Smile for me

* CHAPTER EIGHTEEN *

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘 !! 𝒊 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 :)

AMANDA'S POV

"That beanie looks hideous on you, you should just walk around with your all back" Uche was back to his teasing self a little more than 30 minutes after our talk and I'm happy I was able to cheer him up a little bit even though I could still see a bit of worry in his eyes and he didn't even argue with me when I told him I would walk home by myself.

The walk back home is really slow because of the tension I feel inside, talking about school with Uche and seeing how upset he was really made me worried not only for him but for myself also and my future. A part of me feels guilty for not being very demanding with my mom about school, I feel like I could have done more. I silently pray that she is still at home, I don't want to push our talk any further.

When I get home, I find grandma sitting on the couch in the sitting room, the tv is switched off and she's holding a newspaper in front of her face. I greet her properly before I go to find mom in her room, it's funny to think that Aunty Ifeoma sleeps in the same room with her or even in this house at all, I haven't physically seen her for 2 days now but I know she's been here. I don't see her anywhere in the room, I check the kitchen and then the toilet but she's not there. I go back to the sitting room and join grandma on the couch

"𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒏𝒆 do you know where my mom is?"  She looked up from her newspaper that she was lost in to focus on me

"No not exactly, she only said she was going out"

"Okay" I start picking my finger nails, a nervous habit that I'm used to. Grandma folds her newspaper and removes her glasses placing them on her laps

"𝒌𝒆𝒅𝒖 𝒊𝒉𝒆 𝒐 𝒃𝒖? is something wrong?" (What is it?" She asks me after scanning me up and down, I deliberate within me whether I should tell her or not but she's my grandmother and she might even have a good advice for me that would be very helpful. I take a deep breath before speaking

"I was just at Uche's house and he was really upset"

"About what? What was he upset about?" She interrupts me

"His school is going on a strike that might last for a long time"

"You mean ASSU?" I nod my head at her

"And you're worried about him?" I smile to myself at the fact that she doesn't even let me finish what I'm about to say before she responds

"Well yes I'm worried about him but I'm also worried about myself too. Ever since we got here mom hasn't said anything about me going to college, and I'm really confused about the educational system here, are universities even allowed to be on strike?" I ask her

"The universities aren't exactly the ones that go on strikes, there is a body that heads them called ASUU and sometimes when the university is lacking in specific areas they make demands to the government and if their demands are not met then the strikes happen"

"This is why I'm worried grandma, if strikes like this happen all the time I don't think I'll ever be able to start school not to talk of finish!" I wave my hands in the air hysterically

"Calm down, ASUU only affects federal universities but private universities and state universities are not under them" i lay my back on the couch in a defeated manner

"We can't afford a private university because money is tight now that's why we moved back here"

"You only have to be patient with everything, this won't last forever" she rests her hands on mine to comfort me