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Twenty One

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My legs felt heavy when I awoke the next morning and I was reminded of mine and Ekpe’s little excursion to the market. I lay on my bed for a few minutes, pumping my legs into the air to relieve the pain. I couldn’t tell if it was working so I decided to get to my chores, maybe a little moving around would help.

I paused once I stepped into the living room, not because what I saw was horrifying but because I couldn’t discern how I felt about it. I heard Marcel’s heavy, lazy footsteps as he entered the room. He stopped beside me and wiped his eyes.

‘Well, isn’t that cute?’ He too was gazing at the scene before us.
There were a couple empty cans around, junk wraps, soiled newspapers and a half eaten bowl of popcorn on the side stool. My mom was lying atop Kunle whose body had covered the entire sofa.

‘What the hell happened here?’ I couldn’t believe I had slept through it all.

‘After you locked yourself up in your igloo and served the rest of us the silent treatment, those two right there decided to feed themselves and each other. I think it’s called Netflix and chill but Ekpe turned off the generator by 4 and I’m guessing they couldn’t find their room’. He gladly explained.

‘This is weird and you should brush your teeth before leaving your room’.
‘I brush after breakfast but let’s wake those two up, shall we?’ He smiled evilly and I understood why when he screamed and our parents jumped out of the sofa.

Mom began frantically looking around but Kunle just sleepily stared at us and slumped back into the chair.

‘What is going on? Amanda. Who was screaming?’ She looked panicky.
‘Sorry for waking you, I saw a rat licking your toe and I freaked’. Kunle groaned and I began to think Marcel wasn’t only well vested in 1*500meters races.

‘A rat? It’s been ages I saw one in this house’.
‘There was one. Browny you saw it right, didn’t you?’ He smiled brightly at me.
‘Huh? I mean yeah. A tiny, small, little rat’. I saw him roll his eyes as I struggled to speak.
‘I will have to get rat traps on my way back’. Mom said as Kunle rose and shuffled to their room.
‘Can you help me clean up baby? I’m late for work’. I nodded and she followed Kunle.

‘Aren’t you a buzz kill? Can’t even tell a tiny lie’. Marcel said as we began picking up empty cans of soft drinks. I paused.
‘Maybe I was taken unaware by you suddenly buddying up to me. We aren’t friends Marcel and I don’t need your help with the chores, I can clean up just fine’.

‘I’m sure you can but contrary to popular belief, I’m not an ingrate and your mom is letting me crash in her guest room’.

I wanted to know how long he and his dad had been displaced but asking would take him out of his sunshine mood and despite being able to, I didn’t want to deal with his aggressive side.

‘Fine, you spend more time in this parlor than anyone else anyway’. I left and let him clean the living room while I took care of the other areas in the house.
He did a good job for someone who never participated in clean up at school.

By the time I was done, our parents were leaving for the hospital, turns out Kunle worked as a physiotherapist there and that’s how he met my mom. He had been staying with a friend but it was a one bedroom self con and he couldn’t take Marcel there so mom offered him a place.

I made breakfast of boiled yam and eggs for myself, Marcel and Ekpe.
Mom had stored the perishable goods I had gotten from the market so I made lunch too before leaving to go see Abike at the hospital.
The nurse on duty wouldn’t let me go in because it wasn’t visiting hours but fortunately, Mrs. Dapo walked out of the ward at that time.