Smile for me

* CHAPTER EIGHT *

AMANDA'S POV

Sunday came really fast and it wasn't like I was looking forward to it but Uche's plan to help me fall in love with this place was starting today and I was pretty excited about it.

𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 and Chioma attended church today but mom and I didn't. I only saw Aunty Ifeoma for a brief moment cause she left very early in the morning. She hasn't spoken to me for more than 3 minutes since I came here.

Mom and I sat in the parlor after 𝑵𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒏𝒆 and Chioma left for church. I took the little privacy we had to talk to my mom. She was sitting beside me and her eyes were glued to the TV set in front of her. I moved a little closer to her. I was feeling a little bit nervous

"Mom" I called her, she shifted her eyes away from the tv to look at me

"Yes honey, what is it?"

"We've been here for three weeks now and you haven't said anything to me about us moving forward, what's happening? Are we going to live in grandma's house forever?" She looked away from me and sighed deeply

"Amanda, I know that and I've seriously been trying so hard to work things out but my dear nothing is that easy in this country" she paused for a while

"I've been trying to find a job here you know a teaching job and I have applied to three secondary schools now and I'm still waiting for their feedbacks, I mean we can't just move out of grandma's house without a plan, it's not easy 𝒐𝒐, at all"

I felt a little bit of anger grow inside me but I also felt pity for her but I couldn't help but think that staying abroad would have been a better idea. Coming back here was a big change and I'm beginning to think my mom is not capable of adjusting here again but I kept all these thoughts to my self. I decided to ask her the one question that has been bothering me ever since we got here

"What about my school mom?" I asked her softly

"𝒘𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒐 𝒐𝒃𝒊 one problem at a time, but don't worry I have plans for that. Don't stress yourself" (calm down)

That wasn't the answer I was hoping for but I nodded my head at her and smiled a little.

"I'm going out later today with Uche" I said to her so I could change the topic and relieve the tense feeling in the sitting room

"Who's Uche ?" She looked at me confused

"Uche is the boy I told you helps grand father in his house, he also helps grand ma too. Have you never noticed him around the house?"

"𝒉𝒎𝒎𝒎 my dear my mind has been really occupied lately, I've probably seen him around but never really paid attention to him" I nodded my head in understanding

"Well he's going to take me around the city today"

"That's excellent, I'm happy you've made another friend apart from Chioma, I want you to have a good social life here in Nigeria"

"I'm happy too mom" I said to her with a soft smile on my face

She placed her hands on my mine and squeezed them in a comforting way. She returned to the TV set in front of her, I didn't understand what she was watching so I left the sitting room.

I don't know exactly what time 𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒏𝒆 and Chioma got back from church and that's probably because when I got into my room after I talked to my mom I slept off almost immediately. Chioma was sitting down on the side of her bed with her phone in her hand, she had already changed her clothes and was wearing something else.