Olivia smiled as she read the text, her friend, Nikhil staying in touch with her as promised, sometimes calling after midnight not allowing her to sleep. But as the years went by and he rose to greater heights in academics and social life, the calls, texts and gifts became less. It was something in a small corner of her heart Olivia had been afraid of but she took it in good stride as she focused on her studies. After graduating from high school she had begun teaching, a stepping stone to greater achievements in life. She did not have to sell at the roadside stall any more nor did her mother. Success from years of sacrifices had brought changes that made life better. She had blossomed from her sweet-16 prettiness to a beautiful, young woman with a body, slim and defined, a warm personality and intelligent mind.

The combination of beauty and brains put aces in her hands and she must know how to play her cards so her dreams could become a reality. She could have moved to a middle class, developed neighbourhood but she chose not to leave but to stay and mentor young girls. It was one of the reasons she chose to begin her career as a teacher.
In her quiet, private moments she would think of her friend, not having heard from him in a while. It would soon be five years since he had left and she wondered:
“Would he come to see me or would he forget?”
The bud in her heart had slowly blossomed over the years and loving him, the way she did she held secret, not sure if he could ever be hers.
“I am yours though,” she had whispered to his picture in her dresser, “I am yours.”
One late night, Olivia was jolted out of her sleep by a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot. She ran out of her bedroom as her brother exited his.
“What was that?” she asked, scared.
Criminal elements were always intruding in the area, much to the fear and annoyance of the residents. Her brother peered cautiously through the window and said “There’s a black Prado out there and someone’s leaning on the hood, like he’s hurt.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know, I’d better call the police.”
As he dialed, Olivia heard a voice distinctly called her name. She froze, recognising the voice and looking through the window, she cried out.
“Oh my God, it’s him! It’s Nikhil!”
She opened the door and ran outside in her sleepwear before anyone could stop her.
“Nikhil,” she cried, holding him, “What happened?”
“Olivia,” he gasped in pain, “I came to see you,” and he collapsed.
He was bleeding from a bullet wound after an attempted robbery by two men on a bike. A police patrol was immediately on the scene and they took him to the hospital. She waited, trembling as they rushed him into the emergency unit, praying in her mind for his survival. After what seemed an eternity, one of the doctors came out and told her the bullet did not cause severe damage and he was stable.
“Oh thank you dear God,” she cried softly, deeply relieved.
The doctor allowed her in for a few moments to see him. He was sedated and looking at his handsome face that had hung like a portrait in her mind for five years, loving him for every moment of those years, she whispered,
“You came to see me, you did not forget me.”
His family arrived, their worry, anxiety and anger causing a chaotic scene and she left, afraid of the questions they may ask. She returned in the afternoon but his mother, father, relatives and friends were still there and knowing now was not a good time to see him, she turned to leave when one of the nurses called her,
“Olivia, he’s asking for you.”
A sudden silence fell on the visitors lounge as everyone turned to look at her, the father, a dark look on his face and the mother with deep disapproval.
“You’re Olivia, the black girl my son went to see when he was shot?”
The father’s heavy voice made Olivia almost tremble.
She nodded, “Yes”
“Why?” his mother asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure? He went to see you just two days after returning from abroad and you’re not sure why.” The anger in the mother’s voice hit Olivia like sharp stones.
“I’m only his friend.” She said quietly.
“A friend?” she scoffed scornfully, “Visiting you after midnight in an undeveloped area notorious for criminal elements. If he had gone to visit the girl his father wanted him to marry, this would have never happened.”
Olivia turned to go then stopped. She couldn’t let them speak to her with such scorn as though she was unworthy. She should take a stance and speak from a pedestal of strength for who she was-a young, determined woman who rose from the dust of poverty to take an important place in society. She turned back and said in a cordial manner,
“Mr. and Mrs. Sawh, I’ve known Nikhil for over five years and all that time we’ve only been friends. I am now an educator, who chose to continue living in a poor area to mentor young girls so they could have good lives. Selfless sacrifices and a passion for what I believe in, no money can buy, it’s priceless. Ask your son why he comes to see me.”
She took a deep breath and stood there for a few short moments then walked away, satisfied that she had made her point. She did not go back to the hospital and only spoke to him on the phone.
“Why didn’t you come back to see me?” he asked.
“I did but I couldn’t because there was too much tension around.”
“I’m really sorry about that.”
“I didn’t even know you were back,” she said, “Why did you come to see me so late?”
“I was so eager to see you, to give you a surprise.”
“Please don’t do that again, I’m still feeling scared from that night.”
“Okay but I still have to see you, there’s so much to talk about.”
They met in the city for lunch, went for drives at resorts, parks and walks in the gardens, a friendship rekindled but there was something different, a passion they shared held on a leash waiting for something to break that cord of restrain.
He had been forbidden to visit her at her home and it was almost three months since that terrible night when he disobeyed that rule. Olivia had just returned from Church when the doorbell buzzed. She opened the door and he was standing there, a worried look on his face.
“Nikhil, what are you doing here? What’s wrong?”
He walked in and sat down, not saying anything for a while.
“Nikhil?” she promted him to speak.
He looked at her and sighed deeply, still worried.
“My father is putting me under great pressure to get married to a business executive’s daughter.”
That statement was like an arrow through her heart and for a long while she couldn’t say anything, just turned and stared through the window to hide the pain in her eyes.
“Olivia, what do I do?”
She tried to compose herself and said,
“I can’t answer that, it’s your decision.”
“I know,” he said, passing his hands through his hair in frustration, “It won’t be easy to say ‘no’ to my father but how do I share my life with one woman while I dream of another?”
He came close to her and lifting her chin so she was looking him in the eyes, he said in a low voice, emotions like a rising tide.
“I’ve been dreaming of her for the past five years, not being able to forget her, anxious always to see her, to hear her voice, to be with her, I can’t lose her now, I want that dream to become real.”
Her composure crumbled like waves hitting a sand castle and tears flooded her eyes. Her lips trembled, wanting to say something but she couldn’t. He kissed her, snapping that cord that unleashed all the love and passion held so long in their hearts.
“I want you to be mine forever, Olivia and I will make that happen, no matter what.”
“I will always be yours,” she said softly.
For this poor black girl, there will be fresh roses.