Blurred Vision

Girlfriend

Mum held up a material. "This is it right?"
"Yes mum" I nodded.
She handed some money to the shop keeper and led me out of the market.
We were shopping for school materials, school was to begin in a few weeks time and I did not want to be caught unawares, Amara was back at home with Dad and Kennedy although Kennedy leaves next week, I was still with Mum, somehow, I didn't want to leave although the time I was supposed to spend with her has elapsed but I didn't want to come face to face with Amara, I didn't want to talk about what I saw, she had become withdrawn and unhappy, always on her own and I didn't know how to cheer her up or how to even talk to her.

Anderson came visiting, for sometime he had gotten accustomed to our house... Mum's apartment.
I opened the door and ushered him in.
"You didn't call" I said in an accusing tone.
"I'm sorry... My father and mother had gotten into one of these fights and I just wanted to go out to somewhere"
"I'm sorry" I sighed deeply.
"Nothing to be sorry about" he sat in the sofa.
"Are you hungry?" I asked him.
He stared at me from top to bottom. "You look like a house wife" he laughed.
I looked down at my outfit, the long skirt that reached my ankles and the t shirt I hurriedly put on when I heard the knock.
"Not so funny" I smiled though.
He sat up. "Won't you sit down with me?"
I obliged and sat beside him. "Have you started making preparations to be an SS1 student?"
He smiled at me. "Yes... Tessy is so excited about it".
I giggled.
Anderson stared at me closely.
"Why are you behaving weirdly?" I blurted out.
"How?" He asked startled.
"First of all... You said I look like a house wife and now, you are looking at me as if something changed in me or something"
He rubbed his head. "Oh no! Ryl, I'm just... I've been wondering about you... I want you to be my best friend"
"What am I?" I joked.
"No, Ryl... I'm serious" he had a grim look on his face. "I like you".
"Hei, Anderson, what's doing you, kwanu?"
He sighed and lowered his face. "I want to have a girlfriend and I want it to be you... I like you, I mean from the day that you passed me in tests and you did not make a fuss out of it.... When you helped me with my punishment... You are very kind"
I raised my hand and broke eye contact with him. "Anderson, that's enough"
"Ryl please" he held my hands.
I yanked it away sharply. "Stop it!" I shouted.
He was shocked and he did not hide it.
"I'm sorry" he trembled.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked quietly.
"Ryl..." He got up looking at me fearfully.
"It's okay" I murmured although I was still uncomfortable.
"Sorry... I should go" he turned to the door.
"I'll consider it" I said after him.
He didn't acknowledge me, he opened the door and left.

***
Dad hugged mum before scooping me up with both hands and bringing me down immediately. "So much weight, Nneoma, what did your mother give you?"
Mum laughed and I smiled. We were at the house, Mum was on a two weeks leave and she wanted to spend it with us just before I went back to school, Kennedy was absent having travelled the previous day back to school to complete his university education.
Amara was in the sitting room, she did not stand up to welcome us, she only murmured a welcome to mum and entered inside.
"O gini, what is it?" Mum asked Dad pointing at Amara.
"Honestly, I don't know... She's been hideous for sometime now"
Mum entered inside and had a quick shower before changing into a light pink gown, she entered the kitchen to prepare dinner but Dad restrained her.
"There's food already... I prepared plantain porridge"
"Thank goodness" she smiled at him gratefully. "Oya, Nneoma, dish the food, I'll be right back".
She opened the door to Amara's room and entered closing it behind her. I wanted to hear what she would tell her but I couldn't because she had given me a job, I reluctantly obeyed her

Amara joined us at the table for dinner, she looked as if she had cried for long but also, she looked relieved and she glanced at me from time to time.
After dinner, mum called me to sit with her.
"Nneoma, Amara is going through a tough time" she said.
I said nothing staring at my feet.
"It's wrong to treat her like she's bad"
"What did I do?"
"You could have talked to her about the magazine, listen to know why she's looking at such things.."
"Mummy, she didn't want to talk to me" I defended myself.
"Stop it! Did you inform me of this? I'm so far away... Yes, but I'm still your mother, you were with me for the holiday" she scolded, her voice rising.
"Do you want her to fall under peer influence, she was being pressured, insulted, she needed help and you just criticized her, it's not right" she continued angrily.
"She told me that I shouldn't tell anyone"
"Your sister is very emotional and although you are the junior one, you should help out at times, you made her feel worse... Imagine when you were in her situation and the only thing she did was to get mad at you without......"
"Mummy, I tried to talk to her". My voice was quivering.
Mum stopped for a while and stared at me then she pulled me closer and hugged me.
"It's okay, she promised that she would not look at nude pictures again, she doesn't want you to hate her"
"I don't hate her" I muttered.
"Ngwa, go and say sorry to her"
I obeyed without questioning, I stood up and went to Amara's room, she was lying in her back with her phone and she looked up when she saw me, there was happiness in her eyes and for a split second, I felt happy too.
"Sorry for making you feel worse, I did not know it will touch you like that"
Amara smiled. "I was just trying to feel among, they said I look like the women on the magazine that I should try and see, that was when I said I didn't watch those kind of magazines, they said I'm boring, none of them wanted to associate with me and then I succumbed to them when they pressured me too much... I was curious and I began to watch everything but now... I'm sorry for what I did"
I sat beside her and she hugged me tightly.
"Let's not drift apart again, inugo?"
And my mind went to Anderson as I nodded.