Part Forty-Seven

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Hassan's POV

I groaned and turned over on my bed when I heard the sound of my phone's ringing tone. 'Who could be calling at 2am in the morning?' I thought to myself when I glanced at the wall clock in my room.
I wiped the sweat that has formed on my forehead and neck region, the breeze seized and the environment became warm, added to the fact that electrical power failed since last night.

I picked up my phone, musing to myself as to why I didn't switch it off before going to bed. It must have slipped my mind, but I hoped that whatever this person had to say was that important, to require calling my line at this time. David's name was flashing across my screen, so I quickly tapped the green call icon to answer, before the call ended.

"Hey man, what's up? Why did you call by this time?" I questioned, making sure to keep my voice low to avoid waking anyone else in the house.

"I was going to wait until morning but I couldn't sleep, I had to talk to someone. And no other person could come to mind except you," he answered. Yet, I sensed that he was having a difficult time in saying anything.

"Glad to know that I'm the best person to wake up at midnight, even when I'm single," I tried to say something sarcastic to lighten up his mood, but it didn't work out.

"Man, I really don't have time for those jokes right now. I called to tell you that I saw my father today,"

"What do you mean by that..."

"My real father," he cut me off, successfully giving me the shock of my life.

His real dad? For all I knew about him, David always claimed that he knew nothing about his real father, that he might as well be dead to him. Now, he's calling to tell me that he met his dad, as in, in person.

"Tell me everything," I instructed.

"Can we do a video call instead, I'd like to feel distracted while I'm talking," he demanded, but I couldn't fulfill his request.

"Dave it's still early and quiet around here, what if a member of my family wakes up? Let's do a voice note and chat on WhatsApp, okay?"

"Alright," he agreed before he ended the call.
I laid back on my bed and switched on the data connection, the messages flooded in steadily until they stopped.

We texted each other back and forth until he told me how he came home- brooding and angry at what played out between him and Nnenna, when he stumbled upon his mother arguing with a stranger. After he confronted his mother about it, he was told the truth about the man. I felt for him, I really did because if I was in his place, I don't know how I would have reacted upon finding out that my father has always been alive- someone who I couldn't even care if he was dead. I promised David that I would drop by his place tomorrow after prayers at the mosque.

The next day, after the entire family prayed in the mosque, I took dad's permission to visit David, so, he dropped me off at the nearest bus stop to his place to find my way. I walked briskly to the direction of David's house. The torrent rays of the sun was heating up everything on the surface of the earth beneath, including my poor skin. Yes, I'm dark complexioned, but I don't want a skin that screamed 'suffering'.

I pushed the doorbell button twice, and in a minute Ikenna opened the door. He was stark from upper body to his hair but wore red, white and black-striped boxers to cover his junior man. I couldn't even put on just singlet and boxers outside my room in my own house, so I envied that some people could at least feel comfortable in their houses.

"Oh! Hassan," he acknowledged with a nod of the head, "David's inside the room." he didn't need to be told who I had come to visit. David's house was like my second home, just like mine's his. I immediately went towards their room, knocked on the door before opening.

"It's so you to knock and come in without being given permission," David retorted. He sat down on the chair beside his reading table, a soccer ball and pen, in his hand.

"Good day to you too Dave," I let out a sigh before I made myself comfortable on his bed.

"I must say that I'm happy you came, " his gloomy expression changed for a slight second, but that was just David being himself. He was never one to express his emotions too much.

"So? What really is the full story?" I asked, careful of my every word.

He gradually opened up to me. Stating clearly everything that happened from the moment he was confronted by Nnenna, to the time of his mother's confession. I was shocked for words at the end of it all. From the time I knew Dave, he has hardly said anything about his real dad. I had to find out that the man he was living with was actually his stepfather, because of how bitter he always sounded whenever he spoke about him.

When he came to the end of his narration, I let out a long sigh of relief, his story quite touched me. I don't know how I would react if I woke up one day to find out, that the man I have always seen as my father was not my birth father. But, I guess in David's case, he has always known that Mr Chike wasn't his dad.

.
Two hours later, I was on my way to Nnenna's house, after I managed to convince David not to come with me. I promised to talk to Nnenna for him, after much persuasion. Not that it was the right thing to do, but for the sake of friendship.
Following his instructions, I found myself standing outside the gate he described as Nnenna's house.

I walked in and asked the plumpy dark girl - whom I saw doing laundry, about Nnenna. She pointed to the only bungalow in the compound- painted in lemon green colour, and carried on washing. I made slow steps until I got closer to the house, then I knocked rapidly on the door. A young boy of about six to eight years of age- dare I guess, clad in brown shorts and white singlet, opened the door for me.
Before he could say a word, I heard a feminine voice that called out to him.

"Tochi! Who's that person at the door?" the voice asked.

"I dunno oo," the boy mumbled an answer.

So I decided to intervene.
"Hey, I'm looking for Nnenna. Is she at home?"

"Auntie Nnenna?" he asked, unsure whether to tell me the truth.

I nodded with so much confidence to convince him that I meant no harm. Then he hurried inside, probably to call her. Next thing, I saw Nne coming to the door that was left ajar by the boy.

"Ohh! Hassan, it's even you. Please come in." she said.

I must admit that despite the fact that her house wasn't large enough, it was quite homely and cute. I liked the parlour setting and colour decoration, especially the plush sofa. After I finished a plate of chinchin and a can of coke that I was served, I asked after her and what has been keeping her busy since the day of the last exam. I asked of her family, trying to know more about her, but I avoided prying so much. All I did, in a bid to stall some more and buy me time for what I actually had the intention of saying.

When I felt the time was right, I hit the nail on the head and spoke about David. Telling her that he told me all that happened between them. I didn't fail to make her aware that I wasn't in support of what he did to her, but I tried to reason with her, to make her realize that David really regrets what he did. If she can find it possible to get past what he did and forgive him, because I know that they two of them truly liked each other in as much as I wasn't in favour of their closeness then. And I have never seen David so worked up after a breakup than he was about his recent breakup with Nnenna.

"Well... Hassan, thank you for taking your precious time to come to my house just to be a good friend to David, I appreciate that you could be so loyal. But, I won't take David back, not after what he did to me." she started, after listening to what I said.

"Listen Nne..."

"No you listen to me, I went against my mother's instruction and advice on boys and relationships and was willing to risk it all for David, what did he do to me? He made me a joke," she waved her head sideways like she was convincing herself to stand by her decision. "From now on, I'm taking my mom's advice and I'll pay more attention to my studies. I still have one more paper and JAMB exam to prepare for, David's not my priority any longer."

She looked dead serious by her answer that I lost all hope. I stood up - my work here was done. "Alrighty then, I guess I have to take my leave, I'm needed at home."

"Thanks for coming," she stood alongside me, straighting the creases on her baby-pink skirt.

"I know you must think I'm foolish to be on David's side in this, but I wouldn't be friends with him if I didn't see that he has a good soul. Anyways, the final decision still remains yours... goodbye." I said before leaving the house.

Outside the gate, I met Deborah , she was a good friend of Nne's. I knew that girls listened and took relationship advice from their friends a lot, well, because Hadith always did this girls-get-together thing, and believe me they said a lot each time. I smiled at her before intercepting her path.

"Hi, how far?" I asked her. She stared wordlessly at me, like I had suddenly grown two heads.

"Hello!" I made sure to repeat my greeting.

This time she replied, "Hi," but she made to walk past me and enter the compound.

"Wait!" I quickly blocked her again, and I could see she was getting annoyed.
"Look, I know that you already know about David and Nnenna, but I hope that you can also testify to the fact that David is not so bad a person. Please try to convince your friend that though she can't take David back, she should free herself and him...by forgiving him for what he did, we only have less than three months to stay as classmates." I told her.

"Well, when birds of a feather flock together, what do you expect?" Deborah replied, and I was thrown off-balance.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"Did you really forget, or are you pretending to forget? Because if you're pretending that you don't remember what happened at the graduation ceremony 2017, then you are really good," she was furious, it showed in her eyes.

"What happened? 2017...graduation..." I stammered, trying to recollect.

"Oh please! Just stop it ok, incase you don't remember well let me help you. The girl you kissed behind the hall, and then went back to pretending not to know her in SS1," she said before stalking off.

"What...wait!" I called after her, but she banged the gate in my face. I couldn't go back in to confront her about what she meant.

The girl I kissed behind the hall, I couldn't believe that she was that girl. Was she really the girl, or she had an idea who the girl is. I was so spent that day that I don't remember much of what took place.

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More secrets unfolding... Now's with Hassan and Deborah, I always knew something was up with those two.

Anyways, how has the break been?

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Love you 💕💕. Happy New Last Month of the Year.