Perfectly Imperfect

Prologue

She learned what it meant to suck in the belly at age 10.

It was a Saturday and she was going to the park with her family. Her sister came into her room all dressed up like the Cinderella she was.

"Kunmi, you're still not dressed? It's like you don't want to go to the park with us."

"My gown..."

She trailed off as her sister left the room without even a backward glance. She tried putting on the gown once again but it got stuck on her chest and she couldn't even wear it past her chest.

After a series of trials and with a state of almost suffocation, she gave up and pulled the dress over her head. She sat down, staring at her stupid, fat, and ugly body.

Why can't I just have a nice stature like my sister's?

"Oluwabukunmi, it's time oo. Let's go."

She heard her mother's voice but she remained where she was. She couldn't even bear to stand up.

"Kunmi, won't you..."

Her mother's voice trailed off when she saw the mess on the floor. She closed the door behind her.

Most of her clothes were on the floor. She had tried all of them on and none sized her again. Even the new ones that are not yet six months old. She'd outgrown them all.

"Oya, pick up that gown." Her mother ordered sternly while pointing to the last gown she tried to put on.

"Now wear it." She commanded and Kunmi shuddered because she recognized the new tone. It was the no-nonsense tone. She picked it up and tried to put it on. It got stuck and her mother walked closer to her, grabbed the first cloth on her body, and started pulling and pulling.

"Oya, suck in your belly. Suck it in! I keep telling you to watch what you eat but no, you drink carbonated drinks at will and you eat an enormous meal, 30 years old wouldn't even finish. Look at your sister. Just look at her and look at you, so we have to waste money buying new clothes for you every month, abi?"

She felt tears in her eyes and she bit her lips from crying. She didn't want to cry, at least not again and not in front of her mother.

Finally, her mother pulled the dress down and she moved back, smiling at her handiwork.

"Now see, you look like a princess. Now, let's go."

And she turned and walked out through the door. Kunmi released her stomach and immediately she did that, she heard ripples of tread tearing. She sucked her belly in again as she tried to walk by carefully placing a step in front of the other. She looked comical walking like someone who had something in the anus.

She did not know when she started to cry.

She hated herself.

Hated her fat face.

Hated her fat thighs.

Hated her whole body.

                            

  *********

10 years old Adams

He was drawing on the balcony of his room when he heard the door of his room open. He knew it was his mom even turning back.

"My baby."

His mother said once she got to him, running her hands through his curly hair. He smiled to himself. He loved it when she did that even though he wasn't going to let her know.

"You're drawing... Me?"

She asked after staring at the white sheet in front of him.

"Yes, mummy."

"Wow, my baby. Thanks a lot."

He groaned and he stopped drawing.

"I'm not a baby. I'm 10 years old. I'm almost a man."

His mother's mouth dropped open.

"You'll always be my baby."

She said and kissed him on both cheeks. He loved when she did that too but he was going to allow her to know.

"Oya, continue drawing Mom. Let me see."

He picked up the pencil when they heard his father's car drive in. His mother straightened.

"Omolara!!!"

That was his father's voice and he inwardly groaned at the intensity of his voice. His mother bent down to his level.

"Keep drawing Mom, okay? Don't come off the room no matter what. Just stay and I would be back in the jiffy of an eye."

He nodded like he always.

He heard his mother walk downstairs.

He heard his father yell at his mother.

He could barely make out what his mother said.

He heard his father unbuckle his belt.

He heard the sound as it hit his mother's skin.

He heard his mother's whispers.

He heard him as her screams turned to loud yells.

He kept drawing like she instructed him to.

And so we have the prologue or chapter 0 of Perfectly Imperfect. I'm trying to try a whole new thing by writing about teenagers dealing with insecurities. I'm so excited about this. God! I can't wait to start. The ideas keep coming 💃💃💃. When I first got the idea of this book, It was going to be an average secondary school but now, it has fully turned into an elite school. Lol.

Special shout out to my love, Iyanuoluwa-Temi for the lovely cover. I'm so in love with it.

P.S: I'd start this story fully whenever I finish writing BTGOL

Tag your friends to come to check out my new story 🙏.

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