Surprisingly there's not much to do. Boss  reviewed the project and presented it to the client. Boss allowed us to leave work early so Oliver and I left.

 My braids are due to be remade and I am getting tired of having to carry it around. There's a salon is go to make my hair, its not very popular so the customers are not overflowing. The owner is a very good fried of mine. She's a Nigerian from Ebonyi State, I met her at the beach, one of those times when I felt unsure of my life and where it was headed. She was the kind of person that I vibed with so we hit off right away even though she's five years older than me. At the time I met her she had just started her salon business and I was looking for a place to start making my hair and the places I found were not to my satisfaction. The first time I entered her salon, it reminded me of the salon I used to use back in Nigeria where you watched movies while you made your hair. It was the only salon I allowed my self to step foot in even if my mother disagreed because their prices were a bit high.

 I hadn't even loosened my hair but she said she would help me with it and now I rarely loosen my braids before going to the salon which is why I'm going to make my hair now but I still had to call her to let her know that I was coming. She also loves dogs and allows me to bring Oliver with me to the salon even though he just stays in the inside a room in the salon.

Oliver gets to the car before me while I try to get my phone and car keys from my bag. As I back out of the parking lot trying to look for her number. I see it and click her number and put it on speaker. I may not be the best driver but from what I've learned from my father, whenever you want to make a call and you're driving, always put it on speaker, that way you'll be able to concentrate better. She picks up on the fifth ring.

"Hey Adaobi" 

"You coming to make your hair?" she also has an Irish accent with a dip of Igbo at least that's how I hear it.

"You free?" I hear her sigh from the other side. Sometimes I get tired of me too.

"Did you loosen your braids already?"

"No. I know I know but you love me" I try not to laugh so she won't give up on me.

"You're so annoying. You're lucky I haven't unsubscribed from Netflix. The movies are waiting "

"Thank you darrrrling. I'm just going to change and I'll head your way"

"Yeah yeah, just make sure you bring Ollie" she sometimes almost love shim as much as I do. I shake my head and try to avoid some child on inline skates. She cuts the call. We get home and I rush upstairs, I quickly change from my work clothes into more comfortable clothes. Oliver trails me everywhere until I tell him to sit in the living room. I pick some cash and my purse, everything else I need is in the salon.  lock the door behind and we head to the salon. There's a little hold up but I finally see her medium-sized-purple-painted salon in the corner. It looks like someone just finished making their hair. I lock my car and slide open the glass.

"Yay, she's here"

"Say with less sarcasm" she laughs, her slightly deep belly laugh bouncing off the salon mirrors and pulls me into a compulsory hug. She knows I'm not a hugger . She's been one of my closest friends so she makes herself allowed to hug me. I squirm away from her so I can see face clearly, her face looks a bit pale and her eyes look bloodshot. 

"Are you ok Dobi, like actually okay. You don't look too well" I'm not ready to loose anyone.

"I'm fine Ellie, just haven't been sleeping well" she shrugs and pulls out a chair. I know she wants to get off the topic so I leave it, she'll talk when she's ready. I settle on the chair and watch Oliver go to the inner room, he knows his kingdom already, as I watch him, he turns his head to me and one eye closes and opens rapidly. He keeps walking and I I turn to the mirror until I realize that....

Did he just wink at me? The sheer shock and surprise, I check to see if Dobi saw it and she's looking at me. I'm sure the same expression on her face is the same as mine because we both start laughing at the same time. I try not to fall off the chair and Dobi sits on the chair holding her stomach. 

"Did he just-" laugh "Did he just-" laughter "He just winked" Ada says while I nod holding the arm of the chair, tear drops are on my jeans and on my phone screen. I wipe it off shaking my head and grab the remote. The attachment has already been set so I just sit and hand my head over to Dobi on a platter of gold. 

"What's the one movie you've watched and most people have?" Dobi asks me as she starts my hair.

"The Old Guard" I heard Gloria and James talking about and it seems interesting.

"Me too" 

"So The Old Guard?" 

"Yeah, I guess its time for a difference"

"Yeah" I don't know why she said that but I'd rather not ask, sometimes its best to leave things as they are. The movie starts.

"Do you have ice-cream?" she has a small freezer where she keeps ice-cream in the inner room for the little children.

"Pause it" her face looking like that of a stern mother. 

I chuckle and pause, she sighs and goes to get my chocolate ice-cream cone, I hear Oliver's bark from inside. She comes back a with it and I unpause.

◈◈◈◈◈◈

Its been a while, she has taken down the braids and washed my hair and all that stuff. She has started the big braids and we're  halfway through The Old Guard because we had to do a lot of pausing and rewinding cause I can't just watch a movie without pausing and Dobi on the other hand is the exact opposite.

"How much more?" I try to touch my hair but she smacks my hand away.

"We legit just started and you're asking me how much more" her Nigerian-Igbo coming through sounding like my dad's auntie.

"Calm down, I'm tired and my back aches"

"See her mouth, instead of you to have loosened your braids before coming, now you're saying you're tired. Shush it woman" i see her roll her eyes in the mirror.

"But seriously, my back is aching, can I stand up for a bit?" she doesn't answer.

"Please" I hear a sigh and my hair is released.

"Five minutes" she sits down for too.

"You were even tired" 

"Shut up" I stretch my back and neck, praying for the five minutes to go slower. I go into the inner room to check on Oliver and when I go in, he's sound asleep with his toy in his right paw. I try not to wake him as I steal another ice-cream cone and tip-toe out.

When I come out, Dobi's washing her hands.

"Why are you washing your hands?" 

"Habit" she shrugs

"Did you take another one?"

"Another what?" 

"Oh you mean the ice-cream?" she nods

"Yeah I did and I love you for this" I say pointing at the ice-cream. She rolls her eyes

"Some people's eyes are gonna pop out soon" I mumble.

"Sit your ass down and don't think I didn't hear you" I sit and stick out my tongue until I realize that she can see me. She gives me a knowing look through the mirror and we return to the movie and my hair. 

20 minutes later....

"Oh my daze, she's bleeding- and its not stopping" I started paying attention to the movie and the part where Andy seems to no longer be immortal.  

"I really wasn't expecting that"

"Well, the things we don't expect are what happen the most"

"Dobi?"

"Yeah"

"You've been a saying a lot of deep meaning stuff lately. Are you emotionally, mentally and physically fine?" we both say deep stuff when something's wrong so I know her by now.

"I'll talk about it later"

"Okay" 

Silence

"Are we almost done?"

"We!?" she exclaims and turns the chair to face her. I'm almost met with stars. Low iron tings.

"Yeah, we're doing this braids together. You're doing the braids in te physical and I'm doing it in the spiritual"

"Jesus, sometimes, its just best to ignore you"

"Yep"

"So?"

"Remains two more"

"Thank God" I let my shoulders slump and roll them backwards.

Next 10 minutes...

"Done done done"

"Yes" I slide out of the chair and fall off.

"She goes to wash her hands at the sink and I send the payment to her. 

"Ellie" uh-oh

"Yeah?"

"I've got something to tell you"

"Ok?"

"I'm sick"

"Then go to the hospital"

"That's where I found out that I was sick" she rolls her eyes. They look more sunken, and her skin looks paler and she looks tired. 

"Oh"

"Yeah" I pull her over so we are both sitting.

"Ok so what's the sickness?"

"I really don't know"

"What, you know you're sick but you don't know what it is"? she sighs

It started about 2 months ago and it hasn't stopped. I happened to me when I was younger but only for 3 weeks so when I first noticed, I thought it was going to stop but it didn't so I went to the hospital. At the end, after so may test results, the doctor said he didn't really know what was happeneing since I've never gotten pregnant ot I never had an abortion or anything like that and since I never had cramps. He said I possibly have Menorrhagia, Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. I was given a few medicine to use but I've been felling very tired lately and its gotten heavier. I called the hospital and he just said I shouldn't really worry much about it, saying it would stop. I've been wearing Maxi pads for soo long and I till change it like four times in a day and it still stains. Though they did give me supplements to replave the vitamins and everything I've lost in my blood."

She's crying now so I hug trying to not let the tears slip from my eyes. I really hope she's going to be fine and its gonna stop

"I don't get it" I'm not ready for any shit. "So are you gonna be okay"

"I don't know" I hug her. Only God knows how long she has. 

"Its gonna be okay, its gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine" I pat her on the back trying to not let the tears fall from my eyes but they flow like a river.

Nothing is going to happen to her, absolutely nothing. She's going to be fine, this stupid meno-something won't affect her much. Those doctor is right to tell he rto just rest casue she'll be fine.

"Ellie" she pulls away from me and touches the overflowing river on my face.

"But its not fair" I break into more tears and hug her again. Tighter. 

Its not fair, why should things like this happen. 

"You're hurting me" I quickly release her and turn away from her looking for something else to hug. Oliver has come out of the room, I go to hug him, falling on the floor to his side. I sob into his fur. I feel so stupid and selfish.

"I'm going to die"

"Please be quiet" I whimper as I stand up trying to block out pictures of myself attending a funeral.

"Its true and I don't know yet when I'm going to die or how my funeral will be but I know you'll figure it out for me. I already cried until I realized that crying might just make me more tired. I don't have any family member I actually know, my parents are dead like you know and my sister, I lost contact with her already and she's a pin in the ass. So I think its just you and Oliver."

"I have to go" I can't deal with this the way she's dealing with it. I just can't wrap my head around it. I need a distraction, this is giving me a headache. 

"Okay, just drive safe okay?" the tears threaten to start again so I give her a quick hug and hurry out before I loose my emotional stability. Olive jumps in beside me and I start the car. I start driving. My mind is in that mode where its completely empty, nothing but white. Over the years, I've trained myself to be able to switch off from my thoughts so I don't think about anything. I perfected it after I started school because I met some pretty shitty people. Sometimes, I choose to block them out and sometimes I don't. I most definetly don't want to think about Adaobi dying, its not something my heart is ready to accept.

Until she dies.

Shut up

Sorry

I need a distraction. Oliver suddenly barks and I almost hit the car in front of me. My phone is ringing. Side effects of this technique, you're subconscious. 

Noah.

"I hope you're not calling to tell me that you're dying too"

"What? no...no no no, I'm calling to remind you about the party tonight"

"Oh" distraction.

"Um, I need help"

"Are you okay Ellie? You sound dead" 

"I'm fine, I'm fine. So um, how is this going to work?"

"Um, ok I'm going to pick you up because 1. You don't sound ok enough to drive"

"I'm driving right now. And 2?

"There's no 2, I just felt like saying 1"

"Its like around 6 now and the party starts 7 so you still have time"

"I'll send you my address, wait, do you think I can bring Oliver?"

"Uh..I don't think its a good idea to bring him" He'll have to stay with Margaret then.

"Ok thank"

"Don't forget the address"

"Yeah ok bye"

"Bye" I send him my address before I forget and drive half conscious home. When we get home, I go to the shower and fill the sink with water, and dip my face into it, the tips of my shoulder length jumbo knotless braids getting in the water. I feel Oliver's paw on my foot, his nails pinching my skin. I hold my breadth longer and let my shoulders relax. 30 seconds. I push my face deeper. God why is this happening, I find one, I loose one. Why?

Why are you letting this happen with someone with such a beautiful soul die? We need more people like her on earth.

Why not just pray for her?

But she's still going to die. 10 seconds

Yes but at least pray for her. Pray that I would give her mercy.

Ok.

Dear God, I pray that you have mercy on Adaobi. I pray for her that in the time of sickness, she would not be in so much pain and when she does die, she'll die peacefully. Your angels will take her to you and she will be happy. Have mercy on her soul Lord. In Jesus name I  have prayed.

Oliver's nails are hurting me now so I take my face away from the water. Drawing in air. The water enter my eyes and it stings but I wipe the away with the bathroom towel. I bend down and cup his face in my hands.

"Ok, se here's the thing, You can now take your paws off my foot. You've done enough of not letting my spirit go ok?" its still there so I gently lift them off.

"I'm going to a party soon and you can't follow me so you'll stay with Margaret, you know, the old woman" *barks*

"I'm sorry"

She's going to die- I hate you.

No you don't. My phone is ringing but I don't have the energy to pick it up. The couch is calling me and suddenly, I don't feel like going to the party anymore.

I hit my foot on the tool, that should leave a bruise. The couch doesn't seem comfortable anymore as I lie on it. There's a knock on my door and Oliver barks. I don't think I locked the door but I don' have the energy to shout. I close my eyes hoping the person would just leave but I hear the door open. Panic strikes and I close my eyes tighter.

"Eleanor?" Noah. The party. I open my eyes

"Is she okay?" who's that? Oh Margaret. Oliver wet tongue lick my face and he whines and I finally open my eyes. I blink to get the blurriness out of my eyes and meet two worried faces and one dog breath fanning my face. 

"Hey, are you ok?" 

"Hey Margaret. I'm fine thank you" I look towards the door hoping she would get the message and leave. Fortunately, she does and turns to leave then I remember I'm leaving Oliver with her tonight.

"Hey Margaret?" her careful steps turning toward me.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going out tonight and I don't want to leave him alone cause I'm not sure if I'm coming back early. So can you help me take care of him while I go?" She gives me a sympathetic look but I can't help but think that Ada needs it more than I do.

"of course dear, it'll be my pleasure. 

I hug Oliver close and hand him over to Margaret.

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Hello to whoever is reading❤❤
I know this chapter is really long, and it also too a long time for me to finish.
Byeeee ✌❤