Chapter 43
"A lot of things will soon change. Hope you're strong enough to adapt because that is life. In spite of it all, there's light at the..."
Juana read these words on a big white van parked about five feet away from her house. It was a very big van and it reminded Juana of many things. She didn't know why, but seeing that van made her feel good, despite the words written on it. She didn't exactly know where she was going to, she just needed to be on her own. For some reason, she didn't want to see her father's face, and most importantly Selena's face. They both disgusted her now.
She would go back home when Selena left for the airport, tomorrow morning. Juana looked around before touching the van. It was pure white. The words written on it were in bold black that it shone from afar. She looked in the driver's seat, no one was there. No one was in the back seats either. She was sure because it was very silent.
She carefully opened the back seat door and what she saw amazed her. It was a van from outside, but it was actually a beautiful house inside. There was a sitting room with well-cushioned chairs, a room with a big bed and dresser. All white.
"Wow" she exclaimed.
Suddenly a woman appeared from one of the two rooms. She was dressed in a purple apparel that reached her toes. She was carrying a lamp even though it was not needed, an incense container and a little rod. She was at least six feet, three inches tall.
"Hello. What can I do for you?" She said softly. She looked like an angel and Juana thought she must have been imagining all these, but when she touched the body of the van, and the lamp on the dresser, they were real.
"I'm sorry I .. I.." She stammered
"I lost my way" she finally found her voice and headed towards the door. She didn't think anything like this existed.
"No. The king brought you here. Anyone who comes here have not missed their way" she said and sat on the soft bed. It creaked as she sat. The woman had a full bottom, an oval face with beautiful features, lips that were so pink and strange tattoos on her caramel skin.
"Come and sit here, lovely" her voice sounded like showers of pure water. Juana thought she was not real.
She quietly sat on the bed beside her.
"You don't think I'm real?" She said Juana's mind and it shocked her. She made a small laugh that sounded like gusts of waters and then began to introduce herself
"My name is Tonka, and I've been living here for twenty years. This is my home and my workplace, my everything. So tell me child, what do you want to see?"
"Huh?"
Just then, Tonka touched her and smiled, "I help people see into the future. I heal diseases and do traditional surgery. I send evil spirits away and help an old woman straighten her back. I do many things to help people"
"Sorry I..." Juana stood up and hurried towards the door because Tonka's eyes changed into different colours as she talked.
"I know you're scared. Scared of many things. Many things will change but you have to learn to adapt. Three significant things will happen but you know, chill, I can send the evil spirits in your body away if you wait here, but you'll look like a different person, like me. You don't have to pay, I..."
Juana grabbed the door and flew it open. Then she ran out of the van onto the road as fast as her legs could carry her. She only stopped when she reached the bus stop. She never stopped to see if the van was still there. She stopped a commercial cab going toward Colin's.
She was going to stay at Colin's overnight, until Selena left for the airport. She was going to ask him if he knew Tonka. Maybe he would think she was going crazy, but she had to ask anyway. She was going to talk about Jason to him too. About her fears, everything. She was not going to hold them in any longer.
Colin was at his balcony when Juana arrived there. He was mowing a part that had overgrown with grass
She was lucky to meet him at home. She opened the front door and went in. Colin heard her before seeing her. He quietly left his lawn mower on the grass and joined her inside.
"Are you okay? I wasn't expecting you" he touched her hair and probed her to speak.
"I'm staying here overnight Colin"
"Why? Is anything going on at home? Is granny all right? Talk to me"
"Sure. I'll talk to you. That's why I came" she said and turned her head over on the couch.
"Do you need some water?" He said standing up. He wondered why she was acting that way. He was worried for her.
"Yes please" Colin got her a glass of water and watched her sip at it.
"I need to wash my head" she said and walked to his bathroom. Colin followed her. After he had helped her wipe her hair with water, he dried it in a towel and led her to his room. He rarely slept there. He mostly slept on the couch in the living room because he watched television late into the night, and sometimes they were video games.
"Here. Lay down and get some rest. I'll be at the balcony. Call me if you need me" he said covering her with the bedclothes and then he walked out carefully. She was already making herself comfortable on the soft cosy bed.
After he was gone, Juana looked around the room. It was white-the door, table, bed, ceiling. Only the curtains and rug and wardrobe weren't white. She smiled. This room looked like paradise and she didn't want to leave it alone. She opened the window a bit and watched Colin outside, mowing the grass.
"Hi boyfriend" she said. He looked back and laughed. "You're okay now?"
"Yes"
"Wanna join me?"
"Not until I eat something" she said smiling
"Check the refrigerator" he said. Juana ran rather than walked to the living room and flung the refrigerator door open. It was full of edible things- chicken, bread, bottles of wine, coke, biscuits, a pot of soup, frozen yoghurt etc. Juana wondered what the biscuits were doing there
She bit into the chicken twice
"Mmm.. delicious" then she took the whole thing out with a bottle of coke. She took a pair of shorts from his wardrobe and wore it. They looked funny on her. Afterwards she joined him on the lawn.
"Your room is very beautiful" she said touching his shoulder.
He looked at her like she was crazy. Then suddenly, he laughed, "You're wearing my shorts" he laughed again
"Yeah" she said. Then there was silence for two minutes.
"Let's go in and talk. I'm sure you sneaked out of home again" he said.
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"Do you know Tonka?" That was the first thing she asked as he sat beside her on the couch
"Tonka?"
"Yes"
"I used to hear stories about her when I was a kid. She's an imaginary woman with purple apparel, multicolored eyes and strange tattoos. She's very tall and beautiful too, as they said" he said rubbing her palm
"What does she do for a living?"
"Sorcery. Why are you asking?" He stared into her face.
"I saw Tonka"
"Are you crazy?" He asked matter-of-factly
"It's unbelievable I know but it's true. I saw her and she talked with me" Colin shifted and raised his brows and studied her for a moment
"What was the dream like?" He finally said
"I was not dreaming. I saw her, she lives in a van, doesn't she?"
Colin stood up and went inside his room. Juana laughed because she'd do worse if someone was telling her this too. She followed him and sat on the table in front of him.
"Colin she might be real you know. I actually saw her, in the van, that's why I ran here. She told me that many things will change in my life and I need to adapt, and I remembered Ivy, mommy and Jason. I'm so scared" she said.
He turned to her and embraced her tightly.
"Don't be scared. We'll pull through this. I told you they'll all be fine"
"Amen"
"What about Jason? Why are you worried about him? Are you still visiting him?"
"Colin, Jason is innocent. He doesn't deserve to go to prison or die. It might interest you to know that Dr Paul whom we both know, is his father"
"What? He told you that?"
"Yes and I believe him. He's Dr Paul's adopted son" she said carefully.
"You see why we should help him? Help both of them actually! I don't want him to carry out a wrong thing, okay? He wants to kill his father, you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"
"We can't do much to save the situation" he said
"Then let's do the little we can. Please darling" she begged.
"Okay honey. I'll think of what we can do before tomorrow"
"Thank you Colin. I love you" she said and cuddled him.
