Chapter Fifteen

On the dawn of a new month, everywhere was very cold, although the weather was bright and there was no sign that rain or drizzle would come later in the day. Esther's voice was heard singing a song so cheerfully and sonorously that even Bianca woke up from her sleep because of the song and listened very well to be sure if it was truly Esther or somebody else. After two minutes of paying close attention, she recognised the voice as belonging to Esther. Bianca was shocked, amazed, and optimistic all at the same time. And pondered what made her sing that way. Was she happy because of the new month? Or was she doing her morning devotion to God in a loud way? The series of questions that flew into her mind made her sit down uprightly on the bed, listening and perhaps enjoying the songs because she was filled with joy. The voice stopped all of a sudden, like a speaker that had lost electricity, and just as she was about to prepare herself to answer all the questions that were in her mind, the door got opened and Joe's figure appeared. He was putting on a polo shirt and a small short—that of a footballer short—and he was holding a small box, which made Bianca unsettled in her mind, even though she did not show it up facially, but she was in tension and possibly on alert for whatever fate came her way. Joe smiled at her. That smile of Joe's brought on severe palpitations in her. Her way of thinking changed. The happiness that was developing a little was gradually easing out and accommodating fear. As Joe was approaching closer to the bed, her mind raced to different destinations with no ambition or goal but meeting so many stoppages. Joe finally sat down beside her, took his arm across her neck, and looked her straight in the eye. Bianca, on the other side, surreptitiously tried to dodge every possible eye contact with him as she stared at the bedsheet. She noticed that everywhere was quiet and serene, like a graveyard. Even Esther's voice could no longer be traced. Where was Lucky? Where were the rest? A question kept coming like a recurring decimal. After a long look at her. He broke the silence. "Happy New Month," said Joe.

"Same to you, JK," she replied with a heightened tone.

"Feel free. It is still me," Joe said, noticing her tone.

"No problem," she said calmly, although in a pretending manner.

Joe smiled and continued, "You've gotten scared all of a sudden just because of my attitude in recent weeks. I know. No one has to tell me about your fear. My attitude changed just for a certain reason."

"Yes, it calls for it at a certain time because human beings are unpredictable. Some event or pressure spoils their attitude towards someone. I am used to it. No surprise at all." She said this as she smiled.

"You've accumulated a lot of fat recently," he said, touching her cheeks. Just look at how ruddy your cheeks are becoming.

"Thank you," she said, feeling a little bit of tension relief in her mind.

"I learnt you are no longer with a phone. Is that true?" he asked.

"Yeah," answered Bianca.

"Alright. I have good news for you," Joe said, trying to relieve whatever fear she had in her mind by putting a suspense through.

"What is that?" she said, warily.

"I have gifted you a car, cash and a brand-new phone."

He stopped talking all of a sudden and stared at Bianca; probably he was expecting her to cry as usual or do something ecstatic. But he was disappointed because she never lived up to his expectations. She was stiff and stuck to the bed like a dried wood who had never had feelings before.

"Alright," Joe said, "I have provided you with all this gift and I want you to do a favour to me, and which is that I want you to leave this place and fend for yourself with all that I have given you. For me not to be heartless, I will give you one-month preparation so that you can pack all your loads and baggage and leave."

After Joe finished speaking, Bianca immediately fell to her knees and expressed her gratitude for all of the support and care she had received from him. She vowed that she would always remember his kindness to her and that nothing in life would tarnish her perception of him. As she was about to end the conversation, she broke out in tears. Joe's heart melted like candle wax at the mere sight of the tears that came out. He felt pity for her. This wasn't what he was expecting from her. He felt like retracting his words, but he could not. As it is said, so shall it be. He raised her up to the bed and started consoling her. He promised her that if nature wanted her back in this house. It would wage war with him.

Finally, she stopped crying. Joe embraced her tightly and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He gently released her from the embrace and settled back on the bed, bringing the box he had brought into her room closer. He opened the box in front of her, causing money to spill out. As he finally opened it completely, they were both amazed by the abundance of money inside.

"This is for you," Joe said.

"Thank you, JK," she appreciated once again.

"Because of you, I will call up a personal driver to drive you to any location of your choice. And I will personally pay him."

"I can get a driver, no need for that. But I appreciate your efforts. Thanks very much."

"Alright, no problem. It is your choice."

"I appreciate it."

"From my heart I will forever miss you. Not to be forgotten. Before I leave, do you have any questions for me," said Joe.

"Yeah," said Bianca, "Please can I have an idea or give an inkling about the sudden farewell you made to me."

"Why? Does it have any implications?"

"Of course, it does. At least I can learn from my mistakes when I go somewhere else."

"Alright. No grudges are held against you. You were simple-hearted and straight forward. The farewell was from a free heart. That's all."

"No problem."

"Can I leave now?"

"Sure."

Joe opened the door, waved goodbye, and then walked out. He departed right away. She got out of bed and shut the door. She returned to the bed and took a seat there. When she exhaled, her nose made a loud wheezing noise because she had inhaled so deeply and forcefully. She thought back to what had happened just moments earlier. What suddenly caused Esther to stop singing? Joe's silent entry into her room this early in the morning at the start of a new month. His altered mood earlier today and what prompted him to say what he did just now? Was it possible that he was trying to test me? If the main cause was that, Why this entire gift? She reflected. If not, was he under constant pressure to act strangely towards me for the past few days and weeks? She tried to respond to the questions, but the more questions she allowed to enter her mind, the more she found herself unable to think clearly.

A month came, Bianca was already set for an unknown destination she was about to embark. Unfortunately, Joe wasn't around but the rest were around: Esther, Mark, Philip and Lucky. She went to them one by one and said a final goodbye to all of them. Lucky was the first person she went to meet. He embraced her and put his hand inside her hair, then tears rolled down his cheeks before he said anything. "I know this is a wicked plan, set up against you. But I know that the future is bright for you. I will really miss a humble girl like you, a caring girl and a charming gold. It is unfortunate that this pretty face like this would not be seen tomorrow morning. I know you don't have any destination in mind but God will direct you. I will miss you. Bye!" Lucky said, breaking free.

"I will also miss you. You were like a rock surrounded around me. If not, I would probably have been dead. Your attitude towards me will forever be in my memory. Thanks for all your support of me. Bye too!" she said as they embraced each other again.

She walked away. She said goodbye to Philip and Mark, who were eating noodles as if it were the first time. They simply waved back at her while continuing to eat. After that, she went to Esther. She took extra care not to approach nearer this time since they were several metres apart. She spoke to her, but Esther had both earpieces in, so nothing Bianca said was heard because the song she played came from the earpiece. Bianca realised she was the one losing, so there was no reason for her to continue wasting her saliva. Bianca moved out of Esther's line of sight.

She went to the verandah where her things were stored in preparation for being evacuated in the brand-new jeep. She looked around to see who had just spoken because the voice sounded so realistic, "Remember a gold passes through fire before the beauty radiates," but she couldn't see anyone.

The driver of Bianca's new jeep was there, seated behind the wheel and concentrating on his phone, paying little attention to what was happening outside. The luggage was then being loaded into the car by Bianca and Lucky. While completing the task, they joyfully conversed. In actuality, Bianca was anticipating her happiest day ever today. Most likely, she would have imagined herself liberated from the psychological and emotional trauma Esther had caused her since the moment she learned of her existence.

"Where do you think you will stay this night?" Lucky asked.

The question made Bianca smile. Lucky was shocked. Perhaps he would have thought she would have put on a wild and sad facial expression, but surprisingly, she smiled and then answered him. "God will provide"

"Let's remove God out of the equation, where do you think you will sleep?" said Lucky.

"Removing God out of the equation means I would not be in existence."

Lucky smiled.

"Wow!" Lucky said, "I love the way you answered."

"Have we packed everything to the boot?" she said, covering her mouth when she yawned.

"Of course," Lucky said, "I am sorry I haven't offered anything for you to eat," he said, noticing the tears that came out of her eyes.

"No problem with that. When I get to the road I will get something." she said.

"Can I help with some money?" he asked.

"If it is money, I have no problem with that because JK gave me some money."

"I love JK, I really love working with him and because he is just a cool fellow and friendly. But now he is a completely new person. I don't know what went wrong since the day he came back from the court."

"I can't tell," she continued, "But after everything I still acknowledge his kind gesture towards me."

"You've started changing too with your quizzical response." Lucky said, wryly.

She laughed. "How?" she said.

"How can you tell me 'I can't tell' as if you didn't notice it."

"Really my conscience won't allow me to say something deteriorating against him, because he did care for me. That's why I said what I said. I'm sorry if it hurts you."

"Seriously, you are really a humble being. Your species are really hard to find on this earth."

"What should I be proud of? I don't have anything to boast of." she answered.

"At least the beauty you have is something your gender would be very proud of. They feel highly intoxicated when they talk."

"Have you ever experienced one before?"

They both laughed together.

After standing for a long time, the conversation became sweeter and sweeter until they no longer even noticed their legs hurting. The morning vanished like a mattress that had been folded up, bringing with it a bright sun and a cool breeze that made Bianca shiver and reminded her that the day was gradually coming to an end.

"I have to start leaving now," she said.

"You talk as if you have properly planned where you would stay, but refusing to tell me," said Lucky, "here is your SIM card," he said, handing it over to her hand.

"C'mon, you of all people," she said, pitifully in a sympathetic tone, "How will I dodge details like this to you? I don't know exactly where I am going. I just have to leave this place early so I can scout for a safe place to put my head at least for the night." She collected the SIM and said, "Thank you."

Lucky was weakened by her response. He may have lost control of his emotions and wondered how she would manage at night and in the long run. If only he could save her from this awful predicament. He could have helped right away. He then approached her, unsure of whether to hug her or start crying, and offered her some words of inspiration. As Lucky wished her a safe journey and protection of life, Bianca went and hugged him. It was as if they were siblings who had been close since they were young and whose separation would have horrified either of them.

As Bianca sat down and closed the back door of the car, they were able to untangle themselves. She noticed that Lucky's eyes were covered in tears and that they were on the verge of falling off as she looked at them. After she instructed the driver to start the trip, she became so upset that it was even audible in her voice. The driver likely turned to look at her to make sure nothing major was wrong. The car started to hum and retreated a bit after that. The jeep then began to roll steadily and slowly. Lucky followed the vehicle as it approached the gate and then came to a stop, keeping his eyes glued to Bianca's face. Lucky rolled the gate open as it moved forward. Before the car sped out of the gate and left, Lucky waved his hand to say goodbye.

After numerous attempts to engage her in conversation, Bianca finally gave the driver directions to the Macy's supermarket. However, her reserved demeanour was like the Jericho wall, which took days to crumble. Her words were nothing more than instructions, instructions, and more instructions. Just as the vehicle came to a stop, a woman was walking along the path in which Bianca was exiting the car after she opened the door and started to get out. The two of them locked eyes with one another. Bianca thought the face was so familiar, but she struggled to recall where she had seen it. The lady kept staring at Bianca as she approached.

"Mary," Bianca voiced out, unknowingly

The woman paused and repositioned the strand of the attachment with her hand.

"Do you know me?" the lady asked.

"Oh!" Bianca exclaimed, "This is your voice? Have you forgotten me?"

The lady dropped the luggage she was holding on the floor. She squinted her eyes, trying to remember where she saw the face last. "Your face looks so familiar. But I can't vividly recall it."

"Oh," Bianca pitifully said, "Mary, so you can't remember Bianca."

Immediately the lady heard the last word, she shouted and quickly embraced Bianca. "I am sorry. I could not get in contact with you again. I tried my best but still I wasn't getting to you."

"It's been a long time," Bianca responded.

"A very long time," Mary said, "You've totally reduced in body weight."

Bianca laughed.

"Is this your car?" Mary whispered.

Bianca nodded.

She jumped up at least one or two times and then stopped. "Congrats, dear."

"Thank you," Bianca said, "Are you married now?"

"At my age?" she asked, shocked, "I am still a young girl pursuing my education."

"Wow," Bianca said, "That is nice."

"What about you? Are you married?" she asked.

"No."

"Seriously, and you've gotten a car so quickly."

Bianca smiled. "I wanted to get something to eat. That's why I branched in here."

"God had destined it that we would meet today. That's why he made you hungry so we can see each other."

"True," Bianca replied, "Stop standing in this hot sun. Enter the car. Let me go and get something I can eat."

"I have some sausage rolls in my bag. Don't bother yourself. Eat this one."

"Alright," Bianca said, adjusting herself to get to the other end of the other door, in order to create a space for Mary to sit.

Mary got into the car and sat down after putting her luggage in the boot. She looked through the bag to find the location of the sausage roll. She eventually noticed the sausage roll, bringing it out with juice. She extended her hand to Bianca and said, "Take and eat."

Bianca collected it.

She prayed quietly while she closed her eyes. Bianca took the nylon off the sausage roll and ate it after the prayer. While she was still eating, she instructed Mary to point the driver to her apartment.