Chapter 5 The very beginning 3

That night was a not a very good night for Regee and Sally.

No one spoke about it on their way home.

Each of them were deep in their own thoughts.

They got home unwinded and Regee just started playing the piano.

"It was not a good night after all"

Sally snapped.

Bing!

It was Regee's phone

"I don't think we'll be needing your

Services any more.

That was a bad first impression"

Jack.

Regee gazed at the screen, her eyes widened in disbelief, and her face fell and her jaw dropped

The words seemed to sear themselves into her mind, each one a tiny dagger piercing her heart.

She felt a stinging sensation in her eyes as tears began to form, and her breath caught in her throat like a trapped bird.

That was the only place she was seen,the bar just made her feel she had something going on for her.

Not too long Sally came to the living room with a bowl of cereal.

"Do you want some"

Sally asked Regee.

"Ignoring me won't change a thing about this evening."

Sally said sinking on the sofa.

" Hmmmmm"

Regee signed.

"But it will make it worst"

Regee said passing the phone to Sally, who seemed lost.

Wait, what!

Sally exclaimed after reading the text.

"Who the hell is that man,to think he could just come in there and be responsible for this text."

Sally said with an intense gaze at Regee.

"I don't know, but I know that I'm not going back to that bar"

Regee said tearing up.

Sally moved to console her, cleaning her tears.

"Look at me Regee"

She said cupping her face.

"Mr Jack's bar is not the biggest, remember there's keturah Ama, and that will get you to places."

Regee nodded hugging Sally so hard.

" I love you boo"

Regee said hugging even tighter.

"Don't get me Emotional, I've got a bowl of cereal to finish".

They laughed disentangling the hug.

"That rude thing was really hot, did you see his abs"

Sally said punching the piano.

" You're just unbelievable, Sally"

Regee said leaving for the kitchen

"And he looks rich, for ego's sake I didn't take that suite he dropped"

Sally said pouring more cereals.

"If he is that rich what was he doing at the bar, not just any bar, the one in saint Duke"

Regee said grabbing the cereal from her friend, who raised her brows.

"For a tour maybe"

Sally said laughing.

"I didn't even get his name, we would have looked him up"

Sally said adjusting her dress.

" That's my dress Sally"

Regee said getting close to Sally.

" No, dear"

Sally said shrugging her shoulders, running to the room.

These two have been friends for 4 years now.

"They met at a park,two strangers amidst a sea of unfamiliar faces.

Regee was sitting on the bench wondering where she would spend the night.

While Sally came there to work and just needed some fresh breeze.

They sat on the the same bench and their eyes meet by chance and Regee saw that Sally wore the same dress with her. A blue chiffon qown with flair.

She smiled shyly when she noticed. But Sally was busy with her laptop.

Maybe instinct made Sally look up and they exchanged a shy smile, a nod of recognition, and returned to their respective worlds. Yet, fate had other plans.

Weeks later, they found themselves in the mall , recognizing each other they just chuckled.

Sally offered to pay for Regee's grocers since, her money was insufficient.

And they exchanged contacts.

And spoke few times over the phone.

They discussed about a lot of things.

Till late one night,Regee called that she had no way to go since the lady she was staying with asked her to leave.

It was a rainy cold night.

Hearing the desperation in Regee's voice, she had to go out and pick her.

Took her in and made her a cup of coffee, and then made her a warm bath.

Sally wanted making her dumplings but she insisted she wasn't hungry.

Right from that day, the stayed together and Regee's mother doesn't relent in showing appreciation in every phone call.

As the years passed, their friendship blossomed, a garden of trust, empathy, and unconditional love.

They became each other's safe haven, a reminder that kindred spirits can be found in the unlikeliest of places, and that the most beautiful friendships can arise from a single, serendipitous glance.

And they happen to be the same age.

And they were each other's family as they really had no one except themselves.

.............

"Halo sunshine

Waky waky"

Sally said jumping bouncing on the bed.

With a playful burst of energy she removed the duvet from Regee's body, flipping on the light switch and proclaiming, "wake up sleepyhead". "it's the shopping spree today"

"Uhhhhhhh"

Regee said yawning sitting up and rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"But waking me up from that sleep

It's early"

She said twitching her eyes from the rays of the sun.

"No doubt I've been waiting for - our shopping spree extravaganza! But my eyes groggily open, and and still very sleepy"

Regee said yawning more.

smile spreads across her face as she realize what's in store.

Sally pounces on the bed, shaking Regee's shoulders with excitement, and she couldn't help but laugh.

'Time to wake up and shop 'til we drop!'

Sally chanted.

"Lol,like you have the money to shop and drop"

Regee said laughing more.

" I don't care"

Sally said walking to the wardrobe tossing outfits to change into. While Regee continued rubbing the slumber from her eyes, yawning and swinging her legs over the side of the bed

"Keturah Ama's show is in two day"

Regee said standing

Like a sudden jolt of excitement striked her like a bolt of lightning on a sunny day.

You could see from her face that a joy more than the shopping spree had come.

'Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!'

Sally exclaimed aloud, with her voice echoing through the house.

Or did I?

Sally asked with a smirk on her face and tapping her index finger on her chin.

"Of course I didn't"

Sally said throwing more outfits on the bed.

"So I woke up this morning, I got a notification from my calendar and it turns out, Saint Duke's town would be hosting Keturah Ama.

And I woke you up, just in time to get ready, for the shopping,because you ain't leaving this house dressing like a dutch bag on that day, or should I say, two days from now.

Sally explain throwing a navy blue skort with a pink cowl neck blouse.

"That's what you're wearing to the store"

Sally said arranging the dresses back into the wardrobe.

"Now I'm heading to make us breakfast"

"Mmmmmmmm"

I'm loving this treatment"

Regee said grining.

"It's better you take your sleepy self to the bathroom, lest I'll drag you, myself"

Sally said from the kitchen.

In no time the girls had cleaned up the house and had taken breakfast.

Sally sat down to do some work before dressing up to the store.

While Regee just sat on the bed with lots of thoughts.

She was fidgeting with her hands, her fingers twirling around each other in a restless dance. Her eyes darted back and forth the room,never lingering on one spot for too long, her brows furrowed and her lips were paused together in a worried pout.

She glanced around the room, as if searching for a means to let go of the nervousness that was yielding.

Regee's shoulders became hunched, and her posture slouched, giving off some air if vulnerability.

She takes short, shallow breaths and het voice seems to tremble at every attempt to speak.

Despite her efforts to appear calm, get nervous energy is palpable and obviously stronger.

Because it seems to betray her, by radiating in every gesture from her body.

"Are you okay?"

Sally asked with a smooth and low pitch.

Even with Regee's eyes going back and forth she didn't notice that Sally had noticed her nervousness.

"No, I'm not"

Regee responded almost crying.

" What if the Keturah Ama's concert doesn't go well"?

Regee asked fidgeting.

Sally left the table came to the bed, hugged Regee.

Cupping her face, she looked sternly.

"Don't ever bring anything negative, close to you, Regee"

Don't ever"

Sally warned.

Regee just nodded, trying to wipe the already rolling tears.

In a warm and encouraging tone, she speaks words of affirmation,with her voice filled with conviction.

Sally places her hand on Regee's shoulders with her eyes locking on Regee with a fierce determination

"You've got this!"

She exclaimed.

her words bursting with enthusiasm.

'You're stronger than you think. and capable of achieving anything you set your mind to, that, I know'.

Sally reminded her friend of her zeal and passion and how much she really wanted this.

With each sentence, Regee's posture straightens, their eyes brightening with renewed hope and she begins to paint a picture of successful future, a one where she is striving to become just the best version of her self.

It was a cute moment for Regee. The words of her friend her soothed her, giving her calmness.

"You're so beautiful Sally Hansen"

Regee complimented, smiling.

'Wow, so you're just noticing'

Sally said pretending to arrange her thick hair.

"Thank you so much Sally you mean a lot to me"

Regee said smiling hard.

"Awwwww, I didn't do this much to mean little to you darling"

Sally said arranging Regee's cowl neck blouse.

So who's going shopping?

Sally asked.

Me!

Regee exclaimed basking in happiness.