Seven

     

  I was spending the night at Abike's again. We were seventeen days into the holidays and I had spent thirteen at her house. I had gotten used to being here because I spent my first and second term holidays here but this time I insisted on staying with my mom but it didn't make much of a difference.

She'd pick me up in the mornings and drop me off at night using night shifts as her excuse. Sometimes she'd leave me here for days and not bother taking my calls.

I had her buy me a phone when I realized I'd need a means of communicating with her regularly. My mom was getting distant and I hated that she didn't trust me enough to tell me what the problem was. At a point I suspected she'd lost her job but Abike said she had seen her at the hospital when she went for her checkup. I dialled her number again.

'Stop disturbing your mother, maybe she's busy with a case. If you kill her battery, she won't be able to call you back when she's done'. Abike said from her reading table.

'There is always power supply in the hospital, battery is not a problem'.

   'The person you have called is not answering...'

I pressed the end button.

'You are supposed to be studying with me right now, Mandy not being a mama's girl'.

'I'm really not in the mood Abike abeg'. I collapsed on the bed.

'Okay but you have to chill, she's coming to get you tomorrow morning'.

'Nneka is so tired, she'll get you in the evening'. Mrs Dapo gave me the usual excuse the next morning.

'It's fine, can you take me down there instead?' Her eyes widened in panic.

'Sorry honey but I'm late for work and your house is not on my way'. That was indeed, true.

'Take care you girls and do not turn the house upside down'. She hurried to her car and drove away.

        Thirty minutes later I got a call from my mom.

'Amanda I'm so sorry I can't come and get you'.

'I understand'. If I was given a cookie anytime I said that but didn't mean it, I'd be fatter than Abike.

'You've had breakfast?'

'Yes mom'.

'Who are you talking to babe?' I heard in the background.

'Get out'. My mom said away from the phone.

'Are you okay mom? Is someone there with you?'

'No baby. I'm going to bed now, I had a stressful night. See you later?'

'See you'. She hung up.

I walked into the kitchen where Abike was torturing her nanny with her disoriented childhood stories. I grabbed her and pulled her to her room, not wanting the nanny to hear our conversation.

'I want to go home'.

'Jeez, you say that like you are in prison'. She gave me a look to show she wasn't pleased.

'Not like that, I feel there is something my mom is not letting me in on. There is someone in the house, I heard them when I was speaking to her on the phone'.

'Okay Miss paranoid detective. Why not just ask her about it?'

'I did but she brushed it off. I'm going home, now. I just need you to go back and distract your nanny with your senseless talks while I sneak out'.

'I'll let your insult slide this time but are you sure you know the way home?'

'Yes, now go!' I pushed her out of the room.

I waited until I heard the nanny begin laughing along with Abike before I made a run for it. I opened the gate discreetly and hoped Abike would remember to lock it. I walked to the end of the street before flagging down a taxi.

'Federal housing'. I said in sync with the woman beside me who was heavily pregnant.

'Hundred naira'. The driver said dryly.

'Haba driver. From diamond to federal no be fifty naira?' The lady queried and the driver began wheeling the car onto the road.

'Wait!' I said, he stopped and I got in. There was a girl of my age already in the back seat wearing too much makeup to make her look older, it didn't. She was chewing gum very loudly and pressing her Samsung phone.

'Diamond to federal 50box? For where? Why she no fuck person weh get motor?' The driver said to the tattered boy seating beside him, he looked like the boys who load vehicles at the park. At Lagos we call them agboros, I wondered what they were called here. The boy laughed in a way that reminded me of the Nollywood star, Gentle Jack.

The car stopped and an old man got in holding a gallon of palmwine. From the horrible smell anyone could tell it was soured, was he really going to consume that? The odour was so intense, I tried to roll down the window but it wouldn't budge.

'Sorry o. The window is bad, I go soon work am'. The driver said with an apologetic smile.

The car stopped again and picked up an elderly woman with so many missing teeth that impaired her speech when she greeted us.

She sat beside me and I felt scared for some reason. Her night-like skin was broken in several places and looked like that of a lizard overall. She had on newly fixed attachments on her hair which was over scented and still dripping whatever product it had been styled with onto her blouse. She smiled at me and I looked down at my laps but my eyes caught sight of her long and red painted nails, she really did remind me of the witches I saw in Nigerian films.

'Bros buckle up abeg'. The driver told the boy who quickly strapped on his seatbelt.

We got to a checkpoint and the officer stopped our car.

'Ekelebe how far na?' The driver snuck a fifty naira note into the officer's hand. The officer frowned.

'What is this?' He barked.

'No na. You be my guy o, I go reason you later'. The driver said, gently moving the car forward. The officer smiled slightly.

'After you'll say police no be una friend'.

The driver laughed and sped off.

        I alighted at my stop and walked the short distance to the house. People were giving me weird looks which was expected. Though I had been living in this estate for almost a year, I knew no one around and no one knew me.

I considered knocking on the gate when I got home but decided against it to avoid waking my mom if she was sleeping so I knocked on our Gateman's window instead.

'Small madam na you? Welcome'. He said after I knocked for two minutes.

'Thank you Ekpe. Is my mom in?'

'Yes, aunty deh'.

'Okay, can you open the gate please?'

'Oh Sorry'. He ran and opened the gate.

'Why you no deh steady for house? Big madam no de remember give me food'. Ekpe started complaining. Most times when I got bored in the house I'd go sit with him by the gate and he'd tell me stories of the notorious calabar south boys.

'Don't worry, I'm back for good now'.

        I got into the living room and the sound of music filled my ears why would mom be playing music so loudly? I stepped fully into the room and saw a man sprawled on the couch with the remote control in hand, nodding to the music.

Why is there a shirtless man in our living room?

He noticed me and lowered the volume of the TV.

'Hey'. He said with a smile brighter than a 200watts bulb. It was 10am, how could he look so happy?

He stood up and walked a few steps towards me.

'Who are you?' He asked, the smile still present on his face.

He was very sculpted; defined abs that Hen liked to call pacs, lean but muscular hands, chocolate skin that was dripping with sweat. He looked about five years younger than my mom, probably in his late twenties.

'Are you done checking me out?' He was smirking in a way that reminded me of Marcel.

'Babe are you talking to yourself again?' My mom appeared from the kitchen and her eyes went wide when she saw me. Babe? Is this what I think it is?

'Hey Amanda. You didn't tell me you were coming'.

'You wouldn't have let me come'.

'Babe who is she?'.The guy spoke again. I looked from him to my mother.

'Eric this is my baby sister, Amanda. The one I told you owns the other room'.

I was blinking continuously now, unable to comprehend what my mom just said.

'I've started meeting the in-laws already. It's nice to meet you Amanda'. His constant smile irked me.

I nodded 

'I'll be in my room'.

'Really? I thought you'd want to help me in the kitchen'. My mom looked really nervous like a rat caught in a trap.

'I will help you. Let your sister rest'. He spanked her ass. Between the sound of the spank and being called her sister, I don't know which one annoyed me most.

        I lay on my bed chanting 'sweet potatoes' to get my mind off the guy in our house laughing with my mom. He didn't leave till the early hours of the evening then my mom knocked on my door. I didn't give any response so she walked in.

'Amanda I.. '

'Do not beat about the bush mom, sorry, sister. I want the truth'. Her face fell to the ground.

'Eric and I have been seeing each other for a while now. He really loves me and we plan on getting married'.

'That totally explains why you didn't tell him I am your daughter. Are you really that ashamed of me?'

'No!' She sat on the bed and reached for my hand but I scooted away from her.

'Eric is not quite ready to have a baby not to talk of a fifteen year old one'.

'So lying to him solves everything. What will happen to me when you get married? I will officially become Mrs Dapo's daughter'.

'Don't be silly, Aramide. You'll stay with me, as my sister'. I stared at her in shock, she never called me by that name before.

'It's fine. You know what they say about relationships built on lies right? If he loves you as much as you say, he'd be ready to accept your child'.

'I do not need to be schooled by you Amanda'.

'Right. You are the adult, I'm just a child'.

'Please don't screw this up for me. I'm finally getting my life back'.

'The one birthing me took away from you? Don't worry, I won't be an obstacle to your freedom this time'.

'Amanda'.

'I want to sleep. Please leave'. She left quietly.

I always knew life was complicated but I never saw this coming.