CRUSH

SCHOOL PREPARATIONS.

I was lost in thoughts when my bedroom door swung open. My mum entered with my freshly washed school bag and my polished black shoes. I sat up and watched her place them on my chair.

"Leah won't you iron your uniform? You know the light is not reliable" I stretched before answering "ehn I will iron it after I've eaten lunch" the food was already on the fire and almost done.

"Ha so if you don't eat you can't iron your uniform? If NEPA take light before you iron it, I promise you will wear it like that" she said angrily as she opened my wardrobe and brought out 2 pairs of uniforms.

Our uniform consists of a cream top with a wine skirt, pure white socks and black laced shoes.

"If I don't eat then where will I get energy to iron the uniform?" I asked sitting back on my bed. My mum shakes her head in disappointment and hisses, a lecture is about to commence any minute now.

"See when I was your age I was so hardworking. I would cook, clean, do all the house chores before joining my mother in our farm" I groaned inwardly, not this story again.

"My mum would sleep at the farm but I would come back home and sleep alone, the next day I'll wake myself up and cook before getting ready for school. You you're enjoying now, you only do few house chores, you don't cook breakfast it's me that will cook for you. You've never been to farm before or done all those strenuous things and this little that you're doing you still won't do it well"

I cut her short "wait o, it's not me that said I can't be cooking in the morning o. You're the one that said I should not be cooking so what did I do nah?"

"Ehn when if you cook early in the morning for 2 days like this you'll be complaining of head pain, leg pain and back pain. You were even threatening me that day"

"Ha I didn't threaten you o, all I said was that if I start cooking early in the morning and then I get to school only to be sleeping like pregnant woman then don't complain if I don't have straight A's at the end of the term because it may affect me academically. That's all I said o"

"So is that not threat? It is a  compliment abi (Right?)" I shook my head quickly "me I don't know o" in order to avoid story I quickly packed my uniforms and rushed to iron them in the laundry room.

When I was through I arranged all my books into my school bag and put my uniforms on a hanger. I made sure everything was ready for my first day of school tomorrow. We will be resuming for our second term and I'm so excited.

By the time I was through with Everything the food was already being served and I went to the dining table to eat. I'm excited about resuming tomorrow. I haven't seen my friends in 3 weeks, that and I also missed jack. My thoughts drifted off to my conversation with Samiat 2 days ago and I couldn't help but frown, she said she had something important to tell me but wouldn't say it until we meet in school tomorrow.

I tried to pressure her to tell me but she refused and her tone of voice sounded a bit sad, I wonder what this is all about. I'm too lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize my mum was calling me. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard her yell my name "LEAH"

"What happened?" I asked her. She was sitting near me, beside my dad and they had been eating silently until now.

"She eti e di ni? (Are you deaf?) She asked dropping her spoon and staring at me. I shook me head "no I was thinking about something" she looks at my dad who by the way is staring at me suspiciously.

"What were you thinking about? At your age you're lost in thought" "can't I think again?" I asked frowning as i folded my hands and stared down.

"Kilo fe ma ro? Shon ronu omo to fe fun lomu ni? (What do you want to think about? Are you thinking about the child you want to breastfeed) she asks sarcastically but I just continue eating.