Three days later.
Mandy opened her eyes in the morning, and beheld the tall and handsome figure of her dad staring down at her on the bed. She quickly closed her eyes as if she was still sleeping. It was all she could do to stop herself from smiling.
Mr Jonathan smirked. "I just saw you open your eyes now, Pumpkin. I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday."
Mandy grinned childishly, popped her eyes back open and sat up. "Dad, thank you so much!" she said as she received the flower and card he handed to her.
"Thank you, my sunshine."
Ifes opened the door and realised she wasn't the first to give Mandy a birthday present. She was disappointed but soon perked up and said, "At least, I'm the first amongst your friends to wish you a happy birthday." What she did not know was that Ayo had sent Mandy his birthday wishes before to her. She wasn't the first. Mandy stayed awake all night, reading his text over and over, smiling and blushing till her cheeks hurt.
Just when she managed to sleep, her father and her best friend woke her up. Now that she thought of it, the sleep evaporated from her eyes, and she wanted to go look at her phone again.
"I believe you have all you need for your birthday party, Princess?" Jonathan asked
"Yes."
"And would they suffice?"
"Yes, I've got more than enough."
Jonathan nodded his head proudly. "I'm glad to be the father of a twenty-year-old daughter." He rubbed his knuckles on her cheeks
Mandy's face flushed as she beamed up to her father, clearly proud of being the twenty-year-old daughter of Mr Jonathan Parker.
"Thank you, Dad!" Mandy sprang up from her bed and embraced Jonathan
"You're welcome, Pumpkin, always remember that Daddy loves you."
"I love you too, Daddy."
Jonathan broke the hug. "I guess this is where I'd leave you ladies. I have to go to work now." Mr Jonathan gave them a peck on the cheek, whirled around and walked out of the room.
Almost immediately, Ifes headed for Mandy's closet.
"Hey! And what do you think you're doing in my closet?"
"I'm trying to check out your outfit to be sure my work is not messed up."
Ifes began checking out Mandy's outfits as she struck up a conversation with Mandy. When Mandy stopped replying, Ifes darted her gaze to her friend, then she saw her looking at her phone, smiling like a high school girl.
She moved close to jab her friend back from her world of fantasy when her eyes stared at something that stopped her from carrying out her plan.
A framed picture of Mandy and birthday wishes from Ayo.
"Dear Mandy, I could not risk having another person wishing you a happy birthday before me, and that was why I sent this at this hour of the day. I hope you like it." Ifes darted her eyes to read the main message on the frame when Mandy noticed her presence.
Mandy scooped up her pillow and stoned her roommate. "You're a busy body, you know!"
"Oh! I'm sorry, Mandy. Don't worry, you are safe. I didn't read the message."
Mandy blushed and looked back at her screen. She liked what she saw. How and when did Ayo take that picture of her? Before now, he had never asked to take her picture, and from what she could remember, he never made any sign of taking her pictures. Did he ask someone to do it for him? Maybe she would think of that later. For now, she wanted to keep basking in the euphoria of the moment. At least, the portrait and the message had given her some clue that Ayo cared for her after all.
"So, have you forgiven me for peeking into your phone?"
Mandy was too elated to be annoyed. In fact, she wondered if she should read out his message to Ifes.
Downstairs, the doorbell chimed and Ifes scurried out of the room to check who it was. She yanked open the door and saw a storky man carrying a parcel in his hands. "Good morning," she greeted.
"Good morning, Ma'am," he replied. "Is this Mandy Parker's residence?"
"Yes."
"I'm a delivery man, I've been asked to hand this over to her, if you don't mind may I speak to her?"
Ifes hurried upstairs and called out to Mandy.
"Yes, I'm Mandy Parker," she said as she shook his hand.
"Alright, Ma'am, please sign here." Mandy did as she was told and collected the package from him.
Just then, the large gate opened, and all Mandy's friends drove in. Mandy and Ifes watched as they all parked in their favorite positions.
That was not all. They came with another set of people, Mandy shifted her gaze, from her friends who were now a couple of steps away from her, to the guests that accompanied them. Looking at their T-shirts, their van and the way they composed themselves, she instantly recognized them. She gasped in surprise and joy. It was her favorite band.
Before Mandy could properly analyse all that was happening, she heard a melodious sound floating around her. For a while, she thought she was now in heaven, singing with the angels.
She whirled around and saw her roommate standing with her friends, who were now smiling and looking at her.
Oh! So, she hadn't gone to heaven? It was still her favorite band; they were the ones giving the melodious sound.
After the band finished displaying, she threw herself in the arms of her friends. She was too overwhelmed to speak. The joyful tears that rolled out of her eyes said it all.
When they entered the living room, Mandy was asked to open the gift box she received from the deliverer first before receiving their own gifts. She opened it and saw the name written on it and felt as though she was now flying. Who gave her the wings?
Ayo had sent her a more beautiful frame with a hand-written message, a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, and a birthday card with the shape of love. Mandy looked away from the gift items to her friends. They were all beautiful people, but there was someone missing amongst them, someone she so desperately wanted to see, someone she desired to spend this special day with.
She wanted to see Ayo. She wanted to give him a hug and tell him how much he meant to her. She loved him; she always would.
She took up her phone and dialled Ayo's number. He answered after the third ring.
"Hello!" Ayo's voice echoed from the other side of her phone. "I knew you'd be very much busy with your friends by now, that was why I haven't bothered to call. I was planning to do that later in the day."
She wanted to speak but didn't trust her voice so she quickly disconnected the call. Ayo called her back. She didn't say a word, but handed her roommate the phone. Ifes got the message and handled it.
It was time to present their birthday gifts one after the other to her.
Chini stretched a silver-colored box at Mandy. "I love jewelry a lot, so I decided to get some for you. Hope you'll like it."
"I love it, thanks!" Mandy smiled and gave her a hug.
Bradley and Hunter stepped out to present their gift. "We know how much you love reading, so we decided to credit your e-wallet so you can buy and read as many books you want online when you feel like it."
Mandy collected the card, and jumped on the lads when she saw the amount they credited. It would be sufficient for a millennium of binge reading online books.
"We are glad you like it," they said, and walked across the living room to their seats.
The rest all came out presenting their gifts. Skylar's turn came. Before giving her gift, she said something that perplexed and touched everyone.
"First, I want to tell everyone that I am now a Christian, and I gave my life to God three days back."
Everyone looked up, astonished. "When? How did this happen?" Hunter asked.
"It happened three days ago. It's a long story. I don't know when I'll be able to tell everyone. For now, I am glad to give out this good news." She finished speaking and turned to Mandy.
She held Mandy's hands. "I didn't know what to give to you because three days ago you gave me the greatest gift of my life. I remember we used to be a circle of dark friends."
Bradley, Avery and Ryan nodded affirmatively but Megan, Anne-Marie and Hunter were uncomfortable.
"But this changed after your encounter with the African who was assigned to be your roommate." Skylar continued.
"Looking back now, I'm beginning to wonder, what if you had not gotten along with her?"
Mandy felt embarrassed. ,"Then, I think you should be thanking her. She brought us the good news."
"Yes, she did. She was our link to the light, And for the past thank days, I've been thanking God that she crossed our path. But what of you, Mandy? You were the door which Jesus used to enter our hearts. What if you had not listened, believed and told us? You know as well as I do that I'm not supposed to be alive by now."
At this point, everyone except Ifes and Mandy gasped. "What are you saying?" Megan asked.
"You ain't making sense, Skylar," Hunter said.
"You speak in an unknown language," Anne-Marie chimed.
"Can someone go straight to the point? I'm confused here."
Everyone was beginning to get uncomfortable apart from the three ladies who knew what happened three days back. But Mandy and Ifes would not speak of it until Skylar was ready to do it herself.
Skylar didn't care about their exclamations. She ignored them and continued addressing Mandy. "So, this is what I have for you." Skylar stretched out her hands.
Mandy received the bag from Skylar's hands and opened it with tears of joy dripping down her eyes. It was a King James Bible.
"Like I said earlier, God used you as the door to reach out to all of us, and that is why I'm handing you this Bible. You could also be the door to leading other people to Jesus!" Skylar wiped the moisture in her brown eyes. "You're strong, Mandy, and I know you can do it!"
Everyone in the room was touched by Skylar's remark. Mandy and Skylar embraced each other, crying as they remembered the event that took place three days ago.
After the celebration, everyone left for their home, leaving Mandy to pack her gifts.
After much persuasion, Ifes had also gone with Chini to spend the rest of the vacation in Los Angeles. Ifes would see Kachi, just as Chini planned it to happen.
Mandy kept staring at what everyone had given her and was overwhelmed, she quickly reached out her hands to take the one she regarded as the most precious gift that had been given to her. The Bible that Skylar gave was more than every other gift, even that of Ayo did not come close. And Mandy was going to forever cherish that Bible despite the fact that she already had three different versions.
Mandy embraced the Bible tightly to her chest. Skylar did not just give her a physical book but she had given her the words of the heart, and she now knew the direction to take.
Christ was now the centre of her life. He was above Ayo, above her dreams and aspirations, above all she lived for. She could do without all of them now, but she could never do without Christ. She would keep that in mind.
She smiled as reality washed over her, nothing could stop the river of excitement that flowed from one end of her heart to the other.
"Oh, Lord, I have written the name of Jesus at the centre of my life. He is now what matters to me. Precious Holy Spirit, help me live for him, help me love him and help me do all that he desires."
Skylar thought that Mandy had given her the word, but it was both ways. She had also reached out to Mandy and given her the good news of Christ.