4 Silence

SKY's POV

I took a mental picture of the fine gentleman I saw in my dreams. And before I knew I was already sketching his face on an A4 sheet.

I drew his brown curly hair, his hazel eyes, his thick eyebrows, his sharp jawline, his well-built chest, and his prominent V line I found myself ogling at. His features were solid. With his bronze skin and brown hair he looked irresistibly attractive.

I sketched his lightning bolt tattoo and the mist that surrounded him. My nightmares lasted way too long and today it changed. Instead of some faceless phantom scaring the hell out of me. I met this bronze skin prince.

I was shocked at how great the drawing turned out.

I took my phone and called my therapist.

"Hello, Dorcas," I blurted out when my therapist picked up my call.

"Hello, Sky. How are you today?" Dorcas asked in a calm tone. Dorcas was a great therapist. She helped me a great deal after the accident. She was smart and friendly and she seems to have the right words for me whenever I called.

"I'm good. I just wanted to talk to you about my nightmares. It suddenly changed".

"It did? What happened? What did you see?”

I gave a detailed explanation to Dorcas. I explained to her what I saw and how my dream guy looked.

"You also need to tell me how you felt," Dorcas said on the other side of the line.

"I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. I was dumbfounded. I didn't scream while considering the setting. I wanted to know what was going through his head when I saw his sad eyes. I found myself drawing him this morning. And I was shocked at how perfect it turned out to be. It was like my hands knew the right places the pencil should touch," I was astonished myself as I uttered these words.

"Did anything happen to you recently?” Dorcas asked.

“No. Nothing.”

“That’s strange. I would have said it was because of your insecurities or you being emotional about something. But for your case, I think he's someone your brain is trying to remember. Someone your brain doesn't want to forget. Even though you lost your memory he's still there," Dorcas said.

I ended the call and tried hard to reminisce the face and body. But nothing was familiar. I brought the sketch closer to my face and sent it further away but there was still nothing.

There was actually something, a handsome face and a breathtaking body that I couldn't get enough of.

I began to blush when I remembered what he said in my dream; 'I love you, babes'. It kept echoing in my head. It felt weird but I loved every bit of it.

"I love you too. hun" I said as I kissed my sketch.

There were just two things I wanted in life.

One, a tour around the world.

Two, to be the best artist in the world.

Three, to be extremely happy doing what I love the most. Arts.

But after my dream today, there was one more thing I wanted. The half-naked man right here on the sketch in front of me.

My alarm rang and it was time for my daily jog. I folded the sketch in half and placed it in my diary.

I have to show this to my siblings when I get back, one might know him.

***

I wore my pastel pink top and my grey leggings. I tied my 4c natural hair into an afro puff and moved straight to Denzel's door. I knocked on Denzel's door several times but there was no reply and I heard no movement from his room.

Denzel wasn't just my favourite sibling, he was also my jogging partner.

I turned his doorknob and the door flung open. His room was so messy as usual. His clothes were all over the place. He had pictures of his favourite celebrities on his wall. Dumbbells at the right side of his bed and his blue bed sheet was covered with tiny bits of blood.

Denzel had his face buried in his pillow. And from a distance, I could see his knuckles were bruised. I heard his almost silent sob and it broke my heart.

Unrequited love. Plus betrayal from me. His favourite sister. I totally understood him.

Sometimes Denzel's height and stature made me forget that he was still a kid. He was just a fifteen-year-old with a fragile heart. And he still needed love.

I let out a sigh and said; "Denzel, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. But we did it for your own good and I'll make it up to you any way I can".

"Really?" Denzel said as he sat up to face me. "Can you really make it up to me?" His eyes were red and a bit swollen.

"Yes, I'll do whatever you want," I said.

"Give me your phone," he said and snatched my phone. Denzel went straight to the internet. He scrolled through my phone and I heard him take a screenshot.

He turned the phone to me and said; "This is what I want".

"I'll get it for you if you promise to forget about Lucy. Deal?" I said, praying he wouldn't change his mind.

He chuckled loudly and said; "It's a deal".

***

The dry air stung my lungs as I gasp for breath. And with every stride I took, my heartbeat paced. I stopped in front of the park to catch some air. I crouched flat on the grass. I was so tired I didn't move my body for some time.

The odds of jogging.

I relaxed for about fifteen minutes and headed back to my house. I noticed an old lady who had a big bag in her right hand. She had grey hair and she hobbled on her left foot. She was struggling and I rushed to help her.

She handed the bag over as soon as I offered to help. I led the way and she walked slowly behind me. I found her rather annoying. She complained whenever the bag was almost touching the ground and whenever I lifted the bag too high.

The old lady insisted that I carry the bag with my right hands saying: "that bag is too precious to me. You have to hold it with your right hands".

Sky chill, Sky chill, I said to myself trying so hard to relax.

She was so annoying. She was hitting all my wrong spot. I wanted to shout at her and hand over her damn precious bag or better still throw it away.

But chill Sky, chill.

I was glad when we finally got to her house. I didn't expect her to live in such a big building. It was a very big blue mansion with an amazing water fountain in front of it. It looked new and there were CCTV cameras everywhere.

Maybe she was the maid.

A well-built gentleman in a black suit walked toward us when he saw us. He took the bags and greeted us.

"You should have called for us, madam," he said and stood still with the bag in his hands.

I guess she isn't the maid. She's the madam.

She thanked me and asked me to come inside but I gratefully declined. I couldn't bear it anymore.

"My name is Alexandra Agyekum. You are such a great young woman. Not so many people can put up with me. Thank you so much. And, I hope we meet again." She said, smiling happily at me.

"You're welcome. My name is Michaela Boateng but you can call me Sky," I said and rushed back home.

I hope we never meet again. I said in my head.

***

I took my shower, combed my hair, put on my short and my yellow oversized top and slipped into my slides.

I called for a siblings meeting in Michael's room to tell them about the guy in my dream. I had no friends so I did this often. Plus I wanted to ask if any of them knew him.

"So you guys are aware of the fact that I have these recurring nightmares. And I constantly said I saw a beast-like image, but it was different today."

"Wow, what did you see today?" Michael asked, a wry smile on his face.

"I saw the most handsome guy I've ever seen in my life today, instead of some ugly phantom," I said feeling so very proud. They all seemed like they did not care, but I still continued " he was beautiful. He was--"

"He's probably a man, handsome, cute smile, muscular" Michael said mockingly. "That is so cliche, Sky. Don't tell me he has a tattoo?"

"He has this thick tattoo on his inner arms," I said.

"Really? And blue eyes, right?" Michael said, laughing aloud.

Sky RELAX.

"No hazel eyes," I said. Michael suddenly turned to me looking surprised.

He seethed through his mouth with his teeth clenched. "Is his tattoo perhaps a lightning bolt tattoo?" he asked.

"Yes". I said, his jaw dropped. He stood there looking all confused and petrified.

"How do you know all that? Are you some kind of psychic? Ooor, do you know him?" I said putting all jokes aside. They probably thought I was joking, so I repeated myself. "How do you know all this, Michael ?"

I rushed to my room and came back with the sketch I made of my dream man. Michael stared at it, his eyes wide open almost falling out of its socket.

"Do you know him?" I asked.

But he was silent as he examined the sketch. His jaw dropped, almost touching the ground.

"Wow! cool! I'm suddenly interested" Jazz said, shifting her gaze back and forth, from Michael's face to mine.

"What is going on here?" Denzel asked, amused too.

Michael walked out of the room, returning minutes later as he continued packing for school, Deluxe University. He was suddenly quiet, not uttering a word.

*******