HER LAST WISH Chapter 66

(Moremi)

Zeemah Writes 📝

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Layla resumed the Cafe on Wednesday.

She had planned to resume yesterday thinking getting over her Aunt and nephew won’t be so hard but it really didn’t work, she had felt so down and weak that she didn’t even know if her symptoms had come to play or she’s still not over their departure.

“It feels really good to have you back Layla” Aria smiled as they work.
“Do you miss me that much?” Layla asked smiling, she can’t count the number of times Aria said that already.
“Of course, I really did”
“I really did miss you also, I miss everything; taking people’s order, making coffee, serving and chatting with you”
“Now you’re back. But you don’t look happy, are you still not over your Aunt leaving or… Is there something else?”
“I guess I’m still not over it”
“Aw. You’ll be fine, you’ve gotten real used to her during the short period she spent here, that’s the reason you’re finding it hard without her”
“Right”

“I really like her though and I wish she didn’t have to leave so soon. I would have love to spend more time with her. And Jane wouldn’t stop mentioning Dave” Aria said.
“I can relate to that, same as Dave. He mentioned Jane countless times and told me to say bye to her for him. Did you notice how unhappy he was to leave your place on Sunday?”
“Jane was equally unhappy to see him leave. Children get along real fast and it’s just so amazing”
“Exactly”
“You won’t believe the Moremi tale has become Jane’s bedtime story”
“Really?”
“She would refuse to sleep if I don’t tell it to her, and then she’ll get real angry at the goddess who took Moremi’s child and fume at her till she sleeps”
Layla laughed.

***

“Really?” Dan asked after Fel announced she would be going to San Francisco in a week.
“Yeah, I’m quite bored of Vegas and I do not want this long holiday to go down the drain, I want to explore another city.”
“On a trip or vacation?” Layla asked, untying her apron.

They had decided to meet in the Cafe after Layla’s done for the day.

“Well… Do I even know which it is, I guess vacation suits it better”
“How long are you going to be there for?” Layla asked.
“Two weeks… max” Fel grinned.
“Really? You’re going to be spending quite a lot then, why don’t you cut it down to a week?” Layla expressed.
“Actually, her Dad owns a house in San Francisco” Rylan said.

“Oh, I guess you can spend as long as you want then” Layla smiled.
“Right. You guys should come along with me”
“I’m in” Rylan said.
“I would really love to Fel but . . . the Cafe. I can’t just tell Phil I’ll be going to San Francisco for two weeks after she gave me a week and a few days off”
“Oh, I get you. We will go together some other time then” Fel said and Layla nodded.
“Dan?” Fel asked.
“I will have to think about it”
“Well, that means you’re not going” She shrug.
“Don’t come to conclusion”
“You only ‘have to think about something’ when you do not want to do it.”
“I insist you shouldn’t come to conclusion yet, I might go with you guys”
“Well, I already came to the conclusion that you’re not going with us”
Dan groaned.

“When you guys get back, we should go on a trip” Layla said.
“Why don’t we do that before we leave, after all we’re gonna be leaving in a week time” Rylan said.
“Nah, I think it’ll be better to go after, like Layla said” Fel.
“Sealed then” Dan said.

“Everything seem boring after Aunt Esther left,” Fel sigh looking unhappy. “I miss her so much”
“I miss her more than you do” Rylan said.
“I called her yesterday night. Anne and I spoke to her and David”
“Oh, I can’t believe calling her hadn’t even cross my mind, I’m going to do that tonight. Nigeria is nine hours ahead of us in time, right?” Rylan asked.
“Yeah”

Dan cleared his throat and they quickly shared a look except Layla who wasn’t included.

“Layla, don’t you think you should learn how to drive” Fel started.
“Drive? Why ?” Layla ask.
“Well . . . She means you’re the only one who doesn’t know how to drive among us” Rylan added.
“Yeah,” Dan nodded. “You should learn to drive”
Layla looked from one person to another, wondering what prompted them to think she needed to take driving lessons.
Although she knows her friends are people who doesn’t want any of them left out.
They must be feeling like she should know how to drive also since they all have the knowledge but she doesn’t think it’s necessary.

“I don’t think that’s necessary” She mouthed her thought.
“Of course it is, it doesn’t especially sit well with me that you’re the only one among us who doesn’t know how to drive” Rylan said.
“C’mon,” Layla smile. “I understand what you guys mean but really, is it necessary? it’s not even like I own my own car”
“Not having a car now does not mean you would not in the future” Dan said and of course he meant that, they planned on getting her a car soon and that’s the reason she needs to take driving lessons before it arrives. It doesn’t sit well with them that Layla seems to be the only one among them who doesn’t own a car.
Even though it’s gonna be a tug of war to make her accept it, they were ready.

“Well… There would be no future” The words spilled out of Layla’s mouth before she could stop herself, she wonders if her mouth running uncontrollably is part of the symptoms.
“I was just joking of course” She quickly laughed.
“What’s with you and expensive jokes these days. Whew! You scared me” Fel sigh in relief.
“Well, I kind of knew she was joking” Rylan lied.
“Why did you look more scared than the rest of us then, you lie so much Ry” Fel scoffed and as she and Rylan went back and forth, Layla’s gaze landed on Dan; giving her that suspicious look yet again!
She smiled at him and he did same even though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m done arguing with you!” Fel turned back to Layla.
“Dan is right Layla, you should learn to drive.”
“I don’t see any reason to, honestly” Layla sigh.
“You might see the reason to later on, just do it. You’re not gonna lose anything after all” Rylan smiled.
“Okay fine” Layla said, knowing her friends won’t give up until she gives in.

**

“You should have just knocked before walking in” Layla said, looking offended as Phil stood by the door, her mouth wide opened after seeing how largely the stretchmarks had stretched to her niece’s back.
She was undressing when Phil suddenly walked in.

“Layla” Phil breathed, stepping further into the room. Forgetting what she came here for.
She had been shocked to see how bad her niece’s body had gotten, it looked hideous.
“What?” Layla asked nonchalantly…
“Why didn’t you tell me it has spread this much?”
“What are you going to do about it if I tell you? There’s nothing, nothing can be done, you are only going to pity me and I hate that”
Phil swallowed hard. “Don’t you think we should visit the doctor?”
“For? Scrubbing it off my back?” Layla asked humorlessly.

Phil sigh. “I think it’s time you tell your friends”
“I’m not going to”
“You should”
“Why should I? Nothing can be done”
“I know but they need to know, Layla. Stop bottling everything to yourself!”
“I still do not get the reason they need to know, so they can probably start mourning me in advance? Just let me be! and it would be greatly appreciated if you leave my room” Layla said, her anger building up.
She’s not angry at Phil, she is at herself.
“They won’t ever forgive you for not opening up to them even when you called them your best friends”
“At least, they won’t have to feel the pain of seeing me and knowing I’m going to die soon”
“Would you even have told me if I hadn’t gone with you to the doctor?”
“Probably not”

“Keeping this all to yourself isn’t going to help”
“Spilling it isn’t going to help either! It’d be unfair to burden them with my shit, I don’t want anyone counting the days with me, I can’t bear to cause them that much pain”
“They won’t mind, they are your friends. You didn’t even tell Esther.”
“I don’t want anyone sharing my pain, they all have their lives to tend to, why should I bother them with mine and would you please leave, I have to shower”
“I am going to tell them if you won’t!” Phil threatened, hoping that would at least change Layla’s mind.
“Go ahead and I’m just going to kill myself before they get here! I don’t have anything to lose anyway, I’m just going to end everything!” Layla slammed the bathroom door, startling Phil.

Phil walked out of the room after she heard the shower run.
She paced the living room worriedly, thinking hard about what she’s going to do.
Should she just tell Layla’s friends and Aunt without making her know?
What if she really murders herself like she said.
Is Layla capable of doing that?
Well . . . She had looked pretty serious.

She hadn’t seen those stretchmarks on Celine’s back or any part of her body.
How come it’s suddenly appearing on Layla’s body.
Are there different symptoms for the same type of cancer?
Shouldn’t they go to the doctor again?
But Layla’s been so adamant, she’s not even going to listen to her or accept to go to the hospital with her!
She should try to persuade her to or call the doctor to come over if she refuses.

~
“Layla, you need to come with me to the hospital tomorrow” Phil said over dinner.
“No” Layla said, not raising her head from the meal.
“Lay..”
“I’m not going to the hospital with you!” She yelled.
“You’re going to the hospital with me!” Phil yelled back at her.
“I will not! There’s nothing to do there”
“Your stretchmarks needs to be examined! Those things weren’t on your mum’s or brother’s body”
“And I need to go to the hospital to examine it because it wasn’t on my mum or brother’s back?”

“Yeah, just listen to me Layla please”
“What use is examining it? Is it meant to make me feel better or miraculously make it all go away, as long as it isn’t going to cure my cancer, it’s not worth stressing over” Layla continued eating even if the meal now tasted stale in her mouth.
“I still feel we should go to the hospital, why won’t you even listen!” Phil said, starting to look really pissed.
“Just make researches if you’re so concerned, I’m not going to the hospital with you because that’s definitely going to amount to nothing! And you can’t surely tell if my mum or brother had it, they never revealed their whole body to you”

“You’re going to come to the hospital with me tomorrow…”
“I’m done here!” Layla pushed the meal away, got to her feet and walked off angrily.

***

Layla yelled at the Doctor for the third time to fucking leave her alone.

Phil sigh as she watched, she had to summon the doctor over today to examine Layla and she has not been giving him the chance to.
It’s quite surprising to see Layla behave this way.

Wildly.

“Layla, you need to calm down. I’m only going to examine it . . .”
“I don’t want you to! Why are you being so annoying. I don’t want to be examined! Leave or you’re going to be arrested for wanting to forcefully examine me.”
“I guess I’ll take my leave now Ms. Marton, you should get her to come to the hospital when she’s ready” The doctor picked his bag.
“Thanks so much Doc. Mart I’m so sorry for the stress”
“It’s fine” He said and Phil walked him to the door.
She returned to Layla.

“Phil, would you leave me the hell alone! Leave me alone!!” Layla screamed at her, stomping off to her room.

***

“Can you just see how dumb the movie ended? You should have allowed me select a better movie but you’re just so headstrong” Fel hissed at Ry who looked kind of guilty.
“I do not really watch movies but I’ve never watched one as dumb as this” Layla groan.
“Don’t mind them buddy, the movie is great, very great” Dan teased.
“It would have been better if you had just condemned the movie like they did, now you make me feel even worse” Rylan said and they shared a laugh.

It’s a week after and they were seated in Dan’s living room, spending time together before Rylan and Fel leave for San Francisco tomorrow.
“Fel, go ahead and select the next movie, these guys are not allowed to anymore” Layla said firmly.
“But Rylan was the one who did a bad job at it, why include me?” Dan frowned.
“You were included because you and Ry have the same taste”
“Exactly” Fel agreed.
“Really? Then give me the chance to prove you wrong” Dan said determinedly.

“Dan, you just indirectly said my taste is bad” Rylan tried to look offended.
“When did I say that? I never did”
“You wanted to prove them wrong when they said you and I have the same taste, you wouldn’t have done that if you think my taste is good”

“Ah, my bad. I didn’t actually mean it that way, although your taste is quite bad but I didn’t mean to do that” Dan grinned and ended up laughing when Rylan sent a throw pillow in his direction.

“I bet this will be great, check it out” Fel handed her phone to Layla.
“Let’s go for it” Layla said.
“Aren’t you guys going to allow us see the movie we’ll be watching?” Dan asked.
“Why should we? It’s not like your comments matter, you can’t even tell a good movie from a bad one” Fel said.
“Ry, look what you caused!”
“How!”
“You selected a bad movie and now I’m being tagged along with you”
“You also said the movie was good when I showed it to you!”
“You convinced me to say it was!”
“Whatever, but you were also an ally in selecting it”

Anne walked into the living room and moved towards Rylan and they all paid no attention to her as they thought she was going to sit beside him and watch the movie with them but they were shocked when she suddenly slapped Rylan across the face.
Rylan blinked in disbelief, tiny stars blurring his vision due to the effect of the slap.
They were all so speechless, not knowing where that came from.
“You’re lucky my friends aren’t here” She said and they all saw what they hadn’t seen in her hand earlier.

A trip ticket.

“We’re going on a trip to Zion national park and Bryce canyon this weekend” She smiled before walking away.

“Oh my God” Fel held her stomach as laughter rolled out of her.
Layla felt kind of sorry for Ry but couldn’t help but laugh. He shouldn’t have underestimated her in the first place.
Dan folded in his lips, preventing his laughter from escaping his mouth..
But when it seems his cheeks were going to burst open, he let it out and they all laughed except Rylan who looked quite swollen.

……………….