The Twisted Truth: NYSSA
Somethin’ was off, even though I couldn’t lay my hands on it. The hug the siblin’s shared did not seem like an exact hug and this alone got me wonderin’ if all was well at their family house and even between the both of them. What was someone not tellin’ me?
Meanwhile, after the awkward hug, Kazmir walked away from the livin’ room. A man who came to join me to see a television program changed his mind and turned around to leave.
“Kazmir, where are you goin’?”
He turned to look at me with a smile. “I’m goin’ to the room to rest, Nyssa,” he mouthed and walked away, catchin’ up with the stairs leadin’ to the room. “I’ll come back later for my meal.” He added to it and walked away, leavin’ me and Ophelia starin’ at each other.
“Hi-” I walked to a couch and took a seat on it. “I hope your journey wasn’t so stressful.”
On second thoughts, I was on my feet and walkin’ to the small box she dropped with a confused look plastered on both our faces. “I’ll get that for you.” I took the box and kept it in a room – the same room I slept in for a few days before leavin’ Kazmir the last time I did.
The house became quiet, suddenly.
What was happenin’?
I didn’t say much but chose to mind my business.
It was what I’ve always wanted to do, after all. So I served the meals for the mornin’ and sat back on the couch, textin’ with Ariadne who asked how it went. For all that I knew, I couldn’t be less happy.
This woman, whoever she is, has brought so many answers to me and I didn’t have many questions any longer even though I pretended to.
It was also one of the plans: not sayin’ too much ’bout my discovery, especially to the people I wasn’t certain of my trust.
Ariadne on the other hand had been told everythin’ and as expected, she gave me more tips for findin’ more answers that weren’t workin’ yet.
“Hello there, Nyssa-” someone interrupted the thoughts I was havin’. I looked up to the gaze of Ophelia who was in another outfit – an exercise lookalike wear.
“I need to go on a walk,” she walked to the door entrance and looked at me. “I’ll be back before you know it, or do you want to join me?”
I shook my head, mouthin’ a ‘no’ with another shake of my head.
“I have a guest on her way to the house and can’t afford to miss her when she gets here,” I explained, standin’ on my feet.
“I’ll be expectin’ you then.”
My legs walked to the bedroom where I snatched the keys to the art studio and then once more, led myself to the space for another session as usual.
There were not many questions from Kazmir, ’cause he was asleep. While I spent time with myself and a portrait of art in the studio, the house bell rang.
I looked at my phone, expectin’ it to be Ariadne but she wasn’t the one. Accordin’ to our last conversation, she would call me when she got to the gate but she wasn’t at the gate which can only mean it had to be Ophelia who I was yet to become used to.
I dropped the portrait I spent time with, back in its position before walkin’ out of the space.
In moments, I was at the entrance of the livin’ room, walkin’ out and leadin’ my way to the gate of the apartment. In duest time, Ophelia was joggin’ back into the house after mutterin’ words of greetin’s, and I, walkin’ back to the livin’ room, made up my mind to go in and take a bath.
Kazmir was awake at this point.
“Are you okay?”
I sat on the bed next to ‘im, wantin’ to have a brief conversation with ‘im before reachin’ for the bathroom so that I could take a bath. “Is there somethin’ you’d love to share with me? Why did you react that way to your sister, Kazmir? What’s goin’ on?” I adjusted, sittin’ exactly next to ‘im. “Tell me all of it. I’m listenin’.”
He looked at me, smilin’. “It’s nothin’ serious, baby,” he let out with a smile that looked very fake. “I just-wasn’t expectin’ her to be here and that’s it. Nothin’ more and you must believe me.” He touched my hand. I looked at his hand on my lap and gave a nod, standin’ on my feet and walkin’ to the wardrobe where I snatched the towel I would use.
“Are you certain?” I turned to face ‘im, changin’ my mind. “What’s wrong with your sister makin’ it to a home that is hers as well?”
“This is not the family house, Nyssa.”
I shook my head.
“It doesn’t change the fact that she is family and her brother’s home can be her home. I’m cool with it, why then do you have an issue with it? What’s that awkward hug you gave her when she ran into your arms? Is there somethin’ you’re not sayin’ to me, Kazmir? Tell me already and let’s get over this.”
He wouldn’t agree.
The man shook his head.
“I don’t have anythin’ to say to you, baby. And that’s because nothin’ has happened, and you have to believe me,” he said and got on his feet as well. “I am hungry and should eat.” He added to it, starin’ at me while I did the same, although with suspicion in my eyes. “Why do you stare at me like that, Nyssa?”
“I wonder too,” I heaved a sigh and looked away, turnin’ back to look at the door that had a hand knockin’ on it. “I’ll be in the bathroom.” I said and walked away, knowin’ already who it was. While my legs led me into the bathroom, the man I am married to opened the door for Ophelia to come in.
Even though the shower was runnin’, I could hear almost everythin’ they were sayin’. At some point, I turned off the shower to be certain there were humans in the space and the next moment, it was Ophelia who spoke and Kazmir on the other hand didn’t say much but a few words I didn’t correctly hear.
Somethin’ was off.
Somethin’ was wrong with both of them, and I am yet to understand what it is ’bout. I resumed my bath again, hummin’ a song and at the same time, recallin’ that the woman I loved the most would soon make it to the house. At the thought of this, I hurried to my bath, scrubbin’, and turnin’ on the shower once more.
Suddenly, subtle shouts were comin’ from the room. I lowered the shouts and beats of the runnin’ shower to listen to the siblin’s’ voices.
“Are you kiddin’ me, Kazmir?” Ophelia asked, chucklin’. “You don’t want me here ’cause you don’t want her knowin’ the truth about our family. It’s not so hard to tell her, is it?. What are you sayin’? Is she not your wife as you say? Shouldn’t she be aware of the evil you’ve been doin’ since childhood?”
“I can’t tell her!” Kazmir shouted. “I can’t let her know about how divided the family is because Father did the same thing I once did. And that it runs in the family. Will you tell your husband such a thing?”
Wh-what?
I stopped the shower from runnin’, not believin’ my ears. What was Ophelia and Kazmir tryin’ to say? I turned the shower on when I discovered that some parts of my body had soap on them.
What was that?
The two of them were still arguin’, forgettin’ I was in the bathroom and had heard somethin’ I shouldn’t have heard in the first place.
No way!
How is this even possible?