Adenike Ekon ✔

16. Birthday Party

“Ade!” a voice disturbed her peaceful sleep. Adenike turned to the other side of her bed.

She was having a good sleep. She hugged the duvet close to her, but the person wasn’t buying it.

“Ade!” they said again. What's wrong with people? Why can’t even sleep in her bed again?

She blocked the noise and tried going back to her beauty sleep. Next, she heard the banging of the door.

“What’s wrong with you people?” she shouted, her eyes half closed.

What would they tell her that they won’t say when she was awake?

She closed her eyes and was almost about to go to sleep—almost— when the person knocked again.

They knocked on the door. In an instant, Adenike threw the material off her body and was up.

“I’m up,” she admitted defeat.

“Today’s my birthday,” Taiwo yelled at the top of his voice. Adenike rubbed the tiredness from her eyes.

She was staring at him, “Then?” she questioned.

“Go and disturb someone else,” she lay her head on the bed and closed her eyes. But Taiwo wasn’t buying it.

He stalked toward the bed and yanked the duvet out of her hold.

Adenike glared at him. She didn’t know what his problem was. It was his birthday, and Kehinde's too. But why can’t he be like his brother who was reserved and calm?

When Taiwo had no intentions of leaving her alone, she stood from her bed and sleepily made her way to the bathroom.

She bathed quickly and got dressed.

Downstairs, the house was a mess. Grandmother was baking a cake, while her mom was baking snacks.

Adenike had suggested they buy the snacks, but her grandmother being old-fashioned declined the offer.

Her dad had taken a day off. He was coming earlier than he usually did.

Adenike sat on the couch waiting for the party to begin. She disliked parties, but after meeting Rokibat. She had come to love it.

Adenike may deny it, but Rokibat had been a major aspect of her life, intentionally or unintentionally. She had become a family to her. Someone who she could lean on.

She had misjudged her before, she thought she was there to annoy her.

Her phone rang, and she rushed to pick it up when she saw Kehinde with it.

He handed her the device and returned to wherever he was going.

Adenike never knew a day would come when she would be excited to pick up Rokibat's phone calls.

“Hi,” she greeted rather enthusiastically for her liking.

“We are here,” she replied. Adenike kept thinking of Joseph's words, keep it cool. He said. Even though the words were regarding her book. She couldn’t help but take it for a different reason.

“I will send Kehinde to open the door for you,” she said. “Kehinde, ” she shouted his name. But instead of him, her grandmother came out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand and a deadly glare.

“You can’t send a boy on his birthday,” She ordered.

—❣—

Adenike had fun for the first time in years.

The birthday party turned out to be the best she had in a while. Rokibat, Anwulika, and Akaulisa came over. They weren’t the only ones though, Precious was there too.