Water Under the Bridge

Prologue

Houston, Texas
20th December, 2022

The happy birthday chorus, the smiles, the laughter, the sound of helium balloons being hit by my friends. An overwhelming emotion I couldn't describe. How happy I was to finally celebrate a special day with people I could finally call my friends. I never had stable friends due to our constant relocations and this is the longest we've ever stayed in a location. Three years.
Three happy years.
I was finally becoming comfortable.

I looked around for my mum and saw her on a phone call with a serious expression on her face. It was her birthday too, I wondered why she wasn't smiling. I prayed it wasn't what I thought it was. I prayed we weren't moving again. Moving was a constant thing for us because of my mum's work. We had to constantly change locations for our safety.

My mother is a con artist; not exactly something I'm proud of. When I found out two years ago what she did for a living, I felt numb.

My mother, the woman I'd looked up to all my life, was a criminal. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. Part of me was angry, but another part of me just felt sad. Sad for all the people she'd hurt, and sad for her. I wondered what must have happened to make her do such a thing. How could she have gotten so lost? I was torn between wanting to understand her and wanting to hate her. I wasn't sure which way to go.

"Riri, Riri" The snap of my mum's perfectly manicured nails drew me back to reality. I hadn't even realized she was now in front of me.

When did she move?

"Yes mum"
"Sweet heart, immediately we get home please pack your bags, we leave for Nigeria tomorrow morning" she said instantly with a look of apology on her face.

"Yes mum" I replied quietly with a soft sigh. There was no point arguing with her. I finished my slice of cake and threw the paper plate into a bin nearby waiting a bit to hear the satisfying soft clatter of the plate hitting the bin.

This would be the ninth time in my seventeen years on earth that I would move from one location to another. I could only sit back and watch what life throws at me this time.

Welcome to my life, a life like which is in the past, cannot be changed and should be forgotten. A life like water under the bridge.

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Watt-Fam!!!
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Thank you guysss!!
Muah!
Much love from your favorite girl!