Icelamb

Chapter 4

Ara

"Ara! Titi! It's time for school! Oya, wake up, o," Mommie yelled from the kitchen while she flipped blueberry pancakes in the skillet. Daddy tears the pancakes into tiny pieces that almost resemble bread crumbs. Then he grabs the whole crumbs and tosses them into his mouth.

I grumble and roll on my bed. I tried covering my ears. I was trying to get 5 minutes extra sleep, but my parent's nagging drowned my ear drums. I grabbed my pillow and wrapped it around the back of my head.

"Ayo, you should chew your food slowly, don't swallow it like a glutton!"

Our dining table was more like a dinette in the kitchen, and we had bar stools and a long table. Daddy and Titi are seated on the bar stools. Titi was eating Bananas and chocolate pancakes instead of blueberry because she requested it from Mommie... or rather demanded it. She uses a fork and knife to eat the pancakes and chews her food slowly.

"Ronke, please. Not this morning, o! You can see I am running late. These pancakes are sweet o; let me have one more." Daddy swipes one from the plate when he thinks she is not watching. "Mô rí e ò! (I saw you o) chew your food gently this time o.

"I have heard you." daddy takes a whole pancake and dunks it into the cup of tea." He grabs the tea-soaked food and tosses it into his mouth.

"Eww, dad. That is so local," I hear Titi say.

"What is local? This is how I ate bread and tea when I was your age."

"Ę wô aye mi lóde(Look at my life). Change, you will not change, Ayo. do you want your children to copy you?" Mummy eyes daddy as she reties her Apron.

"Ara o!! Titi has woken up, brushed her teeth, showered, ehn, but you are still sleeping," Mummy nags again.

"Àbúrò e ni yen o (That's your younger sister). Who is supposed to set an example for her? Ah! Ara, wake up o. If I come and get you there, Ara!" I spring up from my bed and run to the bathroom. I dash into the shower and hurriedly take my bath.

"Woh Ronke, I don't think I can wait for her o. Titi, let's go. I will drop you off," My daddy says and helps Titi straighten her collar even though she does not need to.

"My beautiful daughter, My pride," He salutes Titi while dusting her pristine and well-ironed school uniform. Titi beams her charming smile at him.

"Daddy, I am coming. Please wait for me," I yelled while wearing my school shirt over my head. I hurriedly took the letter I had finished writing. I dropped it in my school bag and dashed out of the room.

I walk into the kitchen, and my mummy is still making pancakes. She makes a fresh batch of pancakes by mixing milk with the pancake mix. "Mummy, where's daddy?"

"Can't you see him? He is waiting for you now, the princess of the house," She sneers at me as I notice that I cannot find Titi and my father. They had left me behind... like they always do. I ignore her snarky remark and reach for the fresh batch of pancakes she made.

"Ti o ba fôwókan Pancakes yen, maa fi síbí yíì jó e lénu (If you touch those pancakes, I will burn your lips with this ladle)

"Mummy, I am hungry o. I want to eat," I grumble.

"You wan chew eat o. Read your book, you will bring zero. Come first, you will bring rúpò (Last position), but you wan chew eat o," My mummy squeezes her lips and tries speaking with her lips closed. I had heard her nagging a million times, and It still hurts but like I always do, I brush it off with a smile.