Wild West of the Heart

"A key witness?" Obi said suddenly. And she arched her brows. He could see her from the reflection on the glassed door. "I know someone"

He figured it wouldn't matter because he wasn't in good terms with that person. Sort of.

"Who?" Mira asked, though she supposed to know.

"Ola?" Came a surprising guess she hoped was wrong and Obi stepped back. "What?" She asked him, getting her answer. "You aren't speaking to Ola?" She raised her voice as if it was such a terrible thing to do. "What, Mira?" He replied. "I think so"

"We just got into a fight, i think" There was this cloud of doubt that hung over each word he said.

"What do you mean by you think?"

"I don't know"

"Well, tell me it's over something as stupid as food or a movie or something" Mira said, forgetting the fact that he was already late for school.

"Honestly-" He paused. "I don't think we'd talk to each other again. Or maybe after a really long time" He stretched his hand, stopping Mira.

"I know what you're about to say but it's for the best. We need some space from each other" Obi continued and Mira scoffed. "As if ten years apart wasn't even space?" She asked.

"That's the thing, Mira"

"We're different people now" He nodded, and she stepped back. "You haven't told him?" She asked, knowing he implied his transitioning. "Nope "

"It never came up. It's not as if he kept in touch those ten years" He added. "Well, did you?" Mira threw up he question at him, and he remained silent. "I guess, he moved on. I guess he'd be busy settling in with new friends. New best friends" "It hurt, Mira. That i didn't even know until that day. Until that day he was to travel. I just was used to people abandoning me, but i thought as a child, that Ola wouldn't. You know, forever?" Obi said.

"And then he did. And it hurt that he did"

"Did you ever ask why? Let me guess, no?" Mira said and Obi scoffed, getting a feeling she was on his side on this, even though not knowing how.

"Ten years passed. And besides we've already missed so much out of lives. We'd just keep fighting" He said. "What?" Mira whispered.

"You owe each other so much after all these years. More than just an apology. From the way i see it, you're both in the wrong. With him, for not telling you about you know, moving. And you, for not reaching out after he traveled" Mira walked closer.

"I know it hurts, trust me"

"But you have to talk to him, catch up on those years, that's after the apology. You owe yourselves that" She whispered. "What if " Obi paused. "What if he sees me different?"

"Or it causes another fight?" Mira's palms grazed his bony cheeks. "Then, it isn't worth it. There's only one way to find out if it is. Besides, i know Olamide and i know how much you talked about him then- If he's still as much the same person as he was then, you have no problem with him accepting you. Because he will" Mira continued.

"When i was young, it was me, Dasilva and one other guy, David. We went to school together, literally grew up together. But then David left, for Abuja one day. And never came back. We used to be best friends and when we were little, we'd talk about the future we envisioned for ourselves—"

"Dancing. Drag queens and i guess, we hoped times will be different by now. By the time we're thirty or a bunch of twenty somethings but alas, it isn't much different from the 80's. We just had to make a life out of nothing, for ourselves. Dasilva and I" Mira said, looking away.

"And what about David?" Obi asked, knowing he hadn't heard this story once. "David got married last year. Dasilva got the invitation but he didn't go. I found out they still talked but i never for once, reached out. For those years" She replied. "We used to be best friends. All three of us. And seeing him now or then, made me regret not texting or calling even to ask about his flight. Do you want to be me, Obi?" Mira asked, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Do you want to be thirty something and have only one friend?" She whispered.

"Don't be me" She scoffed lightly and Obi let out the softest chuckle. "Years, time, distance can come between you. Throw you apart, but i just learned you have to fight to come back together-" "Or one long summer" Obi said.

"What?" Mira asked, having no clue about Fiyin.

"Nevermind. I just know a friend like that. Like you and David" He grabbed his bags. "Talk to Ola" Mira urged as he held unto the door. But before he walked out, he turned back around.

"I wouldn't be like you" He said, in a way that was meant to be comforting but on second thought, really wasn't. But the damage was already done, and it forced a smile across Mira's lips.

"Just go" She whispered, twirling her fingers and then realizing they hadn't even spoken of how he was the key witness. But Obi knew, when they would eventually talk, he'd be more than happy to help.

-

Ola found himself in front, and he watched as Abdul signed his name under Princeton Medical School, one of the institutions that were to come.

He seemed sure of what he wanted, one of those people that already had their future mapped out right in their palms. Those ones that had the luxury of knowing what they wanted to be in five years. Ten years from now.

And Abdul seemed like such, picking a brochure into his arms as if already qualified. "What about you?" A class rep said from behind the seat. Ola's eyes diverted from the massive banner to her eyes.

He was shaken up as he shook my head. "No" He didn't even know what he was doing here. "Well, you should leave. There's a queue" She said, flatly.

"Well he'd like to take a look at his options before putting it to his parents" Abdul peered in for him, matching her tone. He hastily picked several brochures in his hands as he flashed a fake smile to her and then he handed Ola the brochures. "Okay?" He said.

"Figured at least you'd like to see the many options" Abdul replied, brushing past his shoulders.

His signals were beyond mixed, almost as though he wanted to be Ola's friend, at the same, did not. It was intriguing for the person in question. But it was also, frustrating. He didn't need to help.

Ola flipped through the papers in his hands as he picked up his pace. The second bell was to be due in minutes and they were already on their way to their classes. "Thanks?" Ola said, in that same questioning tone as earlier. "No problem-" Abdul said. "Not everyone really has their future planned"

He said as he kept walking. "You do?"

"I don't. I have parents that do. You might not understand but i guess it's helpful" Abdul swung around for a bit, making eye contact.

"How?" Ola asked with naivety. "Well, certainties, you know. It's relieving to know your future. You don't have to worry about running out of time and school. You have people that do that for you" He joked, and got amused by it that he chuckled.

"But yeah. It's relieving. And maybe it's actually what i want, i can't tell. But-" He paused, in front of his class. "But they do know what's best for us. Even if it means marrying off your child at eighteen, it is what's best, right?" His voice fell low. And Ola figured that wasn't directed at him. He fazed back into reality as shook his head off his audible thoughts. "Thanks, for this" Ola said as he raised the brochures. "You're welcome" He replied as he held his chiming phone in his hands. And just like that, he was gone.

He offered Agricultural Sciences, but Ola didn't. So it was one class apart. He knew Abdul was friendly, though somewhat difficult to show it. However, what he didn't know was he was falling in love.

With Obi. Or with Neighborguy118.

Either way not that it mattered if it was the same person. The two however, soon began to fall for each other from behind the screens.

Abdul assumed that Michael, what he thought was his real name, when to Providence, which was mere kilometers from Hillway High. They'd even come as close to one another during interhouse sports games, though as rivals. But with knowing where he schooled, Abdul had already begun to plan in his head that they met.

That was his deal, he was too naive to get worried about things like being jumped or cat-fished. He saw someone he liked and didn't hesitate to make plans. It was cute, but the thing about that, the world wasn't. And though, Obi was neighborguy118-

it could as well have been any other person. And the risk in that uncertainty was direful.

He had gone as far as to tell Michael that he was bullied in school. About he hated it, but could do nothing about it. And hypocritically, Michael advised he stood up to his bullies. He also realized that Abdul had told him almost everything if not all.

And the least he could do was to be truthful too.

So when he got the text on his phone, he was neither shocked or taken aback, instead he had a smile on his face.

Abdul: i want to see you.

He'd expected this sooner or later, because Abdul was that kind of person. Brave, courageous, the person he wanted to be. Neighborguy118: Like a video call?

They both realized they'd never done that. Just sent pictures, and of course Obi sent ones that didn't include his face. The most however, was a voice note. And Obi had fallen deep for the sound of his early morning voice in which he said morning-

Abdul: no dummy.

Abdul: Like i want to SEE you.

He'd hoped he wasn't being too forward, that's why he never said the words. His real intentions, because maybe it'd be easier to say he was joking.

That is if he wasn't down or anything. But he was never joking if he was.

Neighborguy118: i know dummy. a JOKE.

Abdul: so...

Neighborguy118: so when?

Maybe it was a bad idea, but in that moment, it didn't feel like one. They just had wide smiles on their faces and Ola, entering the class caught Obi.

He had a large blue sweater, that wasn't the school uniform but who could blame him. The harmattan season was threading slowly though it was just October tomorrow. The weather was cold, and humid. And no matter how contradicting that was, it was true. He wore school shorts however and a converse you could tell was thrifted.

His simple style came together so well, and it was what Ola admired. But from a distance, he had to remind himself that they were talking. He just watched as Obi buried his head in his phone with flustered cheeks. He had his nail between his teeth and Ola knew him well enough to know that whenever he did that, it was to conceal a blush-

-so he, wouldn't make fun of him. It was a reflex act now, one he'd kept even after all these years. And then it would be as a result of Ola teasing him with Amanda, his then crush in basic one. Watching him smile that way, could however mean that one thing, that Obi was talking to someone. Someone that he liked.

To be continued...