They were both washing their clothes, a pair of unbreakable friends that are always together. Unlike Grace, Toyin was uneasily attractive. To say she was beautiful would have been incomplete. To say she exuded sex would have been oversimplifying it. Her back hair capped over her ebony skinned face. Her lips full and luscious, with wide hips that marched her well-framed thighs and her full breasts. She was as beautiful as a picture. Although she was not from a very rich family as Grace who was the daughter of a Chief but her beauty alone made her certain of her future.
‘Ha! Look who is talking about fairness.’ Grace fired back. ‘As if I was the one who snatched my sister’s boy friend.’ She smiled away, licking the corner of her mouth.
‘Eh, eh, eh, eh, that is a enough.’ Toyin said pushing her away. ‘You are very mean about things like this, you know very well that I didn’t mean to do that, only that that young man could not keep his eyes off me. So I gave him what he want.’
‘Can’t you refuse him? For God sake he was going out with your sister.’ Returned Grace solemnly rolling her sparkling eyeball.
‘That is not your business.’
‘It is my business because in this land such acts are regarded as abomination.’
‘Then, if you are so concerned about this land grab me or better still beat me if you can.’ Answered Toyin pretending to be angry.
‘Mad girl you have come again, you know very well that I was only joking.’ Pleaded Grace pushing her around.
‘Go and sit down, anybody that don’t know you will think you are a saint, more innocent than an unborn child.’ Toyin said smiling wolfishly and pointing at Grace who has lifted a basin full of water up and allows it to slowly drip on her like a split pump. And Toyin while speaking was slowly peeling off her clothes one after the other until she was totally naked except for her immaculate white bra and panties. Her breast full and pointing furiously like yam’s hips dug in dry season. Her skin reflecting the evening sun.
Savagely, Toyin said after showcasing her elegant body, ‘I just don’t want you to bring your elder sister into this. You know she is the born again type.’
‘Ho, you really think she is born again? You must be a block head to believe that.’ Said Grace stretching her hands as if to grab the other. ‘My sister is only acting she claimed to be born again after she had wasted her life dating all the dateables. She is not born at all, she is only pretending.’ She went closed to her companion looking around like a thief before whispering into her hear, ‘she is looking for an husband.’
‘Don’t tell me that. How can your big sister be pretending? Are there not husbands everywhere? Whispered Toyin.
‘What make you think I would lie against my own sister.’ She whispered again like a man delivering a secret to the king. ‘ Just listen, three day ago she came back from the fellowship with her friend. You know her now that black girl who normally reads response in the church.’ She grabbed Toyin’s shoulder with both hands and shook her roughly.
‘ Yes, James’s sister.’
‘Exactly, they came with their faces beaming with smile. I heard them laughing and talking about Sidney. You know Sidney, the son of Chief Egbe, my daddy’s friend.’
‘What! That handsome young man in the college?’ Toyin quickly asked her eyes beaming with surprise and a sudden welling up in her pretty oval face.
‘Yes’ answered the other.
‘Nonsense, does she think that Sidney would dream of settling down with an old lady of thirty?’ Toyin said bitterly. ‘When beautiful ladies like us are still in this town. She must be joking.’ Smiling, she started cat-walking along the riverbank, displaying her delicate legs in a fashion common to movie stars.
‘Beauty queen…miss world,’ Cheered Grace, clapping her hands.
‘You better let your sister know that she is building Eldorado, fictitious castle. To think that Sidney – the most handsome among the Chief Egbe’s sons would marry or even date an old lady like her.’ Toyin said attempting to sit on a piece of rock by the stream, which was shaped like a stool. Her voice was harsh and bitter.
‘Enough! Don’t dare talk to my sister like that. She and her friend were only taking about how he preached in the fellowship. Nobody is snatching Sidney, you secret admirer.’ Grace said defensively.
‘Wait a minute, were they trying to say that Sidney is now born again and he is preaching already? No, no not Sidney.’ Cried Toyin ‘that cute guy cannot be born again.
She was not only surprise now but her feminine heart was bleeding. For a long time she has been admiring the young man from afar. Last Christmas when he came home she stumbled upon him in their house when her father sent her to the Chief. He told her that day she was beautiful and she was looking forward to a blissful relationship but he never went beyond that.
‘Are you really serious or pretending to be in love? Hey, don’t tell me you are a medieval lover weeping in silence and loving in secret. Like in the thirteen century you will burn and die of love, ha, ha, ha’ Grace mocked her, clenching her fists in a fashion common to gossips.
‘Say whatever you like, it wouldn’t change anything.’ Toyin responded sheepishly. Sidney, she believed was a man any woman would die for. He is so cute, intelligent and gentle. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself, why should I be an exception, she thought.
‘Hey, why wearing that funny looks. Who said you can not love him.’ Grace said in a petulant voice.
She shrugged her slim shoulders, lifted her hands up toward the sky, walked over to her companion and placed her slim hand round her neck. They both sat down with their legs in the waters.
‘ My dear’ it was Grace who broke the silence. ‘Everybody love Sidney, everybody including myself, he is a nice guy. But you see – he look around her as if to be sure they were alone – a man can not pluck from a tree he can not climb, our elders said it is suicide. He is too high for us to reach. Come to think of it, he is rich, the son of the king, handsome, loved by all, schooling in the big city and many ladies are after him. What chances could we possibly have?’
Toyin looked at her contemplatively. ‘But look at me – standing up to showcase her elegant body. Somebody fetching water from the other end of the Stream saw her and greeted her and she waved her greetings – am I that bad?’
‘No, you don’t’
I know I am not, I am even better than some of those city girls he might have knew. Tell me can any man see this body and ignore me?’ turning aside like a shy little baby she solemnly whispered, ‘but Sidney is different, he seems not to noticed anybody around.’
‘But you said he once told you that you the most beautiful girl in Iyoland.’
‘Yes, but he never go further than that, despite all my effort to encouraged him. I’m beginning to suspect that it was just a compliment any way.’
‘You don’t have to look so disappointed girl. The only people I think have assessed to him now are those in the church. I think that’s the only qualification one need to reached him.’
‘In that case, you are not suggesting we pretend to be born again?’ Toyin asked, astounded and incredulous.She shrugged her slim shoulders again and said, ‘that seems to be the only way.’