My Father Episode II
So, when my father came home that evening and said, "Dieko, tomorrow you will go and make enquiries about the tuition fee for Jss1 in your school ." It was mixed affections for me but at least I was going to get one of my choices which was not so bad at all .However, I had a huge problem. I was shy. Too shy. When I walk, I used to wish I could put on the colour of the air. Disappear and be so opaque that no could see me. I used to wish that I could have different faces. Because I thought it was such a shame to be me. The whole broken family saga, plus I had no sibling. Only me and my freaking mind. It was so lonely. I didn't know how I was going to achieve the feat of going to the secondary school building. Mind you, the secondary and primary section was not in the same building. Secondary section was about ten minutes walk from the primary.
The next morning, I left home in order to make the enquiry. I left the house sauntering through the streets of Onipanu. I tried to make each step count as I kept thinking of how everyone was going to keep staring at me once I open the gate. I blamed myself for so many things I didn't cause. Like why my parents were no longer together. Why I didn't have any sibling and so many other nonsense that I knew nothing about. I thought I caused it by bringing bad luck to the family . Bad part was that peeps at school knew because my mom was always visiting me. I kept walking slowly which was very much unlike me. As I always walk as though hot, watery poop was about to escape through my anus.
As I got to the gate of the school, I turned back and headed back home. When I got home, I said, "Daddy, they said it's 20thousand naira per term for Jss1."
My father said nothing. He just nodded.
That was how the next week came and my father, after a savoury dinner, looked right at me and said, "Dieko, you'll be spending this long holiday at your grandma's house. Be a good girl. I'll give you some money to spend. I want you to multiply the money by the time you are coming back. That's the hallmark of a thrift person. " I was so excited because grandma's place was fun. No serious TV watching time but the peeps there were lively. The place reeked of this rural funky life that was better than the ajebo lonely life that I was used to. At my grandma's place, one gets to hear funny expressions like, I does not like it. Are you having Teddy bear? My mummy usually go to shob... That was all I looked forward to when I packed my bags happily the next day. I was so oblivious of my fate. Little, in fact, so little did I know that my life was about to take another turn. My life was about to take a twist of pain, laughter and love...
Have a wonderful day
Xoxo
Dieko.
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