Reiley

CHAPTER FOUR: THE PITCH

By the time I get home, my head is pounding aggressively. I'm not sure which has me worked up more; meeting with chief Onuka or my mum's visit. Don't get me wrong. I love my mum. She's like the only person I have, well, I now have Darey too, but that's beside the point. But being an only child means she gets to dote on me way too much. This minute, she's treating me like I'm 5, and the next, she's reminding me about giving her a grandchild. As a matter of fact, she has concluded that she might die without ever meeting her grandchildren.

You would think I'm on the the verge of menopause but I'm only 26! But I swear she likes to add a decade to my age to sound more dramatic.

For someone who spent the first 18 years of my life lecturing me about the opposite sex and how conceiving me at 18 nearly ruined her life, I'm surprised she suddenly expects me to manufacture a kind and God fearing man from thin air and start popping babies every other day. I mean, I was this close to hating anyone with a penis in my teens.

I hate that she never got married. She seems really happy on the surface but I know she still mourns my father. The lovebirds had hit it off immediately they met and shortly after, I was conceived. He died before I was born. Pregnant in a foreign country for a dead white man was certainly not how she'd imagined her life.

Hearing how my paternal grandparents treated her when she'd located them after my dad's passing still haunts me till date. I remember asking her why she didn't simply give me up for adoption and how she'd glared at me for a few seconds. She couldn't believe I'd suggested that she gave up her only connection to her soulmate and the new center of her world.

Several years later, when I was about 12, she'd returned to Nigeria with me and met a man she planned to marry. But when she walked in on him trying to molest me, she'd totally lost it and has never considered marriage again. The guilt of how much she's sacrificed for me washes over me afresh. She's given up her youth and happiness for me and I can't imagine my life without her. I love her more than I love life itself. But sometimes, I wish I had siblings to share her with.

I collapse into my couch in the sitting room still in my work clothes. I fetch my phone from my bag and dial her number. She picks up almost immediately.

"Hey sweetie"
"Good evening mom. How are you doing today?"
"Never been better. You sound like you've been run over by a truck. What's the matter?" She questions.

I chuckle and try to sound more cheerful than I did earlier. "You and your exaggerations, mummy. A person who's been run over by a truck is either dead or in the ICU, not making a phone call".

"Oh please, that was figurative. You aren't supposed to take it literally. I also went to school, in case you've forgotten", she says.

"Muuuum", I drawl out. Very typical of her to not back down easily. I should mention that she was studying Law when she met my father. Now a professor of communication in a private uni, she's still full of wits even I struggle to keep up.

"Of course. How could I forget?" I add humourously.

"Have you been overworking yourself, Mmachi?", she asks, the seriousness in her voice has returned.

"Not really mum. I just had an unusual day at work today", I say, pushing to my feet hoping she doesn't hear me wincing as I make my way to my bedroom. "It's nothing a warm shower and a nice plate of spaghetti and hot sauce won't solve".

"Alright. I hope you don't have plans after work tomorrow. My flight is scheduled for 4pm but you know Airpride, they will manage to delay the flight for another hour or so. In any case, I'm hoping to arrive around 6pm".

"Hmm. I'm not sure why you've kept using that airline, mummy. They're simply the worst airline to operate in Nigeria. It's not as if they're so cheap".

She laughs. "Habits, Chi. I've used that airline for so long that I've grown accustomed to their schedules and ticket prices. Unless it's a matter of urgency and I have reasons to consciously book another airline, Airpride is my go-to".