THREE
The big guy and thin guy rushed out towards the crowd as Rick pushed his way through the crowd trying to see the victim. And as he did, his eyes strayed and he saw Diane crossing the road back to his side of the road. He laughed nervously and hurried towards her and snatched her into a tight hug. The two guys saw that and stopped.
They looked at each other and at Rick holding Diane in a tight hug in confusion for seconds and back at each other and then smiled with a sigh of relieve.
Rick was still in shock, he quivered.
‘Oh my love, I love you so much, I can’t bear losing you to anything. I will die before anything can take you from me ‘cos there’s no life without you,’ Rick rushed the words into her neck half breathed, hugging her tight.
Diane was confused. She stood frowning in his tight hug wondering what was happening. Then she looked up at the crowd and understood everything. She had seen the accident happened; not the minute it happened but after the act. While she was crossing the road to her car, the lady victim was crossing to the eatery but as Diane got to her car, she heard tires screeched and then a thud; she looked back only to see the lady on the ground by the road side covered in blood and the car speeding off down the road and it was too late for her to do anything as the victim's skull was smashed open on the ground by the road side. The lady was dead. It was almost as if the accident was intended as the car was already speeding down the road when she looked back and there was no room for confused thoughts or whatsoever for the driver. But then she was able to catch the plate number and she immediately called the cops and sent them the number. Now she had done her bit and hoped the cops would do something to save the remainder of the situation, not that the lady can be saved anymore. But she never for once thought Rick would think she was the victim. Hell she was not ready to have her skull smashed open when she just got her life started. Not that the lady prayed for it, but then, who knows? And now Rick was shivering and out of his right senses, he loves me this much?
She smiled and slowly hugged him back and tried to calm him.
‘I’m here my love.’
Rick still hugged her tight that she could hardly breathe and he didn’t even realize it because he was in shock.
‘Rick I’m alright, I’m here with you,’ she said.
‘I thought I lost you.’
Diane chuckled half breath, ‘oh common, not when I’m not through with you.’
‘I thought I’d lost you and now that you’re in my arms, I don’t want to let go again. Please marry me Diane, marry me.’
Diane’s breath skipped a beat at that she coughed and cleared her throat.
‘Rick,’ she couldn’t take his being lily livered any longer. She tried to release herself from his hold but Rick resisted, holding on tight.
‘Please Diane, please marry me, please Diane.’
Diane forced herself away from his hold.
‘Baby, baby, Rick! wait,’ she held his shoulders.
Rick couldn’t look in her eyes, the shock made him quiver like a jelly fish.
Diane held his face in her palms to give him a calm eye to eye look, ‘of course I will marry you—’
He was happy and wanted to hug her but Diane stopped him.
‘Hold on, I mean,’ she scoffed, ‘who else will I marry if not you but this is not the right way to do this, you are in shock and and—’ she scrambled her brain for words but couldn’t find one, then she sighed, ‘just calm down okay? We will talk about this later— in the right way,’ she stared at him, then smiled and hugged him.
The big guy and the thin guy felt emotional watching them; they looked at each other and smiled.
Rick’s shock got to him so deep that Diane had to put him to sleep when they got home. She pulled the duvet to his chest and watched him sleep; then she kissed his forehead before she stood up to leave the room.
Rick stopped her by holding back her hand.
‘Please marry me,’ he muttered from his sleep.
Diane furrowed and looked back at him. He was fast asleep ‘this really got to him’ she was thoughtful and watched him sleep off again. She smiled and gently put his hand on the bed and walked out of the room.
Diane couldn’t sleep because of yesterday’s incident. The thought of Rick proposing to her was one, but in that condition was another thing. How she wished it was on a very different situation, she would have gladly said yes repeatedly till yes itself got tired and begged her to stop. Though they were still in school but many students do that anyways. And of course, Rick was poor and she’d been the one catering for all his needs, from tuition to feeding and even taking care of his poor mother in the village. She hadn’t met his father because he lost him years back before they met. But if Rick wasn’t complaining about the difference in status and wanted to marry her then why shouldn’t she? And of course, she had more than enough to cater for both of them; after all, she was the sole heiress to multibillion dollar properties her parents left behind.
They had been dating since they met in her first year in college while he was in his second year of his medicine study and it’d been four years already and if four years wasn’t enough for courting then she’d beg to be let alone. She was lost in thought in her pajamas stirring a cup of coffee on the dining table. She was making coffee for two.
‘Hey,’ Rick said walking to her.
She looked back at the voice, a bit startled but Rick didn’t notice.
‘Hey, you up.’
‘Yes,’ he held her waist from behind and kissed her neck.
She flinched at that, chuckling; it tickled her. She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.
‘How was your night?’
Rick dipped his nose in her neck and whispered, ‘it was fine.’ He kissed her neck then her lips, ‘and yours; guess it was cool?’
‘Uh huh,’ she nodded.
Rick smiled at her and picked one coffee cup on the table and stirred it with the spoon in it.
Diane sneaked a peek at him while Rick sipped his coffee.
‘So tell me,’ Diane said stirring her coffee, ‘you were saying something last night.’
Rick eyed up at her from his coffee.
‘Hmm?’ he passed his tongue across his lips, ‘was I?’
Diane held the spoon to her cup and looked at him with her brow slightly up, she couldn’t believe her ears; then she smiled faintly.
‘No, you were just dreaming,’ she picked her cup and started walking to the living room.
Rick followed her sipping his coffee. ‘Dreaming? No seriously, I said something?’
Diane shook her head.
‘Okay; so what was I dreaming about?’
Diane looked back at him in a silly way and he raised an eyebrow and nodded.
‘Oh, it’s my dream and you wouldn’t know.’
Diane sat on the couch sipping her coffee and he sat beside her.
‘But at least tell me what I said in my sleep,’ he pleaded. ‘If you said I said something last night and then said I was dreaming that means I was talking in my sleep right?’
Diane picked the TV remote and switched the TV on, and then she started changing the channels unconsciously.
‘Not something serious; you were just saying how badly you wanted to be with your mother—’
Rick frowned at her, at the remote in her hand and at the TV in confusion, then back at her.
Diane continued, ‘and how you want her to be in your life forever.’ She noticed Rick was not saying a word. She looked at him and saw him frowning at her. ‘What?’
‘I said all that?’ Rick asked in confusion.
She nodded.
‘But she’s already in my life.’
‘Well, I don’t know,’ she continued pressing the remote.
Rick watched her suspiciously then he smiled.
‘You meant you right?’ he winked at her.
‘Neu,’ she was shy but she frowned trying to maintain a straight face and then she sipped her coffee too longer than usual.
Rick smiled at her actions and moved closer to her. That was his clue he was right. He collected her coffee and put the two coffee cups on the table. Then he pulled her closer but she pulled back slowly as he closed in on her bending slightly over her. She tried to push him back gently, holding him back with her hands on his chest, wondering what he was up to.
‘You meant you right, tell me,’ he said smiling and looking into her eyes.
Her back hit the sofa and there was nowhere to run to again. Succumbing to the situation, she smiled and extended her hands to his shoulders, looking back into his eyes.
‘Those words you just said were the words I kept in my heart for you. So definitely, I was referring to you in my dreams not my mother. How you got it out, I don’t know but those words were sure meant for you. You know how much I want to be with you,’ Diane shook her head but Rick ignored and continued, ‘how much I want you in my life—’
‘But I’m already in your life, aint I?’
Rick smiled with emotions, ‘I love you.’
‘And I love you more,’ Diane smiled.
He moved to kiss her lips but stopped suddenly and listened.
‘What?’ Diane wondered.
‘What’s that sound? I think it’s your phone.’
Diane listened. ‘Oh my phone,’ Diane jumped out of the sofa and ran in.
‘Let’s get set, it will be ten o’clock soon. You know tomorrow is our last paper and we need to prepare for it,’ Rick said louder and audible enough for her to hear.
‘Yes my love, come in and let’s freshen up. Terry’s calling.’
‘I’m sure he’s calling about the tutorial.’ He walked in.
It didn’t take them time to have their bath and dress up. Diane took her seat in front of the mirror, wrapped in a white towel feeding her skin with its chemical nutrients while Rick dressed up by the bed.
‘I thought you said your tutorial is noon, how did it change to ten?’ Diane queried.
‘It was changed.’
‘Did you have it changed because of me?’ she teased.
‘No; why would I? You know if we start at the same time, there’s probability we’ll finish at the same time.’
Diane looked at him in the mirror and chuckled. Rick laughed. And there were few minutes silence in the room.
Diane dressed up and broke the silence.
‘So in less than 48hours, my Rick will become a Medical Doctor,’ she smiled at the thought, finding it difficult to fix her neck chain.
Rick smiled and went to help her.
‘No; not until after my houseman-ship and sorts, and you know I have to go for some courses too.’
‘Yes I know and likewise but at least we are through with our first degree right? And we can really plan for our future,’
Rick fixed her chain. He loosened her hair and started to style it for her.
Diane was thoughtful as he did it.
‘You think mother could come spend some days with us?’ she asked.
Rick looked at her in the mirror and she looked up at him making him halt his work on her hair.
He held her hair looking at her; ‘is that what you want?’
Diane nodded like a baby.
‘Okay then,’ Rick agreed.
‘Thanks darling,’ she was happy and still looking up at Rick unconsciously.
‘You’re welcome, so can I continue?’
‘Yes,’ still staring at Rick.
‘So?’
She raised her brows at Rick; Rick nodded up for her to sit back.
‘Oh sorry,’ she faced the mirror and Rick continued styling her hair while she watched him in the mirror with emotions as he busy designed her hair.