Are we Perfect

Victoria

Song of the Chapter- Let you down by NF

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The sky was getting darker as time went by. The clouds pulled themselves together, the wind was clashing on the windows of the room. Victoria was seated on the cold floor of her room, a paper in front of her. Her eyes were red and swollen, she had been crying for hours.

She stared at the paper which was in front of her till the words became blurry. The tears started again. Tears rolled down her face, dropping on the paper. She dropped the paper on the floor and pulled the sleeves of her cardigan to wipe away her tears.

'I'm a dullard." She thought

The paper that she was staring at, contained her result for the end of the session. She had failed all her subjects again just like before. But there's a difference now. She was not promoted on trial like before. She was told to repeat the class.

"How will I present this to Daddy and Mummy this evening?" She thought.

She picked the paper again and stared at it. She stared at it, wishing for the scores to change. She knew that her parents were going to shout at her that night. She knew that she was going to receive the beating of her life. She knew that her parents would compare her with her siblings again. 

"I'm a failure. A disgrace." She thought. 

She lifted her left hand to pull her hair harshly. Her face was filled with frustration. But can we blame her for the failure?

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The Adebayo family were seated in the dinning table for their dinner. All of them except their daughter, Victoria.

The table was filled with all sorts of food dished into plates that cost a life time. The family was pretty wealthy. A perfect family except for Victoria, the only blemish.

"Where is your sister?" Mr Adebayo asked, Gloria who was seated in front of him smiling at a paper which was in her hand.

"She's probably in her room." Gloria answered. 

Gloria is the last born of the family. Just a year younger than her sister, Victoria. She never liked her elder sister. Reason being that Victoria was a dullard who disgraces the family to her.

"Go and call her. Tell her to come with her result." Mr Adebayo said. He hoped that she was promoted. 

Gloria stood up, dropped her own result on the table and walked towards Victoria's room .

"Victoria! It's time for dinner. Daddy said that you should bring your result with you when you are coming." Gloria, yelled from outside the room.

"Ok. I'm coming." Victoria replied, her voice breaking. She stood up with the paper in her hand and walked out of the room towards the dinning area. She was not ready to hear their harsh comments regarding her failure but she had no choice.

Immediately Victoria got to the dinning table, all eyes turned to her. She carefully dragged a chair that was beside Gloria and sat down on it. 

"Good evening Mommy, Good evening Daddy." She said and dropped the paper which was in her hands on the table.

"Give me your result." Mr Adebayo said, stretching his hands towards her.

She gave him the paper and bent her head towards her laps. She was ashamed of herself. She couldn't bare to look at anyone. 

"Adviced to repeat." Mr Adebayo read out with a scrunched up face and the while table started mumbling. 

"God what have I done to deserve this dullard as a child. I've tried every method to help her studies. But she keeps failing. What should I do?" Mr Adebayo thought.

"Victoria. What do you want that we haven't done for you?" Mr Adebayo asked his daughter.

"Nothing Sir." Victoria replied with shaky voice.

"What do you need that we haven't provided for you?" Mr Adebayo asked again, raising his voice.

"Nothing Sir." Victoria answered, trembling in fear.

"Then why can't you just pass? Why? I and your mother have done every single thing that a parent can do to help their child for you. But is this what you want to use to repay us?" Mr Adebayo yelled, his mouth twitching.

"I'm sorry Sir." Victoria said, tears stinging eyes. 

"Of what use is your sorry? Can't you see your siblings? Can't you take after them? Now you'll be in the same class as your younger sister. Do you think I'm happy with that. You are just a disgrace to this family. Take your useless result." Mr Adebayo said and threw the paper back at Victoria.

Victoria picked the paper, tears falling freely from her eyes. She used her sleeve to wipe her face but the tears does not stop.

For the rest of the dinner, she was just playing with her food as she watched her father praising her siblings who got good grades.

"May I be excused?" Victoria said. She already lost her appetite. She was tired of watching her family. She was tired of everything in her life. She just wanted to curl up on the bed in her room and cry till eternity.

"You're free to go. Your presence is not doing any good here so you can as well leave." Mrs Adebayo said and Gloria snickered.

Victoria stood up and hurriedly walked away from the dinning area to her room. When she got to her room, she curled up on her bed. She wanted to cry but the tears didn't come. She was numb.

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The next morning in the Adebayo's house was filled with different activities. The house was bustling with different people. The maids were running around, cleaning the house and doing other things as instructed by Mrs Adebayo. The Adebayo's were holding a party to celebrate their success in a recently concluded contract that evening. 

Mrs Adebayo had gone out with Gloria to get something's while Mr Adebayo went to his office with his Son, David to get some things. Victoria was left alone.

Victoria laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling of the room. She had been thinking about her life. 

"I have to change. I can't keep failing. But how do I achieve that?" She says to herself.

"I need some time away from this family." She thought.

She needed space. But how was she going to get it. Suddenly her mind goes to a particular day at school when her class teacher was talking about a camp for Disturbed Youths that was to take place during the holiday. 

"Maybe I should tell Mom and Dad about the camp. But will they allow me to go?" She thought.

The ringing of her phone, draws her from her thoughts. She sits up on the bed and stretch her hand to the bedside locker to pick her phone. It was her best friend, Peace, calling.

"Hello boo" She said immediately she picked the call. She acted as if she didn't just got told to repeat.  

"Don't boo me. I'm not calling to listen to any of your lies. Victoria! How could you. We were friends for years but I didn't even know that you have been lying to me ever since the beginning." Peace's voice boomed through the phone. The girl was really pissed at Victoria.

"Wh...What are you talking about." Victoria asked, as if she didn't already know what her friend was talking about. 

Ever since Victoria started failing in school, her best friend never knew about it. Victoria kept lying about her scores to Peace.

"I can't take your lies anymore. I heard that you were adviced to repeat. So I called to let you know that you are no longer my friend. I can't associate myself with someone who's a Dullard and a liar." Peace said and cut the call.

Victoria dropped the phone and sighed. She was tired of the rejection she was receiving from everyone. The main reason why she lied to Peace was because of the type of person Peace was. Victoria knew that if she told Peace about her grades, the girl would cut their friendship and Victoria was not ready to lose her only friend. But at last, what she dreaded happened.

"I need this camp badly. I'll call dad now since it won't be easy for me to talk to him face-to-face." She thought.

Victoria picked her phone again and dialed her Father's number. He picked up at the second ring.

"Good Morning Sir." Victoria said when her Dad picked the call.

"Ok and why are you calling?" Her father answered, vaguely.

"Daddy, there's a camp for Disturbed Youths that will be taking place starting from tomorrow. The camp will last for three weeks. I really want to go for it. I think it'll help me. Daddy please, allow me. I promise that when I'm back I'll be a changed girl and I'll also write my Waec exam with my set. I'll take my books with me." Victoria said, trying her best to say things that will convince her Dad.

"Ok. I've also heard of it. Pack your things , you will go tomorrow." He said and cut the call.

Victoria was surprised that her father accepted easily. She screamed joyfully and jumped out of her bed.

'Time to start packing for camp.' she thought.