Chiquitita – episode 13
CHIQUITITA
(The Living Goddess)
Episode 13
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Written by Nathaniel Anuma (Bright Daniel)
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With the perplexed reaction on Fernando’s profuse sweating body, he looked from Chiquitita’s face to the cheque in her hand. He got surprised to see her at his doorsteps because never for once had he described his residential location for her. That was the last thing he would do regarding the nasty and low appearance of the environment. Of course Chiquitita noticed it right from the exterior part of the building when she saw the roof breaking down gradually, and nearly fell down at the entrance due to broken floors. Fernando’s body couldn’t allow her concentrate on the interior part of the building; she kept staring at him, knowing how frustrated he was. Before she could take another step forward, Fernando said to her, “Uhm.. I can’t tell now if you are Chiquitita or Isabella”
“Why?” Chiquitita stepped forward.
“I don’t know, I’m just really confuse now”
“But within you, who do you think would come here?”
Fernando didn’t respond to that. He slowly sat on the edge of a bed which had a white sheet, and bent down his head. Chiquitita looked from his muscular body to the broken furniture on the ground then exhaled. She wore a red crop-top over a black jean trouser. She had no make-up, yet looked like a marine entity she was. She parked her hair in a way a red-like flower prostrated beside it. I guess that’s why Fernando couldn’t recognize her.
“How did you locate here?” Fernando broke the silence without raising up his head.
“I met your mum at the hospital after which i got the address” she sat down beside him. “Why in this mood? Why breaking things?” There was no response from him, thus putting the room back to ghost mood. Chiquitita exhaled again, “I talked to my father about your mother’s condition. He gave me this to give you and will like to see you in person as the one who took care of us” she stretched the cheque.
Fernando raised his head sideways that moment, he collected it, looked at Chiquitita’s face then said after sniffing in, “You don’t know how grateful I am for this”
“Please, make sure you come around to see my father” she stood up to leave. Fernando stood up too but didn’t know what else to say as he watched the young girl proceed to the door. To his surprise, Chiquitita walked back to him in a very close range, staring into his eyes.. She dropped her bag, pulled up the top above her br-asts. Fernando couldn’t move or say anything. He was like a man standing on a charm. He saw a black b-ra after she pulled up the top. To his greatest surprise, she made one of her br-asts visible too and showed him a mark under it.
“Did you see that?” she asked rhetorically. “That’s the only thing that differentiates my twin sister and i” she began to cover her body.
“It’s a long process for an identification” Fernando said.
“I’ll always make it easy for you in times of confusion” she picked her bag.
“It seems like you don’t trust your sister”
Chiquitita didn’t respond to that, rather walked out. The sound of her shoes became the only response Fernado got in return.
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Three days left for Fernando to rip what he sowed. He needed to utilize that period of days; first, make sure that his sick mother undergoes a successful surgery and secondly, had a last moment with Chiquitita. None had an idea of his life span, not even his mother. Chiquitita, however had been waiting for the completion of five days to know what would happen as she was told.
Nevertheless, one could see Fernado rushing into the hospital and finally, in,side the doctor’s office. He placed the sum of five hundred thousand naira on his table in a way the force bounced some item like a pen up. The doctor leaned backward.
“This is the money, do all you can to save my mother’s life”
“Take it easy young man, I’m not God who saves lives” he stood up and brought out a file where Fernando signed. “Let’s proceed” he stepped out from his seat while Fernando followed him. He never rested for once as the surgery was taking place. He walked thro and fro in a long passage like a man whose wife is in the labour room. He continued like that for hours until the doctor came out. He nearly grabbed him on his cloth when he saw him.
“How was it, doctor?”
“Successful”
“Oh, thank God!” Fernando exhaled.
“It just for her to regain consciousness” the doctor walked away, while Fernando saw her mother being pushed out on a wheeelbed from the theatre room. He ran after them…
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Fernando approached the door of Mr Clifford once again the next day. He was in his best outfit. He even wore a blue face-cap which fitted him perfectly. A shortleeve T-shirt which had the same colour of the cap hugged his body in a way it exposed his arm muscles. Even the veins could be seen as he knocked on the door. Just then, the door opened by one of the twins whom he couldn’t recognize.
“Hi, Nado,” Isabella, who opened the door, smiled at him.
“Hi.. uhmm..” Fernando swallowed hærd. “Tita?”
“No, is Bella” Isabella smiled again as she opened the door widely. “Now, can you still say she is prettier than me?” she added. Fernando said nothing but kept smiling until he proceeded into the house to see Mr Clifford and the wife. They looked at him strangely.
“Father, he’s the guy that..”
“Oh, Fernando, right?” Mr Clifford stretched his hand which Fernado shake in agreement for his name being remembered and pronounced correctly. Hearing the name, Chiquitita came out of the room. She also smiled at the sight of Fernando who returned the smile, then took another look at Isabella. The twins sat down, looking inseparable.
“I came to appreciate for the money…”
“How’s your mother now?’ Mrs Rose interrupted him. She also found the young man good for one of the twins. Therefore smiles never departed from her l-ips.
“The surgery was successful” he glanced at the twins who kept releasing series of eye contact until he left the house. Of course the mother noticed it.
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A day left for Fernando to join his ancestors, yet his mother had not regained consciousness. He sat beside her sick bed weeping seriously in silence because he knew he had disappointed the mother after being trained to fear God. Just as he wept, Fandom appears at the other side of the bed, standing in his native scary outfit. Fernando looked up when he felt his presence.
“You still have tonight to accomplish that which your friends couldn’t. The Living goddess is still at your doorstep. You have every opportunity to save your life”
“I have made up my mind already”
“Then rest in peace in advance” he disappeared.
Fernando wrote a note for the mother. As he wrote, tears kept dropping from his eyes. He had to text Chiquitita on the phone after writing. Unfortunately, Isabella was the person who saw the message due to the absence of her sister from their room. She read it thus; CAN I SEE YOU AT MY PLACE NOW?
After reading the message, she deleted it instanly. Just before she dropped the phone, Chiquitita entered.
“Why are you with my phone?”
“Just checked something”
Both looked at each other before Chiquitita took the phone from her. Seeing the angry face, Isabella stood up to her like an angel.
“Tita, I’m sorry if i have hurt you. I don’t hate you neither am I jealous. I love you, Tita” she said in her best pleasing voice.
However, Chiquitita became not only happy but also surprise to hear that from her. She turned from a dressing missing which she was facing. “Thanks” she smiled. “I love you too” both smiled. “But you are so mean sometimes”
“You should understand me by now” Isabella kept smiling and changed the topic immediately. “Where are you dressing to?”
“To see Nado’s mother in the hospital” Chiquitita began to comb her hair.
“Where does Nado even live?” Isabella asked in other to get the information. After she was told the location, she waited for Chiquitita to be out. Immediately she left to the hospital, Isabella left to Fernando’s house, pretending to be Chiquitita. She even had to apply a mark at the base of one of her br-asts just in case Fernando was away of it……..
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TO BE CONTINUED
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