Muna Was Here

Chapter 1 - Morning Routine

Brrrrrrrrrr!!!

Groaning, I roll over and slam my palm on my alarm clock, silencing it. That has to be the most annoying sound ever known to man. I sit up and rub my eyes.

Suddenly, I remember what day it is.

It's the first day of senior secondary school!

I jump out of bed and do a little jig of joy. I have been looking forward to entering senior secondary school since forever. The authority, the maturity, the everything!

Maybe Mum will finally realize I'm growing up and give me more freedom. Ha. Fat chance of that happening. She'll probably keep tabs on me till I'm thirty.

I start to make my bed.
As I straighten up the sheets, I start to imagine what life will be as an SS1 student. I'll have to be more responsible. But that also means I won't be treated like a baby. Finally, I'll be able to go to the tuck-shop without a class permit. I'll be able to bring my phone to school. Well, it's not like it's allowed but still! I'll be a senior student! I'll be able to...

"Muna, come downstairs for morning devotion!" My brother, Nnamdi, shouts up the stairs.

Oh. Right. I forgot. I kneel by my bedside and pray, thanking God for waking me up and for my new class. I pray that all my expectations will be met. I'll make lots of friends and get much better grades than last time.

By the time I'm done, I can hear Nnamdi coming up the stairs, no doubt annoyed he's had to call me twice. I reach for a scarf to replace my bonnet and tie it quickly, coming out of my room before he can reach it.

"Everyone's waiting for you now. What are you doing?"

"Sorry, I'm here. Let's go."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

After morning devotion, I go to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. My mum's not feeling too good today so I have control over what to cook. After checking what we have in the fridge, I decide on toasted bread and eggs.

I crack six eggs into a plate. That should be enough to satisfy the endless pits that are my brothers' stomachs. My father left for work immediately after morning devotion so I don't have to worry about him. I swear that man lives for work. He's there 24/7.

I chop the onions, pepper, sausages and tomatoes and whisk them with the eggs. I remember to add salt just in time. Right before I turn on the gas to fry the eggs, my phone rings.

♪Run a man down till he snap back
Real road racer on a fast track
Jack Black
Mad Max
Girl tryna-♪

"WHO IS MAKING THAT NOISE?" My mum shouts from the couch.

Diving for my phone, I reduce the volume and silently scowl. This early in the morning?

"It's me. Sorry, Mummy."

My mum hates drill music with a passion. That may or may not be the reason I set one as my ringing tone.

"Munachi! Aren't you supposed to be making breakfast?"

At this, I frown harder. For the first time, I started on it before she could tell me to and she's still complaining.
Luckily, Ifunanya starts crying and my mum's attention is diverted. Thank God.

I swipe up to pick the call. Before I can speak, the person already starts screeching in my ear.

"Aunty, good morning o! For you to pick up your phone is problem. Were you still sleeping?"

"If I slap you. When you almost made me snap at my mum. I've been awake since 5:30!"

"No vex abeg. It was a question. Aren't you excited for today? You've been looking forward to it for months!"

"Of course I am now. How can you even ask? I literally can't wait!" I gush.

"You're such a nerd. How on earth are we even friends?" She laughs.

"That's because I'm so irresistible."

"Irresistible ko, irrebrotible ni."

"That's a horrible joke and you know it." I scold.

I lean against the freezer as we chat about who we hope will be in our class and who we hope won't.

"Muna now, please hurry up with the food. I'm hungry!" My little brother, Kelechi wails as he enters into the kitchen and sees the egg mixture not yet on the pan.

"Sorry, Joy. I'll see you in school." To my brother, I say, "Go and wear your uniform and leave me alone abeg. Breakfast will soon be ready."

I slice bread and pop them into the toaster. I then fry the eggs and start on the orange juice. After wasting time on the call, I have no time to squeeze them freshly. Instead I take out Nnamdi's Chivita from the fridge and pour it into the pitcher. Hopefully, I'm very far away from him when he notices. He's very protective of his food.

Assembling the plates, I take a quick picture to save in my gallery. I hope to start a food blog soon and I've been saving content for that time.

"Nnamdi, Kelechi, your food is ready!" I call out.
Kelechi rushes in and grabs his plate and glass, looking very much like a starving baby gorilla.

"Is the food running away? Try and be calming down, please. You too like food, this boy." Nnamdi comes in after him.

"Look who's talking." I tease as I carry both my plate and my mum's to the dining room.

"Shut up, abeg." He laughs.

•••••••••••••••••

I dress quickly after showering and having breakfast. My mum had ironed my shirt and my vest the previous day. On my request, she left my skirt alone. I hate when it sticks to my legs when it's ironed.

Looking in the mirror, I inspect myself. Sadly, I don't look so different from last term. My attempt to glow up during the summer was an epic fail. My face still has zits all over it. I barely grew an inch taller. I try to hitch up my skirt a little to hide my stomach. It's not that big but it's still not as flat as the other girls in school. At least, my thighs got slimmer. That's something. I sigh and pick up my bag, stuffing my phone into the front pouch. Enough of that. Today is going to be awesome. I can feel it!

I go downstairs to wait for the Uber my brother ordered. None of my brothers are there yet. I look at my watch. It's 6:54. Right before I start to yell at them to take their time, they both clatter down the stairs.

Kelechi looks like he just completed a session of karate classes.
How on earth is he sweating already?
Pulling him towards me, I pick a comb from the table next to me and drag it through his unruly hair repeatedly. When it looks presentable, I pop his collar and tuck his shirt into his shorts.

"So if I was not here, you'd let him go to school looking like a mongrel, abi?" I address Nnamdi.

"Why not?" He replies, barely looking up from his phone. I survey him in jealousy. The blue shirt that looks like a parachute on me perfectly fits his slim torso. His sneakers that I washed last week look way cleaner than my new ones. His tie is perfectly straight and try as I might, I cannot replicate it.

I grunt in frustration and then shake my head.
No. Not today. Not anymore. I won't compare myself to anyone anymore. I'll be myself and be proud of it.

A car honks outside our gate and Nnamdi's phone starts to ring. The Uber driver is here.

I hug my mum and tweak my sister's nose on my way out of the door. My brothers do the same.

"Have a nice day at school, my children!" She calls after us.

I'm definitely planning on it.

•••••••••••••••

A/N:

So, pilot chapter! I'm so excited to take you with me on Muna's journey. Please comment what you think of all the characters and who you like.

Thank you, schatjes!