Episode 8
Just as Tercy remained dumbfounded, Danny approached with the expression of confusion too. Other students walked around the vicinity with or without partners. Some grade2 students could be seen acting at a corner with their lecturer standing aside to monitor them. However, Danny had not said anything to Tercy as he kept looking at the direction Stanley followed.
“Is your friend okay?” Tercy broke the silence looking at the same direction.
“I have no idea. He seems to forget everything about Rita” he replied.
“Or is like they have broken up and doesn’t want to talk about her again”
“Stanley I know cannot break up with Rita”
As they contemplated, Mr Ruben hurried to them wearing a plain trouser and a long sleeve shirt. He had been informed about Stanley’s memory lost by both parents. The two students were surprise to see him standing behind them with his hands inside the pockets. He looked at them suspiciously without saying a word.
“Sir, are we in any trouble?” Danny asked him.
“You kids amaze me sometimes” he began “I wonder the kind of love that can make one volunteer to die if his memory is not wiped out. Before, it was Stanley and Rita and now is Danny and Tercy”
The two students became more confused because their lecturer wasn’t only trying to tell them indirectly about Stanley’s strange attitude but also referring them as lovers. That was the least thing in Tercy’s mind but Danny, if not always, had sometime wished to date her.
“Sir, we don’t get it” Tercy spoke out.
“Stanley’s memory about his love life is erased just to save his life” he brought out his hands from the pockets and took two steps forward. “Now, what I’m trying to substantiate is that both of you should also be careful before any of you get his or her memory completely wiped out too. Gush!! Kids of nowadays” he briskly walked out.
“But sir, we aren’t in love!” Tercy exclaimed to his hearing.
“I don’t see it in his eyes!” he replied from a distant.
Tercy turned to see Danny already looking at her in the way Mr Ruben described. It was written all over him even his breathing rate testified for that which brought quietness between them. Many things went through their minds at the same time but none was ready to utter it out.
“Mr Ruben is joking, right?” Tercy broke the silence with a smile.
“Hum.. I think I need to see Stanley” Danny replied contrarily.
“Okay?”
“Okay”
They remaind mute again without proceeding or departing to their various hostels. Obviously, they were pinned by the unsatisfactory information she needed to hear from him. Suddenly, they departed but Tercy called him, “Danny!”
He turned. “Yes?”
“Can you take me to Rita’s house tomorrow coz I wonna apologize to her”
“No problem” They smiled and finally departed.
Stanley looked happy inside his hostel to the extent he was singing while arranging his clothes in the wardrobe. Danny sat down on the bed staring at him pitifully because he knew that wipping away Rita’s memories from his mind was the worst thing that has happened to him. He shook his head negatively in pity. When Stanley turned to see him, he said, “You look sad, bro”
“No, I don’t” Danny tried to brighten up. “I’m just happy to see you”
“Me too”
They became quiet while Stanley resumed arranging his clothes.
“I wonna tell you something” Danny began. “I’m in love with Tercy, though I have not told her”
“Wow, that’s a good news! Danny of all people is in love” Stanley giggled.
“What about you? Isn’t there a girl you are madly in love with?”
“No, I just meet them and.. and.. go away. You once told me that I love every girl I meet but that’s not true”
“Like how many girls have you met?” Danny was still inquisitive to know if actually what Mr Ruben said is true.
Stanley mentioned several girls even Tercy but never mentioned Rita. He looked straight to Danny and said, “But I don’t love any of them”
“Who then do you love?”
“Nobody, I’m just social to girls, that’s all?” He concluded while Danny smiled factitiously with a sad heart.
:
The next day at the residence of the Hocains, there was a car parked outside with the booth open. One can see different luggage in it as Rita stood beside it with hands folded. She wore a jacket over a short skirt. On her feet were high heels shoes with its lace tied randomly on her legs in a zigzag form. Suddenly, her parents came out, the father locked the booth while the mother met her. They wanted to travel as planned.
“Are you okay, Rita?” she asked her.
“I’m fine, mother” she replied wanting to enter into the car but the presence of Danny and Tercy prevented her. She came out to see them hurrying to meet her. The parents wondered who they were when they finally approached closer.
‘Danny?” Rita called walking very close to them. She looked at Tercy surprisingly. “I hope there is no problem. Is Stanley okay?”
“There is no problem” Danny replied.
“I just came to apologize for reporting you and Stanley to Mr Ruben” Tercy said twisting her fingers.
“Is that why you came all the way from Eastwood?” she smiled then looked back to her parents. “They are my friends, father!” she said and turned again while the father nodded his head. “Apology accepted. Now, both of you need to go back to school”
“Hum.. It seems you are travelling. We heard about what happened. We’re so sorry” Danny said.
“That’s the only way to save Stanley’s life” she became sad . “Bye” she walked back to the car.
After the two students left, the Hocains also drove out of town.
Things began to change gradually in the life of Stanley. He started developing a new love life without knowing that he had one before. Everything about Rita totally wiped out from his memory, but Rita kept him in her heart and tried as much as possible never to have any feelings for another man except Stanley.
Over three weeks, the name ‘Rita’ was forgotten in Eastwood Academy. In the evening under a tree
where metal seats could be found, Danny sat there with Tercy watching students playing basketball in the court. Stanley was among the players, and they could see how girls cheer him up especially the one called Joyce. She had a dark complexion wearing a short red skirt and a top like bra; only her breasts were covered while her stomach opened. In her hands was Stanley’s shirt. She was a new student. At the end of the match, Stanley walked to her then she hugged him and handed the shirt to him.
“It seems like Stanley and Joyce are getting along” Tercy told Danny.
“Yeah, is still painful he has forgotten about Rita totally” he replied.
“Is not his fault. They erased his memory”
They looked at each other before Danny said, “I don’t wish to have my memory erased about you because you mean everything to me. I love you, Tercy”
She smiled. “You’re joking, right?”
Danny didn’t respond to that, rather kissed her with passion and all seriousness. He stared into her eyes and said again , “It’s not a joke, I love you”
At that moment, Tercy made the next move for a kiss then both kissed happily to the extent they had to giggle as the kiss went on.
****
Latisha summoned the Hocain’s family back to town, in her house. It was a sudden and a strange invitation that worth honoring. They both stood in the empty living room staring at her to let the cat
out of the bad. She was on a red robe with a metal in her hand. Mr and Mrs Hocain watched as she closed the windows and doors before returning to them.
“So why did you call us and why closing the windows?” Mr Hocain asked.
“I guess I have something that can lead us to the breaking of the curse” she replied.
“What? How?” Mrs Lena queried enthusiastically moving closer to her.
“With this we can see the past, probably how the curse was laid and how it can be broken” Latisha handed the metal to Mr Hocain. “For almost a month now, I have been looking for a way to see that the curse is broken and restore my grandson’s happiness, so I found that in my secret house. It was given to me by my late parents before I got blind. Open it and tell me what you see” she added.
“You’re blind?” the couple became surprised and looked at each other because all this while Latisha never behaved like a blind woman.
Nevertheless, Mr Hocain opened the metal to see a round micro mirror where he saw his image alone, but sooner did the image disappear and a burning house appeared. He could see people running helter skelter until a pregnant woman stood before the burning house shouting, “I curse you Hocain; no man shall love any female child from your descendant otherwise killed by her. I curse you with the blood of Jelikin, my unborn child!” she died instantly after giving birth to the child. Image of several female children of the linage of Hocain that died without getting married began to appear one by one. Some committed suicide.
Mr Hocain closed the metal breathing hastily. “How can we break the curse?”
“What did you see or hear?” Latisha asked him after which he told her. “Only the descendant of that child can break the curse” she added.
“Then how can we get any of his descendant?” Mrs Lena interfered.
“Do you know the name of the child?”
“She called him Jelikin” Mr Hocain replied.
Hearing it, Latisha became surprise. “Jelikin?” she repeated thoughtfully. “That’s the name of my great great great grandfather”
“Really? then you must be one of his descendant. Please, break the curse” the couple pleaded.
“Now I see why my boy is destined to be with your daughter. Follow me” Latisha walked into another room where she lifted the curse from the family of Hocain. That rendered them powerless and It affected Rita in another town where she ate quietly in the dinning room. She fell down on the floor then became unconscious for a while without knowing the reason. The parents came back to see her lying on the bed inside her room. She looked weak and different.
“How are you dear?” the mother entered with the father.
“I feel so weak as if something has gone out of my body. I fell down earlier today while eating” she sat up.
“That’s because the curse has been broken, and that has made us lose our magical powers” the father said with a smile.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope, he just said the truth” Latisha’s voice came from the door which she opened simultaneously. Rita looked at the direction to see not only her but Mr and Mrs Winston too. All were glowing with smiles on their faces. They told her the story on how the curse was broken. Immediately, Rita regained strength from nowhere. “Stanley” was the first thing that came out from her mouth. She jumped up from the bed. “Mother, I need to go back to Eastwood. I need to go back to Stanley!” she shouted happily.
:
The Hocains went back to their initial house and Rita enrolled back to Eastwood Academy. She sighted Stanley with Joyce sitting in the basketball court and feeding each other with fruit juice. She dropped her luggage, ran to them without minding who Joyce was. She squat before him happily and said, “Stanley, guess what, the curse is broken! We can stay not only together but forever together”
Stanley looked at her strangely then turned to Joyce. He didn’t know what to say, even though Joyce expected him to say something.
“Who is she?” he asked her.
“I should be asking you who she is” she disdained him.
“I don’t know her!”
“Listen,” Rita held one of his hands .”I’m Rita Hocain, remember me now?”
Stanley stood up angrily. “I don’t know you girl, and you are embarrassing me before my girlfriend. How can you just come into the school newly and start saying rubbish to someone you don’t know, Gush!” he stretched his hand for Joyce. “Baby, let’s go” they walked out from her.
Rita became not only mad but heartbroken too. Therefore wished she had her magical power back. Stanley’s words to her dropped tears from her eyes as she watched them going out…
:
TO BE CONTINUED
Episode 9
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 kissed her in front of the whole 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 waist 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.
:
The next day inside 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 kiss 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 whole class became quiet hoping he remembers Rita as the next person. Already, Rita sat quietly with her hands folded watching the whole 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 kissed her in front of the whole 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 whole 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.
:
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. Inside 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 this 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.
:
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 kissed 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 bra which made her nipples 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 caressing 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 lips. “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 waist while she placed hers round his neck.
“I’m happy to have you back” Rita said then began to kiss 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