Smile for me

* CHAPTER SIX *

UCHE'S POV

"Who is that ? Kelechi check who is at the door" I hear my mother say from inside the house.

"It's brother Uche 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂"  Kelechi unlocked the door and let me in. ( 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂 also means mother)

"Welcome brother Uche"  he ran back into the kitchen to join my mother.

"𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒈𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒎𝒂" (good evening mother)

I walked up to her to give her a brief hug .

"𝒌𝒆𝒅𝒖 𝒌𝒂 𝒐𝒓𝒖 𝒔𝒊 𝒅𝒊 𝒕𝒂𝒂?" (How was work today?)

  "𝒐 𝒅𝒊 𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒂𝒍𝒖" (fine thanks)

I sat down on the small stool in the kitchen, I was so exhausted I could sleep right there and now.

"You're tired 𝒃𝒂? Go and take your bath. When the food is ready Kelechi will tell you"

I shook my head in disagreement.

"No mama, let me help you cut the vegetables, I'll wash my hands first".   I washed my hands in the bowl beside her. I picked the 𝒖𝒈𝒘𝒖 from the tray and started to pick the leaves one by one before cutting it.

"𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂 did you know that 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒂 has a grand daughter that stayed abroad?"  She looked at me confused

"Which 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒂 are you talking about?"

"Pa' Chinedu ma, the one I mostly work for"

"𝒐𝒐𝒉𝒉 you mean 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒂 Chinedu? Yes now. He has rich sons so it's possible they live abroad"

"That is true 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂"

"𝒌𝒆𝒅𝒖 𝒊𝒉𝒆 𝒐 𝒃𝒖 ? Why did you ask?" (What happened?)

"Nothing serious 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂, I met Amanda in 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒂'𝒔 house last week. He said she came back from America last week"

"𝒆𝒘𝒐 did you say Amanda? That is Chinedu's only child! Everybody thought she disappeared with her mother, so it is America they went to?"

I finished cutting the vegetables and I was already sitting on the small stool again

"What do you mean 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂?"

"When Chinedu died, it was a shock to everyone especially his wife, that woman was so young!chai . Everyone thought she left because she was grieving. I didn't know it was abroad she left to"

"𝒉𝒎𝒎𝒎 it must have been so hard for them especially Amanda since she was very little"   I sighed deeply

   "How was the shop today ma?"

"𝒐 𝒅𝒊 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒐𝒐, everyone is complaining about how bad the economy is. Nobody wants to make their hair again, today I only had two customers they only came to wash their hair" (it was fine)

"𝒉𝒎𝒎𝒎 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒈𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒂 things will get better soon"(don't worry)

. . . .

The sun came out really hot today, and after I finished my first job at Mr James house I decided to come back home to rest. I've been working hard the past 4 months to make extra money ever since school went on an indefinite strike.

I was the only one at home because 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂 had already gone to her salon and Kelechi left for school early this morning. Today I was going to sleep and sleep till 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒂 comes back from her shop. I was already prepared to hit the bed when my phone rang out loud.