The memories

I ransacked my dresser as I searched for the pink crop top I had decided to wear for Ella's birthday party tonight. I couldn't find it and my mind went crazy. It had to be in my dresser. I saw it there two days ago.

I yanked off all my clothes and brought out all of them. My room was a total mess but I care less. Maybe someone might have stolen it, I thought aloud as I threw my blue-heeled shoe behind me.

I heard something fall off from the top of the dresser and a loud thud when it landed on the floor. I let out pent-up frustrations from searching for my dress and turned around.

It was a heavy old-fashioned leather-bound book. I turned it around, it kind of looked familiar. I could swear I knew what it was but agreed not to jump to conclusions before opening it.

A cute chubby cheeks hair blonde baby girl shot a smile at me right after I opened the book. I chuckled at the sight of it. That was me. At seven months.

I rubbed her face with my thumb as my chuckling turned into laughter. I had long forgotten how I looked as a baby.

I knew at once the book in my hand was the family's old photo album. The photo album was 20 years old.

I stretched my legs backwards to the bed and sat still as I gazed at the picture. Memories flooded my mind at that instance.

The photo album embodied the events of my life and I knew I was about to be transported to the past.

My sister Chiamaka padded into the room as I flipped over to the next.

"My God, Uluoma!" She gasped. "Your room is a mess."

She tripped past my things and sat close to me.

"See what I found," I said to her.

Her eyes shone as she held it. "The family's old photo album."

"Yeah. It fell off the top of the dresser."

"Wow! I had long forgotten about it. This is very precious to us, you know." She raised her brows.

"I know. I'm going to show it to Mom and Dad when they get back tomorrow," I said, taking it back.

"Mom would scream in her tiny voice over it."

We burst out laughing at the thought of it.

"So, what are you doing? Not going to the party anymore?" asked Chiamaka.

I shook my head. "No. I can't find my top and I found this."

"Oh!" She rolled her eyes. "No wonder this place is a mess."

I ignored her and flipped over to see more pictures. We laughed out some and talked about a few as we tried to recall what had happened the day we took the pictures.

"Wait," I heard Chiamaka say as I was about to flip over.

"What?" my face was puzzled.

"Isn't this Somto?" she pointed at a light-skinned boy eating chocolate sitting close to me at a picnic.

I stared into the picture. I didn't see it as I flipped. A string of silence hung between us.

"I want to be left alone," I said in a sotto voce.

Without saying a word, Chiamaka left my room.

My face contorted.

I shook my head and tears flooded my cheeks.

I covered my face with my palms and my body trembled.

It was coming back. The pain. It was back.

I slumped to the floor and spread my legs apart. My heart hurts at the sight of him.

Somto. My high school lover. My first love.

I had forgotten everything about him not until this night.

We were young and in love. Our parents knew about us and allowed it. What we shared was pure and real.

We were seen together. We studied together. We did almost everything together. We had plans to study at the same university and get married right away.

But Fate happened to us.

My parents received a call and were told that the Opara's were involved in a ghastly accident.

No one had survived.

I lost consciousness when I heard the news. My world crumbled at my feet. I spent some weeks at the hospital before being discharged.

Life made no sense without him. It was never the same. My parents had to move into our second house and I had to change schools.

I forgot about Somto after years of struggling with the reality that he was gone.

Now, the memories were fresh again.

My body felt numb.

Chiamaka edged into my room. I didn't know she was at the door all this while. She drew me into her arms and rocked my shoulders.

"It's okay, Uloma," she said as I sobbed into her arms.

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