"Stop fighting for it
and don't fight it either.
Let it starve for you.
You, strive to reach it.
Let it yearn for you.
Love it as it is.
It's life, love, friendship, and mystery all together.
Feel it, take it, embrace it."

-@diddie

..............................♥.................................

C H A P T E R 28:

"Big sister?" Iby broke the sudden silence by asking, looking from the young lady (who just claimed to be May's younger sister) to May in confusion.

"May, is this some kind of joke? Is it true?" He asked with disbelief written all over his face.

May tried to find her voice which she seem to have lost due to the shock of seeing her younger sister again after all these years.

She stammered, "Uh-Uh. Yes, Iby."

Iby gave her a disapproved look. "But I thought you said-"

"I know what I said." She quickly cuts in then, gulped. She looked at anywhere else but him. She didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes. "Please don't be offended, Iby. Can you just excuse us. I'll explain everything to you later."

He hesitated a little before he left.

"Who is that?" Efua asked, occupying the chair Iby was previously sitting on.

"A close friend of mine." replied May.

"Is he the one that called me on phone?"

"Yes."

"Well luckily, I was with Esther when his call came through this afternoon. We were making some arrangements together for my engagement party." Efua explained.

"Let's forget about that for now please. I'm just seeing my sister for the first time in close to seven years." Esther said as she sat on May's bed with a small smile tugged on her matte lipstick lip. "What I want to do now is, hug her so tight that she wouldn't breath."

May and Efua chuckled together.

May sat up and they hugged.

"You've grown so big and chubby, Esty. What have you been eating that is making you shine like this?" May asked when they broke from their hug.

Esther only smiled. She missed the nickname May had given to her, Esty.

They stared and smiled at each other for a while, not knowing what else to say. It felt awkward. It felt different. It was a feeling they couldn't explain more to be happiness that settled in the pit of their stomach. Except it was more than that.

Esther looked more beautiful than May could ever remember or maybe it was just the makeup she had that looked like it was done by a professional. Her melanin was dark and shining. She was scenting sweet. May could swear it was one of those costly perfumes that in her present condition, she could never afford.

Aside that, a gold, expensive necklace rested round Esther's neck but what May liked most was her younger sister's outfit. Esther was donning a perfectly cut dark suit and matching pants. A look at her and you'd know that she was a career lady.

Esther was so admirable. Looking at her, May couldn't help but think that If only she was still living with her parents, she would be looking different and pretty than her current state.

"I've missed you. I wish you would come back home. Mother misses you too." Esther said, cutting into May's thought, wiping a tear from her eyes before it could slip.

"You and I know that what you just said is mission impossible." May air quoted with a sad smile. "Daddy doesn't want to set his eyes on me." May told her with gleaming eyes.

"He does."

May wiped under her nose with her free hand. "That's just a plain lie to make me feel better."

Esther took May's free hand and caressed it. "But it's a good thing that you still refer to him as, daddy."

Memories of the day May was disowned and thrown out of her father's house began to play on their heads. The air became thick with emotions.

Both sisters didn't know they were shedding tears until they started sniffling as they stared at each other. It looked like they weren't going to say anything else to each other again but May broke the silence eventually. "Maybe I should start refering to him as, his Excellency Honourable Pete Felix because, he has stopped being a father to me long time ago but he has always been a good leader to the people. I saw sometime ago on TV news that he was re-elected for governorship after his first tenure. I was so happy for him even if I know that he doesn't think of me, my whereabouts talk more of my happiness."

She sniffed. "People praises him to be a good man. No doubts, he is. But whenever i see him on the news raising funds for charity works or sharing provisions for the less privileged, I can't help but feel.." She paused to search for the right word as fresh tears filled her eyes. "...Neglected. Rejected. Abandoned. Jealous. This man was supposed to take care of me more than he does to these people."

Efua cleared her throat. They both turned to her.

"Uhm. I'll just go outside and get a drink." She told them while blinking her eyes, fighting back her tears.

Esther gave her a nod.

Within a minute, Efua left to go join Iby outside.

"I am not in your shoes but I know it hurts." Esther started. "I know how it felt when you left. I was beyond sad. I thought I wouldn't cope without you by my side. I cried for days. I starved myself thinking it was going to change dad's mind and he was going to bring you back but he didn't. The worst thing is, he stopped every means I would've used to communicate with you. I didn't know where you lived. I couldn't find you. I was beginning to hate dad but later on, I accepted the fact that I couldn't change the past or what had happened. So I lived on. But you know, lately I noticed that even if Dad threw you out and said he disowned you, your pictures were still on the walls of our living room and surprisingly, Dads office."

"W-what?" asked, May in surprised.

"Yes and I'm not lying to make you feel better." Esther dabbed her face with an handkerchief in order not to ruin her makeup. "I caught him staring at our picture a few times. The one the photographer took when we had both made a funny face. Do you remember?"

May giggled on remembering. "Of course... but he was probably staring at you or maybe, he wanted my part to be cut off."

"No. I thought the same." Esther disagreed. "It took me sometime but then, I realized that all that while, he wasn't staring at me but you. Missing you and regretting his actions."

"You can't speak for him cause you don't know his thoughts." May persisted.

"I know I can't read his thoughts but I am certain he wants you back. May, he loves you."

May shook her head sideways. She wasn't going to believe all what her sister said. "No. No. Don't say that. He doesn't love me. He hates me since the day I was born-"

"May, you and I know that that isn't true."

"-If he truly loves me, he wouldn't disown me. If he truly loves me as you claim he does, there would be no amount of offence I would commit that would prompt him to throw me out of his house. If he truly loves me, he would care about my whereabouts. If he truly loves me, he would show it. Esther, family sticks together okay? No matter what happens."

After some minutes of reminiscing on the past, sobbing and trying to get their selves together, Esther finally asked, "Where is your husband?"

That question took May off guard. "Uh. Uhm." She coughed, trying to think of a reasonable lie. Nothing came.

"It's okay. You need some rest." Esther told her, sensing her discomfort but wouldn't say.

May smiled weirdly. "Yeah."

Esther caressed her hand. For the first time since she entered the hospital room, she noticed the yellow wristband on May's wrist.

"You still have this?" She asked.

"Yeah. Why?" asked May.

"Nothing. Just.. I kept mine locked in my cupboard."

"Why?"

Esther looked down with sadness. "It reminds me alot of my lost one."

"Grandma.." May whispered.

Just then, the least person May was expecting, who happens to be Tina, rushed in. They watched with astonishment as she almost tripped on her heels and tried to steady herself.

"What happened, May?" She asked, looking all concerned as she got to May's bed.

May began to stammer. She couldn't explain it in the presence of her younger sister. She didn't want to tell her about Edric's act just yet. She tried to give Tina warning using her eyes but Tina didn't care or didn't just understand.

She looked pissed.

"That bastard. He made you do this? He would sleep in jail this night." Tina said. She brought out her phone and began to type furiously on it.

Esther just kept looking from her sister to the new lady with no idea of what was going on or what the lady, who just came in, was saying.

"What are you about to do?" May asked nervously as Tina pressed the phone against her ear.

Tina gave her a duh look. "I am calling the police."

~~~~

I am sorry for the delay. As some of you already know, I had phone issues. Its being repaired but still giving me issues.

I'll try to keep up with the updating. Thanks for sticking with this book for this long. I love y'all ❤❤❤