A FAMILY'S GATHERING.

CHAPTER TWO

'Aunty Ire' David rushes at me,throwing his small arms around my thighs in a hug as I walk out of the toilet where I had just checked myself out in the mirror after the brutal remarks of  Jason.

'David!' I shriek out in a childish,playful tone as I hug the small boy back.

I crouch to the small boy's height. Seeing we both understand each other well enough, I search my purse for a five hundred naira note.

'Take. And don't try the childish play with me all through the time I spend in this house' I whisper close enough to the boy's ear,in a way the other members in the house was oblivious to what was actually going on.

'Double it and it's a deal' the boy says,smiling with a devious grin.

'You know,your school really teaches you more than enough for your age' I hiss. 'You should be telling your parents to bill twice the amount on your school fees instead'

He stretches his palm, disregarding my statement. 'Is it a deal or not?'

I sigh with an annoyed grin on my face.

This had been I and David's game for a while. He knew I hated the playing with children thing so I pay him to stay off my back while I busy myself portraying the good daughter image to the rest of the family every Christmas we came visiting like this.

This Christmas though, he's going to be more helpful than I want his puppy eyes off my sight.

I open my purse and find a thousand naira note and hand it to him.

Instead of giving me back the five hundred naira note I gave him earlier,he storms off instead.

I try to curse at him but stretch out my face to a fake smile after noticing the family's eyes on me from the dinning table.

I adjust my navy blue gown and walk to my designated seat at the dinning table.

'I see David is giving you a tough time' Isabella, David's mother and my eldest sister says to me while she mixes the stewed rice on her plate.

I manage a fake smile. 'Oh,it's nothing much. Children would always remain children'

Isabella laughs and so does Michael,her husband who was seated beside her.

I scoop a spoon of rice in my mouth and notice how Isabella's plump,pink- painted lips makes the oval shape while she laughs.

Her glimmering dark orbs compliments her light skin under the fans of her eyelashes.

Her laughter is so contractible,it makes everyone at the table join in with her. Well except of course,the family's dirty secret.....Temitope.

Temitope and Isabella both took after my mum's fair skin. I was the only one who took after dad's dark caramel skin and that only made me feel less beautiful than my two elder sisters.

Temitope kept on surfing on her phone,immune to the laughter around her and that's why she was called the family's dirty secret.

She was wayward in dressing and behaviour. She had tattoos and piercing as soon as she clocked eighteen and just presently,she'd already cut her hair and dyed it pink.

She was a born rebel but I never judged her. Instead she was my little idol since she's boldly opened about her waywardness to both dad and mum unlike me who was still under the constraint of daddy's laws despite the fact that I've packed out of his house five years ago.

I didn't want to be the family's dirty secret and a while back down now,dad has been calling me to corners,telling me not to disappoint him and telling me some weird stuffs.

Last two Christmas which was the last time I saw him broke the last straw and stretched the distance between us but I guess it's for the same reason I found myself here this Christmas again.

The laughter dies down and I notice Jason at a corner end of the dinning table.

What the hell is he here for now?.

Isn't he the bodyguard keeping an eye on the house any longer?.

'Iremide. I'm sure you must have met Jason. I've introduced him to the rest of the family' Dad cuts through my thought. 'He's my personal bodyguard. I met him on one of my evangelism project in the U.S. He's a mechanical engineer with a first class degree and a promising man if I must add'

Dad ends his statement while laughing along with mum.

Temitope begins to laugh in an hysterical way that makes the table quiet again seeing it was odd for Temitope to be laughing with mum and dad. And also,her form of laughter didn't agree with the situation.

'Sister shine your eyes' she says,standing up from her seat. 'Your parents are at it again,trying to hook you up with a man'

I drop the spoon in my fingers back into the plate and stare intently at dad while Temitope walks away with earpiece in her ear.

'Dad, is what sister said true?' I ask with a stern look on my face.

'Er....' Michael cuts in on our conversation. 'I'm famished. I think I'll eat dinner instead'

'Okay honey' Isabella says,kissing Michael on his cheeks before he excuses himself.

'Please excuse me' mum excuses herself shortly after.

So I'm with dad,Isabella and Jason on the table.

My question still hangs in the air.

'David!' Isabella calls out for her son. 'Come and eat your food'

David doesn't reply so Isabella stands to excuse herself.

'No,wait. I'll go check on my grandson' dad excuses himself instead.

So I'm just left with Isabella and Jason.

I hardly talk to Isabella so she avoids the awkward situation by clearing out the dishes on the table.

I'm left with  Jason.

Great.

He wiggles his eyebrows at me as I stand up from the table, hissing at him.

Just as I'm about walking away,a gunshot is heard in the house.