The Spinning

Chapter 2: In Trouble

I learned about the real queen of the house. My mum was on her way. I have no issue with polygamy, but if I were a man, I wouldn’t taste that soup. It burns, it hurts and stings, but what doesn’t kill us strengthens us. What doesn’t separate us, keep us together? I love my family so much. It’s an extended family. My step-grandma lives with us in the same house. She had a girl for my grandpa, but she’s some months older than me. Her name is Jessica, but we often call her Jessi.

Jessica has tons of boys and girlfriends, but none visit her home. She’s 19 now and an inch taller than me.

Once, when I pinched Kayode’s chubby cheeks while playing with him, Jessi dragged him away from me and warned me never to do that again.

“Why?” I asked her, close to tears.

“Because you don’t love him! You’re hurting him and you’re considering it fun?” Jessi barked in reply.

“Kayode is the sweetest child I know. He is my brother!” I held back the tears as I defended.

“We all know he’s not. Because you have the same father doesn’t mean you’ll truly love him so, please.” She rolled her eyes at me and left. Chuckling at him he giggled lightly at her.

A solemn tear rolled down from my eyes as I watched them leave. I can’t be to this, I can’t be to that. I wished I stayed in Abuja with the rest of my younger siblings. It hurts when one considers your love as hate. I had never considered Kayode an outsider. One fact, nobody can stamp love on someone else's heart.

My mum just came in from Abuja. She wanted to visit her younger brother, who would marry next weekend. She’d already bought my anko for my uncle's wedding, my shoe, and a lot of goodies for me. Mummy Kayode acts well whenever my mum is around. She acts extremely caring. Well, Mum knows even though she hides it.

I walked out to clear my head when an old woman stopped by our compound. She had a 2-year-old female toddler at hand and I wondered who she was. Mummy Kayode served her soft pounded yam and egusi prepared for her. She asks me out of the kitchen whenever my mum is around. And I’ll have to beg her to do one or two things which are also very annoying. Mum Kayode is a whole new person when my mum is gone. Sometimes, I just wished she could be real instead of... Fake.

The old lady ate to her full and after chatting with my dad for about twenty minutes, she walked out through the gate. It was my first time seeing this woman. My brows furrowed, 'Who was this woman?'

She placed the child in the back seat and kicked her car. It was an ancient, faded blue Mercedes. After a lot of attempts, she finally turned on her car and reversed. How awkward, It surprised me that no one accompanied her to the gate, not even Mum.

'She must have come to greet her, right?'

Swerving the old car backward, the elderly woman drove away with the child seated right next to her by the driver’s seat.

“Who was this woman?” My brows furrowed as I watched her leave.

In the blink of an eye, a motorcycle came forth from the direction she was driving. The three men on the red motorcycle barked out in laughter as she drove by.

“Go sell that thing, eye!”

“No, she will have to pass it down to her daughter. Wait, is that her daughter or grandkid?” The other asked.

“Must be her grandkid. Her daughter must be as well, dump. She’s as old as that vehicle itself!” The three men wickedly chuckled, almost falling off the motorcycle as they drove forward. Their laugh sounded so horrible, it was almost unnatural.