Chp.18-An insight in Vanessa King's life.

Vanessa King.

I stepped out of the bathroom and took a deep breath. The warm steam had filled up the room and the cool air felt refreshing against my skin. I wrapped a fluffy towel around me and headed towards my walk-in closet. My love for purple was no secret and as I stood before my wardrobe, I wasn't surprised to see that most of my clothes were of varying shades of purple.

I pulled out a purple crop top and a matching high waisted skirt, adding a light purple cardigan as well. As I laid the clothes on my queen-sized bed, my phone pinged.

It was my best friend, Ese.

Ese: "Hey girl, are you free? I need to talk to you about last night."

Vanessa: "Sure, what's up? I was just picking out an outfit for the day."

Ese: "Ugh, last night was a disaster! I went on a date with this guy I met on Blink and he turned out to be a total bore. We had absolutely nothing to talk about and I swear I had more fun talking to myself."

I could hear the disappointment in Ese's voice and my heart went out to her. She had always been unlucky in the dating game and yet so persistent to be in it.

Vanessa: "Aww, I'm so sorry it didn't go well. Maybe he was just having a bad day?"

Ese: "I doubt it, Nessa. We didn't have anything in common, he barely laughed at my jokes and he kept checking his phone every few minutes. I'm honestly ready to give up on dating altogether."

Vanessa: "No, don't say that. You're going to meet someone amazing soon, I just know it."

Before Ese could respond, my mother's voice interrupted the conversation. "Vanessa, the hairdresser is waiting for you. You don't want to be late."

I quickly finished the conversation with Ese, promising to catch up later, and headed downstairs. I tried to ignore the loud sounds coming from the living room's TV.

"Good morning." I greeted Eloise, the girl who always came home to do my hair. Eloise was a dark skinned, slightly tall and slender girl. She always had her hair in braids and always had a smile on her face. I liked her because she was not only good at what she did, but easy to talk to. She was the only one allowed to come to my father's house to do my hair among the others in that saloon.

"Good morning, Vanessa. Here's the wig you asked for. We finished it yesterday." I furrowed my eyebrows as she dug her hands into her bag and brought out a clear white nylon with a braided frontal wig in it. My eyebrows rose in recognition.

"Oh yes! Thank you very much." I took it from her and caressed the nylon. I called Nadia's name three times before she responded and met me in the living room.

"What is it?" She wiped her hands on the apron she had on. I smiled, turning to face her and stretched forth the wig.

You see, Nadia wasn't my birth mother, but my brothers and I still thought of her as our mom. My birth mother died almost six years ago. Dad was devastated, and the boys and I were also sad and depressed. Nadia used to be our care taker and she took care of us as if we were her kids. She was there for us during the mourning period, there for Dad. I never really looked deep into the possible thought of my Dad finding love again. But then Lake drew my attention to my Dad and Nadia's sudden closeness. I noticed how the way he looked at her had changed and decided to play cupid. I only ever wanted my Dad to be happy once more, and Nadia already had a special place in my heart.

Lake, Luke and I decided to play cupid. All they needed was a little push, and bam! We found them in each other's embrace the next morning in our father's bedroom.

Nadia and my father got married a few months later and she became his wife and our mother. My mother would always be in my heart and I'd always love her, but I loved Nadia just as much too.

Nadia Leonardo King was a beautiful, curvy and light skinned part Arabian, part Nigerian woman in her late thirties. Kind, loving, caring and oh so understanding she was.

"What is that?" She scrunched her nose, asking.

"It's a frontal wig, mom." I smiled. Nadia was also a teensy bit old fashioned. She was at times, clueless when it came to fashion.

"You know I don't wear those kind of stuff." She frowned.

"It'll fit you! I promise. Plus, don't you want to try something new once in a while?"

"Show her how to wear it." I gave the wig to Eloise. She dropped her gaze to the wig in her hands and then to me with a sheepish smile.

"I need to wear it on someone's head. I can't wear it on mine cos I'm in braids, and you cos your hair is wet..."

"Try it on Lucas' head.'' I suggested. Her eyes widened like I had just uttered blasphemy, while my mother giggled. The image of Luke wearing a lady's wig popped up in my head and I was more eager to see that.

I turned towards the living room where the said boy was, sitting at the edge of the couch, a controller in his hands , headphones in his ears and his eyes glued to the screen. He was playing that online game again. Call of duty.

"Luke!" I yelled over the loud sounds of shooting. "Lucas Elozonam King!"

"WHAT!" He yelled back harshly. He pulled the headphones down and glared at me in annoyance. I rolled my eyes, unaffected by his supposed intimidating look.

He was about as intimidating as a freaking butterfly.

"Come try this on so Mom knows how it looks like on a person's head." I took the wig from Eloise and pulled it out of the transparent nylon. Luke dropped his controller and eyed the wig.

"Where are the cameras?" I snorted.

"No cameras."

"Good. Cos if I see this in anywhere online, you'll get got." He pointed his fingers at all three of us with his eyes narrowed.

"Just try the thing on. Put it on his head." I returned the wig to Eloise and she walked up to Luke who was now standing, towering over her like an iroko tree. She barely reached his waist!

"Luke, sit down. You're just as tall as an electric pole. She can't reach your head like that!" He sighed, sitting down. Although, he was still a bit taller even when sitting, she was able to stand on her tippy toes and place the wig on his head properly. Mother and I moved closer to them.

"Turn around, let mom see the front." I told him, and being the clown he was, Luke whipped his head around, causing the braids to fly and hit him the face. Mother giggled, and Eloise covered her mouth to mask her laughter. I shook my head at him, an amused smile playing on my lips.

"How do I look?" He tucked some of the braids behind his ears and made a duck face.

"Beautiful." I laughed. My oldest brother, Lake, stepped into the living room, still in his pyjamas and his full, midnight black hair looking like a bird's nest. Lake had always been a late sleeper, and never a morning person. His beautiful grey eyes(which I still get jealous of til this day!) scanned the room, from Nadia mom, to Luke last. Luke struck a pose which earned more giggles, but my brother just stared at him.

"You look ridiculous, take that shit off." He stated, then he turned around and headed straight to the kitchen.