Smile for me

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

UCHE'S POV

I have a massive headache when I wake up and as if that isn't enough the sun is extra bright and hot today and it's only past 7am. I remember everything that happened last night, I wasn't really drunk, I didn't want mum to see me like that yesterday- mom, I have to apologize to her

She's standing in the kitchen when I walk in, she's standing in front of the sink

"Good morning 𝒏𝒏𝒆" (mother)

"How are you ?" She turns around and hands me a cup filled with brown liquid

"It's Lipton with lime for your headache" 

"Thank you" she only nods her head at me and walks to the sitting room, I follow her behind like a lost puppy

"I'm very sorry for yesterday 𝒏𝒏𝒆" I start as soon as she sits down

"I'm sorry that you saw me like that again, I'm very sorry"

"Drink the Lipton it will help reduce your headache, sit down" I do as I'm told sitting down on the couch next to hers while taking small sips of the drink

"I'm not angry at you Uche, I'm worried that this coming home drunk thing that you've started all over again will continue, the last time you told me it wasn't going to happen but it did" her face is twisted in sadness

"I know 𝒏𝒏𝒆 but it's not something that's going to keep happening, yesterday wasn't really a good day for me and I just-" I keep quiet because I don't even know how to explain the situation I have with Dede, if there's even a "situation" or it's all in my head

"You said you saw Cassandra yesterday and she has already graduated and I asked you Uche if that is the reason why you got yourself drunk?"

Shit I know now she probably thinks I'm doing all these because of the strike, She has no idea

I only shake my head "No"

"Then tell me what it is! I am your mother, I carried you in my womb for 9 months Uche, if you don't tell me who are you going to tell? Who?"

I keep quiet

"I know the strike is difficult but isn't that the reason why you said you wanted to apply for a scholarship? I gave you my permission. A private university right now is not something I can afford, you know if I could I would, the situation would have been much better if your father were to be alive today but he's not. I've tried my best Uche, do you know how heartbreaking it is for a mother to see her child suffering?"

I shift uncomfortably on my chair, her entire speech has made me very guilty. I drop the cup on the floor and I move close to her, i squat a little in front of her taking her hands in mine

"𝒏𝒏𝒆 I promise you it has nothing to do with school, the scholarship I applied for has made me so happy in fact I'm so excited and I can only pray that I get accepted. I've just been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately and I'm trying to sort them out myself, I promise what happened yesterday is never going to happen again"

"Uche I am here, you can tell me what this issues are"

I take a deep breath before speaking again

"I can handle this one mama, I can handle it. You don't have to worry again about me, I'm a big boy now 𝒆𝒏𝒉 𝒏𝒏𝒆" I stand up, my legs are already hurting

"Big boy that could barely walk straight last night" she tries to hit me but I quickly move away

"Let me prepare Kelechi for school before he thinks there's no school today" she says before leaving the sitting room, I take the cup to the kitchen, the Lipton mixture worked again like it did before.