Wild West of the Heart
THIRTY-FIVE

"Hark the Herald's Angels Sing " The voices of amateurs filled the room as Fiyin sat still. She was in the earlier round and she had already balanced her tune to the song from the stereo. They had to be done with rehearsals by the end of the month, and that meant two plays and a sing along. One play about the birth of Jesus christ, and the other, about the visit of the Wise men. "Glory to the new born king"

Being the end of the year party, it meant everyone had to take part in it. And no matter how much it went against Abdul's religion, he himself was one of the wise men, the one that gave myrrh. But he didn't mind, afterall there was only a thin like between both religions. Fiyin watched them react the scene from the bible and she almost let out a laughter to echo in the halls. Perhaps it was because of the ridiculous scarf around Abdul's head. He fit the exact description of a wise man.

But then all of a sudden, someone halted beside her. And slowly she turned around to see Deborah. She didn't budge, especially when she sat beside her. Instead she waited before asking.

"What do you want?" Her voice went dead serious and defensive. Deborah was meek, biting into her nails. "I'm sorry" She apologized.

"I'm sorry that i seemed to pry. But it was concern and it's what friends do" She added and Fiyin let out a scoff. "We're not friends" She replied, and in that moment she knew she had been harsh. But harsh wasn't new to someone to Deborah. "I know" She said. "But you're mine"

"I'm not going to force anything on you, i'm just here whenever you want to talk" She shrugged her shoulders as if she was about to stand then she turned around. "And by the way, i accept your apology too, for the things she said" She added.

"I didn't apologize" Fiyin said, not in a any way offensive now. "That's the point" Debby said, before she stood. "We're reading Amebo next"

"For literature" Her voice faded away, as she did not bother to turn around. Fiyin placed her hands to the ground to wedge her up as her eyes went back to the ongoing play on the stage.

"And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother. And they fell down and worshipped him" The narrator said, and at that, Obi and Abdul fell at their feet. Ola, and this girl, Bade were Joseph and Mary respectively. "And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh-"

-

"How were we?" Ola said, his arms around Obi and a smile across his face. Fiyin stood, shrugging her shoulders like it was a mid performance.

"Fuck you" Obi was always quick to say as he let go off the scarf around his head. And then the white gown he'd worn over his uniform. He'd really gotten into character. Far more than Ola.

"I do make a fire Joseph" He smirked, with Bade brushing past his shoulders. "You were average" She said, letting out a shrill laughter. And Ola wrapped his arms around her, drawing her back.

She was once stern, but right now, she was flustered as she pushed him away. Fiyin cleared her throat, feeling something weird in her stomach. She saw the two, not that she had any right to be jealous. But she did feel something.

"Let me go" Bade pleaded, between laughs as she almost kicked his groin. "Watch it lady" Ola teased back with an accusing finger before he backed away. He let go of Obi simultaneously.

And just then Abdul walked over to them. He had his play costume in his hands before handing them to Bade. She picked up the rest before walking away, reverting a side glare back at Ola. "Sup" He said to him, with a nod. And Obi looked away.

It was an awkward second.

The time while he reached for his arms. "Obi"

His name was sweet coming from his lips, and he felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Obi" Ola called, like the enthusiastic middle person friend, trying so hard to bring two people together. It was what he was, shamelessly.

"Hi" He said, faking a late realization. "Can we talk?" Abdul said softly, gesturing out of the room.

Obi looked to Ola who collected his scarf from his hands and with a wink, he pulled away. "Are they a thing?" Fiyin asked, moving closely to Ola.

"Honestly-"

"I don't even know" He leaned his head, with arched brows. Anyways, as much chemistry as they had, he still didn't know. He watched them saunter towards the door and then through it.

"But they'd make a bomb ass thing" Fiyin darted her eyes to his outlined lips, and she pushed a lump down her throat, shaking off any thoughts.

-

"Hey" Abdul reached for his hands to draw him back. But then he let go, realizing they were in public. Damn him if anyone saw him holding another boy so intimately. Obi turned around with his pupils dilated. Some part of him liked that Abdul held unto him, but another part was scared.

He'd gotten himself accustomed to the fact he would never got to experience his epic high school story. He'd never get to hold hands with a boy in the hallway and he'd never win prom anything.

Because of who he was. He'd gotten accustomed to the fact that society hated who he was. But it still hurt. He looked around, ensuring no one had seen. "What do you want?" He asked, having no right to be angry at Abdul. But somehow, he

was.

"Obi, i tried calling you. I reached out over the weekend" He said, pulling him behind the storage closet door and they shut it. "I don't care, Obi"

Whenever Abdul said name, he felt those butterflies. Every single time, like it never went old. "I don't care. Besides i already knew" He let his hands fall to his side. "It's what i've been trying to tell you, if only you picked my calls" Obi's voice melted. "What?" He asked.

"I literally knew you were Neighborguy118. But only recently" He said. "I don't talk to a lot of people so when I got your actual number, i figured you were texting a lot similar to this other guy i met on an app. "For real, you're the only i know that capitalizes LMAO, and uses that the colon and bracket face thingy" He scoffed slightly.

"When i figured, i wasn't exactly mad but i wasn't surprised either. At least it wasn't pretend stranger that was going to jump my ass if ever we did meet up. I was happy, because i knew you" Abdul said, walking closer to Obi who leaned against the wall.

They were inches apart, and so close that their heated breathes mingled in the air. "And you, Obi are different. You're unlike anyone i've ever met"

His body pushed up Obi's inner thighs as his lips went for his neck. "Shit" Obi cussed. "I messed up twice" He let a smug laugh, and then Abdul pulled away. Resting his back against the wall as well, they looked to each other for more than a minute.

And then they burst out laughing.

"I'm a fool, aren't i?" Obi asked. "Yeah, no doubt"

And Obi did that thing where he bit into his shoulders. "Fuck you" He said his favorite line. Don't blame him, because if everyone around him wasn't such an asshole, he wouldn't get to use it.

"You wish" Abdul remarked and in that second, Obi turned pale. "What?" He asked. It was ridiculous to Abdul who pulled away. "Too soon?"

Obi smirked, as he held unto the door.

"Come to my sister's wedding, will you?" Abdul offered and Obi raised one leg against the wall. His eyes scanned Abdul's face as he remembered how close they were a minute ago. He pushed a lump down his throat as he nodded. "Sure—" "And bring Neighborguy118" He smiled, a metaphor that dared Obi to be like who he was online. Neighborguy was flirty, wild, and queer.

-

"I'll think about it" He smiled back at him and even when he had closed the door, Obi was still there, biting across his lower lip, embarrassingly love struck. This was that part of the movie.

Mary reached for an apple, placing into her basin.

She knew Titi was initially here for fruits but she had her cart full as they walked across the dirty portholes along the intersection of the markets.

"I remember doing this as kids" She started.

"Oh i remember the day you fell in one of these things and you got yourself all soaked and messy" Mary cringed at that memory. "Why would you even bring that up?" She frowned slightly. "What?"

"It was hilarious" She said. "For you. Because you weren't the one that got to go home all dirty and embarrassed. People looked at me with disgust that day and you knew i have self esteem issues" Mary said, but it was all thing of decades ago. The nostalgia hit her though, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to be that ten year old again.

The one that fell into the gutter, or the one with self esteem issues. She didn't miss getting rejected by boys. It was grief, grief for that part of her. Grief for who she once was.

"What, Mariam?" Titi teased, calling her muslim name before she converted. "Shut up" They had a nice laugh, resting under a shed for a moment.

She grieved for the days that had gone. The times that she got to spend with her sister, no matter how self centered she was. She missed how much of a duo they were, them against their parents.

And them against the world. But it was all gone when she met Akin. And she married him. Titi met David years later and she also married him.

Both of them went their ways to forge the next chapter of their lives. But they failed to include each other. Times passed and they only spoke like once in a blue moon. Until Ola got back, and it was an excuse for them to see each other. The last time they did, was when he was about to travel and she loaned them some money. She sat there, with a smile across her face as she looked at Titi.

Why did she lie to the closest person she had?

The one person that was left out of her actual family. One could lie to a friend, or a priest. But never to your sister, so she halted her laughter as she pulled off her glasses. Titi still went on.

"I had a cardiac arrest" She said, like announcing some big news and Titi nearly choked. It took a while for her to get herself back. "What?"

"I had a cardiac arrest and i spent two days in the hospital. Ever since Ola came back, our relationship has been thinning. And he gets into these constant fights with his father" She gestured to Titi to hold on while it morphed into a rant. "And Akin isn't working from her. He's broke and we had to sell our car, he's also changed. And i'm not sure he's what's good for Ola now that he's back. I'm clueless, and i don't know what to do. Don't talk, or don't answer or don't give me any sympathetic look. Don't even t-" Titi cut her short by pulling her in for a hug. Her cart fell into the porthole, and splashed dirt against them.

But they didn't care.

Titi just wanted to have a moment with her sister.

"Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God, i'm so sorry" Her eyes were moist as she pulled back.

"Because i didn't want an i told you so. Besides i knew you never liked Akin anyways. Things are just getting tough now, it's better but you got to always think, for how long?" Mary whispered, and Titi held unto her palms. "I'm here" She said. "You might not like asking for help, or reaching out. So i'm putting myself out there. I'm here, if ever you need anything" Titi said. "Sisters"

"Sisters by chance, friends by choice" She said.

And Mary nodded, she didn't know how much she needed that hug from Titi until she got it. And her lips molded into a smile. "Thank you" Came a subtle voice as her eyes went to the cart with the apple peering from beneath. "That one is on you"

The thing is, many people will walk in and out of your life but everyone's got that person. Those people, your people. The ones that make it abundantly clear that you could always run to them in times of need. In times of love and care. It was the definition of true friendship. Or family.

Knowing you have someone who you can share it all with, the good days and the bad days. The ugly ones as well. It's knowing someone has your back.

Whether it's in the shape of family, or a friend that becomes family. Or a partner for a school project in the name of Deborah Albert. Or it's through an application on your laptop, and fate.

It doesn't matter how it started, but real friendship is truly a journey without an end.

To be continued...