5. (Diary Of Zorianna)

ZORIANA'S POV

I sat comfortably in the back seat of the private vehicle as we await the next passenger. I decided to get busy with something to get my mind to relax and not to worry about the fact that I have little time to get home and go catch up with my friends.

I removed my small bag from my shoulders and placed it on my lap. I noticed for the first time that the zip was halfway opened.

Surprised and confused, I quickly opened it completely only to discover the worse; I couldn't find my diary inside.

Shit! I can't lose that diary, it contains a lot of private information about myself.

Worry and anxiety was clearly written on my face as I scanned around with the tiniest bit of hope. I really can't lose this diary. I thought of going back to the Crown's Lunch Cafe to see if I could find it there but then I remembered I already paid my fare for the journey and it's not refundable.

Shit! I bit my lip on remembrance of how I lost it.

I had carelessly and hurriedly put the diary in my backpack and zipped it up or so I thought, and while I was hurriedly walking out of the cafe it probably fell off the bag.

Yes, this must be it.

But that's not the problem now. The issue now is how do I get it back?

"What is wrong my daughter? Something seems to trouble you."

I turned to look at the middle aged woman beside me and offered her a small smile.

"Ah, please pay no attention to me ma. I seem to have lost an important book on the way here and I'd have loved to go look for it but this is the last morning vehicle to gwagwalada and I can't afford to miss it." I explained sadly.

"Oh, I see." She said and I nodded sadly, looking out the window at the busy conductor still trying to get a last passenger to join us.

"But I think you can hurry up to the place you lost it if it isn't far, then quickly get back here before the last passenger arrives. I'll put in a good word for you to the driver. Hurry now!" She adviced in a motherly manner.

"Really?" I turned to her. "Thanks so much ma, I'm grateful." I thanked her and hurriedly stepped out of the car and then I ran down the street quickly in the direction of the Cafe.

NARRATIVE

CROWN'S LUNCH CAFE

Liam stared at the brown, girlie notepad on the floor beside him.

'This must belong to Alyssa,' He thought.

He bent down and picked it up, as he silently wondered why she'll carry a diary around.

'Since she just left, I can still find her if I hurry and return this to her. It must be important to her since she carries it around.' He decided again.

In his hasty attempt, he mistakenly dropped the diary to the floor. Liam sighed as he bent to pick it up again.

But when the diary fell, the strap removed and few pages of it were exposed.

Liam was about to close it up when his eyes fell on a word boldly written in capital letters in it.

"ZORI??"' He said out loud.

___

Zoriana's anxiety knew no bounds when she had walked in the cafe and couldn't find her diary anywhere around. She even asked few people around if they saw it but no one there did. Although she was downcasted she knew she had to leave as she wasn't having time on her side. However, before leaving, she dropped her contact info with the security of the Cafe in other for him to easily contact her should they come across it anytime in the near future.

As she walked back to the park just now, she couldn't help feeling silly as many unusual thoughts crept into her mind.

She had just one prayer; Her diary shouldn't fall into the wrong hands.

Soon she was back at the park and the driver was just about to drive off when he saw her.

"Hurry up Miss, if you were a second late, you would've missed us. We all have urgent businesses to attend to, quickly enter the car." He said scoldingly.

"I'm grateful Sir, thank you." Zoriana said as she quickly stepped in the car and settled in.

"You didn't see it, did you?" The kind woman from earlier, asked calmly.

Zoriana gave her a painful smile as she nodded in the negative. The kind woman pressed her lips together and tapped Zoriana's shoulder assuringly.

"It's okay. I'm sure it happened for a reason. If you're destined to find it again, I believe you will." She smiled.

Zoriana nodded again and soon noticed the young man beside the woman.

It seems the last passenger arrived already.