Outing
.
Continues.
“If you love her as much as you claim, then
just take her with you.”***A fist of water
slammed into me, drenching me to the
bones. I bolted upright in bed, my heart
hammering like it would burst out of my
chest. The sound of plastic smacking the
floor hit my ears, bringing my attention to
my stepmother. She stood a few steps
away, glaring at me. Beside her, a bucket
lay on its side; the bucket she hadjust
emptied on me.”Good morning,” I
said.Snapping her fingers, she said, “Get up,
you lazy bone!”Like a robot, I sprang to my
feet. Head bowed, hands held behind my
back, I awaited her next order. I watched
the water from my body glide to my feet.
Forming a pattern, they plopped down on
the floor.”You are to do the dishes, launder
my clothes and Cynthia’s, scrub the floors,
clean the entire compound andwash the
cars right away. Only when you’re done can
you have breakfast. Did I forget to mention
anything?””The glassware,” I said.”And the
toilets,” she said. “I will be back to inspect.
And if on my return I find that you skipped
anything, I will—”“Hack you into tiny bits and
feed you to the street dogs,” I said. I knew
her pick up line all too well.“What did you
just say?” she fumed, her face like a cloudy
day.She lunged at me. I ducked, brushing
past her. A knock at the gate forced a
giggle from my mouth. We had a visitor.
This placed our cat and rat session on
hold.Snapping her fingers, she said, “It’s me
and you in this house today.”Did she think
she could scare me with that? What would
she do that hadn’t been done before? She
had made me pass through fire, forced me
through the thorny gates of hell and taught
me to embrace pain. Nothing scared me at
this point.Drops of water trailed after me as
I made for the gate. Once there, I yanked it
open. Taken aback by the person staring
back at me, I could only gasp. I certainly
hadn’t been expecting my fairy godmother.
My stepmother wouldn’t like this one bit.
But despite this, a smile tore through my
lips.”Good morning, fairy godmother.”She did
not return my smile. Her gaze locked on my
drenched clothes. “What is this?”I looked
away, groping for the perfect lie. “I’m a
heavy sweater when I sleep.”After she’d
stepped into the premises, I moved to lock
thegate, grateful for a chance to hide my
face so she couldn’tsee through my lie.She
tugged at my arm, her eyes flying wide. “I
know you, Victoria. All week, I watched you
sleep for no less than four hours at a time.
And you certainly aren’t a heavy sweater.
Besides, you sweat all over your hair too?””I
—”She shook her head. “Tsk. Tsk. If I find
that that witch did this to you, I swear, it’ll
be an eye for an eye.”Without another word,
she made for my room. I trailed after her.
The door to my room flew open and she
burst in,halting almost immediately as she
found the emptied bucket and the drenched
bed.”That woman has certainly overdone it
this time,” she fumed. “And she will get
what she’s asking for.”Shaking her head,
she picked up the bucket. I had no idea
what she planned to do. But I knew it would
be nothing to smile about.”Stella, please,” I
said.She raised her non-dominant hand,
splaying her fingers ina ‘stop’ gesture. Her
other fingers bowed, leaving only thepointer
to poke my shoulder.”Don’t even say a
word,” she said, her voice cold as
death.”Now, show me to the kitchen at
once!”I’d never thought a day would come
when I’d be conflicted about obeying my
fairy godmother. She’d always been friendly,
an angel. But today, I saw a different side
of her.”Show me to the kitchen, I
said!”Unable to hold her flaming gaze, I
looked away, swallowing hard. “This…M..
way.”She muttered a few incoherent words.
I could only grasp the last phrase. “An eye
for an eye!”A sudden realization sent a
shiver down my spine as she headed for the
fridge. She would empty bottles of cold
water into the bucket and empty the bucket
on someone.”You will show me to Cynthia’s
room,” she said.”I’m sorry,” I said. “I
can’t.”Stella smiled a threatening smile and
tugged at my arm. Gripping it hard, she
turned me toward the door, but I didn’t
budge.”I cannot,” I said. “I won’t.””Very well
then. I guess it won’t be difficult to find that
step-sister of yours.” Letting go of my arm,
she started off toward the rooms. The first
three doors showed her to empty rooms.And
the next …My heart shattered as it flew
open. Cynthia lay in her air-conditioned
room, on her king-sized bed, sleeping amidst
pink pillows and teddy bears. Stella
advanced to her.”Cynthia!” I called, my voice
loud enough to wake the dead.Cynthia’s
eyes flew open just in time to watch the
ruthlessly cold water lunge at her. She
made to roll to safety, but didn’t stand a
chance. Drenched, she sprang to her
feet.”What is the meaning of this?” she
yelled. “How dare you insult me like this?
What is the meaning of this?”Stella flung the
bucket at Cynthia’s feet. Shrieking, Cynthia
side-stepped. The watery floor made her
slip. I gasped as she hit the floor with a
painful thud. Sat helplessly on the floor, and
drenched to the bone, she wailed like a
woman who’d just received news of her
husband’s death.I moved to help her, but
Stella held me back. “Her mother will
come.””What have you done?” I
asked.Cynthia wailed on. She made no
attempt to get off the floor. Obviously, she
wanted her mum to find her in this state.
This spelt trouble.”What’s happening here?”
My stepmother’s voice boomed from the
doorway.”Mummy,” Cynthia whimpered.
Catching sight of her, her mother rushed to
kneel beside her.”My baby. What happened?
Who did this to you?” She helped Cynthia
get on her feet. Holding her in an
embrace,she patted her back. “Come now,
mummy is here. It’s fine now.”Stella
smirked. “Now we’re even.”Glaring at Stella,
my stepmother disentangled from the
embrace. Her right hand lashed out, aiming
for Stella’s face. My breath caught in my
throat. But the slap never landed.Stella
gripped her hand, suspending it in the air,
her glarematching my stepmother’s. “Don’t
you dare.”It took a few moments for Stella
to detach her hand. She trusted my
stepmother would not make another move.
And for the sakes of both women, I hoped
so. Cynthia looked between the two women,
her eyes mirroring my fear.”So it hurts you
to see your daughter abused,” Stella said.
“And yet, you do the same to someone
else’s child. A child who should be like a
daughter to you! You go ahead and abuse
her without any qualms. In the same way
you carried your daughter in your womb for
nine months, someone carried Victoria. She
did not just fall from the sky. Neither was
she born by an animal. No! She was born by
a woman like you. And you go ahead and
abuse her withno feeling of remorse? How
could you be so evil?””I will not let you
come into my house and insult me,” my
stepmother said.”And I will not let you insult
your stepdaughter and her mother’s good
name!” Stella said. “Once or twice, I met
hermum at the orphanage. And she spoke of
how it broke her heart to see the less
privileged suffer. I will not watch you
subject her child to the very same life she
didn’t wantfor other children.””If you love
her as much as you claim, then just take
her with you,” Cynthia suggested.Stella
seemed to consider Cynthia’s offer. “I would
if I could. But that would mean her leaving
the house for you and your mother, wouldn’t
it?””What do you want?” my stepmother
asked. “Why are you here?””I’m only here to
remind you of the deal you signed. You best
take it seriously. Tomorrow, I will be leaving
for the Uk …”Unable to conceal their
excitements, Cynthia and her mother
glanced at each other.”But I am not leaving
her unprotected,” Stella went on. “And the
deal remains. You do well to remember that.
I willhave people on the lookout for any form
of abuse. And I will appoint a guardian in my
place. So you best not get any
ideas.”Cynthia looked between her mum and
Stella. “Mum, say something. How can you
just let her threaten us in our own
house?””It’s not a threat,” Stella said. “When
I threaten, trust me, you’ll know of it. That
said, today is my last day here in Nigeria,
and so I am taking her out with me.””You
will not—” My stepmother started.”It is my
understanding that your daughter goes out
with friends as she pleases,” Stella said.
“So, why can’t your other daughter do the
same?”After moments of unnerving silence,
my stepmother said,”Return her by noon.””I
will bring her before nightfall,” Stella said.
“And don’t worry about chores. I’m sure
Cynthia knows how to keep a house in
order.” Taking me by the hand, she led me
to myroom.The scene in Cynthia’s room
revolved around my head. What had I gotten
myself into? Would they not kill me once I
returned home? Would Stella be with me
then? No. I would be all alone to feel my
stepmother’s wrath. And after what Stella
had done, they would sure hate me burying
imaginable.Oblivious to the danger she’d
placed me in, Stella rummaged through my
closet. “Goodness gracious. It’s almost
unbelievable that the very same woman who
abuses you cares enough to give you a
fitting wardrobe.”A smile tugged at my lips.
“She wants her public to believe she treats
me the same way she treats her
daughter.””That sure is something,” Stella
said. “Go freshen up while I find a perfect
outfit for our outing.”I’m afraid I can’t go,” I
said.”What?””My stepmother—”Stella
snapped. “I am not listening to your silly
talks! You will go freshen up and prepare for
our outing. Look at you,your father’s death
has you locked up in this woman’s cage.
You don’t even know what fun is anymore.
You only do the things she let you do.
Chores. Chores. School. And more chores.
Where’s the fun in this?””I have fun,” I said.
“I have fun at school with my friends.”Stella
rolled her eyes. “Great. You could also say
you have fun with the rats and roaches
while doing your chores.”I grinned. “That
too.””I’m done listening to this. You are
going out with me, Victoria Brown. And I will
not take no for an answer. Comeon, this is
my last day here. Will you actually deny me
mylast wish?” She batted her lashes at
me.When she put it like that, how could I
turn her down? “I need to hurry with my
chores then.””Vicky dear, you shouldn’t
worry yourself,” she said. “I want today to
be a holiday for you. Cynthia will do the
chores.””You don’t understand. It won’t feel
right to just walk away, leaving the chores
undone. Please. I promise I’ll be fast.”Stella
weighed my request for a moment or two.
“Fine then. The movie doesn’t start till
twelve anyway.””We are going to see a
movie?” My eyes beamed with
excitement.”A movie called Cinderella
Retold,” she said. “It’s new.”***Sat in the
near-darkness of a theatre, I brimmed with
expectations as I gazed at the giant screen
before us. The movie, like my life, was a
reenactment of Cinderella. Set in Salem,
Massachusetts, during the Witch Hunt
period, the movie revolved around a young
orphan abused by her stepmother and two
half sisters. At a ball, Michael Huntington,
the priest/executioner’s son fell for the
mysterious girl who disappeared at midnight,
leaving behind a glass slipper. Upon knowing
Cinderella was the girl after Michael’s heart,
her evil family framed her as a witch and
delivered to the priest for execution.Things
would heat up, making us gasp and almost
fall off the edges of our seats. But like all
fairytales, a happily ever after climaxed the
movie. The villains were made to suffer.
The hero got the girl. And they lived happily
ever after.”That’s the best movie I’ve seen
in years!” Stella exclaimed as we stepped
out of the theatre. “It’s such a bold retelling
of Cinderella. Did you like it?””It’s a great
movie,” I said.Draping an arm over my
shoulders, Stella led me to the cafeteria.
She sat across from me. “Do you know why
I wanted you to see that movie?””Because
she went through hell just like me?” I
guessed.”Yes,” she said. “I wanted you to
see her overcome every obstacle, climb
every mountain, live through every
disappointment, and emerge victorious. I
wanted you to see her forge ahead even
after Aunt Maggie, her supposed fairy
godmother abandoned her when she was
accused of being a witch. It is truly a great
movie.”A waiter advanced to us with a well-
practiced smile lighting up his face. “Good
afternoon. What would you like?””Chicken
and chips should do.” Stella said. “What
drinks are available? Chapman?”The waiter
nodded.”Chapman it is then,” Stella decided.
“And a bottle of water.”The waiter wrote
down Stella’s orders in his notepad. To me,
he said, “And you, miss?””Same,” I
said.”Whatever they’re having, make it for
four,” I heard a bubbly voice say. Farah.
Raheem stood beside her, his face as
though he’d died in a dream.Farah waved at
Stella. “Hello.”“Hi,” Stella said.”What are you
doing here?” Farah half-squealed at me,
muting out Stella’s and Raheem’s
greetings.”We saw a movie,” I said.”Same
here! Raheem and I saw Cinderella Retold.
That movie is just amazing! I could watch it
over and over again.””Raheem saw the
movie?” I asked. I could never have tagged
him as one for cheesy love stories.”I am not
one for such movies,” Raheem said. “She
forced me to come along. The movie was
crappy. Waste of time.”Farah nudged him
with her elbow. “Liar.””I’d rather be at home
playing,” Raheem said.”He’s only putting on
an act. He enjoyed the movie.””I know,”
Stella said. “Everyone did.”Farah made to
join us, but Raheem tugged at her arm.
Forcing an overly formal smile, he said,
“We’ll sit at our own table. We wouldn’t
want to bother you. Enjoy your day, please.”
His eyes begged that we backed him up.
“Actually, it’s no bother,” Stella said.She
smirked at the beat up look on Raheem’s
face as Farah hurried to occupy the seat
beside mine. Left without a choice, Raheem
occupied the last seat. He cast Farah a life
threatening glance that made me wonder
how they survived at home.The waiter
returned with our order. Once he placed
them on our table, Farah started getting
acquitted with hers. Noticing Stella staring
intently at Farah, Raheem said,”She’s Farah.
My kid sister.””Wow, I can see so much
resemblance,” Stella said. “It’s great to
meet you, Farah. I am—””The school nurse,”
Farah cut in. “Oh, please, tell me I’m right!”
She clapped a palm over her eyes, but I
could see her peeking at Stella from the
space between her fingers.”I am she,” Stella
said, half-giggling. “I’m just curious about
how you could tell.”Plastering an ear-to-ear
grin on her face, Farah uncoveredher eyes.
“With vivid descriptions like the ones
Raheem gives, even the king of fools can
tell who he speaks of. For example, I
haven’t seen the principal yet. But I know to
expect an overweight man, his skin as
burned chocolate. His hair, styled as an
afro, is a mix of black and white. And then
he’s five foot six. He walks as though every
step were a punishment. And then there’s
Sir Aaron, a man of stone. He lives in his
own world and doesn’t even—””Farah!”
Raheem warned.Farah recoiled in an
attempt to escape Raheem’s fiery gaze.
“Uhm …yeah?””Could you just shut up and
eat?” Raheem asked.Farah pressed a finger
to her lips. “Oops. Sorry.”With the new
found silence, we all had time to dig into our
snacks. Farah finished first. She swept her
eyes around the table, aching to speak. I
could tell it wouldn’t take longfor her to
break the silence.”Who could have thought
Raheem Kadir could actually make friends?”
she thought aloud with a smirk. Glad to have
my attention and Stella’s she went on, “In
our former school, he almost never said a
word. I’m just really surprised he’s actually
making friends now. Loner!””I’m not—”
Raheem said.Farah cut him off. “Oh, shush.
The only friend you’ve ever had is your
guitar.””There was Malik, Yusuf and
Karmani,” Raheem said.”Only because you
were all in a band,” Farah said.”Wait,” Stella
said. “Raheem is a singer?”Farah beamed at
herself for steering the conversation in this
direction.Raheem nodded. “I’m in a band.
Impaling Sedation.””I’ve never heard of it,”
Stella said.”I don’t expect you to,” he said.
“The band’s popularity never crossed Iraq.
We mostly played at clubs, diners and some
shows. We were meant to do a really huge
audition. But then the war came along,
shattering our dreams.”Stella seemed
genuinely interested. “Are your songs on the
internet? Perhaps you could send me a link?
I want to watch you sing. I’m a fan of rock
myself.””Cool,” Farah said. “Are you a fan of
Bring me the Horizon?””That’s one of my
top rated,” Stella said.”Perfect,” Farah said,
rubbing her palms together. “Then you’ll
love Raheem’s band, I assure you. His band
is bomb!”“I can only imagine,” Stella
said.”Can you heal my heart,” Farah sang.
“It’s bleeding. Can you fix my soul, it’s
broken—””Quit ruining my song,” Raheem
said.Farah pouted. “Oh, come on. I’m just
trying to—””Don’t.””Okay then, sing.””I’m not
singing. That’s the lead singer’s job. Not the
guitarist’s.”Ri
sing to her feet, Farah clapped her hands to
gain everyone’s attention. “Ladies and
gentlemen, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a
little background music, would you?””Farah,
what are you doing?” Raheem whispered
between clenched teeth.Farah played deaf.
Lighting up her face with an enchanting
smile, she pulled in her observers. “With us
here is a rockstar who’s dying to share his
music. He represents a male fronted rock
band called ‘Impaling Sedation’. Will you
deny him a chance to sing? Please put your
hands together if you want to witness this
live showtoday when it’s free.”A roar of
applause followed Farah’s request.
Energized, by the encouraging noise, she
introduced in a full bloom scream, “Give it
up for…Ra-Heeeeem!”She gestured at
Raheem and winked at him. Raheem
swepthis eyes around the room. He held
everyone’s attention.Whimpering, he
bounced in his seat. Farah giggled. My sixth
sense told me she’d kicked him. If he didn’t
get up and feed the crowd with quality
music, she would definitely kick him again. I
could tell from the look on her face.‘Please
don’t disappoint, please don’t disappoint,’ I
chantedto myself.Raheem rose to his feet
and waved at the crowd.”I’ll…uhm…I’ll go
grab my guitar.”The audience seemed to be
okay with his hurried departure. Either that,
or they didn’t want to watch him, but didn’t
want to make Farah feel bad.***”What if he
doesn’t come back?” I asked. For the past
five minutes, I’d been staring at the
door.”You shouldn’t worry,” Farah said. “He
wouldn’t want to miss this, trust me. He
loves performing.”Stella tilted her head
toward the door. “There he is.”With an
electric guitar strapped to him, Raheem
strode back into view. Strumming his guitar,
he sauntered towards the counter, his
temporary stage.”Can you heal my heart,” he
sang. His voice brimmed with colorless
emotions, causing my heart to sink. “It’s
bleeding.”More than half of the audience
held their phones in the air, recording the
live show. Now more than ever, I wished I
had a phone.Raheem clutched his guitar as
though it were the most important thing in
the world; as though his life depended on it.
Squeezing his eyes shut and flinging his
head backward, he strummed his guitar,
sending off a haunting echo of his song’s
intro. Was he in pain?Working a magic I
couldn’t fathom, he switched his guitar
notes from painfully quiet to one I could
almost dance to. Ilistened intently to the
lyrics as he sang on, faster this time:Can
you heal my heartIt’s bleedingCan you fix my
soulIt’s brokenThe intensity of his voice
awed me into breathlessness. His eyes
settled on me, hitting me full force with the
bitter emotions behind them. His song had
me thinking. Who had broken his heart?Can
you feel this deep despairA void in my
chestWhere I once had a heartUntil you
came alongRipping it with your liesWith your
lies”Wow,” Stella said. “He is just…
Wow.””His voice,” I said. “It’s so
intense.””He’s my personal Oliver Sykes!”
Farah said. “Doesn’t he remind you of
him?””Never heard of him,” I said.Farah
seemed stunned. “You don’t know Bring me
the Horizon? He’s the band’s lead singer.”I
wanted to believe Raheem had just
composed his song without anyone in mind.
But the pain evident in his voice led me to
the other possibility; that he’d written this
for agirl he used to love.”Raheem’s song,
what’s it called?” I asked.”With your lies,”
Farah said.”It’s a sad song,” I said. There.
The perfect bait. If he’d written the song for
someone, Farah would tell me.”It sure is,”
Farah said, watching the stage. Moments
passed, and she said nothing.I didn’t want to
come off as nosy, but I had to get Farah to
tell me. It probably didn’t matter if he’d
written the song for someone, but I had to
know. “Who’s it for?””Jameela,” she said.
She seemed to have been expecting my
question. “She used to be their lead singer.
She had a thing for Raheem. But then, there
was Austin, a transfer student. At first,
Raheem kept his distance because he
thought Austin and Jameela were an
item.”My mind filtered Farah’s last sentence,
and chose to revolve around the first two
words. At first. At first, Raheem kept his
distance. At first. This only meant he didn’t
succeed in the end.”But she said they were
just friends,” Farah continued.”Everyone
thought it best for Raheem to go for it.
When I say everyone, I mean me, mum, and
the other band members, who were at that
time his only friends. As for dad, he was just
indifferent about the whole thing. Well
anyway, it turned out that Jameela wasn’t
the angel we thought her to be. She and
Austin were an item, and we only found out
when he confronted Raheem, which had a
very ugly end. He started a very scary fight
that led to him being suspended, and
Raheem expelled. Jameela didn’t know how
to face Raheem after that, and so she left
the band. That was how he came up with
the song. With your lies. He never had a
chance to perform it, though. The war came
along.”“With your lies,” Raheem concluded,
his voice barely a whisper. He bowed at the
overly excited crowd slamming their palms
together with beaming faces.I joined in the
applause. “He’s good at what he
does.””More, more, more!” a kid
squealed.”Sing us another song,” a man
said.”Okay,” Raheem said. “I’m singing just
one more. For the kid. This one is called
‘Highway to Yesterday.’””This is my favorite
Impaling Sedation song,” Farah said.”You
are so going to love this one, guys.”As long
as it didn’t involve some girl from Raheem’s
past, I sure would.And I did love it.Drawn by
Raheem’s song, a crowd streaked in through
thedoor, doubling the audience. They
bobbed their heads up and down as they
watched him use his voice to the fullest.
Girls screamed out in sheer excitement as
he stomped and staggered. This part made
me scowl. Rockstar Raheem had killer
moves. But did the girls have to be so
obvious about it?Raheem sang on,
strumming hard, unleashing all his pent up
anger on the guitar. His dramatic picking
made the crowd cheer even wilder. It
stunned me how an orderly group of people
had morphed into an uncontrollable,
noisycrowd.Raheem sang the chorus for the
third time. Everyone sang along as though
they’d known the song all their lives.I did
too.At the end of the chorus, Raheem
strummed even harder, spinning his head
around in circles wild enough to break
abone or two. Moves like this deserved the
‘kids, do not try this at home’ caption.I
feared for his neck. An end to his head
banging session made me release the
breath I’d been holding. I’d expected him to
show a sliver of fatigue after rotating his
head so fiercely. But he went on just
fine.”Incredible!” I cried out.For a dramatic
effect, Raheem threw his guitar in the air.
My breath caught as I watched it flip right
back into position. I wished this show could
go on forever. But just like every other good
thing, it ended. Jumping to my feet, I joined
the crowd in a thunderous applause.An
outrageous crowd of Raheem’s new fans—
most of which were girls—closed in on him,
blocking him out of sight.”What are they
doing?” I asked.”The expected,” Farah said.
“They are no doubt taking his number so
they can be present at his next show.””Will
there be a next?” I asked.”Didn’t you see the
look on his face?” she asked. “I’m sure he
can’t wait to do this all over again!”Staring
at Raheem’s fans, Stella said to Farah, “If
Raheem lives through this, tell him we
enjoyed his show.”Farah’s face dulled as
she watched Stella signal the waiter.
“You’re leaving?””Yeah,” Stella said.”You’ll
be in school on Monday, right?” I
asked.Farah sighed. “I’ll try.”The waiter
strode to us, his well-trimmed smile still on
his face. He received our bill from Stella
and made to speak, but she beat him to it.
“Keep the change.””You are so kind,” he
said. “I hope you enjoyed dining here.””Why,
yes we did,” Stella said.The waiter directed
his attention to Farah. “Thank you forthe
quality entertainment you initiated. Our
customers are extremely satisfied today. I’m
sure the manager will seek to hire him. He’s
a fine young man.””He sure is,” Stella said.
We simultaneously vacated our seats.
Waving Farah goodbye, we made for the
exit.I turned around to cast Raheem one
last glance, and perhaps wave him goodbye,
but his fans had built a solid wall around
him. Sighing, I walked away.