Fifteen

Juana and her family got home and she was still pondering on where Ella lived with her grandmother and brother.

"One day I'll find out by myself" she thought. That will be an adventure for her, but she had to be careful, she knew. Her last adventure had almost cost her her life. It was wrong to test or tempt God, it was one thing her mom did say. 

Afternoon was busy. Granny was cleaning the living room and hallway, and Juana was doing the dishes and taking care of the kitchen. Baron was wiping dust off the furniture and laying out dirty clothes. He carefully arranged them into the washing machine. Juana watched him from the kitchen. He looked moody. He had been quiet throughout the drive home, and even when granny referred to the Bishop's sermon in her discussion while coming home, he only nodded and faced the road. She felt bad for him. He was cleaning his hands now. Juana walked up to him. She wanted to talk about mom since nobody was talking about her anymore, but seeing his mood, she had to keep it for later.

"Dad" he turned towards her

"You look moody" she said.

"I'm okay"

"That's what people say when they're not" 

He shrugged and kept working, stealing glances at her.

"Dad, you can stop working already. Everywhere is clean. You need to rest"

"No I'm not tired. I have to be active, we are having visitors in thirty minutes" he said dusting everywhere.

"You know you can talk to me right?"

"Juana, I'm okay. Go back to work" then he smiled to make her believe but she knew It had been faked.

Juana held his strong arms and looked into his eyes. He smiled again.

"Just tell me what it is,please" she begged. 

He dropped the napkin he was holding on the table and embraced his daughter.

"Darling, I'm okay. I just miss Dawn" 

"I miss her too. I miss her so much" she replied rubbing his back. His muscles were as hard as rock. 

"What triggered your mood?"

"I was just you know, doing the laundry and then I remembered she used to do it. What hurts more is I don't know if she'll come back doing it again" he confessed

"I'm sorry dad"

"It's not anyone's fault. I'm sorry for yelling at you in the morning. I was moody as well" 

"It's okay dad. I forgive you" She was crying. Baron felt the tears on his transparent homey vest.

He himself was teary-eyed. He didn't stop her from crying. He just patted her back.

"Is granny still cleaning?"

"She's done. Went to bed, says she feels sick."

"Oh it must be all the hard work" she said disengaging from his embrace.

"I also think she can't cope with the visitors anymore. I mean she doesn't exactly want to be reminded of her grief."

"I hope we all get better soon" he added"

"I can't get better without mom. It's just not possible for me" Juana said walking towards the kitchen stifling sobs.

Baron went to the dining room to lay the table spread.

"What are our visitors having?"

"Granny didn't cook. So we'll just serve them yoghurt or iced tea or lemonade with some cookies"

"Yea that's fine" he said.

"Who is coming dad? I don't even know what kind of visitors we're having" she picked four mugs from the cup rack.

"I don't know too. They said people from church"

"Okay"

******†**************†******************

Forty minutes later, Juana went to her room just as soon as the visitors arrived. Her eyes were red from crying and she had to hide from the visitors. It was left to Baron to serve the guests and cheer them up. Well they came to cheer him up though. She washed her face with water and sat in the tub, naked. She let the warm water touch her whole body and she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth better. After the bath, she texted Ella; She needed to feel better be going downstairs. She wished the guests wouldn't ask after her until her eyes were okay.

"Hi girl"

"What's sup"

"I'm sad"

"What? Why?"

"Some visitors are here to sympathize with us and maybe pray for us. It just makes me feel worse"

"I can understand. That's how I feel everyday-worse. But you'll be okay. Just be strong. Go downstairs and say hi. You don't have to pretend to be okay before them. They all know you aren't." 

"True"

"Where is your dad?"

"Attending to them"

"And granny?"

"In bed. She's a little sick"

"Oh. Then use that excuse to see her if you don't want to face them, they'll understand. Go to granny and get her some pain relief"

"Okay I will"

"Now" Juana stood up and opened her door quietly.

"Tell her I'm sending my warmest " get-well-soons" 

"Okay"

"I'll call you later. I have to heat water for my grandmother's sore ankle" she said

"All right. Tell her to get well soon too"

"Okay bye for now"

"Bye". Juana's mood got a bit better. Not only did Ella act like an adult, she also talked like an adult. She was the one cooking for her grandmother and brother, saving money for food etc. It was a demanding task.

Juana waited when she reached her granny's door. She could hear the voices downstairs though she couldn't make meaning out of all they said, but they were talking, that's for sure. She pushed open the door carefully and crept inside. Her granny was fast asleep. She looked tired. There was a painkiller pill satchet on her dresser and a cup of cold coffee.

"She seems okay" she said and turned to leave

"Sweetheart" she suddenly heard her call. Her movement must have woken her up.

"Granny. I'm sorry I woke you" she begged.

"Come and sit here"

She slowly lowered her weight on the edge of the bed near her granny's head 

"Are the guests here yet?"

"Yes"

"Have they been served?"

"I guess"

"Juana, I want you to be strong. Whatever happens, I need you to be really strong. For your dad" she said. She still looked tired

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Get me my phone. I have to make an appointment with my doc"

Juana found a bag on the bed and fished out her granny's phone. Juana's heart began to beat really fast. Is granny really sick? If she was just tired, she wouldn't need the doctor.

"What's wrong granny?"

"I'm tired. Don't worry too much about me" she began to dial a number. She coughed while sitting up

"Do I need to fetch dad?" Before granny could answer her, she heard Baron call her name. 

"He needs you. Hurry now, sweetheart" granny said but Juana went to her room instead. She didnt want to go downstairs yet. She was moving with her back and tiptoeing. So when she got to her room, she locked the door and laid her head on it so she was backing most of her room. One thing that could cheer up then was Mr Johanson's ice cream. It was a happy ice cream although the happiness it gave was temporary. But she didn't care. She just wanted to feel good, even if lasted only five minutes. She turned to walk to her bed and what she saw sent her spiralling backward subconsciously. There at the corner of the room were her two old friends-Ivy and Alicia! They had been so quiet that nobody could have spotted them in seconds. Juana didn't know what to say or how to react. She shut and opened her eyes again to be sure she wasn't imagining this because her imaginations were as real. She didn't know whether to send them out or embrace them or act as if they weren't there. How in the world did they get there?? Maybe they were the visitors whom she had been working tirelessly to entertain? What? Why did they remember her all of a sudden. She just looked on.

"Juana" Ivy began. It was then she noticed they both looked very sad.

"We know you'd be surprised to see us here. If you don't want to see us, you can tell us to go away. We'd understand. But please don't tell us to go away" Ivy said. Juana couldn't believe her ears and eyes.

"We have hurt you so much and we hate to admit we're just realizing that now." Alicia added.

"We thought we were doing the right thing by avoiding you but it only hurt us back" Ivy said

"We were jealous"

"And scared"

"We should have been there for you right from the time you began going through pain, but it made us scared. We thought if we were together, you'd dream bad things about us and that they would happen. But when we began going through the same pain as yours, we began to understand what it means, and we immediately felt bad for hurting you" Ivy said

"Mom is in hospital, very sick. Doctors say she has only three months to live. It was the worst news we've ever heard, and then we remembered how you must have felt when your mom didn't appear on the day she was to return"

"I liked Eric but Lilian told me you were dating him. I felt sad and angry because I told you I liked him and you didn't say anything. She said you were not only dating him but that she caught both of you having sex in the boy's hostel"

"She was so smart about her lies. She showed me videos and photos of both of you making out. I had to believe. It looked too true to be a lie. I didn't believe at first but when I found you that afternoon coming out of the boys' hostel, I had to believe. I was hurt. But now I know that it wasn't you. I know Lilian framed you because she is jealous of you"

Juana opened her mouth in surprise. She couldn't say a word. She was literally shocked.

"We are sorry" they finally ended in unison.

"We're really sorry Juana" they were crying. "Please come back to us"

Juana was moved to tears.

" I had to use the boys' toilet during closing hour because our toilet was locked already. The cleaner had gone home with the key and I could not wait to get home before peeing. I don't like Eric and I've never dated anyone".Juana suddenly found her voice. Ivy and Alicia simply nodded in belief. 

"You should have confronted me" she said shaking her head

"I kept wondering where I went wrong and whenever I approached you to enquire, you just avoided me"

"We are sorry" They kept crying. 

"I'm sorry Ju" Juana was crying now too. How she missed being called 'Ju'. It was what these twins called her and she was proud of that nick. 

"That day you called me evil genius in class, i felt like seeing you dead. I'm sorry for feeling that way towards you" Juana said

"No i should be sorry for calling you that Juana" 

She embraced them tightly and rubbed their backs

"How I missed you both!" She cried

"We missed you more" 

Baron opened the door and nodded with relief.

"The girls are finally back together" he smiled.

"Let me go get y'all more cookies and juice" he said and hurried out of the room. The trio kept hugging and crying and mumbling inaudible words without noticing Baron. It was an emotional sight.