My story My song

4. My Mother

Once out of the bathroom, I put a call across to Antonio's place; the new Italian restaurant that got launched in the heart of town sometime in August. I place an order for a medium-sized portion of their 'pepperoni supreme' pizza and sit back to work on my laptop as I await my delivery.

I'd been working on the details of a story I came up with. Not exactly. You see, I want to to write about the life of my father. Stories he told me about his boyhood. He was so adventurous. Although I intend to leave out the event of his death. I doubt I'd be able to relieve the experience. I sigh at the thought of my father.

Fifteen minutes later and there's a knock on my door.

"Master Obiajulu there's a delivery for you sir.", I hear the voice of the steward from the other side of the door. That was quick. They're pretty efficient then.

"Okay. Thank you ma. I'll be right down in a bit."

I pay the delivery man who compliments the beauty of my house the whole time.

"Enjoy your pizza sir. Thanks for choosing Antonio's.", he says as he is escorted out by the security.

I thank him with a smile and return to my room taking a quick detour to the storage room to get myself a drink from the deep freezer there. I grab a bottle of Fanta and continue upstairs.

I write for so long with my fingers bouncing off the keys on my laptop in very quick movements. My eyes hurt from looking at my laptop screen for so long.

"I really should cut down on my screen-time as advised by my optician", I think to myself as I wipe the lenses of my glasses and placed them back in their case.

I step away from the desk a little to stretch my aching back and my fingers. In the process, I spot a framed up picture of my father on the book shelf beside the reading desk where I sat to write. My mum took down all his photographs and belongings around the house where we lived in while he was alive. I snuck this one away before it met the same fate; whatever that entails, with the rest of his things.

Tears begin to sting my eyes. I'd started crying without even knowing. Every chapter I wrote about my father took me close to all the memories I had of him. Too close. I really miss him.

There's just one slice left of my pizza. I decide to save it for Zeus for whenever he returns from the vet. Besides I don't think I can eat anything again. He's been gone for two days so he deserves a treat. He'd been throwing up and looking all sickly. His left hind leg even went stiff for a while. Guess the old guy's getting tired after all. We played a lot when I was younger. He's like the brother I never had. Sometimes I wish my parents had more children but I guess some wishes are just like thin air; you really can't hold on to them.

I walk downstairs and out through the back door and up to the patio. The water in the pool looks inviting and before I know what's happening, my legs lead me to it. Won't hurt to just swim for a little right?. At least to clear my head.

After a few laps I'm already feeling a lot better. I remember I don't have a towel with me and curse under my breath. I'd make a mess on the way to my room if I go in like this. I decide to wait outside a little to dry. I take a walk around the large compound.

My mum bought the house after my dad died. Said she wanted to expand her father's business down south. Plus it would be nice to be a lot closer to the people she represented at the house of assembly. And her parents of course. To be closer to them too. But I'm pretty sure she wanted to start afresh and forget the whole incident.

I take in my surroundings. The tall palms lining the driveway from the gates. There's the gatekeeper's house just beside the gate; a one storey building. Not exactly fancy but come on, if it belongs to my mum then it should be perfect. Then the garage on the right side of the open space, built to house up to four cars and even more, that are for different kinds of functions. My mum and her vanity sometimes.