Chapter thirty

Ida's POV

I woke up the next day feeling pains all over my body.Eventhough the doctor had told me that the pain would die eventually,I doubted. My back was still swollen badly and the pain was excruciating.

"Ma'am ,you're awake.I brought you some black tea to awaken you and I came to rub some ointment on your back"Rea sat beside me on the beside me on the bed and gave me the black tea.

"Thanks Rea" I took a sip of my tea and placed it on the saucer and placed it on my bedside table.

"Now raise your top so I can massage your back" She instructed.

I laid on my stomach on the bed and pulled up my pyjamas to expose my bare back.I relaxed as she gently massaged by back with the minty ointment.

"Ma'am you will have to return to school" She suggested.

"I will,I will have to tell mom that I can't come with them"

"Ok ma'am" She stopped and I sat up on the bed.I picked my glasses from my drawer and wore it.

I picked my phone from the bedside table and searched through the contacts for mom's number.

I called her.

I explained to her about how Xoey was acting strangely in the last few days,how she pushed me and how badly injured I was so I couldn't be with them.

"Thats so.....I didn't expect such a beautiful girl like her to act that way,anyways,I think a week will do."

"No mom I'm staying,I want to be able to know what is wrong with Xoey"

After bargaining with my mom on who should be right,I won. I was staying.

I cut the call and looked at Rea who was looking at her nails.

"Rea"I began."Thanks you so much for being there for me.You've been like a  bestie to me"I concluded.

"Oh ma'am"She flipped her hand at me"It's nothing,it's been an honour to serve you.Besides,I should be the one to thank you and your parents for giving me a place to live,food to eat,and enough money to look after my family"

"It's nothing"

She nodded."Ma'am now let me go and prepare your breakfast"

She left.I bathed,brushed my teeth and changed my clothes. She arrived just when I was brushing my hair.

I sat on my bed and began to dig in.

I paused for a minute."Rea,if there was one thing you need to change about yourself,what'd be?" I asked,retrieving all the memories of the times I used to be bullied.

She tapped her chin as if in thought."It would be my name and my face.You know,your name and face tell a lot about one.Of course,apart from their attitude"She responded and smiled at me.I patted beside me and she took a seat there.

"And why would that be?" I asked,being serious and curious at the same time.

She sighed heavily and answered."You see,the kind of reputation I made for myself wasn't really good when I was little;I was a stingy young girl until I changed.But when anyone from my past is to see me now,they'd see me as that stingy young girl" 

She looked sad and I could imagine how she felt;guilty,ashamed.

We remained silent for a while until she talked again" Why that question?"

"Nothing...Ummm...nothing " I stammered.

"Rea,Can you escort me to the park,I need to refresh my memory" I blurt out,smiling profusely at her.

She declined saying she had to clean my bedroom and do a lot of stuff but I finally had her to agree with me.

Read changed into a yellow straight dress and and a pair of black slippers and I changed into a round neck blouse,a blue denim jacket and jeans and a pair of white sneakers.

We walked to the park since I didn't want us to look too rich.We were casual.

Rea sat beside me on the bench as she stared into the blue sky.It was such a beautiful day with the cool wind blowing and the trees swaying gracefully.We had ice-cream,popcorn,butter sticks,fish balls and a lot of unhealthy stuff.I was really full.

"Ma'am,we have to go home now,I have to go and visit my mom at the retirement home"

"Ill go with you" I begged.

"No ma'am you have to rest,your back isn't fully recovered now"

"Seriously" I said,arching a brief at her"the swell is reducing,see"I turned my back at her,showing her what I meant.

"But you need rest"

"Please.Pretty please.With cherry on top" I pouted my lips like a child and gave her my best puppy eyes-or what I thought looked like.

She looked at me and away.I remained the same.She looked at me and away.Then she gave in.

"All right .All right....but we'll have to stop at a mart on our way to buy a fruits and vegetables and some other stuff"

"Ok"I hugged her."Thank you.Thank you"

As she had said,we boarded a taxi to a mart and shopped for some flowers,fruits and vegetables,sesame seeds and some brown sugar.

"What does she need the brown sugar for? Isn't sugar harmful for her at her age?"

Rea shrugged."That's what I said too"

We boarded a taxi to the retirement home.It was a tall brown old building.The paint was peeling off and some parts where covered in dust.

Old ladies and men in wheels chairs and crutches walked around and played.

Rea was met a woman who was younger and told her that her mom had been waiting.

We went to room 26.I observed the dirty walls.Rea opened the door slowly and shrieked."Mom"

She put the basket of flowers on the student sized bed and hugged her mother who was reading.She hugged her and Rea made a sign to me to enter.Once I did,I noticed how the inside looked;very neat and simple.It was nothing compared to how the outside looked like.The walls was painted with a flowery wallpaper.There was a rocking chair,a coffee table,a shelf full of books,a large window that gave you clear view of the outside and the student sized bed and the bedside table.A lamp was sitting on it.

She bent her head down and looked at me from her glasses.I gripped the paper bag tighter and my nails dug into the white polystyrene bag.

"Who that" she asked in a cocky accent.

"Mom Ida.Ida mom" Rea introduced us to ourselves.I put the items on the bed.Rea whispered in my ear" Her English is very bad and western,I hope you'll understand"

I nodded and squatted infront of the woman in the rocking chair.

"Hello Grammy.I'm Ida"

"Ida how you are.Rea why didn't you tell em that I was gonna to 'ave visitors"

"Mom" she coaxed and held her mom's hand in hers"I didn't even know I would let her come"

Rea explained everything to her mom and she looked at me strangely.

In a few minutes,we were chatting and and eating the fruits that were meant to be hers.I knew she liked me and I liked her too."What happened to your back" She asked as pointed to my back.

Oh crap! I took offs my jacket when we were busily chatting.

"Long story" I simply said.

"Come lemme massage 'em for ya"

I sat infront of her as she massaged my painful back.

I thanked her when she was done.

I didn't know about this woman,but I knew that I liked her now.

André 's POV

Hailey had fallen asleep,so that means she missed school too.I was playing games on my x-box when my apartment bell rang.I paused the game and went to open the door.It was Catherine.

I told her to come inside.She came in and took a seat on the bar stool in the kitchen.I offered her water but she declined.

"Have you seen Hailey today.I haven't seen her at school?" She asked.

"She's with me" I answered truthfully.

"What happened to her?" she asked and frowned.

"I found her drunk at a party"

"Thank you so much for saving her.At least you did this time.I guess you're trying to make up for when you abandoned her at lunch and let her get slapped by Ida's mom,such an important personality"

I was confused.I knew she was beaten by that nerd but what about Ida's mom.

"What about Ida's mom?" I asked,a frown etched on my face and seriousness lacing in my voice.

She laughed and rolled her  eyes at me.

"Oh please André could you quit joking" she asked rhetorically.

"Don't tell me you don't know that Ida is the billionaire's daughter.As in Hall.."She said in a duh tone.

What!! I couldn't belive my ears.Ida?

The nerd I used to bully.....the girl I was after...the girl who I least expected it to be.

I thought back to all those times when I had seen Ida riding in that expensive car,the rich and extravagant clothes,those expensive hairdos that only a really professional could do.

It all made sense now. I ignored all that about a her.

"André!" Catherine snapped."Help me get Hailey into my car,I'm taking taking her home"

I nodded  and we went to my room.The cleaner had come here earlier to wash the the sheets and I replaced it.I carried Hailey in a bridal style and laid her on the backseat.

"Thanks André for looking after her.See ya" Catherine got into her car and drove away.

I still couldn't belive it.My target.....the nerd...Ida....Ida Hall.....impossible.

_________

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Love;Vanessa