OUR MOON HAS STRINGS

"Lily, do not cling to the door. Aunty dislikes that." Valery steadied herself behind the steering wheel, occasionally stealing glances at her niece to ensure she was not playing with the locks.

She smiled, seeing the six-year-old pick up the stuffed frog, which had been ignored a while back. They loved the Muppets. Although Miss Piggy was her favourite, Lily adored Kermit the Frog.

It was only a short time until they reached the mall. Valery slowly followed the other cars through the entrance, quietly peering around for a good place to park. Once she found her spot, she reeled over, initiated the brakes and turned off the engine.

"Come, little Kermit." She opened the door for Lily.

A few steps forward, Valery recalls leaving the grocery list behind. "Lily, stay right here!" She said sharply and ran back to the car.

"Where the hell did I put it." Valery combed hastily through the front seats. She hated handling pieces of paper, yet her elder sister refused to get a small notebook for the grocery list, no matter how many times she nagged about it. "Ha! Gotcha." Valery bent down to pick up the neatly folded sheet beneath Lily's seat. Lily had been holding on to it earlier, glaring at the letters as if she understood what they meant.

All was well when Valery locked the car and turned around; that was before she saw Lily walking towards the entrance on her own, not minding the road. Struck with fear and obviously out of reach, Valery yelled- waving her hand, telling Lily to stop while she dashed towards her. A car was approaching rather recklessly down the narrow road.

Worried she won't make it on time, Valery tried signalling the diver to slow down, but it was useless. The driver had drowned the car's insides with loud music and was also not paying much attention.

Out of nowhere, a figure swooped in and grabbed Lily out of harm's way, frightening the child, who did not understand what was happening.

Shaken by the ordeal, Valery ran faster and grabbed Lily, who was put down by her saviour.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME!! ARE YOU A DODO BIRD? WHY DO YOU LOVE RUNNING INTO DANGER LIKE THIS!" Valery panicked.

"Excuse me, but the fault is yours for not keeping a better eye on her." The stranger called her out on her mistake. "Had I not seen her earlier, that bastard would have run her over and not even looked back. "

Valery sighed, forcing out a breath of relief. "You're right. I should have been careful. It's okay, baby, don't cry. I was wrong to have left you like that. Come to Aunty. I'm not angry, okay." She tried to comfort Lily.

Valery reached out, slowly grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her closer to hug her. Then she rose to her feet to address their helper. "Thank you very much, I...I... Derrick?" she stammered after getting a proper look at the man. It took him not less than a second to confirm it, recognizing her as well.

Derrick's eyes widened as his lips curved upwards. "Violet. I mean Valery," he said, not knowing how to process this rush of mixed feelings coursing through his veins.

(Three hours later.)

*Music in the background*

The song played repeatedly, intoxicating Valery's mind as she drove on the highway. She was a massive bowl of emotions until it got sour, and she wanted them to disappear.

Derrick had accompanied her to shop for groceries that afternoon and spent about forty minutes with her in a coffee shop. Lily was treated to cheesecake and chocolate milk, which made her forget about the incident.

Valery was still determining how it would all end, exchanging contacts and acting friendly again. Nothing had changed about Derrick; he was taller, a bit bulkier, and more handsome, but he still had those eyes that once made her heart flutter.

'I know it ain't easy, giving up your heart.'

Valery sighed as the song spelt out the obvious.

Lily's little feet ran into the house as soon as the door was shut. Her mother and baby brother should be waiting for them inside. When Valery put the bags on the counter, Jennifer was in the kitchen, preparing the stew with the few ingredients at home.

"You took your time," Jennifer said.

"I bumped into a friend along the way, and your daughter nearly gave me a heart attack." Valery chose to leave out the crucial details. There were days she wished she did not have to tag her niece along, and Jennifer felt it. At least Kofi was yet to crawl and get on her nerves as much. But that's how kids are; sometimes, they can't be controlled or coaxed into staying out of harm's way. You just have to step up as an adult and be ready to shield them with your life.

"I'm heading home." Valery sorted herself out with a bottle of water.

"Stay and have supper with us. My husband will be an hour late, and you know I hate eating alone."

"That's why you have children, Jennifer," Valery said, holding a mischievous smirk.

Jenny pursed her mouth, resisting the urge to throw a ladle at her younger sister. "Someday, when you get out of this no-dating phase and have to raise two beautiful kids like mine, I will be there to throw shades back at you. Mark my words, Val." Jennifer pointed her saucy wand at the offender, who gladly laughed at her pains. "Seriously, you're not going anywhere, so strap Kofi to your back and come help me finish." She stirred the pot of stew.

"Okay, big Sis, but know I won't be here till Eric comes home," Valery said on her way to the living room where Kofi was lying in his rocker.

Supper turned out great; they even got a glass of wine over a TV series they enjoyed watching. Valery ended up staying till her sister's husband returned from work.

She got to her apartment roughly at ten and hopped into the shower. Wearing nothing underneath her morning coat, Valery sat on the bed with a phone in hand, going through her messages to see if any surprises were waiting for her. Sure enough, there was.

A text from Derrick, asking her out on a proper date...

Valery kept herself busy at work, moving from one patient to another and closely monitoring the hospital chart. Minimal time for lunch breaks, rest and certainly zero tolerance for distractions. And that's what some of the doctors at Klimov Hospital wanted to be, an unwanted distraction.

Her shift ended at four in the afternoon. From there, she headed home to shower and fall on the couch. On most days, Valery did not have the strength to cook, so she ordered takeout from her favourite restaurant. There were days Jennifer came to her rescue, but she chose to burden her sister once in a blue moon.

After the serenity came another beeping text from Derrick. Benson threw her neck at the armrest of the long couch, biting on her bottom lip as she read it. Nearly a week had passed, and she was still adamant about replying to Derrick's text. Years ago, she promised not to get too close to him or be trapped by his nature. It was an emotional affair, and sincerely, she was not ready to drown the second time.

Her finger swipes over the screen and taps a few words...but then she deletes them and places the device on the floor. Her eyes fall on the television, mind circling in a wormhole of memories. Valery was so out of it she lost sight of her eyelids drooping.

*Phone rings*

Valery's eyes reel up. She lets out a strained sigh as her hand lazily searches the ground for her phone. She plasters it to her ears, expecting it to be the delivery guy.

"Hello."

"I didn't think you would pick up when you refused to reply to my texts."

Valery's eyes go wide. She checks the name of the caller and nearly cusses. "Um, I'm sorry about that. I got carried away with work and didn't get the chance to..."

"I understand. I wouldn't want to talk to me, too, after how we parted ways. But it would do us a lot of good to let go of it. Have dinner with me, Violet," Derrick said. Valery paces herself, weighing the pros and cons of that happening. Eventually, she realized that she was overthinking.

"Alright, let's have dinner," she said.

"Can I pick you up tonight at eight?"

"Let's make it tomorrow at eight. I will drive so you can pick a place and let me know."

"Sounds more like an appointment than having a meal with an old friend," Derrick chuckled at the end of the line. He could tell she was smiling by the weight of her breath. "I will do as you say," he added.

"Alright, bye." Valery ended the call in a hurry. It did not feel right to giggle at Derrick's jokes- not yet.

Tomorrow came, and Valery found herself wanting to back out. That was the primary reason for her showing up nearly two hours late. Too many what-ifs and whys rumbling in her head, which wore her out. At least Derrick received her with a smile.

The first thirty minutes felt like floating on air. The most difficult questions ought to have come at that time. What do you do, where do you live... are you seeing anyone? At least, that's what she expected. Derrick didn't bring them up at all. It was as if he knew to stay clear of them.

Instead of those direct questions, they laughed about how bad Derrick was at using google maps and the many times he got lost in the city since his return to Ghana. "I had to ask the locals for help, which was another trouble. You can imagine the look on my face when I ended up at a warehouse instead of a church." Derrick ridiculed himself, making her laugh.

"Derrick, what do you do?" Valery did the asking in the end.

"What I was born to do, to run the family business."

"The Duncan Group Of Companies?"

"Yup, that's the one." Derrick nodded.

"What happened to the dream of becoming a racer? You hated the idea of working for your father when we were younger," said Valery.

Derrick had his left hand on the table, playing with the salt shaker. "Sometimes life happens, and you see that you're right where you must be. My father passed, and my mother needed me to stand by her and my sisters, so I did."

"Wow, you really have grown." Valery reached across the table to still his hand. Her way of sympathizing with him. The Derrick she knew from way back did not care about others or himself.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, dinner was over. But Valery wanted to be in Derrick's company a while longer. She never imagined missing his conversations this much. It was refreshing in a way and nothing near gloomy as she envisioned.

"How about we go somewhere else to stretch, to get the food to settle," She suggested.

"Okay, thank God it's Friday." Derrick raised his fist, celebrating.

"Hahaha, yeah, thank God it is," Valery pulled back her seat, refusing to let him act like a gentleman.

Valery suggested going to a club, and Derrick bought into the idea. But dancing was only one of the things they did, and Valery was not an expert at holding her liquor.

"Do you do this often?" When they made it out of the sweaty crowd, Derrick was attentive to her staggering steps.

"Only with Marge," Valery clarified, struggling to get her key in when they reached her car.

"At this point, I don't think we should drive. Give me your address, and I'll order you an Uber." Derrick helped her out of the vehicle. "Oops, easy there," he heaved her up when she slipped.

Valery fought for some control of her body as he stood straight. "Benson, your house address." She looks up at the familiar voice, and something breaks inside her. "After all these years, you had to come back." she saw someone from the ghost of her past looking at her with a wry smile.

Derrick happened to be caught off-guard by that statement. "Honestly, I didn't think our paths would cross again." His palm lingered on her face. The noise outside could not suppress the heavy moment between them, neither could the stares from strangers passing by from their drunken exploits.

Derrick kissed her. It was sudden and a bold risk, but that was all he wanted to do. Valery did not fight it. She looks at him, muttering words under her breath. Words he did not hear due to a car honking from a distance.

As Derrick retook her lips, Valery creased the sides of his shirt, accepting another man's tongue as her mind sang the name she had muttered earlier... Kay

Ten Years Ago... High School.

Valery, just like most students with a social life, hated Mondays. Mondays meant math class, and math class meant pop quizzes.

Most days, she hid in the school library when overwhelmed. It was on the third floor, and Valery's class sat on the fourth.

It was only a matter of not getting caught, but then again, she was as innocent as they came based on looks, and using the washroom was always the go-to excuse.

On one Monday, while trying to skip the class, she almost comes face to face with the teacher at the staircase. Valery turned around naturally and quickly ran right. She would have nowhere to go except her classroom if she took the other way.

At the far end was an abandoned room nobody used. Although that was the first place she thought of, she had never been to the old classroom- not with the stories surrounding why it was never used.

For the sake of her life, Valery convinced herself that they were fake tales to scare students. At the turn of the knob, she jumped inside and shut the door.

Valery let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, laughing at herself for being so determined. But then she felt a chill when reality hit her.

This room is pitch black.

Valery could not see anything, and that began to creep her out. "It doesn't feel like I'm in the school anymore." She murmured as she felt the walls with her palm, looking for a light switch.

"Where else could you be?" A strained voice echoes behind her.

"Ahhh!" Valery slipped just as she pitched out a terrifying scream.

**

The room had been off-limits longer than any staff or student could project. Students talk about hearing twisted sounds and menacing laughs at that corner after school hours. They said it was haunted by ghosts.

In a superstitious society, everyone believed it. And now, Valery was living the nightmare of coming into contact with a phantom.

She picks herself up, forgetting which way she came from. Adrenaline rippling through her body, Valery runs around the room blindly, hoping to miraculously find the door or something to help her get out. When her hand touched a solid chest, she ran in the opposite direction, wailing. Valery begged the heavens for help in that frail moment, promising never to miss any class if she survived the ordeal.

Suddenly, the room became bright. Someone had switched on the lights.

Valery was so scared she kept her eyes shut after the 'click' sound. She froze when a hand snatched her by the collar of her uniform.

"Stop running and open your eyes." It took many more phrases to convince her.

It was no longer dark when she unblocked her view. Luckily, she was saved from slamming her head into an old locker. Valery's jaw gradually drops as she recollects herself. Why was a supposed classroom decorated with chairs, a fridge, a table tennis board, a computer, a stocked bookshelf, and a television? What the hell was going on?

"Lucky you...you found my hideout," said the boy holding on to her. Only then did Valery realize she was one step from falling if he let go. Slowly, she inclines her head.

"You?... What are you doing?"

"I'm saving a damsel in distress." A tall young man with dark eyes replied coyly. He let go after she found her footing, then folded his arms, "Why are you here, Violet?"

"My name is not Violet. It's Valery."

"I know, I know. But I prefer Violet, like African violets," he smirked. "Why come here of all places? Are you not afraid of the ghost that lives here?"

Valery frowned. "I'm not afraid of ghosts!"

"Didn't seem like that when you screamed like a little girl." The boy imitated the creepy voice Valery had heard earlier.

"Leo!" Valery backs up slowly, her face grimacing.

"Leo? People who call me Leo are either afraid of me or work for me. You know, like a Mafia," Derrick snickered. Valery's anger amused him. "On second thought, maybe you should call me Leo. You did think I was the ghost, didn't you? So technically, that puts you under those who fear me."

Valery hurried towards the door but was quickly intercepted. "You haven't answered my question, Violet." Derrick suddenly turned cold and unfriendly.

"Do I have to? Isn't it obvious that I'm skipping class? Had I known I'd run into the likes of you, I would have endured that."

"This is the only place in the entire school I don't find repulsive, do not ruin it for me," Derrick's tone came across as threatening.

"Instead of attempting to scare me, ask politely, Der-rick!" Valery said, devoid of any tension or uncertainty. Bullies like Derrick had no control over her.

Derrick took a long look and then sighed. "Fine, Valery, can you let this be our little secret?" His grin seemed insincere. "You can stay until the math period is over. Do help yourself to a snack. I saw how you drooled at the fridge like it was your first love." He turned away from the intruder and leaned against a curtained wall.

Valery saw that he had lowered his guard. She says nothing, backing away from the exit to the fridge.

Derrick chuckled when she took out a chocolate bar, "That was fast. I thought..."

"You thought what? This is not some K-drama where the girl meets a boy, gets angry and leaves with a punch or something on his face. I'm Ghanaian, and I don't hide my love for chocolate, so, meh." Valery helped herself. Looking at the bright room, she slowly wowed. The windows were covered with thick blue-black curtains, and the walls were painted grey like the fridge. The floor was tiled in squares, and on the left side of the wall were a few posters of comic characters, cars and a picture of the school.

Valery sat on the small sofa, admiring the room as she bit down on the chocolate bar. Derrick, on the other hand, stared at her suspiciously.

"So this is where you hide? And all these things."

Derrick tucked his hands in his pockets. "They are all mine. No one comes here, so hearing myself speak is easier."

"This sounds unrealistic; how did you get them in here without getting noticed?"

Derrick smiled. "My dad donates a lot of funds to the school. It's just one of the privileges that come with it."

"That's not enough reason to have a secret room and not get caught."

"Is that so? Well, I changed the locks so no one can get in," Derrick paces the room, observing the visitor. "So, math class, huh?" He let himself go on the bean bag sofa tucked beside the couch. Valery nodded while Derrick took out his AirPods. After plugging his ears, he lays back and shuts his eyes.

Two periods later, the bell rang for recess.

Valery stood up. "I'm heading out."

"Wait a few more minutes; it's unsafe to go now. Just five more minutes," Derrick said, eyes still shut. Although it bothered Valery to take orders from him, she obeyed. After exactly five minutes, Valery proceeded toward the door. This time Derrick did not stop her.

Holding onto the doorknob, she turns to say thank you. Only then does Derrick look at her, curving his lips when the door shut.