Chapter 4

And his name... the woman called him Andre?

Could that be his real name?

The name sounded familiar like he had heard it that day or the previous day.

Then he remembered, Yeah... that girl at the supermarket.

Hold on... She was acting weird at the supermarket.

They bumped into each other and he walked past but they also followed him.

And he was sure she called Andre.

Could that be what triggered the memories?

Does she know him?

*

“oh god ha ha aaaaah this is sooo...!” Emma laughed like a freak and fell lying on the bed.

“stop it! My mum will hear you!” Gracie muttered. That was the 17th time she was watching the video if she wasn’t mistaken.

“birdie… let me be okay. Lemme laugh was loud as I want... ahhaaa.” Emma laughed and started the video over again.

“you looked so shameless and I love it.” She added.

Was that supposed to be a complement? Gracie asked herself.

A phone started ringing suddenly, they both pounced on it only to discover it was Emma's phone.

Eddie was calling.

“oh.” Gracie muttered letting Emma have it.

Emma laughed at her making her feel mocked.

“So you're expecting his call so soon. Hmm?” She laughed harder.

“my gosh shut up! 

And who's… uh… Eddie?” Gracie asked. But then it dawn on her.

“Hold on, is it that taunt… Edward? What? 

You even have his number, and saved it romantically?

Eddie... gross.

What are you not telling me Emma!”

Emma huffed and picked the call.

Edward was one stupid street nigga running after Emma some weeks back.

Gracie couldn’t believe she finally exchanged contact with him and didn’t tell her about it.

*

*

“fine Edward… I’ll come see you tomorrow.

Is that okay?” Emma said calmly.

Gracie scoffed at that. Earlier it seemed like she was arguing with him ‘romantically’ about not going to see him.

And now she had agreed. Just like that.

Is it that she easily forgets how she's been through series of heart break in months.

Or she just loves giving every guy a chance?

“fine… see you tomorrow... bye.” She said with a chuckle.

Gracie was glad when it seemed like Emma was finally gonna end the call.

But then another round of talk came up again.

“Yes... I saw your message.

I was like who could this be at first... But then...”

She groaned tiredly.

She hardly gets callers aside her mum, Emma and her ex class mates.

She stopped school 2 years back when she found out that she had cancer.

Her only company when she was bored was  Emma and if she wasn’t around like right now, it's her laptop.

She loved writing stories and sometimes poems. And even music.

But she had never ever finished a story she’s ever written.

Maybe she hadn’t gotten the right inspirations yet.

She remembered she wrote a short story about Emma’s first break up.

But she hasn’t completed it too.

A churchy guy whom she claimed she loved, after spending the first night at his place.

She came back the next day all gloomy and moody. And when she was asked why. 

She said after everything they had been through that night, the next morning, the guy asked her to pray for forgiveness of sins when she gets home.

And so she broke up with him for indirectly telling her she was a mistake.

She smiled slowly drifting off to sleep.

It was still in the early hours of morning.. about 4am- 5am.

She hoped her mum wouldn’t suspect anything later.

*

10am in the morning.

*

“how could you be such a deep sleeper?

Anyway I’m set. I'm going to the restaurant.” Her mum said.

“okay bye. Love you mum.” Gracie said sleepily. 

Her mum walked to the door but walked back and pecked her hair.

“uh… mum?” she called and cleared her throat with a hum.

She just realised she was out of cash and she had a date.

Jeez! A date! Another date. Arrrrrrrrgh!

She slapped her chin gently with her both palms.

It's been months she last went out with a guy.

“yes baby?”

“I need some cash.” She moved her already rough wig- ish hair back and yawned.

“How about I just transfer some to your account.”

“well, Emma and I are gonna eat out later. I need it in cash.”

“I have a restaurant, you're not allowed to eat out.”

Uh… jeez! How could she make such mistake.

She nodded negatively trying to snap sleep out of her eyes.

“I just need cash… anything can happen, I can’t afford to be broke.” She said.

“you spend unnecessarily.” Her mum said opening her purse.

She took out some 50 dollar notes and gave her.

“bye.”

*

Emma came out of the wardrobe the moment her mum was gone.

She went and locked the door.

“so What’s your date plan for this cutey guy?

What restaurant? What food...”

“well, coffee and biscuits for breakfast date.” Gracie said making Emma chuckle.

“what is funny?”

“that ain’t dope… what if he doesn’t call you in the morning.

What if it’s at afternoon?”

“ice cream and snacks.. maybe chicken pie. duh!”

Emma chuckled harder.

“is that what all the guys you've gone out with let you have?”

“i'm only treating him to a snack period.

You know the best place for snack, that hotel the other time.

The one close to mum's eatery.”

“that's too expensive.”

“I’m doing this for me, not him.

When was the last time we both went out and had good snacks?”

“whatever… don’t miss out the big picture though.

You are supposed to use him to get some things off your bucket list.

And pay him back for what he did to you in the past.” Emma said.

“But hold on a min... what if he isnt Andre.”

“then you'll find out during the date.

But we'll still go as planned none the less.

wai... where is the list?” she asked and opened the bedrawer. 

She pulled it out. Just one was ticked.

Gracie's first kiss.

“this list has been like this for the past 2 years.” Emma scoffed.

“First kiss tick, first sex uh, go on a date to a beach uh, love uh, be loved tick...”

“wait... how is that a tick?”

“well, your mum and I love you.” Emma said chuckling.

“uh... i want a guy's love not yours.” Gracie scowled.

“Hmn to think of it, first sex and go on a date in a beach would have been ticked if only you let me hook you up.

Then you wouldn’t need to put in this efforts.”

“all the guys around you are maniacs and freaks.” Gracie rolled her eyes.

Hold on, where did the sleep suddenly go?

“how would you know if you've only gone out with just two of ‘em?”

“those just two are more than enough to teach me lessons.

Besides, you always get your heart broken twice in every 3 months for two years now.

If you don’t know, the more you cry to me about your break ups, the more you make me scared to even think about dating.”

“who jeez... who is talking about dating here?” Emma faked a laugh. 

“i clearly said hook up just now.

We just agreed that you wanted to get somethings out off your bucket list.

You’ve kissed some random guy before Gracie. Did you guys date?

So you can even sleep with one and go on a beach date with another… without dating.” Emma said. 

She scoffed at Gracie's naiveness which was beginning to piss her off by the way.

“oh… oh… so what you had in mind all along was to date that Andre guy to get some things off your bucket list?”

“look…” Gracie stood up not really knowing what to say.

 

“I don’t know okay. I don’t even know what I’m doing now.

I just... I just wanna know if It’s him.... Andre.

And then what next? I don’t know.” She took her phone from the bed and stared into it. And then tossed it away.

“I’m scared to think about guys. Especially your suggested ones.

If he’s isn’t Andre, then I think maybe I’d consider using him to complete my list.” She muttered.

“And what if he is Andre that dumped you... dumped your ass on wechat.

You will still use him. Okay!”

“i... don’t... know.” She sighed. “lemme just go on this date first.

Then we’d know what next.”

“whatever.” Emma scoffed.

“ what Andre did to me back then. It hurt me so much.” Gracie suddenly said making Emma roll her eyes.

“I’m sure if other guys find out I have a disease, they'll never want me as well. 

No one wants a girl who is going to die soon.

Maybe that is why I’m scared of guys. 

Because I know deep in my heart that i wanna date someone not hook up for a night.

But who will accept me?” she  sighed deeply and sat down. 

“i just want to be perfect for that person.” She muttered.

“you see, that’s it then! you shouldn’t think about dating.

You should only think about completing your bucket list.

No one wants a girl that is going to die soon.” Emma said placing a pillow on her thighs.

The thought of hooking up with some random guy and sleeping with him without them dating properly, scared her even more than Emma's heart breaks.

She laid on the bed and started reminiscing 2 years back, when she met Andre on I*******m.

And then they migrated to WeChat.

The excitement of chating with an unknown person overwhelmed her.

Well, at least she saw his pictures and did some video calls a couple of times.

She liked him. He was handsome, just a little above her age, Perfect.

She was so stupid and young then if she thought about it now.

She had later realised that she couldn’t wait to return home everyday from school just to talk to him.

They had barely chatted for 2 months and she was getting addicted already.

She was happy at least.

But then she suddenly fell terribly sick one day, and she was rushed to the hospital.

And that was when they found out.

She had cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic Leukaemia.

She eventually recovered a little, just like every other days, she found herself retiring to her former routine.

Her chats with him. Andre.

But when she told him she was sick and was gonna die, he kind of took it differently than she expected.

He asked her why.

And her reply was probably the last message on their chat till this day.

If he blocked her or something, she just doesn't know because she could never find him again on social media.

How sad. She cried for weeks. He was her best friend… well aside Emma.

She remembered how she cried uncontrollably when she started loosing her hairs because of chemo.

She then had to cut it. It was terrible. 

She was never gonna make peace with Cancer or resign to fate. No way.

Eventually she stopped treatment 2 years later when she got her independence.

No matter the treatment, she would never be able to live as long as she wants anyway.

So why prolong the torture?

But that was a difficult decision to make nonetheless because she stopping the treatment, it means she'd have to die earlier than 5 years.

But she’d rather make peace with that. As long as. She could do whatever she wanted to do before dying.

*

She was actually almost deep in the sleep but her eyes snapped open as a phone began to ring. It was her ringing tune this time.

She sat up at once and checked the phone. It was an unknown number.

She stared at Emma who gave her a curious look.

“I think It’s him.” She said and dilated her eyes in anxiety.

She stood up from the bed in anxiety.

“pick up then... And put the phone on speaker.”

Gracie took in a deep breath.

“Hello.” She practiced calmly..  yeah it was calm enough. 

She finally picked up.

“Hello.” She said. Yeah, It was smooth. They was silence for a while.

“Meet me at western mall restaurant in 30.

It’s close by the club.” His voice. It was smooth and manly.

“what?” Emma gave a scoff at that and Gracie wondered why?

“Gracie... say exactly what I say. Okay?” she said. Gracie thought for a while before nodding.

“but... I already have a place in mind. I call the shots remember?”

Huh?

“but... I already have a place in mind. I call the shots remember?”

They was a scoff from him.

“fine... where do you wanna go?”

“okay take it from here.” Emma said. She nodded.

“uh... there is this hotel at new day city... Raystone hotel.

Opposite Vanessa eatery and bars. No 13, Raystone bus stop.”

“a hotel?”

“oh... It’s not that... I mean, what you think. 

There is a good restaurant and bar or whatever... in there.”

“fine. I'll be there in 30 mins.

I don’t wanna wait for you.” The call dropped. Hmm! So bossy!

She immediately saved his number as Andre.

*

After a few mins of Emma going into the hotel.....

.........

“he is in. I'm behind him.” A text came into Gracie's phone. 

She’s smiled.

Emma was gonna be taking a video of them.

So she doesn’t want to go in the same time as her, so Andre won’t know they are together.

After a while, Gracie got to the open bar an restaurant premises.

She saw him there at once as she walked in. 

She took in a deep breath though she wasn’t feeling nervous this time.

She was just anxious. She'll find out if he is Andre. Today.

She saw him took his glass of drink and sipped from it.

What? Alcohol this early? She thought.

As he was about taking another sip, he sighted her climbing the short stair.

He paused for a while, or maybe it was just her imagination.

He finalky gulped down everything in the cup and placed it down.

She saw Emma behind him with the camera. 

She couldn’t stop smiling as she took her seat opposite him.

TBC.