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~CHAPTER THREE~

"Are these your children?"  a lady in her early thirties asked as she walked into the house with my dad. 
    My dad had told us earlier that his friend was going to visit, he went to the bus stop to direct his friend to our house being she was new in Lagos and have never been to our house before.
"Yes. Children why don't you introduce yourself to her. This is Miss Adenike, my very good friend." My dad said.
"Good  afternoon ma, my name is Noredia." I said with a smile.
"Osayuki ." my thirteen years old brother said discourteously.
"Daddy who is she?" Oghosa, My garrulous brother said. He didn't even greet her, but he had the gust to ask who the lady was. Anyway, I knew it before now, my brothers lacked manners, not because they don't know how to behave but, because they are not being disciplined.
"Oghosa! Behave yourself, I told you she is my very good friend." My dad scolded him.
"Daddy I told you I don't want a nanny. " he said not wanting to listen to my dad who was trying to signal to
him to keep quiet. We laughed.
"She is not a nanny Oghosa she is daddy's friend." I said patting his little shoulder.
"Alright , I am Oghosa. Nice to have you here." he finally said and hugged her.
"This  is Ekinadose, the last born."  I said carrying my cute sister with pride.
"Give me this cute little baby"  she said, carrying the baby from me and poured kisses all over her cheeks."Wow! You all are so amazing." she  complimented. "Imade  you have beautiful kids."
"Thank you__" my Dad said with a grin.
"Point of correction Miss, we are not kids, we are children" Oghosa interjected.
"How ?"  Miss Adenike said. I knew she was dissapointed because of the way my seven years old brother spoke to her.
"Kids are the offspring of goat while children are the offspring of?" he said and pouted, acting as if he was a teacher teaching a novice.
"Human,"my dad answered instead. "Don't mind him, he is just being childish." my dad said to cover up for Oghosa's rueful behaviour.
"Here" I said as I placed a bottle of grape juice on the centre table accompanied with biscuits.
"Thank you." she said joyfully.
"You are welcome." I said and curtseyed.
"You're  Nore__"  she said finding it hard to pronounce my native name.
"Noredia ma, you can call me Nora too." I  said with utmost respect .
"I like you." she complimented. "Imade, it seems your children had lived abroad for years,  they have the british accent?" she said as she poured the juice into the glass cup provided .
"Yes, we stayed in America for good two years, that was for a confidential purpose anyway. Then, my wife was pregnant with the third child."
"Yes, that is me!" Oghosa who was flipping through TV channels chipped in.
"Yes you!" Miss Adenike said and laughed, she was fascinated at my brother's boldness.
    Ekinadose started to cry, I guessed she was not comfortable in the hands of Miss Adenike, she was more comfortable with me than anybody else.
"Nora take this baby inside to sleep, maybe she's hungry or wants to sleep."my daddy said as he carried her from Miss Adenike's arm.
"I think she wants me to carry her"  I said as her carried her gently away from my father's arm. Immediately she stopped crying when I petted her to sleep .
"You are doing a good job Nora. How do you cope?"
"I plan my time, at first it was hard, but now am used to it."
"Good . You are such a good big sister."
"Thank you. Oghosa! Osayuki! Come and eat your dinner." I said as I walked away carrying the sleeping baby in my arm.
"Imade, it's so wonderful seeing you again after about__over twenty years." Adenike said .
"Yes  o! It's a small world jare."
"Like seriously___ infact, I am so excited. I can remember how you looked then with you usual full hair and shaved beard during our secondary school days and our university days too, you were handsome. But now, you are now keeping beard, having low cut and wearing a big goggle"
Mr Osayande laughed. "I had to look that way because I was part of the students' union and I can remember how you looked then, you were slim, so slim that I thought the wind will carry you away." He teased her and she laughed.
"You are not serious. Um… that reminds me I heard the sad news about the death of your wife, I am so sorry about it, accept my condolence. I didn't even get to see her, but seeing your kids, I know she must have been extremely beautiful. On a lighter note you got taste for endowed ladies now." she wriggled her eyebrow, smiling.
Mr Osayande laughed, "Yeah, she was indeed beautiful with an ever glowing ebony skin unlike yours."
"Ah ! What do you mean?"  she creased her eyebrow.
"Don't get me wrong I! I mean you are light skinned but she is dark."
"Ehn, I need to get going now, it's already 6:30pm" she said as she checked the huge wall clock in the parlour.
"Boy, time flies o! So we have been discussing for almost three hours."
"It's  a good thing I didn't come with my car, if not I would be in the traffic, I heard Lagos is so congested."
"it  is, that's why they are constructing bridges here and there"
"Ore  mi(My friend in Yoruba language). I will be on my way now." Mrs Adenike said as she stood up to leave.
"Thank you for spending some time with me"
"it's  my pleasure," she said and my dad escorted her to the door. "kids __ ch_children, I am going"  she called us.
   We hurriedly came down the stairs and waved goodbye to her.