Chapter 2 ~ Parents

Sunday, come quickly!  Isere chanted whilst pacing in her prison of a room. She couldn't sleep neither could she read. She wanted to walk around and take a stroll, the room was suffocating her and her head hurts. Her room was painted purple with glitters on the wall, there wasn't anything much to tell about her room, the floor were tiled, she had a small bed suitable for her close to the window.

She also had a wardrobe that contained her parents choice of outfits!

She needed natural air and not the air the air condition was giving her. After her graduation, her parents had not allowed her to associate or negotiate with her classmates, she didn't even put hope in the after party.

She did not have a phone but she kept some of her classmates phone number in a jotter.

She was thirsty, so she walked downstairs for water, she was about to walk pass the living room to the kitchen when she heard her mother complaining.

"I still don't like the fact that she's going far oo, she should have studied in Lagos State University instead of studying in Obafemi Awolowo university," Isere stomach churned upon hearing her mother's word. She remembered how she had managed to convince her father letting her study in OAU.

"Uzo ka e nor,"  her father told her mother. ( Leave it the way it is)

She recalled how she had convinced her father.

Her father had just come back from work dressed in a two pieces grey suit and a hat, he handed his bag to her to go keep in his room. Her father was a dark skinned man with oval face, he was chubby, tall and puffy. He always kept his hair bald.

While they were having dinner, her father brought up the topic; " Isere, what is your choice of study?" He asked her.

She cleared her throat, she was never comfortable sitting or chatting with them, "I want to...be an architect," she stuttered.

Her mother choked on her food, "Lord Jesus, help me! Help my daughter!" Her mother clicked her finger praying for her while Isere called her mother the real devil within her.

"You will be a teacher, a science teacher, you hear me," her father told her. She was dazzled by his statement.

"No oo," her mother retorted. "She would be a nurse."

She watched as her both parent bickered back and forth until they decided she'd be a nurse. She got frustrated but couldn't show it on her face or else, she'd be flogged and called the child of the devil and be told she'd go to hell fire for being a disobedient child to her parent.

"What university?" Her father asked her mother.

"She should study where we would be able to see her regularly, university of Lagos or Lagos State University," her mother spoke making Isere inside boil.

She knew that would be the last thing on her to do list, so she came up with a plan, "Daddy..." She began.

"OAU is one of the best university in the entire Nigeria and their school calendar is fast too." She spoke.

"Shut up!" He mother shuned her, "when adults speak, the child listens."

"Let her speak, and that's true," he father tried reasoning.

"Ehn, osun state is far, Isere is still a small girl," her mother said making Isere angry. She was eighteen for crying out loud and if she recalled, anyone at age eighteen is now an adult!.

"But..mummy," he mother shuned her by slapping her on her cheek with the back of her palm. Isere placed her hand on her cheek, trying not to cry.

"What does Ephesians chapter  six  says; children obey your parent in the Lord for this is right," her mother hollered for her to continue.

She was on the brink of tears but she continued from where her mother had stopped, "honour...your..mother...and...father, for this is the first commandment with promise..." She trailed off.

"And?" Her mother asked, her father seemed unbothered as he read the newspaper. "That it may be well with thee...and thou may...mayest live long on earth." She finished.

"Do you know hell fire is real? It is and what did Mrs Efuru tell you about talking back to adults? Isere Katherine Osagbai! You cannot know more than your mother ooo."

"It's okay Orobosa," he father told her mother. "My friends daughter attend OAU and it's one of the best in Nigeria, so I think that's a good one.

"If she goes to Lagos State University or the university of Lagos, she'd be able to come back home daily and that way we would be able to bring her up in the way of the Lord," her mother retorted.

Seriously?! This woman is high! Isere said within her.

"It is well, the Lord will go with her, she will be leaving tomorrow, hope you have all her materials needed?" Her father asked her mother.

"Yes oo and I made sure to buy her a new Bible and new scarfs too as gifts," her mother hyped herself for a job well done whilst Isere muttered curses within her.

When Isere got back to her room, she lied down on her bed with her back staring at her fan and praying Sunday comes immidately as it seems like the day refused to move fast.

She couldn't wait to see what other places was like.

To ISERE pronounced~I-SI-RE