Episode 33
Tamara and her sick daughter quickly scatted away from the house. Even though she had no idea of where next they were heading but she definitely knew a place they had to go first in the town before embarking on their impromptu journey to the city.
“You need to be strong baby. You can make it.” She tried to coo her daughter who was basking in severe pain. She didn’t get the chance to give the shrub-celery Mr Bellz provided to slacken her pain.
“Did aunt send us away from home ?” Amanda asked her mother but got nothing for answer. Then she proceeded;
“Why did aunt sent us away from home.”
Tamara forced out a fake perky smile.” She didn’t send us away sweet. She only wanted us to go to the big city, you know such of the type you’ve always dreamt of going.”
“By why did she hate us so much.” Came another heavy question from the teenage girl.
The question opened Tamara’s waterworks as tears flowed down from her eyes. She quickly got hold of herself, wiped off the beeline formed on her face by her tears sprinkled another fake smile on her face.
“Aunty didn’t hate us. As a matter of fact she loves you very much. I don’t want you to think she hates because she and her mother has always been responsible for our survival all along. Right from the time I lost my mother and your father. They have been there for us by providing us shelter and food to eat. So you don’t have to hate for this because they’re good people ok ?” Tamara lied to her daughter.
She didn’t intend to nurture a daughter who would grow to foster hatred to anybody. What she wanted for her was to grow up free from any peccant that could tarnish or mar her adulthood. She wanted to raise a daughter Khalid would be happy to have even in his afterlife.
“Ok mom.” The sickly girl nodded albeit knowing her mother was lying to her. She had witnessed how Adriana transformed and loathed to kill her mother and even how she threatened to kill her also. She wished she was in position to retaliate her mother’s inhumaneness being melted on her by Adriana and her mother but she couldn’t. At least not yet. Fury raved in her system as she watched how fear, hurt and pain engulfed her mother and how tears floated her eyes when Adriana lurched towards her to attack her. But what she quite didn’t understand was why her mother kept lying to protect the flagitious she-devil.
“So where are we going now mom?”
“We are heading to the city. But we need to first reach the cave.”
“The cave again? Why are we going there ?” Amanda’s face carried distortion.
“That’s the place I lost your granddad, also the place I met your father and it happens to be the place I lost him also.”
“Can you tell me more about him ?”
Tamara swooshed. Stopped walking and stooped to meet her daughter’s height.” Sweetie, your father is a good person. He is very loving, handsome and adoring. Even though fate didn’t get us to live love long together before he died, trust me sweetie, I never regretted having you for him and I would do it all over again if the opportunity dared peak again.” Tamara peached chortlingly.
Amanda noticed how her mother fondled with the talisman around her neck all the while she was tattling about her beau. She noticed the sweet-scented smile that graced her lips and how happiness moisture her face. Her father must indeed be a heady person. She was happy she was lucky to be a daughter of such person.
“How did you get that ?” Amanda pointed at the talisman.
“He gave it to me.” Tarama stood up and made to leave. “It was the last thing he gave it to me before he was killed. He broke a talisman that was precious to him into two and gave me one out it just to show how much he likes me.”
“If you see him now are can you recognise him ?”
“He is dead!” Tamara’s voice was laced with pain this time. “He is gone and he is not coming back.” She mourned fighting back the building tears.
Amanda noticed she had ignited her mother’s dolorous mood so she opted to stay silent now. Mother and daughter then continued to tread along amidst the queasy silence, but they hadn’t gotten far when all of a sudden Tamara noticed her daughter’s pace was slackening. Her face was getting more pallid and she’d grown very frail. It lacked strength. Amanda’s sickness was deteriorating. Mr Bells had warned Tamara to abstain her from anything stressful activity as lymphopenia could grow virile when the body lacks rest.
Tamara who was now restive quickly rushed to her and caressed her. “Hold on baby we can make it. Just hold on.”
“I’m dying.. I’m in pain. I don’t want to die now.”The lass cried in total agonizing ail.
Those words peeing from Amanda’s mouth prodded her ears and caused an excruciating pain in her heart. She tried to give her the shrubs Mr Bells had prescribed for her but was thwarted when she realised she had left them in the house.
“Amanda look at me,” she fixed her wanly stare on her. “You can make it okay? Just keep on going to the cave I will meet you there but right now I need to go get you your medication.”
“Okay mom.” Amanda said very weakly.
“Can you make it?” Tamara wiped her tears as thick horrid fear beset her. The fear of loosing her one and only companion in the cold world.
“I will mommy.” Amanda said and limped away from her arm towards the route that led to the cave while Tamara scampered to get her daughter’s medication.
As Amanda kept on solely limping towards the cave, she noticed a vehicle parked beside her and the driver rushed towards her. The person was coming to help her. She didn’t first get to see her helper’s face but when she eventually did, Amanda almost swooned to coma. But one thing that got befuddled was the fact that her Samaritan also possessed the confusion on her face.
“Eh..you are not feeling well young lady you mind taking you for treatment ?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a doctor. A medical practitioner.”
“No, I mean your name.” Amanda hoped the good Samaritan’s name should be Khalid because her that was the name her mother told her, her father’s name was.
“Jamal. Dr. Jamal. Please let me help you, you’re sick.” Jamal pleaded. He was also more concerned about knowing who the girl was. He’d felt this odd feelings of deja vu immediately he sighted the lass. Apart from the lass carrying the same spitting image of his Tamara, he’d this feeling he he’d been with the girl sometimes in the past he couldn’t remember. One more features that was scintillating about the sick girl was the way she still managed to curve her petite lips into a pleasing smile even while in pain. Same trait he reared. Same appeal he possessed.
“Thank you.” Amanda mouthed albeit her weakness.
That was go-ahead for Jamal as he scrambled to his vehicle and brought his medical tool box. In no time he had treated her back to recovery. Amanda had regained her strength while her lusterless shrouding her face had vanished.
“I must confess you are suffering from a very dangerous illness. You need to visit our hospital.” Jamal said as he helped her back to her feet.
“I know but my mom can’t afford the hospital bills for now.” Amanda’s face dropped dejectedly.
Jamal smiled his mousse smile and something sparkled. Amanda perceived it-so likewise Jamal himself. Something weird was coruscating in the atmosphere.
“You can have my card. Tell your mom to bring you to my hospital I promise to take care of the bills.”
Amanda collected the card.”She will soon be here why can’t you please wait for her.”
“My dad is waiting for me. I can’t keep him waiting for too long.”
“Alright thank you for the treatment.” Amanda flashed her own mousse smile.
It was very obvious the two had developed a strong penchant for each other. Mammoth of thoughts were circling inside the head of both father and daughter. Jamal on his part was trying quash the urge to quizz more about her but he didn’t want to appear ludicrous to her and at the same time he was scared of being disappointed again.
Jamal shook his head. An effort to nudge out crazy ideas budding up to turn him into a nut. There was no way she could be Tamara’s daughter. Tamara was dead and gone.
“Sorry what’s the name of your mother ?” Jamal decided to ask just for asking sake.
“Her name is Daisy.” Amanda answered truthfully. That was the name she had grown up to know her mother to bear.
“Alright then. Endeavour she brings you the hospital.” Jamal advised and strutted disappointedly to his.
But not after Amanda’s eyes caught the talisman around Jamal’s neck. She was bedazzled seing the exact talisman around around her mom’s. She ran after him.
“Hey wait!” She yelled after him.
Jamal turned on the ignition. “What’s it beauty ?”
“That thing on your neck did you give a pair to anyone else ? I’m sorry for asking you such a dump question.”
“Yes I gave it to someone sometimes ago but the person was since dead long time ago.”
“I’m sorry is the person someone you love ?” Amanda felt awkward asking the question. But according to his mom’s unfairly tales the person who gave her the pair of the talisman was someone who loved her dearly. Perhaps the person was this person in front of her.
Jamal also felt the cumbersome in her question but all the same it was question. And question he wasn’t ready to give answer to.
“I will love to see you come to the hospital beauty.” Jamal simply said and brought his vehicle to life.
“Wait! My mum is here!!” Amanda yelled after Jamal’s vehicle after her mom appeared from afar off. But Jamal was already gone.
Story continues..