Chapter 4

Emilie 

"When will your dad be back?" Tobi asks. I turn over on my side putting the phone on speaker and placing it next to my head, I proceed to flex my fingers, they've grown numb from my previous position.

"I dunno, next week maybe? He wasn't specific, he'll sha be bringing the boys back from camp and their camp doesn't let out till upper week" I inform 

"Have you heard from Taveshima since the break started?" She throws 

"Nah, you know how he is with callls"

"Yeah, its true" she admits

"Please, he should come back soon, I can't handle the children's section by myself anymore." I confess thinking of how the children's Sunday school will be without him, for the past three to four weeks everyone in the section has been feeling his absence.

"That's true, you both are volunteering at the Sunday school class right?"

"Mhmmn" I answer drumming lightly on the bed.

Did you see his posts on IG? She asks

"Of course I did! Sly fox!"

"Budapest, that's something isn't it?" She sighs wistfully 

"I know..."

"What I'd give to travel around the world every school holiday. Instead i'm stuck here with my grand mum. Its terrible Em, you need to save me."

"Speaking of, how are things with your dad and mom? Any better?" I ask in a low voice, I know this is a sore spot for her.

"Who knows, they never tell me anything. I wish they'd just fix whatever is broken so we can move on. Ever since, my mom had been extra needy Em, she wants to share a room with me even though mma has another spare room. Last week I closed the door of my room after taking my bath, i needed the privacy to dress up and she started banging on my door saying I was closing the door to our relationship, trying to shut her out or whatever when I told her it wasn't true I didn't do any of that she said it has a metaphorical meaning and she was getting the message. She cried all night in mma's arms. All night Em, like a little child, i'm talking loud sobs and hiccups! Seriously, she hiccupped!. My mother really has a flair for the dramatics. No wonder my dad left" she stresses, I hear the indifference in her voice and know immediately its all a lie, she cares... Who wouldn't?

"Hey! Don't say that Tee" I chide gently knowing how raw this feels. She sighs and I hear shuffling on her end briefly before she comes back online.

"Whatever Em, whatever!"

"Whatever!" I respond laughing. Her laugh is dry over the phone and it sounds forced but I take it anyways, its the small victories that count really.

"Have you heard from her?" She quizzes getting serious again.

"The one who must not be named? No, I asked my dad before he left, radio silence, you know how she is" I say feeling deflated and weak.

"Don't worry, she'll pop in whenever she feels like it and things will go back to the way they were"

"To be honest Tee, that's exactly what i'm afraid of, the last time she left... it felt like the house caved in on itself. Precious was inconsolable for weeks, even Dan Dan stopped eating, my dad was a wreck he had this awful clouded look in his eyes that just made me depressed. I mean, I want her to come back but how long will she stay before she decided to pull another Mary Poppins on us? I dunno how much more I can take, to be honest. I'm just anxious all the time, does any of that even make any sense?" I explain exasperated that the mere thought is confusing to me.

"It kinda does"

"I just, I dunno, I honestly don't know"

The silence that follows stretches on for a while. I'm lost in my own thoughts until i hear tobi singing, her usually high pitched soprano voice crackling over the phone.

"Don worri, about a ting... Cuz erry lil thing's gonna be aaaaalright" she tries in a fake Jamaican accent, making the entire attempt all the more laughable.

"If they sang it that way, I don't think it'd have sold as much as it did" throw out laughing, feeling a bit better.

"You're just a jealous cow!"

"Look who's calling who a cow?"

"Heyyyyy! Don't bring my weight into this!"

"I never did!"

"Ah, but you hinted at it, no?"

"Gasp! You wound me Tobi, you wound me!"

"I even lost like 7KG this holiday" she says and I don't miss the triumphant note in her voice. 

"That seems like a lot, was it healthy?" I ask clamping down my worry

"Totally legit, no pills or anything like that. I started that intermittent fast thing I was telling you about"

"Wow! So it actually worked?"

"Of course it did babe! I'm a believer now" she jokes her voice going higher, her voice has a light airy note to it that makes listening to her talk for hours not seem like an actual chore.

"Can't wait to see you when school resumes!" I say

"We're SS3 babies now, we run the school!" She pipes, I can't help but smile.

"Not true, this just means more work, Jamb, WAEC, applying to Uni... It all feels like a lot to be honest!"

"Ah, don't sweat it Em, we'll be alright. Remember how in JSS3, we thought we'd die before writing Junior WAEC?" She asks getting wistful. I laugh so hard I snort.

"Don't laugh oh, I drank coffee so much my teeth started changing colour. I was stupidly talking about tdb, can you imagine? Mtchew!" She hisses punctuating her annoyance. It only makes me want to laugh more. 

"If I could go back and slap my younger self silly, I'd do that in a heart beat!" She adds

"I can't believe we're about to leave it all" I say sobering up, it seems like Tobi has done the same too. For a while, we both don't say anything.

"We'll be alright Em, don't worry" she assures.

I am warmed by this I smile at the ceiling, of course we will.

...

So, just to clear the air JAMB and WAEC are nationwide exams taken by Nigerian secondary school leavers and generally anyone who wants to pursue a higher education at tertiary level.