Alpha’s Virgin Stripper

Jojo:

On the twelfth day of the tenth month ten years ago, my sister was born. On this day ten years ago, I watched Valerie in her baby court. Her eyes were yet to open and she was so small and fragile that I was scared to lay a finger on her. My mother turned over to her with a smile on her face. She looked at me and asked, “she’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

I nodded my head, eager to have her in my arms, so close to my chest.

“She is mum.”

One decade later, my sister was still the best thing that had ever happened to me. She was still my rock, my support, the only one whom I knew I could lean on. She was my everything. We had been through small, big, thick, and thin together. Even on days when I did not deserve to be called her older sister, she loved and cared for me nevertheless. She was a diamond, a rare gem and I was really lucky to have someone like her in my life.

So many times, I had sat down to ask myself what life would have been like if Valerie had not been in it. The answer never came, because I could not phantom a life where I did not come back home to Valerie’s caring smile and sweet caresses, a world where I could not reach out to hold her hand and she could not hold mine.

I did not think I ever wanted to live a life like that.

It was for this reason that I decided to throw a small party for her. To celebrate her one decade on Earth, I wanted to throw her the biggest party my pocket could afford, but she would not let me.

“I just want something on the beach,” She had said.

“Just you, aunt Mel, Mrs. Smith, mum, uncle Anthony and I. That’s all I want, Jo. That’s all I want.”

I decided to grant her wishes. To celebrate her tenth birthday, Mel and I organized a picnic on the beach. Mrs. Smith baked a cake representing her favorite Disney princess, Aurora. It was a tall cake, almost two feet. The princess was in a pink dress, while her doll had blonde strands of hair. The inscription, “Ley love is Ten” was written with white icing on the Disney princess’s dress. Valerie could not stop screaming when she saw it.

I was more than happy to see my sister looking like a princess. Mel had designed a short pink dress for her. My sister’s hair was styled like a princess’s and she had a tiny tiara on her head, completing the look.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Ley Ley! Happy birthday to you!” We all sang in cheers as I led her to where the others were standing already. Anthony was dressed in khaki shorts and a loose black vintage shirt. He took off his sunglasses when he saw her. I noticed how Valerie’s eyes brightened as she saw him.

“Uncle Tony! You came!” She screamed at the top of her voice.

“Oh, yes I did munchkin! Now smile.”

As Valerie’s cheeks and lips spread out into a broad smile, Anthony brought his camera up to his eyes and captured two pictures of her.

“Come on girl, give me more princess moves.” He called out.

Valerie continued to pose in front of the camera while he took pictures. Soon, I joined in and Mel followed.

At some point, my gaze traveled to my mother who was seated in her wheelchair. She stared at the three of us with a bright smile on her face. Even though she could not remember us, seeing her happy was more than enough for me.

Mel walked over to where Mrs. Smith stood and managed to drag her into the picture. After what seemed like three hours of capturing moments in pictures, we decided to dive into games and dancing.

We ran races and chased each other around the beach. Anthony chose to take pictures most of the time.

“I just always want to make sure you look this happy.” He had said to me.

Mrs. Smith sat on the ground, besides my mother. I could not tell what she was thinking of, but I knew she seemed distant most of the time. It could not be because of the restaurant because, by all standards, it was doing very great. We all had our different struggles, so I could only hope that she got over hers.

My mother, on the other hand, held her smile and clapped at regular intervals when either I or Valerie won the race.

There was no alcohol present, so Mel spent most of her time swaying her hips to the beat of the music and sipping coconut water from a fresh coconut.

When we got bored of racing each other to and fro the beach, Valerie and I decided to join Mel in our dancing. Soon, Anthony dropped the camera and joined us. It was safe to say that I had not seen Valerie this happy in a long time.

As we held hands and danced round the circle, I watched her throw her head back in laughter times without number, it was how I knew that I always wanted to be the reason she smiled so…

“Jojo?!”

I did not know if it was the familiarity in the voice, the confusion in the voice, or the shock in the voice. But, one of them certainly made me turn sharply in the direction of the voice.

My green orbs met with the electric green ones of my mother. And her jaw dropped in shock. My hands dropped, leaving Valerie’s. I watched as my mother’s eyes widened while her gaze shifted from me to my sister who stood beside me.

“Valerie, is that you?”

My jaw dropped in that instant.

I’m sorry. What exactly is happening here?

As if on cue, someone paused the music, I knew because I could hear the sound of my heart pounding furiously against my chest.

Was this really what it was starting to look like, or was I being given false hope?

Tears welled up in my mother’s eyes. Her lips parted, as though she wanted to speak but the tears would not come out. At that moment, I watched her try to rise from her seat, but she struggled to keep her legs on the ground.

“Mum!” I screamed at the top of my voice as I ran to her. I held her hands and placed her back in her seat. Her eyes continued to dance around my face as though she wanted to be sure she was looking at me. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, tried to fight back the tears that stung my eyelids.

But once her frail palms rested on the skin of my cheeks, I lost the will and resolve to fight them. I allowed my tears to flow on their own accord.

“Jojo. Is this you?”

I nodded frantically. It was me who could not muster the courage to speak now.

She looked over my shoulder and fixed her eyes on Valerie, who was slowly walking towards us.

“And that… she is Valerie. My… my baby Valerie.”

I sniffed in my tears, wiping my eyes with the back of my palms.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“She’s all grown up now, mum.”

“Heavens! How long was I gone?” She asked, staring down at me.

How could I bring myself to answer that question?

“Eight… eight years.”

Her hands fell from my face and dropped to her sides. She stared at me with shock and disbelief, while her tears continued to flow freely.

“Can you ever forgive me, Jojo? I was… was gone for so long. I wasted many years and all for what? All because I could not find the courage to leave. All because I could not be strong for you and Valerie. I even… I even taught you that a man hit you to correct you, even when I knew it was a lie. I ruined your life, Jojo. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Valerie knelt by my side and held our mother’s hand. I did not know if I dared to do that.

“You did not ruin our lives, mum. Sure, Jojo and I went through really hard times, but Jojo was always there for me, aunt Mel too. With them around, I always knew that nothing could go wrong. I do not know what happened, but I know that there was not a day Jo did not have hope that you would come back to us. Even when the doctors stopped believing, Jojo never…” Valerie was crying now.

“Jojo never gave up.” She continued.

“I do not know much about you, ma’am. But I’m certain that you did not raise quitters, you raised fighters. Jojo and Ley are my blood relations now, and I would do anything for them.” Mel spoke up, while she stood behind me.

I looked up at my mother’s face and found her staring down at me, as though waiting for me to speak.

I sniffed in my tears and said the only words that could come to my mind.

“It’s… it’s good to have you back, mum.”