012

THE weather was so cool and serene that evening, as Orlanda strolled into the garden of her just former school, she and a few classmates of hers normally do meet under the canopy tree in the garden of the school almost every evening.

Although they weren't students of the school anymore as they had just freshly graduated, few months back, but they still visited the garden, just to chill and catch up.

She briskly walked up to the canopy tree, the girls were already gathered, four girls in all, she made them five. They were all sitting on the long bench under the tree.

"Hi girls", she said as she got to them, smiling and waving.

They all turned to her.

"Hey, you are late", Winifred, the tallest of them all, spoke, frowning her face.

Orlanda just sighed in response, with a silly smile on her face.

"You don't blame her, Kate must have left the whole chores for her to do again today", Flourish, the red haired among them said shrugging her shoulders, and they all burst into laughter, including Orlanda.

"Yeah, as usual", Chinny concurred and nodded.

"Oh come on, you don't say that", Orlanda said, a little smile on her face.

"Interesting story. Daniella told me what happened the previous day, she was at your place so there is no denying it", Winifred came again.

Orlanda snorted and turned to look at Daniella, who all the while she entered has been busy on her phone. She slapped her on the shoulder.

"Wagging tongue. Have you now gotten a new catch?" She asked.

"New… new what? Henry and I are still very much together", she replied her without taking her eyes away from the phone.

"Hmm, you are so engrossed. I think you both are actually chatting away", she said and made a face, then looked away from her to the others.

"So girls, what is going on?" She asked and took a seat.

"Well, nothing much actually", Flourish spoke, "except for the trending one about…".

"Oswald Dino Escobar", Daniella interrupted and finally looked up from her phone, the others turned to her astonished.

"Woah! So you can look up from that thing in your hands for once huh?" Flourish asked rhetorically and she snorted.

"What?" She asked, looking at them.

"Hmm, palaver!" Chinny said.

"Dino Escobar's wife", Orlanda called and they bursted into laughter.

"Hey, don't even go there. She might not only end up commiting suicide, she might as well bury herself this time", Winifred said and they laughed, Daniella twisted her lips.

"Whatever, I am not Sophia okay? Sophia was indeed a weakling, yeah, we all know that. She just couldn't keep on fighting for what was hers, and so she gave up", she said and shrugged her shoulders.

"Hmm, are you so sure? His parents wouldn't give you a breathing space one bit", Orlanda said.

She waved her left hand.

"Trash that, I will be able to handle them", she said and they all bursted into another bout of laughter.

"Dream girl. Hey, you dream and imagine too high, get low girl, Dino Escobar wouldn't even look your side", Flourish said.

"Or better still, Henry should know about this now, before things get escalated", Chinny said.

Daniella made a face.

"Henry? He is just my boyfriend. If Escobar should approach me now for either relationship or marriage, then who am I to say no huh?" She asked.

The girls glanced at each other unbelievably.

"Yep, talking of Dino and relationship, do you think that guy would want to be in a relationship ever again, considering what his parents and the society did… to Sophia?" Orlanda asked.

"Time shall tell", Winifred replied her.

"Right now, he has gone haywired. You needed to see the way man replied to the media reporters at the airport. Jeez! He kept them stark mute, like they were fools or something", Flourish said and Orlanda was shocked.

"Really?" She asked.

"Even the way he replied his parents when they visited, his guards actually kept them standing at the entrance and went in to ask for his permission before they were allowed entry", Chinny said and Orlanda gasped.

"You mean Lord Dino and Lady Frances?" Daniella asked and Chinny nodded.

"Yeah. In the living room as well, after they had entered, the way he talked to them was something, jeez! The CCTV camera in the living room exposed that, and the video got viral", she said.

"Woah! Who must have let it out then?" Flourish asked.

"I don't know", she replied shrugging her shoulders.

"Hmm", the girls mouthed.

"Dude is unlike himself, this isn't Escobar, he used to be accommodating at least", Winifred said.

"Yeah, at least. I think dude is shattered, I mean who would still be of his right state of mind knowing fully aware that his first love was indirectly killed, by his own parents?" Chinny rhetorically asked.

"This seems to be serious right? But we are actually looking at it as nothing, celebrating his return and all that. No one is really looking deep to the damage caused", Orlanda said.

Just then, her phone rang, startling her and she looked into it.

"I hope it isn't that jerk that calls himself your boyfriend?" Winifred asked and they bursted into laughter.

Orlanda swallowed hard, it was him. She answered the call.

"Hey dear", she spoke into the phone and glanced at their faces, they were frowning and she looked away.

"Yeah babes, where are you?" He asked.

The girls scoffed and made a face, Daniella went back to her phone.

"I'm… I am with the girls", she said and Chinny and Flourish looked at her, she pouted.

"Oh, I am waiting for you, at the usual", he said.

"Okay, I will be there", she said.

"Alright, I am waiting", he said and wanted to hung up, but she halted him.

"Hold on…".

"Yes?"

"Are you with the guys?" She asked.

He snorted.

"Yeah, anything?" He asked and she frowned.

She had always told him she hated the kind of guys he rolled with, according to her, they are ne’er do wells, and mostly have nothing to offer, they have no jobs other than loof about, smoke and booze.

She hated them with passion, and this must have told the kind of guy she had as a boyfriend too, George was like them all.

"Ugh… not really. Okay, I will be there in a jiffy", she said and he hung up.

"I'm still trying to wonder what that George has, that you wouldn't see he is just a jerk, he doesn't deserve you", Flourish said and made a face.

Orlanda pouted. As far as she was concerned, George was the best thing that has ever happened to her, he has always been there for her.

He was their classmate in high school, and they graduated from high school together.

Yeah, George was a ne'er do well, but she strongly believes he gonna change someday.

"You better be wise Orlanda and don't let people boss you about. You already have Kate at home, and now this. Ahh, think well Landa", Winifred spoke.

Orlanda sighed.

"All that matters is love girls, I love him, and he loves me too", she said.

"That is where you seem to get it all wrong, how are you sure he loves you as well?" Chinny asked.

"I know, I just know. He has always been there for me, loved me when no one did, you girls know that right?" She asked.

Daniella looked up from her phone and rolled her eyes.

"That isn't enough to say he loves you. He only just asked you out when no other guy in class did", she said.

Orlanda sighed.

"I'm really sorry girls, I need to get going, I will see you girls later", she said and turned to leave, obviously fed up with the complains of the girls.

"See you later", they said to her and she walked away.