A SISTER'S CONSOLATION

“You don’t look well. What happened? How did your search go? Any luck?” Grace inquires from me the moment she ushers me back to my house.

Well? Any luck? How I wish that was the case. “Nothing. It would have even been better even without the luck, if only if I hadn’t run into Deep’s mother. She made everything worse than it was.” I say as I slam on the seat, feeling so defeated, lost, and hurt. I know this is not the time to feel weak or entertain negative thoughts, but I just cannot help it. As it seems, not even Deep’s parents know where he is. So that means I will have to start from scratch to find him. And now, I doubt if his mother wants me to be with her son. It seems like things have gone back to how they were when I first met her.

“Why? What did his mother tell you?” Grace asks.

“Nothing. She just rubbed it on my face, saying that I am the reason why her son is acting up. How ungrateful I am. I did not appreciate what her son did for me, and there was a lot of nonsense. Meaningful nonsense, though.” I say.

“What? What are you saying, huh? Don’t tell me that you are letting her words get into you, Gia!” My sister says.

“It is not just anyone, Grace. It is his mother. Of course, I care what she thinks of me. And some of what she said is the naked truth. I was an ungrateful bitch. I was so blind and slow to understand all the beautiful gestures that Deep showed me.” I explain, and it is now that I am feeling the real pain. It hurts so much.

“Ooh, come on! I understand all that, but don’t let that get into you because it will slow you down from doing what you want. It would have been better if she gave you any helpful information about her son instead of just throwing all that at you.” She says.

“She knows nothing. I could tell that for a fact. That was probably why she was there. To see if she would be lucky to find him there. We were in the same situation. And just like me, I am sure she went home heartbroken and even more worried.” I say. Somehow, I can understand her anger. It must be really painful for her and her husband.

Where on earth are you, Deep? Send me some light.

“This is getting difficult, sis. Where else will you look? He does not take your calls, and no one has a slight idea where he is. It will be difficult to locate him.” Grace says it with worry.

“Difficult, but not impossible. As long as he is somewhere in this world, I will find him sooner or later. I will not grow tired.” I say.

“So, what next? Where do you go to look for him next?” She asks.

“Back to where this all started.” I say this thinking of that beautiful and insane encounter.

“Wait, you haven’t told me where and how you both met. Well, I know that I have been gross, but I am back to my senses, and I am still your elder sister. Tell me how you met that charming prince. He is quite a charm, by the way. The cutest man I have ever seen.” Grace says.

At least her words made me smile a little. “We met at the sea—at the shore of the great Indian Ocean—after I had pulled a fast one on Ejay to let me go for that music extravaganza.” I explain. And that was where all the trouble that just ended began, but it was also how I met Deep. I regret nothing about what was brought about by my decision back then.

“At the sea? That is, Deep! No wonder he is such a charm. I think I should go there with you. Maybe I will be lucky like you and find my prince charming there. Hopefully, he will be every woman’s weakness, just like Deep.” She says it with a smile.

“Are you serious? Can you come with me? I would be so grateful to have you in my company. I will need a shoulder to lean on if I find him and he decides to send me to hell.” I joke—a very bad joke that leaves me with painful heartthrobs.

“Hey! Why would you even try to crack such a joke if you know you can’t handle it?” Grace asks. She must have sensed the change in my facial idioms.

Yeah! I can’t handle it. I cannot handle this pain. I should have acknowledged the fact that I could not handle being away from Deep a long time ago. I should have admitted along the way that I needed him in my life, just like I needed the air that I am breathing right now. I should have confessed my feelings to him that time back at our home. Things would not have gotten this far. Thanks to me, I now have to deal with this pain. All in all, this will end when I finally find him.

“Hey! Don’t entertain that mentality, okay? Deep loves you, and I know that. I saw it. He would not have done all that for you if you meant nothing. He would not have taken all the shit that I threw at him all those three times that he came to plead with me to talk to you.” Grace says.

“He asked you that?” I ask.

“Yes. Or why else did you think he came to see me the last two times before he left? He nearly went on his knees and pleaded with you to stop giving you a hearing. He said, My bitchiness had robbed you of the divine happiness that you deserved.” She explains.

Another sharp arrow! He was still looking after my interests, and I was so mad at him. Here I was thinking that he was spending the time that was meant for me with my sister, yet he was trying to iron things out between my sister and me.

God, when I get this one chance, I will never ever judge this man again. I will lay all my trust and honesty in him until forever.

“Were you suspecting something else?” Grace asks, studying my face.

Shoot!

“No. Of course not.” I lie. I cannot tell her what I was thinking. It was all out of fury. See the things that anger and heartbreak make you think, huh?

“Alright. So, I am tagging along? I will not take a no for an answer. Not because I think you will need this shoulder, but because I want to try my luck with that city of love.” She says.

“Sure. Let’s get ready.” I say.

Mombasa, here we come! I hope I will have luck like the first time. I so hope!