Eartha

1| Eartha {II}

~•••~

The motorpark was an unspeakable disaster. The sky had decided that it was at that high time it opened up it's reservoir and flood everything below with it's water. It had only just screwed shut it's spigots and now, the only sign that it had ever opened them up was the damp chill in the air. And of course, the muddy disaster everywhere!

So much for a first day, Eartha thought as a shiver passed through her.

'Ah, thank God,' Mother said from beside her, into the little black phone clutched to her ear. 'I can see your car now. Look towards your left side,' she instructed someone on her phone.

Eartha shivered again and didn't bother to look for the car her mother 'could see now'. She was hungry and cold and could do with a mug of hot Ovaltine. But she silently nursed her wishes, she didn't dare complain of anything to her mother, the woman was angry at her already.

'Yes, yes!' Mother waved at someone in the distance. 'Do you see us now?'

Her daughter watched as the woman gesticulated wildly, she also didn't miss the relief that had now settled on her beautiful face.

Everyone had always commented that Mother was very striking, what with her dominant Somali features.

Eartha let her eyes trail from the older woman's beautiful, medium sized obsidian-black eyes to her elegant thin nose, perched above lush lips. Her oval shaped face was the icing on top of the cake, all in all, Mother was an epitome of a Somali goddess.

They weren't very rich, but the aura Mother exuded and the way she carried herself, one found it shocking to learn that she wasn't even from a noble family.

Mother flashed a smile at the person in the distance and at the same time, the sun burst through the dreary rain clouds and the rays chose to spill on her face, lighting up her golden brown skin.

Eartha's core lit up in pride and she, inadvertently, stared at her own hands that was clutching the bulging, white polythene bag to her thighs.

She got her skin colour from her mother, although hers was way lighter, and mixed, from Father's pale ones.

And people say I look like her, Eartha thought wistfully.

She didn't know whether to believe that or not although she really wanted herself to.

Most people don't know what or whom they really look like. One only got an idea when people commented on their looks, or drew them. Then they start to do the 'is that really me?' wonder.

A titian red Nissan Bluebird pulled up to a stop in front of them. She heard the driver's door squeal open, making a sound akin to a weasel inside a rapidly deflating balloon.

Eartha almost jumped when a man suddenly appeared at their side. She hadn't seen him make his way around the back of the car to them.

One glance at the man though, and she knew why she had failed to notice his approach. Why, he was a good many inches below her own height level. The girl silently mused about the possibility of him being a pygmy.

'Mrs Warshame!' the man said, successfuly startling Eartha this time around.

The voice was nothing she had been or would ever expect from a dwarf, to say the least. It was a thick and rumbly baritone that managed to quiver her insides, the way it would if she was standing in the proximity of a set of amplifiers.

'Mr Kosoko,' Mother said. 'Thank God you're here!' The relief was practically cascading down from her lips.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Eartha stared at the dwarf of a man.

He seemed to have a permanent upward tilt to his neck, which was most likely from having to look up at people, literally, his whole life. The same thing for his squinty eyes, they didn't look like he was born squinty.

He gesticulated a lot when he was talking, his dumpy, barrel chest swaying from to the left and right in the process.

It has to be his way of commanding respect for his short self, Eartha thought.

He also liked to show off his pure white teeth a lot, she was quick to notice. By some way she wasn't sure of, the cleft in his chin deepened whenever he flashed his chompers.

He has merry-brown eyes, Eartha observed.

Which was why she immediately noticed as they started to swing towards her. She quickly dropped to her knees to greet the man.

She may have lived in Nigeria all her life but Father and Mother were Somali born-and-bred and they frowned upon the traditional and torturous way of greeting here, so most times, she didn't get to injure her knees just to greet someone. But she always made it a duty to greet a new person that way, to impress a good one on them.

The man flashed his Close-Up**** advert smile again. 'Heta!' he said in greeting.

She didn't bother to correct him. She never bothered to correct people like him. They always took the umbrage she didn't offer at it. She just smiled in reply, and got back to her feet.

'You know,' Mother said as they clambered into the back seat of the car, shutting out the cold, 'you've got to stop your things-and-people-watching, it's considered very antisocial.'

Eartha didn't reply.

****Close-Up - a toothpaste brand in Nigeria.

PS: I cut the chapters into two, after trying to reread and realizing they were insanely long . . .

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DISCLAIMER

Hello! If, per adventure, you've come here looking for some romance because this book is labeled 'Teen Fiction', well, I'm really very sorry to disappoint you. This isn't a Romance teen fiction . . . it's just that - teen fiction, original.

I'm only saying this at the beginning so you won't be disappointed as the story progresses. And I really do hate to disappoint people :}

If you still really want to stick around to the end of the story (because I know you'll love it :D) you're highly welcome!

Thank you! <3

••

That said, let's get to the koko of the note, lol . . .

Hello!

Welcome to my second Nigerian based story! :)
I'm really excited to start and finally publish it! (Took me a lil' over four hours straight to write this chapter, lol)

I really hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I am, writing it! :D

Eartha is a really exceptional character and you're all going to bond with her!
This book is actually a spin-off of Alacrimia, my first Nigerian story on here. This is the story of the main character's mother when she was young. So, I'm sure you're all going to bond with Eniiyi's mother a lot better as you learn more about her.

Fact: She's actually my favourite character from Alacrimia! (Since nobody had asked me that in the book ^^)

Don't forget to spoil the book with votes and comments, they are all highly welcome!
Share the story, too, if you think I deserve ittt!
*makes puppy dog eyes*
Thanks in advance :)

Thank you!

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