Servants of the Saviour - Gloria Ndiri (top 100 novels txt) 📗

she knows he would never let anything or anyone hurt her (even though they would never admit it to each other).

“Let’s go for an ice cream”

“Again? If dad knows how many cones of ice cream we’ve eaten he will shove a hose in us to cleanse our system from the sugar”

“How would he know, except you tell him?”

“well, I love ice cream at least it is the only thing we enjoy here and thanks to them we can have as many as we like as long as we can operate the machine”

“I think that is too much ice cream for one cone” Dieby said to a blonde in front of the ice cream machine.

“I can’t make it stop the lever is stuck” she replied in panick.

“You have to eat well to be strong; I wonder why girls don’t eat”. Dieby said after successfully turning off the machine in one try, refering more to his sister than the really big girl he has just helped.

“Can’t you help without being sarcastic?" Me-goo retorted. "Oh it’s Helen”  

“Do you know her?” Dieby asked in suprise.

“Yeah. Helen, my brother Chukwudiebele; Dieby my friend Helen” Me-goo introduced them

“When did you start having friends and big ones at that?” Dieby sarcastically said still stunned his sister spoke to someone other than himself.

“Well I have friends, and here comes another friend his name is James” Me-goo retorted just as sarcastic

“Hmm this is serious” He was at loss for words as he saw james smile at them

“What? Am I not allowed to make friends?” she replied worried about the look on her brother's face.

“Your hair is funny Helen, wash it off. I guess you’re all bunch of weirdoes” he said passively

“I’m not weired so why will you think my friends are weird.” Me-goo whined

“You said it” he replied not wanting to state the obvious

“What?” she insisted

“You almost never talk, he has been writing in that book ever since and she sprayed her hair with that awkward colour” He knew she was hurt and he felt bad but he wasn't losing.

“Her hair colour is natural and I talk” she stated firmly

“And the chick crows” he mumbled.

“Is your brother always a jerk” James said for the first time and took his ice cream from Helen and left

“He is not a jerk." She said to James and turned to Dieby in anger "Can’t you treat other people nicely?”

“What did I do wrong?” Dieby asked with a shrug

“Never mind” replied in an 'I can't believe you' tone

“Ok ok you don’t have to be like that, I’m sorry” he said apologetically.

“Don’t apologise to me go to them” Me-goo said still pissed.

“I’m sorry, you know she is different and I don’t want anything upsetting her and everybody seems to be upsetting her but it is actually good she is happy with you guys. Is that hair really natural?” he said to Helen in his most coaxing tone.

“Yes, it has been like that as long as I’ve known myself.” Helen replied shyly.

“That is a beautiful representation of me and this place, I draw too you know and will be going to art school” he said to James as their dads appeared.

“Come on, it is time to go” Mr Oba called

“Bye”. As they got home Dieby went to his room locked the door and drew a portrait of Helen; her front and back. When he looked up from his canvass it was almost 3:00 am 'Thank God it’s Friday and thanks to the evening event I can wake up late and don’t have to explain'.

 

 

“What did you do to your hair?” Me-goo asked Helen who is now completely blonde.

“I cut the auburn part”

“I know but why would you do that?”

“Everyone thinks it is crazy”

“But I liked it”

“I do too, and I tried to sing it to her over the weekend but she had already made up her mind” James supplied.

“Yeah you heard what your brother said about my hair”

“He didn’t mean it and since when did you start listening to what others say about your hair?” said calmly but incredulously.

“I don’t know, it sounded very hurtful when your brother said it to me”

“I told you he is just a jerk” james snapped.

“He is not.” The girls chorused together “he is cute in a way” Helen continued

“Now I think I know what is going on here” James said with a smart look

“What” the girls chorused again

“She is crushing on him” James said like he has solved the world hunger problem.

“What does that mean?” Me-goo asked with total confusion

“She has a crush on him” He said as though it was an obvious tone

“I’m not crushing on anyone” Helen protested

“Then why did you cut your hair?” James asked

“I’m a bit lost here, what do you mean by ‘she has a crush on him’” Me-goo asked with innocent confusion at Helen's embarrassment.

“She likes him” James said.

“Is that a bad thing? I think I like the both of you and I don’t see why I should be embarrassed about it” Me-goo said still not getting their point.

“Uhm ok let me put it this way, she fell in love with him” James said smirking

“I don’t think that is true she is a little too young for that. That was something for adults especially before marriage” Me-goo replied in total disbelief.

4

 

Chapter 4

“Still sleeping?”

“Yes, go away” she turned to the other side

Are you still mad at me?”

“No, now go away I’m sleeping” she dragged the blanket over her head

“Why? Or have you forgotten school?”                                          

“It is still dark and cold”

He opened the curtains “and you’re almost late”

She got up hurried to the bathroom took her bath, dressed up and packed her hair in a bun.

“You look prettier without make-up”

“Don’t mock me”

“Okay” He threw the car keys to her

“What?”

“You’re driving”

“If you have a death wish or something, I don’t”

“You can’t drive? Ok I’ll teach you, come on let’s go”

“We’re late”

“Alright, just thought maybe….”

“Not now let’s go”. All she needed now was to think hoping it would be a long drive since she didn’t have enough time to do that in the shower, he turned on the engine and they flew all the way to the school.

“Couldn’t you have gone a little slower?”

“You said “we’re late” and I’ve not gone beyond traffic speed limit”

“Yea, you were on point”

“I’m still a good citizen”

They got out of the car and headed to their lecture room together

“How is it we’re in the same level again at this little age?”

“I happen to be what you might call a genius”

“Ah happen to know a lot of nerds and they are all annoying”

“Well you would have to endure that much longer or you move to your dad’s.”

“I can run but I can’t hide, I have one of you at my dad’s and I’ll still have to endure three here in school.”

Mi-goo found the classes very boring and slipped out to take a tour of the school by herself without the knowledge of her guide who has found some girl to flirt with. Walked on finding everything around the social science building boring, everyone seemed to be buried in books or talking about politics so she strolled out the block and went to the commercial arts building. She was looking (making sure she didn’t appear to be staring which came easily with long practice) into a very familiar face she can swear she recognised from somewhere if she had not just come to London for the first time. He was muttering something and starring at her, they both didn’t notice how dangerously close they have gotten to each other until the collision.

“How rude, didn’t even apologize or offer to pick my books” she could hear him saying under his breath as she stood up, picked her bag and kept walking without a word.

 “How can he even blame me when we are clearly both at fault and he muttering to himself and staring like that? This place is full of weirdoes” on seeing the art building her eyes lit up in excitement, it had paintings and sculptures around it and the building was painted with a riot of colours that form different shapes when looked at from different angles. She went into the fine art display hall touching the outline of every sculpture and painting as she was living the hall a particular painting seemed to draw her even though it was well hidden behind a stack of other painting it was a familiar feeling she had with some of her brother’s paintings so search out the particular picture and when she felt the picture come alive under her touch, she checked for a signature and date but was disappointed when she didn’t see the carelessly written “Dieby” and the tail of the ‘Y’ underlining the word. She hadn’t seen her brother since he left for art school, he had not sent any word nor had he returned for their father’s burial, she had tried on many occasions to contact him but to no avail. How every male she cares about tends to disappear with no trace first it was her friend James then her brother and her father had to die in his sleep, well if they are happy she is happy, her brother’s paintings is everywhere and her dad always talked how happy life after death is for good people and there can never be a better man that has lived, but for James she has no idea if he is happy well he should be. She toured the art building and signed up for dance and music classes which was like shooting three birds with one arrow; enjoying herself for singing and dancing where her hobby, filling work load and getting away from the boring social science building.

“Where have you been?”

“I signed up for dance and music classes”

“You didn’t, why you would waste your time singing and dancing when you could read your head out in with the meds or analyse with the managers or argue with the lawyers anything but the freaking artists, ok if you needed a bit of exercise you would have joined the sportsmen and gymnast”

“Now who is being boring, the knack or party freak? You know, I’m just a whiz-kid not a nerd”

“I just thought that you’d prefer those things and sports is not boring”

“Probably, if you enjoy watching people go after a ball, running around, swimming uniformly or jumping up and down like monkeys and even fighting”

“Interesting description, I think I’ll try watching it with your description in mind” the engine came alive and he backed out of the drive with such speed and nearly knocked down his step brother

“I thought that was the way home so where are we going?”

“Don’t give me that look I’m not going to hurt you, but we are not going home just yet.” he made a sharp turn and came to a bouncy stop “Here we are”

“And where exactly is here?”

“Sports building”

“And what are we here for? Did you bring me to watch you and people going after a ball, running around, swimming uniformly, fighting and jumping up and down like monkeys? Or maybe to brag about your skills, is that it?”

“Well maybe, but no, no, no and no”

“Ok, so what?”

“Why are you sulking don’t tell me you are disappointed?”

“Yeah I was actually hoping to see