บท 34: The Bridge

A whole week has passed now and Mrs Uzora's condition wasn't getting any better, which only made both I and Dili somber. I don't know why I felt this way, she wasn't even my own mother but I knew that the sadness I felt was bonafide.

The past week I made it my top priority to always be there for Dili. I even began to skip classes on my own free will just to keep Dili company in the hospital. For the first time in my life, my sole attention wasn't on anything school related, but on someone I earnestly cared about. And I have to say, it was quite refreshing.

A hand full of people have visited also, my parents being one of them visited once, and in that one particular time they brought bouquet of flowers with them.... shocker, who knew they could think about something other than themselves. But they didn't stay that long as Mrs Uzora was sound asleep by that time. Which i was highly thankful for.

Dili has been trying to be his normal self, well almost normal self. Although he cracks jokes like he usually does and teases me to annoyance, I could still see glimpse of pain in his eyes. But i knew i couldn't completely erase them all.

Dili's friends also visited after school, which reminded me that they also knew about Dili's mother's condition. They really tried their hardest to cheer their friend up. They also brought tonnes and I mean 'tonnes' of get well gifts for Mrs Uzora, which in turn made Dili's mom quite happy. The gifts practically filled one end of the room. Luckily the room was thoroughly large.

Presently I and Mrs Uzora were all alone in the hospital room, Dili and the others went to the canteen to eat. Well more like Favour and Tobi forced Dili to go to the canteen with them. Honestly, I was the one that begged them to force him to go and eat. The boy hasn't been eating well for the past days now. It was highly unhealthy.

I know it is hypocritical of me to say so, cause frankly speaking it was ironic of me to force a person to eat, and say it's unhealthy. I was the master in that after all.

I didn't go with them as I had already eaten. And also I really lacked sleep these days. The nightmares just won't stop, and it was gotten pretty worse these days. So I stayed behind to rest a little. It was a miracle how i hid it for this long from Dili, because that boy always seems to notice even the littlest things.

"Honey are you okay?" I heard Mrs Uzora's voice call out, making me to immediately open my eyes.

When my eyes finally accommodated to the light I saw Dili's mom staring at me with a look of concern. The irony right? She was the patient and she was asking if I was okay.

"Yeah I'm fine ma" I lied right through my teeth.

She frowned at me "I have eyes Rica, I can perfectly see with them and I can undoubtedly see that you're not alright. You might have fooled my son but not me" "Now tell me what's wrong" She acted like she were my mother and I don't know if she knew it or not. But i loved it either ways.

I sighed. You know, there is a popular saying that 'a problem is best solved when shared', but I disagree with that. I believe that it's better to say 'A problem is best solved when shared with the 'right' person' and it seems like she was the right person at the moment.

Making up my mind finally I told her "Nightmares, I have been having nightmares" I waited patiently for what she would say next. This almost felt like my past sessions with my therapist. I was getting nervous.

"What are the nightmares about?" She softly asked while adjusting herself in a sitting position on the bed.

"That's the thing, i don't know exactly" i truthfully told her. The dreams always seemed like they came in clips, one part will come then immediately another scene enters, that's why i just couldn't say for sure what the dream was about. But the one thing i was perfectly sure of is that i wasn't alone in the dream.

"Hmm" She said thoughtfully. "Do you at least remember a single thing from the dream?" I did actually. But the weird thing was that for some reason i felt that the nightmares i have been having since i could remember was not merely a dream.

"A bridge" I said "I remember a bridge" a slight look of recognition passed through her eyes, but was gone almost immediately, making me doubt if i actually did see it in the first instance.

"Do you remember anything else apart from the bridge?" She further asked. This time she seemed skeptical.

I nodded my head before whispering softly, the remembrance of that dream making me shiver slightly "Yes I do" After an intermission I continued "I remember jumping off the bridge".

"Oh i see" She then said, a distant look glazing her eyes. "Well, I guess it's time to tell you then".

Highly confused i questioned "Tell me what?".

With a melancholic smile on her face she responded "About the first time we met Rica".