Twenty four

CHAPTER 24

SANTIAGO

It was hard to keep a straight face as I stared at the woman in front of me. Her hair whipped carelessly around her face and it took everything in me to focus on the situation at hand.

Just a while ago, there was a huge cut on Glenn's arm. It was a deep gash with red liquid trickling out like a dam had just split into two. But right now, I literally watched her Finger stitch back into place. There wasn't so much as a scar or even proof that she was previously injured.

Her porcelain colored skin was as good as new. I couldn't wrap my head around it because it made no sense, at all. What the hell just happened? Was this sorcery? Or perhaps witchcraft? Even miracles didn't happen this rapidly. Unless this wasn't a miracle. Whatever this was, only Glenn could answer it.

"Glenn?" I called out to her and she jumped back with a startle. My gaze flicked from her face to her arm and back again before I continued. " What the hell just happened?"

Silence. Pin drop silence was all I got. Save for the erratic thudding of my heart against my chest, I wasn't sure I could hear anything else. I wasn't even sure it belonged to me, because from the look on Glenn's face, she wasn't exactly relaxed either and there could be only two things responsible for that.

Either she had no idea what had just happened herself and she was just as confused as I was, or she knew what was going on and had been keeping it from me. For both of our sakes I hoped it was the first reason at best. Why would she lie to me? Or even keep something as deep as this from me.

I stole another glance at the woman in front of still hadn't moved from her spot and I trained my gaze on her, hoping that she would let something peek through her shocked demeanor, but the more I tried to unravel her facial expressions, the more complicated everything seemed to be.

"Glenn." I called out again. If I wanted to get any answer to all of the questions in my head, only one person would be able to provide them and she was standing right in front of me. " Glenn, can you hear me? I asked you a question."

I watched her mouth open before closing again. She looked like she had temporarily lost the ability to speak or even form words at all.

" I…" she croaked, her voice a tiny whisper. She wrung her hands together as she suddenly couldn't meet my gaze. " Santiago, I…"

"I'm listening." I cut her short. " What's going on here?"

"You see, I…."

A buzz from my phone blared out loud. If the incoming phone call had cut through whatever she wanted to say or she still didn't know what to tell me, I wasn't sure and there was no time to think about that at the moment.

"Give me a minute." I said to Glenn as I glanced at the caller ID, flashing furiously on the phone. I motioned to her that I would be back as I stalked to a corner of the room to pick up the call.

"Hello?" I called out, barely out of earshot from the woman I'd just left behind. Silence followed from the other side of the line and I took a second look at the phone just to confirm I'd actually picked up the phone call. " Hello?"

"Hey." Someone's voice finally came through. It was so soft and tiny it made me wonder how I'd actually heard her in the first place. " Santiago?"

"Hey, Martha." I chipped in. " What's wrong?"

"I should be asking you that." There was a hint to her tone, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was yet. "You're the one who's been ignoring me ever since."

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at her words as the events leading to our fight flashed in my mind. " Is that what you think?"

"Look, Santi." I didn't particularly like that nickname but I wondered why I never got mad or irritated when she called me that. " I'm sorry."

"What?" I chorused, a little too loudly. Too loudly that I was sure would have startled her. " I don't think I heard you properly.

"I said I was sorry, Santiago." She repeated in a much louder this time. " I'm really really sorry and I didn't mean what I said or happened the last time, please forgive me."

" I still didn't hear you."

"You're petty, you know that right?" She huffed. " It wasn't Everytime Martha apologized or acknowledged she was wrong so pardon me if I decided to milk this as much as I could. "You're really really petty"

" You were saying?"I interrupted. " I believe you wanted to say something earlier."

" I said I'm sorry." She really sounded sorry this time. I did have a hard time believing if it was real or not though. " I'm really sorry.

One of the things I hate is ever having to fight with you, and the other night, things just sort of escalated and I lost my temper. Please forgive me."

"Wow.." was all I could mutter at the moment. "Look, Martha, I .." footsteps reached my ears before I could finish a good percent of my sentence. I spun to the side to see Glenn sashaying towards me.

"I'm making dinner." Glenn said the moment she stopped in front of me. She eyed the phone in my grip before she continued. "What would you like to have?"

I shook my head almost instantly as I pulled my attention back to the call. As expected, Martha had already figured out I wasn't alone, hence her silence on the other side of the phone.

"No thank you." I whispered as I shook my head at the lady. I didn't want to have dinner now and not anytime soon . "

Later." Or perhaps later. Glenn didn't seem to catch that as she eyed me wearily, an unfamiliar emotion dancing in her eyes. I shook my head in the negative as I signaled to her that I was fine. Without sparing me so much as another glance, she turned on her heels and sashayed back into the room she came from.

"Who's that?" Martha's voice rang again through the phone. Silence passed between both of us, before she spoke up again. " Santi, who the hell was that?"

"Someone." I said without thinking. I paused before I added.." I had a friend over."

"A friend?" She scoffed before bursting into a humorless laugh. I mentally face palmed myself as I prepared myself for what was about to ensue. " What kind of friend and why is she over at your place by this time?"

"I don't understand." I feigned ignorance. " What do you mean by that? "

"You have a girl…."

"A friend, Martha." I cut her off.

"Whatever." She scoffed " She's at your place and that's what matters"

She was jealous, that was the plain truth and it struck something in me. Humor maybe. Who would have thought I would see the day where Martha could ever be jealous. For a moment, I was almost tempted to ask if she really was jealous.

You know, add more fuel and oxygen to the fire that was ever ready to burst into a raging explosion, but that wasn't necessary. At least not now. I couldn't deal with it right now… I thought to myself.

"How's work?" I asked instead and I heard a scoff. " How are you coping working from home?"

"Fine." She quipped in a monotone. " Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" I ignored the edge in her voice." I know it's not like your usual workplace so it must be hard trying to adjust right?"

" I'm adjusting just fine." She snapped at me. " Thanks for asking."

"Martha..."

"You know what?" She hissed before I could get any words out. " I'm coming over to your house."

"What?" I chorused, surprise raking through my bones. "You can't come now."

"Why?" She was seething and I could feel it through the phone. " Is it because of her?"

" What do you mean?" That could be the reason but there was no way I was telling her that. " It's not like that. I just…."

"See you!" The line went dead before I could let out another sentence.

I ran a hand through my hair as I stared at the phone. Martha was a lot and a handful and it made me wonder if I could still cope with all of her excesses. I sighed before shoving my phone back into my pockets. I stalked back to my room and the first place

I headed towards my floor-length mirror. I had no reason why but I was so drawn to my reflection, until someone else joined.

Just behind me, with her reflection glowing in the mirror, she said. " We need to talk."

"About what?" I asked some part of wanted to know everything going on through her mind at the moment.

"Are you busy?" She looked puzzled at the look I had on my face .

"No … You can speak."

I watched as she played with the hem of her dress.

"I need some money, I promise to pay you back soon —"

"Is that all that you want?" I interrupted.

She shook her head .

" Done?"

" What! Won't you ask what I need it for ? "

She looked shocked. I guess she wasn't used to getting things easily.

"Yeah, you need it don't you… Don't worry you'll get it."

My phone rang again, I rolled my eyes. It was Martha calling.