Scared, are we? ✔️

Birthday - Gator

This is another experience I had with my twin sister when we were 8 years old.

My twin sister and I had to live with our older sister since our dad  worked and lived in Abuja, Nigeria's capital and our mom lived and worked three towns away and she had our immediate older brother with her.

That fateful day, my mom who had gone to Abuja to see Dad said she'd be back that day and she was gonna come home directly. Our older brother had come home when she was traveling so we were at home together. It was also Marvel's birthday. Marvel was our senior at school. She was a very likeable person with rich parents. She was throwing a big party for the school kids and I was determined to go.

My twin sister didn't want to because she badly wanted to see mom. I, on the other hand, wanted to party.

My older sister was away at work so we were home alone. I didn't tell our brother. I urged my twin to dress up in our previous Christmas dresses. Our parents always get us the best clothes and shoes.

We dressed up and sneaked out. I felt so giddy. I wanted to go to the party to show off. To show the kids at school that our parents spoiled us alot. Especially when we came first and second respectively in our class of fifteen. We were brilliant!

I clasped the hook on the new shoes we'd gotten this time around and looked myself over in the mirror.

I pulled my reluctant sister with me and we sneaked off. On our way, we had to go through a corner and then cross the busy road and we were trying to avoid my brother who was at his friend's.

We had to pass close to his friend's house so tough luck.

We tried but yea, he saw us and asked where we were going. I acted bold and told him the truth. I also lied that our sister had approved before leaving for work that morning so he offered to help us cross the road and then show us a short cut.

Elated, we crossed the road together and he took us through a short cut. We had to cross a river with thick bushes around it.

My twin sister held on to his hand but I knew nothing would stop me from going to that party. Nothing would stop me from bragging about my brand new shoes.

Typical eight year old lol

I moved close to the stream, trying to see if there was a way to get to the other side when my sister shouted that there was something in the stream.

I looked at where she was pointing to and I saw something like an upstanding log of wood, only the other side was pink and deeply inclined.

I squinted my eyes and decided to go check it out when a stone kicked up dirt beside my foot.

I turned and glared at my brother who waved a little to say sorry. I rolled my eyes and bent down to wipe away the dust on it.

Now, in case you're wondering why I was so crazy about the shoe, it's because it's the first tiny heeled shoe I had and I'd literally begged my parents for three months to get them for me. They promised I'd get them if I came first or second. I came first so I got the shoes alright. Rhinestone studded in fact. Now, who wouldn't show off.

I straightened up and looked back at my siblings when my twin screamed and pointed behind me.

I looked back just in time to see the pink incline slam down into the water to reveal a long mouth.

It moved to the shore rapidly and I screamed, it was an alligator.

My heart almost slammed outta my chest. I'd watched alot of movies on things like this so I knew it would chase us and it did.

I slipped and felt my ankle give way. My right shoe slipped off and I screamed, more out of anger than fear. My precious shoe!

I looked back for a minute and saw the alligator stop by the shoe and then it laid down on the bare road,right beside the shoe.
I stopped running and stared at my shoe. I looked down at the lone one I had on.

The beast moved again and I hot tailed it up the road. The bitch was baiting me. It knew I'd come back.

I saw my brother up ahead with my twin on his back.

She was weeping profusely.

I walked up to them and we went back home.

My mom was there and was so excited to see us. In the midst of receiving sweet goodies sent from Dad, I forgot about my shoe for a minute and when I told her later.She lugged my ear and reprimanded me and my twin.

I felt so bad but during breakfast the next morning, she handed us a box each and when I opened mine, it was a pair of black tiny heeled Rhinestone shoes branded "Tiffeny".

I felt so elated that I'd gotten new shoes but that didn't stop me from going back to see if I could still find the lost one. I didn't so I gave up and enjoyed my new ones.

I felt bad not being able to show off but who cares? I would have gotten eaten by an alligator.

When school resumed and everyone was talking about the party, we could say nothing. I then made another defying plan. I stuffed the new shoes in my back pack on a school day and when I got to school. I put them on. My twin didn't want to but I made her.

That way, I proved to my classmates that we really got spoiled and yea, I told them about the gator and they were amused.

It felt good being talked about and all that shit but deep down sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I had tried to cross that stream.

All because of a damn birthday!

Okay, this really happened and it still makes me cringe when I think about it.

I was pretty boujee as a kid lol