Star-crossed - Episode 4

 

Raymond:

As soon as I park the car at the end lonely bush path, Comfort points to the car door. I eye the place we're currently parked at and hesitate. She points at the door again.
"This doesn't look like a place to be at 7:23pm, Comfort." I say softly but she just continue to point at the door.
"So you are not saying another word to me huh?" I can't  help but be annoyed for some stupid reason I don't know. As  soon as she agreed to let me drive her, she's said nothing more to me, only pointing out direction with her fingers the whole ride here . Why do I even care if she wants to alight here? I mean I've driven her all the way to this town. The debt is paid to her. I don't owe her anything more. I press the button to open her door and the speed she uses to get out has me clenching my jaw in annoyance.
She slams the door shut and without a word, she walks down the bush path.
"Good riddance." I grumble. For some reason, I'm mad that she's ignoring me. I push the thought of her out of my mind and crank the music on the stereo up. I'm supposed to be having fun tonight. Not babysitting the town's mute. Well, she speaks so that's off the table

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/star-crossed

. I wonder if she's also not crazy like every one thinks. But why let everyone believe that?
"Ray, good riddance remember?" I ask myself dumbly as I navigate off the bush path and into the only tarred road in this town. I can't help but notice the lack of houses around this place.
It takes more than ten minutes driving down the road before I see the first sign of human beings.
A young man carrying a gallon of water on his shoulder walk gingerly down the road. I start to slow down till I pass him.
"You don't care, Ray. Keep going." Damnit! I slow the car to a stop  and wait for the young man to come walking past me before I roll down the window. He could just be a serial killer or a thief. I tell myself.
"Excuse me!" I call out against my better judgement. I inwardly wish him to ignore me and walk on but he stops and drops his gallon of water. When he leans his head into the passenger's seat window, I try not to grimace. He looks much bigger from this close.
"I'm sorry but I'm a bit lost. Do you know where the bush path out back leads?" I point to the direction I dropped Comfort at.
"Oh. There's nothing out there. Just the stream and the village grave yard." He says and I frown.
"Are you sure there's no one living around that area?" I ask him.
"Of course not. People hardly go that way especially by this time. There are even rumors of ghosts around that area."
"Oh." I manage to say.
"Yeah. The only reason I'm out here is because the pipe borne water in the middle of town stopped working an hour ago."
"I guess I'm not going that way, then." I chuckle nervously. The man just nods at me before picking his gallon and walking away.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." I mutter to myself and with that, I put the car in reverse and drive all the way back to the spot I left Comfort minutes ago.
"Comfort?!" I poke my head out of the car and yelled her name. My voice comes back to me in echoes and I kid you not, goosebumps spreads up my arm in fear. God knows I believe in ghosts. And this is a village no less! Witches could be lurking around as well.
I put the car to a stop and peer out of the window. I don't even remember the sun going down. It's almost pitch dark outside now. Don't go out there, Ray. I don't think ghosts will like you.
I tap my fingers nervously on the steering wheel and think about what kind of trouble Comfort might be in at this very moment.
"Okay. Here goes." I take a deep breath then push my door open. I make sure to survey the area before I slam the door shut. The sound carried through the wind back to my ears again just as a drop of rain drops unto my face. I look up at the growling sky and feel like this is a sign to just leave. But I can't.

****

Comfort:

My eyes are probably bloated from how hard I've been crying but it probably isn't obvious because of the rain pouring hard on my head. I shiver from the cold harmattan rain but don't make any move to leave. I brush the dark wet sand gracing my mother's grave and I wonder if she's comfortable wherever she is because this shabby grave isn't something she deserves. It's a deserted dry patch of land but it was the only thing the little money we had could get her. Even in death, mother didn't get luxury. Maybe father could have made life easier but taking care of a daughter with cancer ate all of his finance and then some. That was enough to drive him out of home.
I pick the guitar I placed on her gravestone earlier and caress the strings.
"I'm sorry I broke your guitar, mom. I just can't get anything right with you. I__I___ I'm sorry." I sob and hug the thing to my body. I can hear my cries echoing around me and it only makes me cry harder.
"I wish it were me. You didn't deserve to die. I pushed you into depression. I took Dad away from you. I'm so sorry mother. I won't ever forgive myself. I wish I can see you again and hold you. And tell you how much I'm sorry you died carrying all of my burden." My fingers dig into the dark soil as my heart twisted painfully in my chest.
"Did you send me a sign today mother? You wanted me to just let go of my bicycle and let that car crush me right? You wanted me to__"
"No mother would want that for her daughter." My head snaps up at the sudden voice behind me and the rain drop into my eyes just before It stops beating down on me. I wipe the back of my hand across my face and blink my eyes open.
"You came back." I say as I stare up at the face of the man who wouldn't just leave me alone today.

Read " Make You Mine(Redemption 2) " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. He's holding an umbrella above me, his lips set in a straight line.
"Yeah, I did." He stoops down to kneel on the wet ground beside me while holding the umbrella over my head. I notice that the rain is drenching most of him while he doesn't try to cover himself.
Something tells me this guy isn't usually this selfless.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" I ask him quietly. He just shrugs.
"I don't even know." He says, his eyes locked on mine. I feel like his dark orbs are drawing me into him. I can't even look away. I don't think I've noticed  it before but kneeling this close to this man, with his  face so close to mine has me noticing how gorgeous he is. For the first time since I entered this grave yard, I've forgotten the concept of pain. The soft sigh he lets out has me looking down to his small lips.
"I don't even know if you're crying or if it's just the rain." He says softly. His hand comes up to touch my face but I turn away from him at the last moment.
"It's already late. We should head back." I say as I pick mom's guitar and get up to my unsteady feet. I don't wait for him to stand up before I start walking towards his car parked at the small gate of the grave yard.