It was ten-thirty in the evening.

The night air was cool and quiet.

Unlike the mental space in Delasi’s brain.

As she sat perched on the wooden steps leading up to the porch of their home, her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap, unable to shake off the feeling of apprehension that gripped her heart from the moment Deladem had asked they meet once he got home.

She knew for a fact that it had to do with the elephant in the room, and suddenly she couldn’t help but replay the events of that fateful day in her mind, wishing she had handled the situation a lot more differently. Or more effectively, wishing that she hadn’t allowed Dina into the house in the first place.

So lost in her thoughts, Delasi didn’t even hear the sound of Deladem’s car horn until Delali came out to open the gate. She looked up in surprise and shook her head. The deep thoughts had really gnawed deep into her psyche, because it was impossible for her to not hear the sounds of Deladem’s car.

As it parked in its usual spot, Delasi’s anxieties soared. Delali passed by her and patted her on the shoulder. She looked up at him, and he nodded at her without a word before going back into the house.

A moment or two later, and Deladem appeared, a solemn look on his face. “Hey,” he quietly greeted. “Good evening.”

Delasi felt a bit surprised. That greeting wasn’t as dry and lifeless as it usually was. “Uh, good evening,” she responded.

Deladem nodded as he sank down beside her on the porch steps. “Hope service at Shalom was good.”

A little more surprised, she nodded. “Y-y-yeah, it was.”

“Great.”

A moment of silence followed, as Deladem took a deep breath, ready to begin his talk.

He rubbed his hands together nervously, looked down, then started.

“Ummm… so, it’s… it’s been a while. A long while… since we had a talk like this. In all honesty, it probably should have been done long ago, but… it-it just didn’t happen. And yeah, of course, it… it has to do with that incident.”

Delasi was silent as he continued.

“You know, for some reason, it felt like we became distant at a point, especially after you got born again and, you know, your likes and dislikes changed. I can’t really tell how it came about, but it felt like this wedge came in between us, and… even though we were still quite cool, I felt it. But I thought, hey, at the end of the day, people change, and as long as you still see me as your brother, it’s all good, no problem.

“Umm, Delasi, I have to be frank with you, the day you brought that lunatic here and that thing happened, my mind shifted on that matter. Because afterwards, when you took her out, all I could think was that, the wedge was something you wanted. Because it baffled me especially after Bishop Gordon made mention of her and those her weird ideologies one time at Cues Corner. I constantly thought to myself, how could you knowingly bring such a person into our house, considering how I’m into sports and all? It felt like… like this wedge was something you wanted. And it really hurt me. It really did.

“So that’s why I’ve been acting the way I have. Even though I kept telling those around us that everything is okay and I’ve forgotten about it and yadda yadda yadda, deep down, it wasn’t okay. I was feeling extremely bitter about what happened, and even though I could tell from a distance that you were sorry and all, I personally didn’t want to hear it. I felt… you’ve drawn your line in the sand, so me too, I decided to draw mine and hold fast to it.

“But… now, I’ve realized the problem with my stance. I mean, I’m not dealing with someone like, excuse me to say, Becky’s father, who is just being unnecessarily headstrong and proud. I’m dealing with someone who’s really regretted what she did. And uh, Delali pointed out one thing to me that’s really stuck in my head. He said that that weirdo’s intention was to destroy the relationship between us, and by holding on to the hurt, I was giving her the victory. And honestly, that stung me paaa, because already, I don’t like that girl, and the last thing I want to do is give her any victory of any kind, even if she never knows about it. So… I decided it was time to lay everything out on the table and try and ensure we end this on the same page. So, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let things get out of hand like that. “

As his long speech finally ended, Delasi, tears already shining in her eyes, nodded. She swallowed hard, then wiped the standing tears before starting.

“Umm, Dela. I’m the one who owes you an apology, not me. I’m sorry. I never realized how badly severed I had made things between us. Believe me, in my moments of initial zeal and stuff, I never really stopped to think about that. You know, I was just in my ‘going all out for the Lord’ mode, failing to apply wisdom in my doings and never really thinking about it. I’ve grown wiser with time, of course, but… it never occurred to me that I caused that much damage. I’m sorry about that. No matter what, you’re my brother. My twin brother. We started this life together, literally, so there’s no reason why I should have let that sort of feeling come into play.

“And uh, yes, I might have apologized the last time, but I wanna say it again. I’m so sorry for putting you through that embarrassing debacle. It was so wrong of me. To this day, I wish I had never brought her around in the first place. The truth is, she had become a loner in the church, and I… I just wanted to be there for her. To be that person she could fall back on. Honestly, I saw the red flags throughout, with the way she could be so unloving and harsh in ‘sharing the gospel’, but I thought, hey, maybe if I stick it out with her, I can get through to her. Get her to soften up and become more of a loving person.

“I really should have known she’d misbehave when inviting her here, but… I convinced myself she’d know her limits. I thought, oh, at least, for coming to someone’s house di33, she’ll know how to comport herself. Sadly enough, I was wrong, and Dela, I take all the responsibility for it. I should’ve known better, and I’m sorry. It was never my intention to undermine you or cut you off in any way. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Sniffing, she wiped her eyes again, feeling the full weight of remorse on her shoulders. Deladem gently tapped her on the knee.

“It’s alright. I forgive you. For real, this time,” he replied gently, a genuinely warm look on his face. “Like I said, I’m not giving her space to ruin any important relationship of mine. She can go somewhere else with her bad luck.”

A sense of relief breaking out in her soul, Delasi smiled. “Yeah. I probably never told you, but… she was angry with me too. She actually expected me to join you in condemning you. Of course, I was like, how can I do that? From that moment on, she grew distant from me, and then she disappeared totally. Good riddance, anyways.”

Deladem shook his head. “Hmph! Crazy ass extremist! As to where she got some of those beliefs of hers, only God knows.”

“Oh, it’s just familiar spirits telling her strange things. And of course, the worst part was how she was so confrontational and nasty with her message. I really thought I could change her, but… I realized too late that she’s not a person I can change. Only God can open her eyes and show her how unloving and unChristlike her behaviour is, and change her. As for me, I couldn’t let her ruin important relationships.”

Deladem laughed softly. “Yeah, true that.”

A moment of silence reigned between them, then Delasi took Deladem’s hand. “So, please,” she started softly, “once again, I’m so sorry for letting that girl into our house and disrespecting you the way she did. I promise you, going forward, that I’ll never ever let that happen again. You’re my brother, and I love you, and I’ll protect you whenever the need arises, no matter what.”

Deladem turned to her and smiled. The first genuine smile he had given her in ages.

A smile that indicated that finally, the past could be put to rest, and the two could begin the road to healing their relationship.

“Same here, Delasi, same here,” he beamed, giving her a side hug. “I’ll also be there for you no matter what. My homie from the womb!”

Delasi laughed. That was an inside joke they shared as teenagers. “My homie from the womb!” she agreed.

In that moment, the air felt lighter, and the atmosphere was as if it had been infused with a healthy dose of warmth and love. It was like a cloud had lifted, allowing the sun to shine through once more on their relationship. The weight of resentment had been lifted, and replaced by a newfound understanding and forgiveness.

Now they could move forward.

“Oh, by the way, guess what? Just before you called, I’ve finally confirmed it. Clarence is dating one of my friends at church!”

“Seriously? So it’s for real?”

“Yep! Heard it with my own two ears!”

“Herh! Nii Ayi Addy paaa…”

***

The front door opened slightly, and out popped Delali’s head.

He observed as his older siblings chatted cordially between themselves, and a warm feeling of relief dropped into his chest.

What a soothing sight! For the first time in months, Deladem and Delasi were talking normally, like real twins ought to. It was clear they had settled that issue between them, once and for all. Thank goodness! His brother had not allowed that weirdo to win by splitting them apart.

I knew saying something to him would work. Thank You for the idea, God, he silently prayed as he withdrew his head, deciding it best to leave his siblings to continue their chat. After all, there was so much they needed to catch up on…

Finally! The relationship between the twins is fixed!