HEALER
EPISODE 8
“Why didn’t you tell me all about it, Kendra?”
Aliyah said to her, four days later at the
hospital. Kendra lowered her gaze.
“Look at you. You look like s–t!”
I’m sorry, Aliyah. I know I should have told
you but I just couldn’t.”
“Kendra, I am your friend. We could have
worked something out. I can’t believe that
b—–d would raise his hands on you like
this. And to think that you’ve been going
throu-gh this for three years. Its too much
o,Kendra. You could have died, I hope you
know that.”
Kendra nodded.
“But I didn’t.”
“You didn’t because Alex happened to be
there…no, he was actually pas-sing by and
what if he hadn’t seen you? Or worse,what
if he had pas-sed by at all?”
Kendra said nothing. Aliyah was mad at her
for keeping quiet but with all her scolding,
she actually made a point. The thought of
not seeing Alex at that time. She would have
died there and no one would know of how
she died or who caused her death.
Alex had been nice enough to her and she
was beginning to wonder what she would
do now. She didn’t want to go back to her
parents place just yet. She wanted Connor
far from.her for now. And he had been
calling her persistently as if he expected her
to still be alive after the beating he gave her.
“Have you told your parents?”
Aliyah said and she looked sharply at her.
“No. I don’t want to tell them.”
“Kendra, you have to st©p this. You can’t
keep it away from them. They’re your
parents. And look where your silence has led
you. You’re still young. Too young to be
traumatized about marriage.”
“I’ll tell them but I can’t stay with them. I
nee-d to find a place to stay. I don’t want him
to find me just yet.”
“Why don’t you come over to the house. You
can stay with us.”
Kendra thought over it and shook her head.
“I can’t. It’s too easy. Besides I don’t want to
be a burden to you and Ben..”
“Who says?”
Kendra smiled. “With your honeymoon
things.”
She tea-sed and Aliyah chuckled.
“You still find a way to be funny in this
state?”
Kendra smiled. “I’m serious,Aliyah. I don’t
want to be a bother. And if he doesn’t find
me, he’ll come there.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But where will you go?
Will you lodge in a h0tel?”
Kendra shrugged.
But when she had said her plans if a h0tel to
Alex, he had kicked against it, saying that
she nee-ded to be at a place where she can
be on constant watch daily. He had a point
in that too and he had offered to take her to
his mother’s. She almost refused but then
that was the only place Connor didn’t know.
**********
She had been with Alex’s mother for four
more days where she was recu-perating
slowly and getting herself back. But she
hadn’t heard or seen Connor, ap@rt from his
persistent calls and text messages telling her
how sorry he was and how he wanted her
back to him. Kendra stared at his last
message for what seemed like an eternity.
The man wasn’t even sure if she was still
alive or if he had killed her with his beatings
and he still kept calling and texting her. Alex
c@m£ from time to time to check on her and
visit. His mother wasn’t a problem.
“Its a good thing, you’re here,dear.”
His mother had said, few days later when
she had joined her in the kitchen. The house
was very big, almost like the one she lived in
with Connor but the woman still made her
meals herself. She was younger than a
woman who had given birth to someone
like Alex and Lisa.
She smile.
“Its a good thing because that young man if
a son I have rarely visits. And now he comes
here frequently like he kept a secret bag of
money he doesn’t want anyone to t©uçh.”
Kendra laughed.
“I’m grateful that you’re harboring me in
your home,ma. I’m really grateful.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. Alex has taken in a lot
if women into his own house but he has
never brou-ght one to me with earnest
pleading that I take good care of her like he
did in your case. So I’m not uncomfortable.
At least I can talk to someone. Lisa, that
girl?” She shook her head. “She’s something
else. She ha-rd ly stays at home and she
always hangs around with friends.”
The woman smiled. Kendra smiled back. This
woman could make great friends with her
mother. The both if them had the same
difficulty in being reserved. Someone
stepped into the kitchen and Kendra looked
up and smiled. Alex smiled back as he went
to give his mother a k!sson the cheek.
“Oh, you c@m£ early, dear.”
His mother said.
“We were about ma-king dinner. Do you
mind sticking around a little more?”
He looked at his wristwatch.
“Don’t you dare, son.”
She said to him. Kendra knew he was only
doing that to pu-ll her legs and he smiled and
then laughed. She laughed along with him.
This family was the best after hers.
He joined at the sink where she was
washing the cabbage. She smiled up at him.
They were nearly at k!ss!nglevel and she
was very aware if his nearness and how his
heart was beating. The truth was that she
was beginning to like this guy. Alex had
hinted to her of his feelings even if he knew
that she was married but she knew that he
wasn’t going to court a married woman. He
was just the kind of person who loves to be
outspoken.
“Hey.” He said and smiled. She returned the
smile. “Hey.” She said.
“How have you been?”
He said and washed his hands too so he
could take the cabbage from her. She
laughed when he went for the knife.
“You don’t want to do that.”
She said.
He looked at her and grinned.
“Why? Surprised that I’ll cut it better than
you?”
“No. I’m surprised because i know you can’t
cut it better than me.”
He gave her a challenging look.
“Really? I can cook too. You’d be surprised.”
She looked at his mother when he win-ked
at her and the woman averted her attention
immediately to the cooking pot on the g@s
as if she didn’t even know what was
happening. As if she didn’t know that
Kendra had caught her smiling. She went
closer to Alex and whispered.
“St©p it, your mum is here.”
He looked at his mother and whispered
back to her,
“Who says she isn’t listening to us right
now?”
He placed a quic-k k!sson her cheeks and
laughed as she hit his arm, blu-shing. Her
beauty was coming back again and she
seemed to be glowing more than the first
day they met.
“Oh, I forgot my phone upstairs. I’ll be right
back.”
His mother said and left the kitchen with
Alex grinning as she left. He turned to
Kendra.
“That’s her way of saying I saw you both
but carry on any way.”
“You’re impossible.”. She said and collected
the cabbage from him turning to cut it.
“So you can cook,huh? I swear,Alex. You are
so full of surprises.”
She said with her back to him. She shook
when she felt the heat of his b©dy so close
behind her. When she tried to turn, he
placed his hands on her w@!st and kept her
back to him. He brou-ght hisl-ips to her right
ear.
“You’ll be more than surprised to know that
there are so many other things I can do.” He
whispered.
His voice was se-duc-tive. And enticing,she
almost lost herself. She paused what she
was doing and turned her face to look at
him. But his gaze went down to herl-ips.
Kendra swallowed ha-rd . He leaned forward
and brushed hisl-ips over hers. She sighed.
She looked up at him. His gaze was
watching her as if he expected her to start
floating that minute. He moved to give her a
real k!ssbut someone cleared her throat,
bringing both her them back to planet earth.
His mother pas-sed a look to her son as she
entered and he win-ked at her, and sm-irked.
But for Kendra, she focused on cutting the
cabbage. But she wasn’t really focusing, she
trying to gain her composure and deal with
the bu-tterflies in her stomach…
To be continued
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