of a popular forum, NairaLand, while he stole glances at her.

She finished eating and he took the tray away, came back and sat with her again. She sipped on her drink as they fell into silence.

“You're free?”

He looked up from his phone. “Yeah, It's my break. Why?”

“I wanted to tell you something,” she started.

He looked up, paying her interest now. He dropped the phone and laced his fingers. He stared into her eyes and thought for a nanosecond how pretty the small smile she wears perfected her face. Her face wasn't entirely bland and it wasn't too exposing either, it was just the perfect blend of little emotions and left one guessing at what she's feeling. “So what?”

The smile on her lips stretched. She reached for the back of her pocket and brought out a folded piece of paper. She slid it across the table to him.

He carefully opened the paper and read through the contents. By the time he was finished, there was hardly any space left on his face to contain his surprise. “You're going to... Ruthanne Georgeson?”

Her smile grew.

“Wow, Demi--H-how did this happened?”

“I applied for this scholarship program. My teacher at Day Public School told me about it.”

He laughed, was shocked, speechless. Could hardly form a word. “This– this is huge, Demi.”

She nodded as if to say, ‘I know right’.

“I'm so happy for you. And this means a lot of opportunities. You can pursue your dreams, Ruthanne will boost your potentials, be asked by top colleges in the US to enroll with them. Honestly, I wish you luck, dear. And I'm proud of you.”

I'm proud of you.

He's proud of her.

And she believed him, held on tight to it. Her face took on a sad-bright look as she reflected on their friendship. He's the only one who cared enough for her, her happiness. He motivate her, teach her, go out of his way to ensure her comfort, and for the third time that day, she was grateful to be friends with him.