“I am sorry Lani. I didn’t mean to shout at you. Don’t h@ťě me, you’re my only redemption” He said as his eyes became misty.
Lani sniffles back her tears and turned to look at Lonnie, who had tears in his eyes.
“Why are you crying?” She asked and Lonnie smiled at her, clearing his tears.
“Nothing”
“Why are you reluctant to sing a song for me? I have always watched you on tv and you have a very nice voice”
“I’m no longer the Lonnie you used to know”
“What are you trying to say? Is there something you’re hiding from me?”
Lonnie took her hand and caressed it softly. It was soft and fragile.
“I will tell you at the right time, but first let’s get your knee treated. I’m sorry you got hurt because of me”
“You’re lucky you’re my biased, I can’t get mad at you. I was just phrasing out nonsense. I’d have come back here tomorrow, seeing your face everyday is like a blessing to me” She said with a smile.
“Do you have first aid kit at home? I don’t have one here”
“Yes I do. It’s have been nice of you has furnitures and a Tv in your house, so we can always watch movies together”
“Will you help out if I chose to get one?”
“Of course I will. There’s a secret you don’t know about me. I’m an interior designer” Lani said in a whisper adding to her cuteness and Lonnie chuckled.
“Is your grandma at home?”
“No. She owns a Korea stew restaurant so she leaves early and often come back late. I help her out during the weekends. Why are you asking?”
“You said you have first aid kit at home, I want to treat your knee, but I don’t want your grandma to see my face. You’re the only one who is allowed to see it. Can you take me upstairs so I can get it?”
“Ouch!” Lani muttered falling to the ground.
“What’s wrong?”
“My knee hurt like hell. I can’t walk with it” She said, feigning pain.
Lonnie smiled and lifted her up from the ground carrying her in a bridal style, Lani gasped and looked at him with open eyes.
“Why are you giving me that look? You should have just told me to carry you rather than feigning to be in pain”
Lani smiled and wrapped her hands around his neck. “Do you have a liar detector in your ear? How do you always know I am lying”
“Because I can read through your facial expression. If I’m lying should I put you down?” He asked and Lani held him tightly.
“No don’t. I want you to carry me” She said cutely.
“Were you born on the day cuteness was created?”
“I guess I so” She said, blinking her eyes.
Lonnie laughed taking her out of the house, with Lani in his arms.
They arrived in her upstairs and Lonnie looked around.
“Where’s the first aid kit?”
“It’s in my room. I hid it from my grandma because she turns into a nurse anytime I am injured, but I want you to treat me”
“I never said I won’t”
Lani pointed at the first door and Lonnie walked up to the door and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw how scattered her room was.
“Lani, I think you were robbed”
Lani faked a smile and said. “Can you put me down?”
Lonnie did as she said and she pushed him of the room, locking it.
“How can you have forgotten that your room is a mess!” Lani said, scattering her hair.
“Lani, are you okay in there? Open up”
“Just give a few seconds. I’m trying to catch the burglar!” Lani said and she quickly began arranging her room, throwing her shoes and clothes inside the wardrobe.
She arranged the bed properly and sprayed sweet pleasant air freshener in her room, she almost emptied it.
When she saw her room was in order, she quickly went to the door and opened it.
“You can come in now”
Lonnie entered and when he saw the difference, he smiled.
“I didn’t know my number one fan has a dirty habit” He said, teasingly.
“I am not a dirty girl! I was late for school I didn’t have time to tidy up my room. My second name is cleanliness”
“Really? Why was your grandma shouting at you to have your bath?” He asked bending to her height.
When Lani didn’t know what to say, she faked a pain.
“My knee is aching me” She pouted cutely.
Lonnie smiled and got the first aid kit from the table and in no time he began treating her wounds.
Lani looked at him lost in admiration for his good looks.
“Your eyes might fell off because of too much looking” He said.
“I can’t still believe it”
“Believe what?” He asked.
“That you’re here with me. My grandma used to say that I should stop being biased over you, that you don’t know about my existence, but you’re here with me, treating my wound”
“I am happy I met you too, Lani. I don’t know what my life would have been like if I didn’t meet you”
Both look at each other with smiling faces.
“Ouch, it hurts. Blow it for me” She said like a baby.
“Your wish is my command” Lonnie said blowing air into her knee, and Lani giggled, feeling so happy.
******
•DAMI’S HOUSE, NIGHT•
Dami stuck a lollipop inside her mouth as she entered the house, dressed like a boy. She finds it more comfortable wearing boyish clothes.
“Good evening, Mom” She greeted.
“Where have you been?” Her Mom asked.
“I visited Posy. She wasn’t feeling well so I went to see how she was doing”
“Until when will you stop hanging out with those stupid friends of yours, who don’t add value to your life?”
“Don’t say that mom. Lani, Rory and Posy have always been helpful to me. Have you forgotten how they contributed money to pay for your hospital bills?”
“That won’t have happened if you have agreed to get married”
“Mom! I’m only eighteen”
“Who ever said that eighteen is an early age to get married? You dressed like a boy, act like a boy and walk like a boy, tell me how you’re going to find a rich man with this stupid behavior of yours!”
“Why do always care about getting rich? If you had wanted a luxurious life, you should have gotten married to a rich man yourself!” Dami shouted at her mom, and she slapped her.
“Do you think I wanted this life? If not for you, I won’t have ended up like this. Despite being R@P£D, I chose to bring you to this world, so it your obligation to bring me out of this mess!”
“If you were going to rob it on my face like this, it would have been more better if you had just flushed me out of your womb, cuz ever since I was little, you have always blamed me for the unfortunate life you have. I didn’t wish to be birthed by you, you should have just ki||ed me!!!”
Her Mom slapped her again, and tears falls down from Dami’s eyes.
“I also regret birthing you, Dami, but since I can’t change the hands of time, you should be the one to change it. A man from Seoul will be visiting soon, get ready for him cuz he’s interested in marrying you”
“You’re going to sold your daughter off, because of money?” Dami asked, heartbreakingly”
“You already know the answer, don’t force it out of my mouth” Her mom said and entered the room.
Dami blinked back her tears, she picked up her cap and leaves the house.
******
Rory had a smiling face as he watch the fish ball seller who was packing the fish balls in a plastic nylon. He was actually buying it for Posy.
“Add more to it, my friends loves it a lot” He said, smiling.
He had a fish ball in his hand and he was busy eating it when he spotted Dami, walking with her head buried on the ground.
“Dami?” He muttered.
He paid for what he bought, took it from the fish ball seller, before running off to where Dami is.
“Dami” He called her name and Dami looked at him with wet eyes.
“What’s going on? What’s the tears for?” He asked with worries. Being the only male in their friendship group, he cares for them a lot.
“Rory” She said in crying voice and hugged him.
“Dami” He muffled her name as his hands were up in the sky. He was shocked that Dami hugged him.
He is more closer to Posy, followed by Lani, before it gets to Dami. Rory and Dami don’t often get along with each other.
“I want to die. I don’t like my life!” She said crying and at the same time, hugging him tightly.
***
“Here you go, Dami” He said giving her a stick of fish balls.
Dami looked at him for a while, before taking it from him.
“Your mom wants you to get married? I thought she was over and done with that topic?”
“Well she resumed after she recovered from her illness. If she was going to pester my life, it would have been better if she just got rid of me”
“Don’t say that Dami. Even if your mom don’t values you, I, Lani and Posy values you a lot. Have you forgotten you’re our one and only swag queen. A girl who loves being a boy” Rory said and Dami chucked, and all of a sudden she hits him hard on the head.
“Why did you hit me?” He asked with open eyes, with his hand on his head, he didn’t see it coming.
“I just want you to forget about what I did earlier”
“Are you talking about the hug? Common, I have already forgotten about it. If it was Posy that hugged me, I’d have installed it in my heart, because she is so beautiful, but you…” Rory stopped and looked at Dami from head to toe.
“What the sour look for? Do you want to die?” She asked, trying to hit him, Rory screamed and ran away.
He stopped running when he was far from her. “Dami!!!!” He screamed her name and she looked at him from where she was standing.
“Just know you can come to me whenever you feel sad. My shoulders are always available”
“Get lost!”
“Fine, I’ll” He said with a smile and leaves, jumping up.
“He is so crazy” Dami muttered and chuckled.
******
Posy sat on her bed, looking at some pictures of shoes online. Among all her friends, she is the most girly ones. She loves fashion a lot, and she is beautiful with milk skin.
She is the beautiful one in their friendship group, while Lani fits more of the cute one.
Posy was still looking at the shoes online when a stone hits her window and knowing it was Rory, she quickly went to the window.
Rory waved at her with a smile and she retuned the smile before going outside to meet him.
“Why didn’t you come inside?”
“I don’t want your older sister’s troubles. She is the leader of a tout group”
Posy laughed and said. “Fortunately, she isn’t at home, only God knows when she will be back”
“How do you cope with living with her, just looking at her, a year deducts from my life”
“Stop being a fool, Rory. Verity is nice, you just don’t know her well”
“That’s what they say about ant not being a wild animal, but its bites”
“You’re so funny”
Rory went closer to her and place his hand on her forehead, Posy instantly felt butterflies tingling in her stomach.
“What are you doing?” She asked with a nervous voice.
Rory takes his hand from her forehead and smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re getting better”
“That’s because you and Dami have been there for me. As for Lani, she has been scarce lately. She leaves school in a hurry without waiting for us. It’s unlike her”
“Let’s visit her tomorrow. We don’t have school tomorrow, because it’s a day off from school, let’s see what she is up to”
“Alright”
Rory gives her the fish balls he got for her, and Posy smiled.
“Enjoy it”
“How about we eat it together?”
“I have works do to, as an orphan, I need to work hard” He waved at her, before leaving.
Posy touched her head and smiled blushingly.
******
•NEXT DAY, LANI’S HOUSE•
Lani smiled as she held Lonnie’s hand, but he stopped walking.
“Are you sure your grandma isn’t at home?”
“No she is not. No one is going to see you, cuz we’re the only ones who lives you. You can’t tutor me in your house, since you have no furnitures inside. You should get some”
“Yes ma”
Both smiled at each other before entering the house.
“Lani, where have you….” Posy words seized in her mouth when she saw Lani with Lonnie.
Rory, Dami and Posy looked at each other and back to Lonnie.
“Am I the only one seeing the golden voice of Korea?” Dami asked, cleaning her eyes.
“Did we die and go to heaven, cuz there’s no way I’m looking at Lonnie right now” Posy said.
“Did the nut in my head loose?” Rory said.
“I thought you said no one lives here apart from you and your grandma?” Lonnie asked, and Lani faked a smile.
“They’re my friends, I didn’t know they were going to be here. This place is like their second home”
Lonnie sighed and looked at Lani’s friends.
“Hello, everyone” Lonnie waved at them
“He’s real!!!!” Dami, Rory and Posy said at the same time. They laughed like a psychopath, before screaming at their lungs, and in the next seconds they fainted, with their tongues out and legs up.
……
TBC