Not Suicide!

"I almost peed my pants!" she exclaimed at Temilorun who was listening, already so consumed in laughter. "I couldn't say anything. The woman was standing in front of me like a WWE champion ready to flip me up with a summer slam"

Temilorun increased her laughter and waved her beautiful set of teeth around. After seconds of uncontrollable laughter, she managed to calm herself down and ask a question.

"So what did you tell her?"

"Hm... I told her I got an urgent call from Harry's school and it was very urgent."

Temilorun's mouth went agape.

"Gwen!" she called, laughter now extremely far away from her.

"Yes?" Gwen replied bitting on her thumb. Here, her friend was about to bring on the scolding she had anticipated from the beginning of the conversation.

"You lied with Harry!" Temilorun stated "Since when did Harry become an instrument for lies? I really have to do something about you. Your situation is already taking huge steps toward the red light." Temilorun said wringing her finger.

"Yes, HELP is what I really need right now. Tell God to open his floodgates of heaven so that it can fall on my family and we can enjoy good, good life." Gwenevere cried silently, her face turned up to the ceiling and her arms were spread out wide.

Temilorun's eye grew sad. She understood this table too well more than any one else.

"And I do, dear. Not a day passes that I don't pray for you." She said and took a hold of Gwen's hands. They were cold, really cold. She held onto them tightly and let the warmth of her own hands rub off on them.

"Babe, everything's going to be fine." she said and Gwen kept quiet, listening. She stared into Temilorun's eyes and saw so much sincerity hanging on the veins of her beautiful brown eyes.

"You know, I've always wanted for someone to gift me a house, a mansion...a wish actually."

"Really?" Gwen asked, eyes widened.

"...if one way on the other, God answers my prayers, I'm telling you, Babe, the house is yours. YOU DESERVE A LOT." Temilorun said pronouncing each word with much emphasis, and she wasn't telling a lie, she would really give her a house if she could.

"Awwnn..." Gwen said and covered her face with her left palm "I'm so loved!" she shouted not minding that her voice had gone loud.

Temilorun always made her this happy. Her days with Temilorun for the past five years have been the happiest. Having just one friend wasn't bad after all, and this one she had here, was a gem. God had carefully picked this lady to be her friend and she was grateful to life for having her.

Gwen considered her sincerity to be amazing and awarded her the sincerest and most supportive girl she had ever known. She was a woman filled with so much virtue that Gwen always reminded herself that she had a lot to learn from her, especially her ability to tolerate annoying people who's primary goal is to frustrate life out of others. Oh, Gwenevere was always ready to eat them raw.

Gwenevere agreed that her parents had done a great job raising her. They were true Evangelists after all. The warmth that she received from them was epic, and that it made her wonder if all Nigerians like them were this nice. Temilorun had played her part to teach her some values that she had gotten from her culture as a Yoruba girl and Gwen had placed it on her wish list to travel to Nigeria some day. She considered the Yorubas to be so full of great values and cultural heritage. That was real good stuff to her.

Temilorun let go of her hand and raised her finger.

"But only if you finally agree to bring me a bowl of your mum's peppery pasta." then she raised her hands in the air like to surrender.

Gwenevere's mouth went agape

"So you'll let me be homeless for the sake of spaghetti? Boy, this is bad-friend alert!" she said shaking her head left-right and the two chorused a laughter.

Gwenevere broke her laughter and slipped her hand into her back pocket. She suddenly remembered her mom. The mention of peppery pasta made her think of home.

"Reminds me, I need to check up on mum."

Temilorun nodded and watched as her friend turned on the phone. Before she could do anything on the phone, it rang aloud. Surprisingly, it was her mother.

"Ah, she's calling already." she said, picked the call and smiled. "Hello mum, I was just about to call you."

She expected to hear a musky chuckle on the other end of the phone, but she heard pants instead, pants that immediately, like the force of a magnet, got her scared.

"Your sister, she-she, she's acting up! I'm scared, she's about to-" the phone made a funny sound and the call was cut.

Without warning, Gwenevere's heart went on a sprint. Her sister was in trouble. Her head turned around and she lost her balance immediately. She slid her phone into her back pocket and turned around to leave.

Her friend was too confused to understand what was happening. She could see fear and panic all over Gwen.

"What's wrong, Gwen?!"

"Look, I don't even know. I have to leave right now. I'll give you a call." she spoke hurriedly and dashed out of the shop.

Mrs Gallewart stepped out right in time to see Gwen run out of the shop and she was left in awe. This girl was a proving to have some nerves. Gwenevere waved her hands vigorously at a cab like it would fall off. Her head was a mess. She got into the car forgetting that her means of payment was left laying in her bag, back in the shop.

As the car moved, the only thing she could think of was Jolie must be fine. Her sister couldn't be in danger and if she was hurt, Gwenevere couldn't promise herself that she would retain the level of stability she had managed to maintain all this while.

Her heart raced non-stop and Gwen bounced in response to her fast heart beat. She had lost her balance. Nothing mattered more than the safety of her family. Nothing. She would sacrifice herself if she had to, to make her family safe. They didn't have enough cash and they couldn't do much to change it, so Gwenevere was going to fight with every bit of her blood to make sure that the gift of life they had wasn't taken away.

The cab turned into Johansen's Street and as soon as she spotted the cream house with the green roof and shouted Stop! at the driver. The car came to a halt and Gwen pushed open the door running on the wide lawn that took a large space in front of the house.

She ran like a child and ignored the voice of the angry driver that was yelling for his money. He would have to wait. Jolie came first.

She pushed open the door and met her family standing in a triangle. The sitting room had this cold feel that gave Gwenevere a really bad feeling. She studies the scene in a flash. Her mother and father stood a meter away from Jolie where she had insisted they stayed. Jolie's hand was stretched towards them like to stop them from moving closer and on her other hand was a big chef's knife.

Gwen's chest fell.