Just do it √

Twenty Two

I woke the next morning to heavy knocks on my door. I knew who it was and with the decision of not letting his face be the first thing I see in the morning, I rearranged my pillow and lay more comfortably but the mammal was determined and I didn’t want my mom coming down on me about being inhospitable.

‘What?’ I said as I swung the door open.
‘You should brush before leaving your room’.
‘I’m in my room, genius’. He smirked, unfazed by my hostility.
I watched him take a peek at my room.
‘What, no motivational quotes?’
‘I keep them under my pillow so they can diffuse into my brain’.
He chuckled.

‘Ah. So that’s how you do it, not that much of a mystery after all’.
He took another glance at the room.

‘Why am I not surprised your igloo is void of life?’ He began walking away, hands in his pockets but spun back around. ‘Your mom needs you at the table’. He moved backwards until he disappeared into the parlor.

I took my time brushing my teeth before going out to the dining room where we were having a ‘family’ breakfast of moin-moin and pap. No one was eating, mom and Kunle were chatting heartily, Marcel had his face in his right hand that was propped on the table and was staring at them boringly.

‘Hey princess’. Mom chirped as soon as she saw me. Her cheerfulness wasn’t good for my recently awoken body.
‘Good morning mom. Uncle Kunle, good morning’. Kunle nodded.
‘We’ve been waiting for you. Since it’s a Saturday, I wanted us to have breakfast together, as a family’.
I cringed, hard enough that Marcel looked down to hide his amusement.

‘You didn’t have to wait for me’. I mumbled.
‘Babe please bless the food’. She asked Kunle and he did, briefly, thankfully.

The first couple of seconds were quiet save for the sound of the utensil as mom shared the food but the serenity was lost immediately she sat back down. First she talked to Kunle about things I blocked my mind from comprehending, then I had to drown out another of her and Marcel’s pointless conversation. I was enjoying the taste of the moin-moin when she finally decided to include me in the conversation.

‘Amanda. How come you never told me about that?’
‘About what?’
‘That you were sports prefect’.
‘You didn’t think I was senior prefect, did you?’ she sighed
‘I know you love sports, I just thought you’d want to share the news with me’.
‘Right. Now you know, it’s such a big deal’. My pap was getting extra soggy.

‘What did you guys do all week?’ She changed the topic.
Marcel looked at me and we both faced our plates.
‘Nothing’. The lack of effort in our replies made Kunle roll his eyes.
‘You didn’t go out?’ The question was directed at Marcel.
‘I don’t really know anywhere’.
‘Oh. Amanda could have taken you’.

‘Yeah, your favorite local tour guide’. I said
‘You were new in town once too’. She tried to guilt trip me.
‘Technically, I still am. I don’t really know my way around’.
‘Then you two can figure it out together. You have mouths, you can always ask for directions’.
‘Why not just ask Ekpe to do it?’ I proposed.
‘Amanda’. She said sternly.

‘Fine’. I spooned cool pap into my mouth.
‘You can go after breakfast, I will take care of the chores’. She was too excited about us leaving the house.

      Mom was already far gone with the chores when we left. Marcel was waiting for me at the door eagerly tapping his foot. He was dressed in good ol’ cut out jeans and a black polo which was disastrous since I was dressed in a straight mid length black gown that I topped off with a jean jacket. We looked like an attention seeking couple going for a photo shoot.