CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ARE WE TWINS?
While preparing to take Michael's drugs to his room. She heard the phone ring. The boys were calling her, and she answered, putting the phone on a loudspeaker.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" She asked.
"We're good. What about you?" Kelvin was the one asking.
"I'm fine. What's that noise in your background, Vester?" She was placing the drugs in a silver-plated tray.
"I'm trying to sit up properly, but I think it's quite a struggle. How about we go out?"
"I would love to, but it's cold outside. Let's not risk Michael's health. Besides, Miss Hena and Mr. Alfred are out."
"Out?! So it's just the two of you?" Sylvester asked.
"Yes!"
"Kelvin, did you hear that?" Sylvester had a playful tone laced in his words.
"I did...clearly," Kelvin put in, and they laughed.
"It's gonna be more fun if you two would join us."
"Next week. So we will tell Miss Hena about it?"
"Okay. And Michael?"
"In his room"
"Okay. Take care. We'll call you later."
"Bye," she hangs up and carries the tray upstairs to Michael's room.
Opening the door of his room, she entered and paused at the foot of the bed, beaming heartily at Michael, who sat on the bed. He dropped the phone when he saw her.
"Ta-da! I bring you good news!" She was chuckling.
Michael laughs and sits up on the bed.
"Michelle, I don't want this good news today"
She shakes her head, "Mmmh! Mmmh! This one is for you"
She drops it in the space beside Michael while she also sits on the bed.
"Miss Hena isn't around. No one would know if you don't tell. So let's skip this" Michael said in a small voice.
Looking directly at him,
"Miss Hena would know you missed your dosage"
"You can throw it away"
"No, I won't. Michael, please"
Michael sighs. "Okay, let's have it"
She opens the bottled water and hands it over to him alongside the capsules and pills. Once he is done, she picks up a candy bar and gives it to him just as she has seen Miss Hena do. Michael smiles softly before accepting it.
Michelle shrugged happily, then arranged the drugs on the tray properly before keeping it on the small table next to the bed.
Michael sighs and that had Michelle turning her attention to him.
"Is everything okay, Michael? Do you need anything?"
"Mmh!" He shook his head.
"Okay," She said and walked over to lie on the other side of the bed. Ever since she started living with them, she had noticed that she was no longer afraid of Michael like she was before.
Michael takes up his phone. Aside from that, he was thinking of starting a conversation with her, but he didn't know what to talk about or where to begin. And while he was browsing keywords on how to start a conversation with the girl you like, he heard her voice.
"Michael, can I ask you for something?"
"What is it?"
"Can I use your laptop?"
"Sure. It's in my painting room"
"Painting room? Michael, when did you ever know how to paint?" She asked, sitting up.
Michael glanced at her and laughed.
"Silly girl. That's my painting room over there" He points at the door.
"Wow! I'm going to see it right away" she sprang up and ran towards the door before Michael could say another word.
Immediately, she returned and stood in front of him.
"What is it?" He pretended not to know why she came back while trying to hide the smile on his face, but it slipped.
"It has a passcode"
"Mmh!" He nods then shifts the duvet aside and climbs out of the bed.
Michelle quickly rushed to hold his arm and help him till he was on his feet. Blinking several times, she asked herself,
"Didn't anything trigger on his nerves?" She blinked again anxiously. She had done that on purpose but got no definite reaction from him.
"Even god's look upon women. Why not him?" She sighed and followed him. She watched him enter the passcode and the door slid open.
They both entered and Michelle went wide-eyed in awe.
"Wow! Michael. I didn't know this place existed in this house. The paintings are so beautiful " she was touching the walls.
"You painted these?!" She asked.
"No" he answered lazily. "I had a renowned artist do that for me"
"What about yours then?" She was still grinning.
Michael walks to the corner and turns on the lights, then he shows her some of his paintings.
"Oh! That's me" she takes up one of the smaller paintings.
"I look so pretty. When did you paint this?" She looked away from the painting to Michael who stood behind her.
"That's a recent one. Should be the day after you started staying at Watts Estate" he said with both hands in his pockets.
"Mmmh! I'm gonna keep this one in my room" she looks back at the painting. "Well...does that mean...you have more paintings of me?" She looks at him again.
Michael chuckles, "Yes, I do. Come here" he takes her towards the shelf and opens it.
She takes out the bigger paintings inside.
"Wow! Michael! You have a very beautiful talent. Wait!" She laughs holding one up. "This is Kelvin and Vester!" She laughs again. "They look so ugly".
She takes out more paintings and takes out his mother's.
"I've seen this..." She looks at the other side of the wall.
"That's my mom" he goes closer to her. And held the painting on one side.
"Oh!" She exclaimed softly.
Michael smiled.
"We're age mates, right? I was born on May 10th. What about you?"
Michael was shocked for a while and he frowned a little,
"I was born May 10th too. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am. My mother wrote in her diary that I was born May 10th at St. John's Hospital..."
"What?!...that's crazy!" He frowned again.
"What do you mean?"
"That's the same place I was born...or ...are you Mrs. Sandra's daughter?" Michael asked.
Michelle was confused but nodded slowly.
"Man! This is crazy!" Michael said. "Miss Hena would be so happy to hear this".
"What? Why?" Tears were already gathered in her eyes. She was clearly confused.
"My mom told me about Mrs. Sandra. She said they'd both enter the labour room at the same time. The hospital had to make provisions for it immediately. They became best friends afterwards during their time at the hospital. Especially when they heard they entered the labour room simultaneously. Miss Hena was the one who had to take care of my mom and Mrs. Sandra before they parted ways after being discharged. Your mom was discharged first and they never saw themselves again" Michael explained softly.
"Oh!" Michelle was lost for words as tears ran down her pale cheeks.
"You're my twin" she smiles looking up at him while trying to clean her eyes.
"Twin, you say" He covered the distance between them and hugged her. She quickly wrapped her arms around him.
"Fate must have brought us together, hmmm!" Michael said again.
Michelle nodded, "Yeah!"
She folds her arms tightly around him. Michael too.
"So much for being my twin, but why are you so small?" Michael whispered playfully in her ear.
Michelle laughs and looks up, "I'm not small..."
He interrupts her by placing his lips on hers. She stopped talking and reciprocated fully.
****
By night, while Michael was fast asleep, Michelle sat beside him on the bed. She was staring at him with a small smile on her face.
The lights in the room were dim but she could still make out Michael's soft features as he slept peacefully with his hair untied. Slowly, she uses her index finger to shift some strands away from his face.
After some minutes, she stretched and fell asleep beside him.