THE LAST BLOOD (episode 9)

© Bright Daniel 

Mr Ruben had been informed that everything is back to normal except that Stanley’s memories about Rita is dead and gone. Therefore, the quest for everyone in Eastwood Movie Academy was to make sure he regain his memory without his knowledge.

At night, just before Danny slept, he saw Stanley standing by the window side. He knew he was troubled then called on him.

“Stanley, what is it?”

“Guy, something is wrong” he turned. “How can someone that called her name Rita come telling me to remember her. She embarrassed me in front of Joyce”

“Are you saying you don’t know who Rita is?” Danny pushed further hopping he remembers something about her. “A month ago, when you came back from home, who was the first person I asked you about? Isn’t it Rita? Stanley, you were madly in love with this girl to the extent you were ready to die for her. The first place you saw her was through this window when she came in newly. Think Stanley. You k-ssed her in front of the wh0le students in this school and ran away with her using Mr Ruben’s car ”

Stanley stood still gazing at the ceiling with his hands on the wa-ist as if to remember someone. He walked back to the window, looked through it and turned. “Guy, I can’t remember anything. You must be telling me about your dream” he collapsed on the bed then covered himself with a blanket. “Good night, Danny”

“Good night, Stanley” he also laid down hopelessly.

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The next day in,side the classroom, Mr Ruben called on Stanley and said, “You remember when you ran into the classroom with your friends Tercy and Danny?”

“Yes, sir” he smiled.

“Good, why?”

“Actually because Tercy whispered to me that if I make it to the classroom before her, she’ll k-ss me”

“Very good, and we acted a scene that day. Can you remember?”

“Absolutely sir”

“Another good, how many students acted the scene?”

“Hum..” Stanley began to feel embarrassed. “Why are you asking me all this coz it seems you are testing my retentive memory? Okay, fine, we were three in number; I, Tercy and.. and.. ” he placed a hand on his forehead head as if he was in pains while the wh0le class became quiet hoping he remembers Rita as the next person. Already, Rita sat quietly with her hands folded watching the wh0le thing too. “Sir, I can’t remember the person but I know it was girl” Stanley concluded.

“It was Rita Hocain” Mr Ruben said pointing at her while Stanley looked at her steadily. “You need to remember her. Something remarkable happened that day; you k-ssed her in front of the wh0le school and ran away with her using my precious car!”

The class became as quiet as a grave yard as Rita and Stanley stared at each other. Suddenly, he sparked angrily, “Now I’m fed up with everybody trying to make me know who I don’t know. For goodness sake, I don’t know this girl!” he picked his books and walked out of the classroom angrily, but Rita ran after him.

“Stanley! Stanley!!” she met him at the exit of the three storey building with tears in her eyes. “Stanley, listen to me and look me, you once told me you can’t go further away from me. You introduced me to your grandmother, Latisha, and we.. we.. ” she looked around and lowered her voice. “..and we made love”

“Jeeezzz!” he exclaimed. “That’s a serious accusation, you know”

“I’m not accusing you!”

Stanley ignored her walking away. He became frustrated winking his eyes to prevent tears that engulfed in them.

“Stanley! Alright, let’s just be normal friends” Rita wanted to meet him again but he shouted at her.

“Don’t you dare follow me again!”

She startled hearing the harsh voice and the expression of anger on his face. She couldn’t believe Stanley would raise his voice at her which got her completely broken, then broke down in tears.

Stanley went home with that frustration. The mother was the only one at home. She became surprised when she saw him entering the house .

“Son, what’s the matter?”

Stanley sat on a cushion without replying her, but she persuaded after sitting very close to him.

“Why are you back from school?”

“Mum, everybody behaves strangely to me. They claim I know a girl named Rita who just came into the school not a week ago. It’s very frustrating” he finally replied.

Mrs Jessica went into her room then came back with the image of Rita, the one he drew. She gave it to him and said, “Do you remember drawing that?”

“No, mum” he looked at the image vividly.

“You drew that, son. You asked me if she’s beautiful then answered yes. You lamented on why you can’t be allowed to stay with her. You begged me to break the curse coz she mean the wh0le world to you. You even expelled yourself from school all because she was expelled too. You need to remember that, son”

Before the mother could finish, he began to shed tears looking at the image. He just couldn’t remember anything. He placed the image on the centre table and walked into his room.

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School vacated, yet, Stanley never remembered a thing about Rita. Already she had given up coz she couldn’t keep trying to wake a sleeping dog especially when the dog lies with a bitch; Joyce was always seen with Stanley which made it more difficult for Rita to go close to him sometimes.

A day came when Stanley wanted to celebrate his birthday. That was at his place where everybody gathered except the Hocains’ family. Joyce was there as his girlfriend, while Danny and Tercy made sure everything was in order. Other friends were there too. in,side Stanley’s room, Danny watched him dressed up in something nice before turning from a standing mirror.

“How do I look?”

“You look perfectly okay, dude” Danny replied with a smile but suddenly frowned. “Rita is not here why?”

“Coz I barely know her. Though I invited her but she never said a word to me. Maybe because Joyce was with me then” he replied going back to the mirror.

“Do you really love th
is Joyce?” Danny asked again.

He suspended what he was doing and sadly sat down on the bed. “Dude, to be sincere, I don’t love her and at the same time can’t bring myself to Rita. She’s like a total stranger to me” he replied.

“Okay”

They finally went out to the sitting room where everybody shouted, “Happy birthday!!” There was a cake set at the center of the room.

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However, Rita laid hopelessly on her bed with her body covered when the mother entered. She saw her daughter not only sad but in tears.

“Rita, you should have attended his birthday party”

“No, mother, I can’t go there. I can’t stand to see Stanley with Joyce there. It gonna break my heart”

“Then stop this tears. You can’t continue like this. You need to move on. They are other men who are willing to stay with you” she concluded then k-ssed her forehead.

:

Everyone cheered up in the residence of Mr Winston until the blowing off of candles light. Stanley stood beside Joyce when he was asked to make a wish and blow off the light. They all waited looking at him as he blew them off with smiles on his face then a thunderous clap circulated the building. Luckily, snow began to fall at that moment, he saw it through the window then walked there slowly staring at it as people celebrated by cutting and eating the cake . The falling snow reminded him everything about Rita, so he began shed tears. He could remember how they spent a lovely time in the woods, how she magically made snow to fall for him. When he gradually turned from the window, everyone kept quiet staring at him.

“What’s it, Stanley?” Joyce approached.

“Stanley, are you okay?” the father queried.

He took few steps forward and said, “Mum, dad, where is she?”

“Where is who, son?” the mother asked.

“Rita Hocain, the girl I love. I can remember everything. You guys finally separated us, why?”

Nobody said a word but to stared at him until he ran out from the house running straight to the Hocains’. He forcefully pushed the hallow gate opened and began to shout her name, “Rita! Rita!! Rita!!!”

Hearing his voice, Rita sat up from the bed swiftly. “Stanley?” she flung the blanket that covered her up. She was on bumshort and a red top without b-ra which made her n-pples visible. She briskly walked to the window to see him hurrying to the door with full strength. “Stanley!!” she ran downstairs, opened the door then kept running to him.

“Rita!!” Stanley also took on his heels until both hugged each other in a way Rita’s legs left the ground. He pulled her down car-ssing her cheek. “I’m sorry to treat you like a stranger, I’m sorry to..”

“Ssshh” Rita interrupted him by placing a finger across his l-ips. “It wasn’t your fault. So can you remember me now?”

“Absolutely!”

“How?”

“The snow” he looked up.

Both smiled, he placed his hand across her wa-ist while she placed hers round his neck.

“I’m happy to have you back” Rita said then began to k-ss him which he reciprocated feeling the snow pouring down on them. Mr and Mrs Hocain smiled from the door where they witnessed everything. That was not only the happiest moment for the two lovers but for the both families too.

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THE END

  

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