Chapter Nineteen

Bianca got back home for a semester break and met Mary at the house. They embraced each other for a long time. Both of them were happy to see each other and teased one another about how good school had been to them as they laughed at each other.

"School has made you more robust." Mary teased, weighing Bianca from head to toe.

"Can't you look at your skin and see how radiating it is? No sun dare touches it," Bianca returned.

"Which skin?" she asked, looking down at her hands, twisting them up and down, "The one that always rests in the sun every day. You just want to tease me, right?"

"I am serious," Bianca responded, staring at Mary's forehead.

"Alright," replied Mary, "But you look more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

"You appear prettier than mermaids."

"Wow," Mary exclaimed.

"Yes."

"How was school life?" Mary asked, changing the topic and putting her face in a pretty tense manner.

"School life is awesome but with its ups and downs," Bianca answered, looking seriously.

"It is normal. But you still have to count more of the good than the bad."

"Of course," Bianca nodded.

"Can you tell me about the good ones?" Mary asked.

"Mary, I was really a hot cake there. I couldn't even imagine a small girl like me getting noticed the way I did. Do you know, Mary, that a serious student is a gem in school?"

"Of course," Mary said.

"As I had just got to school, three weeks later, my coursemates started coming to me for help with putting them through a difficult subject. I took it as a privilege at first, but when I was counting up to sixty colleagues visiting me for help, I was amazed. I was just asking myself when and how it happened. Mary, some of them gave me money or should I say I was sponsored by my colleagues? All the things I needed they gave me, they made me look like a queen. In fact, I am glad…very glad."

"Fantastic. I am very happy about that, it is just the grace of God and also your hard work earned you good. Isn't it?"

"Sure."

"But, Bianca, let me advise you, as a sister. Do not make an inferiority complex come over you. God created you to be big, not small, and he even expects more of that from you in helping his creatures. Stop saying 'small girl like me.' Come on, you are big." She advised.

"I will stop putting myself down," Bianca answered.

"Good. Secondly, I would want to emphasise that you are becoming popular. Don't allow it to enter your head, don't get carried over too early. Be humble to everyone who seeks your help. Try not to be rude in answering questions, even though the question looked annoying. I hope you heard me?"

Bianca nodded with all seriousness and attention.

"Thirdly, I am glad that they pay you for your good work, but be careful with the way you collect gifts, especially from guys."

Bianca became uneased.

"I mean when a guy meets you and gives you gifts more often, try as much as to refuse them. Make sure they know that their gift doesn't attract you…" Mary noticed a qualm on Bianca's face, then she stopped, "you look depressed all of a sudden. I think I should stop here for now."

"Please continue." Bianca said, forcing a smile on her face.

"Alright, but if you think I have gone outside my boundary, give me a signal. I don't mind stopping."

"Go on, please, with the admonition."

"As I said, when you notice a guy is always bringing gifts, try as much to dodge it. Because they are cunning to us, especially if the lady is beautiful and intelligent. They will want to play tricks upon tricks until you fall into their trap."

"But Mary, I want to say something concerning this." Bianca asked depressingly.

"Go on, feel free to lay your burden on me. I promise not to carry anything outside."

"Okay… but, Mary, there is a guy that always approaches me with a gift every time and then, but I boldly told him to his face that I didn't need his gifts, but he kept on bringing them." Bianca stopped talking, waiting for Mary's response.

"What did you do next?" Mary asked sharply.

Bianca breathed in and out heavily, fully perplexed as at that time.

"Mary sincerely…I tried... my…b…bes …best" she stuttered, trying her best to stop stuttering, "But he kept on coming. It got to a time I shouted at him on a certain day, but my heart pricked me when I did. So, I had to apologise."

"What next followed? Did you start accepting his gifts?"

"I started," Bianca responded, "But I don't know what came over me because I collected all that he brought, to the extent I ate cooked food he brought to me, which was a taboo to me…but I tried rejecting that. Mary, it wasn't easy. The spirit is dwelling inside me. I need deliverance because I am not the Bianca that they know me for." She broke into tears.

"Stop crying. Stop this childish thing, you do, that any little thing you end up crying," Mary cautioned, exasperated.

"I'm sorry…" Bianca pleaded, cleaning her eyes almost immediately.

"Is that all?"

"No. I am in for the taking because he has assured me that he will pay my tuition fee for the next level."

Mary got maddened when she heard it, but controlled herself quickly.

"Before we continue, can you give me his phone number? What is the guy's name?" she asked.

"James Brin."

"Brin!" Mary exclaimed with all her strength, and then came into a relaxed tone. "I just hope it isn't the one I know."

"You made me scared… just scared of my life….it looked like I had accepted an assassin's offer."

"Calm down." said Mary with a relieving tone. "I just shouted. But I don't think it is the person. He is not just the only one bearing 'Brin' on this earth."

"Can you tell me about the Brin you know?" Bianca asked anxiously.

"Don't worry," Mary answered, wishing Bianca could just erase that sudden moment from her head. "Give me his phone number."

Bianca was still bothered. She then took out her phone and began punching it. She reached for his number and called it out as Mary jotted it down on paper.

"In my opinion, the guy is nice and humble and he has an unrelenting spirit. I think we should think of inviting him here. So, you can see him. Mary, do you not think so?" Bianca asked teasingly.

"But do you love him?" she asked.

"No, of course, but I count him as a close friend of mine."

"Really? Is it because of the gift he gives to you every time and then?"

"No," Bianca responded sharply.

"Then what?"

"Just a friend, but I can't just say the reason why I accepted him as a friend."

"Then check properly to see if he is worth being a friend."

"Can we just invite him here?"

"Alright. It is up to you. But be careful. You are just in your second year."

"I know…I am no longer a kid anymore," Bianca answered in an angry tone that suggested she was fed up with the admonition.

When Mary noticed the mood of Bianca had changed into an angry one, she stopped talking and tried to please Bianca in fixing a date for his visitation.

The visitation day had beckoned James Brin, who had just called to say that he would arrive in no less than ten minutes. He was about to arrive as Mary and Bianca were setting up the house. Bianca was unnecessarily excited by his arrival. Mary listened as Bianca continued to praise his kindness and generosity. Mary merely smiled. She had a gut feeling that Bianca was already madly in love with the guy. She hoped and wished that it wasn't the person she had once known.

A knock was being heard at the door. Mary ran to Bianca and whispered something into her ears. Bianca smiled and quickly went to open the door. It was James. Mary peered through the kitchen door to see who the person was. She recognised James Brin. Tears gathered around her eyes. She has often wished that none of her loved ones would encounter a person like him. Her body became weak, as if there were an energy sapping machine rooted to the floor that drained her energy. She closed the door, nodded her head sympathetically, and sat on the stool. She overheard them conversing and laughing loudly. She then pictured the two of them conversing in this manner in class. After that, there was silence. She immediately put her imagination away and started to wonder what was making them so quiet. She got up and looked through the door, where she saw Bianca staring at James while he was staring at and tapping on his phone. She mentally prayed for Bianca to avoid introducing her to him. Sadly, when she heard Bianca asking for permission, she got up and moved towards the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen, Mary motioned for her to quickly close the door and remain silent, or better yet, speak in a whisper, so James wouldn't think she had a companion with her. After Mary recognised Bianca's gestures, she just happened to be seated on the kitchen stool and staring at her.

"Come and see him now," Bianca said in a whisper.

"I will. But not now. When he is about to go," answered Mary, whispering in a mild tone.

"Why?" asked Bianca with full disappointment.

"I said I would come," Mary said, taking notice of Bianca's face, "it looks so childish that I was peeping at both of you from the kitchen."

"Does he know that this is the kitchen?" asked Bianca.

"Where will you bring food from? Is it not from the kitchen? Except if you want to sacrifice not serving him food, maybe only water can do," said Mary.

"Alright, stay here," Bianca said, "I love treating my friends in a special way whenever they come visit me."

"Nice," she said, being perturbed by her long stay here. "Go near the sink and get his food for him."

When Bianca saw the food, she went straight to the sink. She used a tissue to thoroughly clean the spoon before covering the food with a kitchen towel. She then walked out of the kitchen smiling while carrying the tray with the food on it. Mary simply nodded her head in sympathy without using any force. She had a thought as soon as Bianca left. She knew that Danger was spelling its name. But aside from the guidance she provided, what would she do? A horse can be brought to the stream, but it cannot be made to drink.

She stood up and peered at them again. James was eating the food happily, taking a full spoon at a time. Suddenly, his direction went straight to the kitchen. Mary tried dodging him, but he kept on staring there and stopped munching the food in his mouth as if he had seen something terrible. Bianca took notice of it.

"Anything wrong?" she asked.

"Not at all, I remembered something," he briskly replied.

"Hope it isn't something that serious."

"No, how come? Did it show in my face?"

"Of course."

"Hmmm," he responded by dropping the spoon on the semi-finished food, then stretching his hand for the glass of water and then gulping the water to the last drop.

"I am very grateful for this delicious meal. Thank you" he said, resting his back on the chair.

"Try finishing it?"

"I am filled up to the brim," he chortled. "Thank you."

"Try eating it to make it look smaller than that."

"Except you are trying to force me into constipation."

"Because of that, don't worry."

They chatted for the maximum of thirty minutes, then James stood up, signalling that he was about to leave. Bianca stood up alongside him and then turned her head toward the direction of the kitchen, trying to signal Mary. Mary came outside stealthily just as James faced the door and then walked gently and sluggishly to the sitting room. Just then, as James wanted to close the door from behind, he stopped, then Mary greeted him immediately.

"It seems I know you?" he stuttered, trying to recall.

"This face looks like a face I really know from somewhere," she said in full pretence, trying to disarrange his forming recall.

"Alright, were you not in the house all this while?" he asked.

"I was in the house, but why asking," she replied.

"At least you would have just said hello to the guest who came to visit your sister."

"Oh, I am sorry, I wasn't myself all this while. Please pardon my arrogance," she said, trying to fake an apologetic face.

"No problem, but I would want to tell you that this is my future fiancée, I just love your sister."

His remarks shocked Bianca. She wasn't prepared for a bomb to detonate suddenly, so she had to keep her mouth slightly open as Mary stood motionless and tried to make sense of his entire sentence.

"Funny handsome man, you are. She is just in her second year and you are already claiming her as a wife to be," Mary said.

"Anyway," he said carelessly, "She is already ripe for marriage. Couldn't you see her features," he said, taking a swipe at Bianca's temples down to her legs.

"Marriage is not all about features but she isn't mentally strong for marriage until she gets to finish her school and then get a job." Mary responded.

"That is why I said future fiancée, but a job is not her problem. In fact, a job would be waiting for her immediately when she dropped her pen for the final exam."

"Alright then, Bianca, I think you can hear it," she said, facing Bianca's direction.

Bianca looked at her with an aggressive eye and quickly pretended to be smiling when James' eyes got to hers.

"I just have to leave now, goodbye!!" he said, dashing out. He was shocked because none of them followed him. "Wouldn't you follow me, love?"

Bianca took a small step back and motioned for Mary to follow him. Mary followed her orders, but he wasn't pleased that Mary was the one who escorted him.

When he left, Mary hurried back to the house where she found Bianca seated in the chair, lost in thought.

"Why are you this way?" Mary said, suppressing every form of laughter that seemed to express itself.

Bianca didn't respond but readjusted her sitting position a little bit.

"I told you to be careful, right?" Mary continued, "He has already proposed to you before your time. And I know him very well. He would go to the extreme to get you as a wife."

"How is he in control of my life? He can't." Bianca reacted.

"Alright then, since you are in control of your life, it is good for you."

Bianca sensed some bit of qualms around her answer, "But is there anything he can do to lure me to marry him?"

"You said you were in control of your life, so, why bother," Mary answered sarcastically.

Bianca was disappointed with her response and stood up and walked out of Mary's presence.