Peace In The Silence

☮️7🙊

            Isn’t Aliya Mum’s Muslim name?” Yinka asks  Aunt Laide and she laughs “Yes it is..in a way.” She says looking up from the orange she was peeling.

        “Ask her why she’s now calling mummy Aisha.” I sign to him and Aunt Laide looks up, “What’s she saying?” she asks “She’s wondering why you call mum Aisha if her name is Aliya.” He says and she nods.

     “That’s the name she gave Mide the day that they met. She didn’t want to reveal her real name to a stranger so she gave him the one close to it. So even when Mide found out her real name he kept on calling her Aliya…it kind of became his name for her.” She says and we nod.

       “Come and take orange.” She says beckoning to me…that’s actually an understatement. She’s been gesticulating wildly as if the fact that I don’t speak automatically means that I can’t also hear.

Resisting the urge to stay where I am, I get up and collect the orange from her smiling my thanks and placing myself back on the chair near Yinka and busy myself with picking out the seeds from the orange.

        Realising that I haven’t seen mum since dinner I tap Yinka and give him the look and he shakes his head; he hadn’t seen mum too.

       “I swear you two have a code for talking, I’m not hearing anything neither did I see Yinka's mouth move or Miriam make any sign but still they’re communicating.” Remi suddenly says and Dami turns to face her “You saw it too shey?” he asks while I and Yinka laugh.

            “Since Miriam started using sign language to communicate and I and mum had to learn, there was no way to communicate secretly with each other we had to figure something out so we came up with the looks.” He explains and they nod “Oooohhhh.” They say understanding.

    Getting up I head to mum’s room and knock, hearing her reply I step in and she drops the book that she was reading. “Hey.” She says softly and I wave. Looking at me she frowns, “Is anything wrong? Did Aunt Laide or her children tease you?” She asks and I shake my head moving towards the bed.

     Once I get there, I climb on it and lie down resting my head on her lap. “Miriam what is it?” she asks and I shake my head.

“Don’t lie to me. I’m your mother, I know you.” She says and I sigh before signing I’m scared.” And she smiles before hugging me close to her side and resting my head on her chest too.

       “ I’m scared too. Yinka is also scared. Sometimes obeying the word of the Father is frightening. But we’ve got to do it like Abraham who took his entire family and left his father’s house and like Lot who followed him.” She says while running her hands through my hair.

         “If you’re Abraham and Yinka is Lot then I’m probably Lot’s wife who keeps looking back at all the things that she left waiting to turn to a pillar of salt.” I sign and mum shakes her head.

         “ I’m not Abraham, Yinka is not Lot and you’re not Lot’s wife. Okay? We’re simply children of the Father trying to follow His instructions so that He’s will might be done in our life.” She says placing a kiss on my forehead.

      “Mimi?” she calls and I look up at her “I know that the moving is harder for you because of a lot of factors but all I do is because I want the best for you two. Do you believe that?” she says and I nod.. it was true, my mum could do a lot of things that weren’t right to me, or make rash decisions but in the end I knew she was doing it because she believes that she’s doing what’s best for her children.

       “I love you to the moon and back. Don’t ever forget it.” She says and I nod smiling. “Ahn Ahn, won’t you tell me that you love me too, abii you don’t?” she says jokingly and I put my finger on my jaw tapping it in a thinking manner before tilting my head to look at her.

           “I love you too.” I sign and she gives an exaggerated sigh of relief, “I was thinking that I’ve jammed unrequited love oo.” She says and I laugh especially because it was always funny whenever mum switched from her posh slightly accented way of talking to her mix of English and Pidgin.

       “Are you nervous about resuming school in two weeks time?” mum suddenly asks and I grow quiet.
“Yinka’s excited.” I sign and mum nods “Of course he is. That boy sees everything as an adventure. But what I want to know is how you feel about resuming in two weeks time.” She says and I bite my lips.

       “ I’m nervous and a bit scared.” I sign and she frowns “Why?” she ask and I look at her in surprise, is she really asking me that? “ Because I’ll be the new mute girl once again, most of them will even think I’m deaf then I’ll have to start getting used to their pitying stares, some will probably try to bully me and do you know how hard it is to make friends when you don’t speak?” I ask and she pulls me back to her side.

        “Maybe those things may happen on your first day but when people get to know you, to know the strong and brave girl that I’m raising it’ll stop but it’s all up to you. If you want to be brave and show them who you really are of if you want to be a coward and accept what people think you are. I know you’re brave.” She says hugging me before humming a tune.

        That was were my mum was wrong, she didn’t know me; at least not on that level. Because if she did she’ll know that I'm a coward.