Tomi
I don’t know how I manage to withstand Linda for almost 12 hours. She had even asked me to step out as the meeting was about to kick off. I had a feeling she was up to no good but as usual I shrugged it off. That evening I decided to go see my parents, after freshening up I took a bus to Ojota where my father built his house, my childhood home. I remembered my childhood days as I alighted at Olusosun Bus-stop, those days mom buys China made nylon gown from China Town and Aba made shoes for me, which was my Christmas day outfit. The sole of one of the shoes is usually higher than the second pair of it; the annoying part is both soles will remove after i have trekked from Ojota to Sweet sensation at Allen to buy meat pie and ice cream.
One Christmas day i took a short cut through Olusosun, where the boy I was crushing on lived. He was cute and had a brown skin, it was like he escaped from the grips of albino but he came out with the scars. Anyway I liked him, brown skin, red hair and all. I was all decked out in my red and purple readymade gown and I was rocking my Aba made shoes. My jerry curls was also on point, that very morning I had covered my head with the toilet sponge after smearing globs of gel on my fried hair. The relaxer I used on my hair made it look like the hair of a chick which fell into water. I had to use the toilet sponge because I didn’t know where the one I used I for bathing was. So I took a little mirror and picked my hair out of the tiny holes in the sponge with a needle. I was doing it all for Nathan.
I saw Nathan and his group of smelling boxers friends at the far end of the street, they had bangers in their hands which they lit and threw at young girls passing by. They were having a good laugh out of it. I heard them arguing as I got closer to them.
“I get six sounds, na five sound you give me!” one big headed akpu eating boy said.
“Your father Yansh! What of the seven sounds I give you?”
My crush was dressed in a faded baggy jean with that two phase fifty cent singlet. The net singlet with two colors. Red and Navy blue. Nathan had worn the red phase all through November and he switched to wearing the Navy blue phase in December. He was busy dancing to Yahooze while his friends argued about the missing seven sounds knock out.
I brought out my two shades red and pink rubber eye glasses mom had bought for me, I wore it to compliment my dressing. My palm was sweaty, I was so nervous and the boys had gone quiet. They were giggling while covering their mouth with both hands. Nathan was laughing too. I looked behind me; there was no one behind me, were they laughing at me?
“Ayamataga Your shoe don remove” one of the boys called out.
Lo and behold! Both soles of my shoes were behind me on the ground. I almost died in shame; I picked up both soles and ran down through the valley which leads to my house. My mother was making Moi Moi in the kitchen when I entered the house.
“Tomi! See how dirty you are! Did you roll around on the ground?”
It was then that I noticed the ice cream stains on the gown but it was late for me to care. I flung the useless shoes into the dustbin.
“Don’t buy me these shoes anymore! Why do you keep buying shoes that I wear only once?”
“The sole of these one too removed? Nawa oo……awon Omo Nna are just ripping us off ni o”
“How do you expect them to last when they are just 400 hundred naira?”
“Who told you they are 400 hundred naira? I bought those shoes for N450 naira o! Oya go and remove it from the dustbin, I will gum it for you and you will use it to do New Year”
I walked into my room and banged the door shut. I fumed in my room until I was called for dinner and a crazy thing happened right after dinner.
“I am going to my room Tomi, please go and cover the pot of Moi Moi well, if not rat will eat it.” Mom said before heading to her room.
After watching the re-run of Lorenzo’s wife and sunset set beach I decided to call it a night, thank the good lord I remembered mummy’s words so I went into the kitchen.
I saw a big rat with scalded back trying to get into the moi moi pot, I stood back and watched it get into the pot before I hurriedly got a cover and covered the pot. I was still angry at what happened earlier so I felt I should pour out my anger on the rat. I got another big pot and placed it on the pot cover. The rat was struggling to escape so I got yet another pot which I placed on it .I stood back and watched the pot with satisfaction. Serves him right! The heat from the pot should kill him by morning and I went off to bed.
My mom’s shrieks woke me up the next morning. I jumped happily out of bed thinking the rat was dead if not why was mommy shouting? I also screamed in shock when I saw what the foolish rat had done! It ate all the Moi Moi and escaped. Ha! I don’t know what I was thinking! Who would believe anyone would still be that silly at fourteen?!
To be continued..
