CHAPTER 4

SYDNEY

"Mrs. Grace," I said with my arm up

"Yes, Sydney."

"May I use the restroom please?"

"No."

Think Sydney. Think!

"I really need to use the restroom, Mrs. Grace. It's an emergency"

"I believe you heard me the first time"

"Mrs. Grace, It's a lady thing"

She looked annoyed "5 minutes."

"I'm definitely going to use more than that but thanks anyway" and then I walked out of the class and reminded myself that my mom wouldn't bother me because of my panic attack and amnesia.

Jason had a full backpack on his back and a cute smile when he looked at me.

"Please don't tell me we're skipping school"

"Of course, we are babe," he said, leading me through the hallways.

"Babe?"

"Yeah. You don't like it?"

"It's cringe."

"OK. Hmmm. What about… boo?"

"Are you a ghost?" I looked at him with a smirk on my face.

"Umm… I got nothing. Well, what would you like to be called?" He looked at me and held my hand.

"I don't know. You're the man of the relationship you're supposed to come with these things, not me." 

"Well then as the man of this relationship, I'm sticking with babe!" he announced.

"Oh my God. You're a lost case" I said and shook my head which made him laugh.

We reached the gate and Jason pulled out a thick wad of 1000 naira notes and handed it to the security men. They talked in Hausa for a few minutes and then the men let us out of the gate.

"Did you just bribe the security men?" I asked

"No. I did that yesterday. I'm just paying for the snacks they got us and the reservations they made for us at that park down the street." He replied happily.

"We are so getting expelled"

"Only if someone tells the principal and gives him evidence and no one saw us"

I looked back at the security men who had gone back to their work as if nothing happened.

"We are so getting expelled," I said again.

"Trust me. We won't" He held my hand and led me down the street to a beautiful park.

We walked in and Jason talked to the lady at the reception.

"Shouldn't you two be in school?" she asked us skeptically

I broke into a sweat. We were caught. This was it. I would be a dropout. How would I become a therapist if I was a dropout? My mom would be so disappointed. I would live in her basement till I was 30 and-

"Nope. Our school is on a break for the week, and we've already made some reservations."

She checked her computer and reluctantly let us in. I tried hard not to stare but I was shocked. I never knew Jason as a liar. I didn't like it. Liars could never be trusted, and I knew that very well because I had to learn it the hard way. From my father. I forced myself to stop overthinking about it. Jason was doing all this for me. He loved me and I needed to trust him. So, for the next few months when Jason would lie to sneak us out and bribe students and teachers to buy their silence and get us good grades because we never studied, I wouldn't say a word and always reminded myself that he was doing all of it because he loved me.

"I want you to meet my parents," Jason said to me on one of those breezy afternoons at the park we went to whenever we skipped school. I almost choked on my doughnut.

"Your parents?" I asked through a full mouth. I had never seen them before, and the thought made me feel queasy.

"Yeah! I talk to them about you a lot and I'm sure they'd like to meet you. My dad especially. He has been so curious about you since the day I described you to him. He said he would like to meet you one day."

"That didn't sound as comforting as you think it did." He laughed and I smiled at him.

Jason was always so happy when he talked about his father. I could always see the love and admiration Jason had for him gleaming through his eyes anytime he talked about his father. It almost made me envious.

"What? Why are you staring at me?"

"Nothing. I just like when you talk about your dad. Even when I had him, I was never this close to my dad."

"He was there when my mom and siblings needed him the most. My mother never forgets to remind me of how I should always be grateful to him for saving her. According to her, when my biological dad was assassinated, my mom had just given birth to my older siblings, Janet and Jane. Her family kicked her out of the family house, but my dad saved her. He took her in, loved her, and raised my sisters. Unfortunately, he already had a wife, but he said he didn't love her and only married her because of pressure, and I think I can get that. If I know one thing about Grandma, it's that she is really pushy. I can almost picture her telling dad 'Boy, where are my grandkids? You've got to get married before I die' and she'd probably whack him in the head with her walking stick. My dad still took care of Mom and when they had me, he finally got divorced from his old wife and officially married mom. Luckily, he didn't have kids for his old wife so there were no complications in marrying my mom. Anytime I see them together I envision myself with you" he looked at me and I smiled but it wasn't genuine.

I wanted to cry in his arms and tell him about my father. How he cheated on my mother for years and lied to her. How he never really loved my mom. How because of him my mom can't even love me right. How because of him I've become so insecure, but I didn't and saved my tears for when I got home to the safety of my room.