Chapter 7 Yet to see him

She carefully tiptoed away from her spot and into her small apartment. The butterflies in her stomach couldn't allow her to have anything else from her bowl. She smiled at the thought of the young man thinking of spending time with her when they barely knew each other. Peris had quite the record and she knew it was mere lucky that he thought that way about her and it would only be a while before it ran out. All he had to do was see her, in person, and realize the kind of human she was. Then and only then would he hate her to no end.

She dismissed those thoughts from her head as she decided to concentrate on other matters. It was no use dwelling on what was not there yet. She vowed to herself that she would enjoy everything that would come to her heading from his direction. She emptied the bowl into the bin before she took her dirty utensils outside humming to oceans by hill-song. She loved that song and more so it comforted her whenever her past threatened to come out and haunt her. She let her mind go back to that lovely moment when he had spoken of her so comfortably.

She put the dishes in the sink and started singing the tune loudly hoping he would hear it and start playing as he usually did. She hoped that their situation ship had blossomed to the point where he had wanted to spend time with her as was their norm. She cleaned up singing tune by tune while he played it for her. He played it for her, she couldn't still accept those words as they sounded foreign on her tongue but at the same time it was the sweetest gesture anyone had ever done for her. Long after she had finished washing and rinsing she just stood there singing while he played and enjoyed it. She wished that their friendship would run on that battery for a while. She was not ready to fit into the profile that once he saw her he would stop wanting to spend time with her because she was not his type. She was never anybody's type but she tried to keep up but no one appreciated her. Just like her father had said. There was a chance she would never be anybody's type. Her voice faltered for a while but she quickly recollected herself not wanting to disappoint him while he had esteemed her so highly. Just then her phone rang and the familiar ringtone she had of the only person who called her, pierced through their moment.

"Mom now is kind of not a great moment, can I call you back?" She asked hoping that the woman would agree and let her have her peace. She always knew that whenever her mother called it had to be bad news. Her mother wasn't one to keep checking up on her simply because her father, as he had kindly put it, had made sure she knew that it was not her place to take care of Peris. She, as he liked to call her, was a big girl. That statement was never taken kindly because Peris knew exactly what he meant even though she never said it to anyone. She could still feel it at that moment as she thought of it. She had almost lost herself in the harrowing and distressing memories when she heard her mother speak on the other side of the phone. She had never been happier to hear someone speaking to her than she was in that moment.

"Peris, your father is planning on visiting you this weekend." Those words alone were enough to send a shock wave through her whole body. She hated the way those words sounded. It was as though it was a promise of what was going to happen to her. She hated it, detested it even as it brought all kinds of memories to her. All the things she thought she would escape by being away in campus seemed as though they had found a way to follow her. She took a deep breath that was shaky even to her ears, as she reconciled with the statement she had just heard. She could not let that happen. Her mother wasn't supposed to let that happen. The joys from the music that was still playing outside her room long forgotten and her blood slowly running cold. She did not want him to know where she lived. At least not that. She sighed again.

"Mom, you can't let that happen. Please I can't do that again." Her voice was almost a whisper but she knew she was audible when she heard her mother sigh from the other end. Her mother was a timid woman who was barely able to lift her head above what their father had been doing. A bit too submissive for her liking. Peris almost blamed her mother for her situation with her father. She low key wanted to shout and tell her that she was the one that caused her to be the way she was. She wanted all that but at the same time she knew she couldn't blame her mother. The poor woman had her share of troubles with the man in question. She had been forced into a marriage with him because of reasons that only her dead maternal grandparents could give. She was afraid that if she confronted her mother on the same matter then the resentment the woman held for her would grow and could be she would cease to warn her whenever matters were about to get out of hand.

"I'll try. But I'm not making any promises. Pas jouself op. I'll tell you how it goes." Her mother said after a while already sounding weak. Peris knew there wasn't much he could do but she appreciated that she was willing to try. Her mouth felt dry as she let herself reconcile with the fact that what she was trying to avoid most would come upon her.