Life In Its Time

To Never Forget

CHAPTER 8

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I watched in awe as my principal - Mr. Silas shook my Mother's hand with a huge grin plastered on his face in response to the attention he was attracting from students that hung around his office door.

"How do we repay this..this act of heroism,"
"Oh no, please. I don't intend to get any special attention by coming here or doing any of this. I hoped to be of help and that I did," my Mother replied. She looked so important and so foreign to my normal version of her. This was new to me - new to us. Our gaze is fixed on the new version of our Mother. Of course, she does cool amazing things we've witnessed. However, this one thing is glued to my mind to never leave.

"If you would excuse me, sir, I would like to take my girls home now," she said with a smile.
"Oh yes! Of course! Please," He released her hand. She nods and we walked past the crowd of students hanging around the office.
"An applause for our Ladonna's Mother everyone!" Joe's voice hollered. His voice startled me. He clapped and beamed, others followed suit and clapped. The school has never witnessed anything like this. Something so different, neither have I witnessed Alice so out of control.
"Ah," she laughed. "Please, no need," she tapped Joe's shoulder lightly in appreciation. "Thank you all. Let's all set our minds for everything good as students, alright?"
"Yes Mah!" they all chimed in.
"Let's go," she turned to us and we followed right behind her. What happened today might seem minor and maybe a passing moment for some people. However, for me, this is a moment in my life I would never forget.
"Let's go eat at Mama Gabby's," My Mother suggested. Unlike how I felt, my Mother acted as if her heroic deed was a thing of the past. I had questions I needed to ask. I wanted to ask her how she did what she did with such calmness and gracefulness and didn't falter - or how she knew tactics like this, also, she's a partner of 'Hope' with *the* Doreen Asher. The only woman I was ever impressed by until my Mother that is.
"Ladonna," she glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
"Yes, Maa.." I blinked rapidly. Disrupted from my thoughts.
"I told you she was distracted. As always," Emily said in a murmur.
"Don't ask me any questions." my Mother warned.
"Yes, please don't," Emily chimed in.
"But I have questions."
"It can wait after we eat, can't it Maa?" Emily pleaded with cold eyes.
"It should."
"Do I get to decide what we eat?" I asked with wide eyes.
"We already did while you were deep in thought," Emily replied as she browsed through a cooking book she had just discovered beside her seat.
    
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"The chicken melts in my mouth like butter. I have to admit that the seasoning is just spectacular. I'll have to borrow the recipe to cook some for us at home," Emily said between bites as she gave her fair and honest critique of Mama Gabby's cooking. She seemed to be in a good mood for her to be saying more than one word. Only things of interest drive Emily to speak more than the usual snippy comments.
"The fried rice is a bit overcooked, a
little more water could have steamed it to perfection," she concluded. Oblivious to how she has impressed Mama Gabby. Mama Gabby's lips split in a proud smile and so did my Mother's. We arrived thirty minutes earlier and sat at our usual spot in the restaurant. Turns out my Mother and Emily ordered the new dish on Mama Gabby's new menu, which was fried rice -  it was different from the usual Jollof rice, chicken pepper soup, and others. I sat opposite my Mother, Mama Gabby, and  Veronica. While I sat with a sour expression, the three have hearts in their eyes watching Emily do what she does best - Impress whoever she's with even if she's not doing anything at all. I suddenly want to be somewhere else but here. My eyes searched around for Gina. Why do look for her? Are we okay now? We didn't say much to each other before the whole ordeal in school. Still, I wanted her around, so I could feel better about not being the center of attention for once.
"She seems to know what she's doing," Mama Gabby beamed.
"Do you think you can join Gabby in the restaurant sometimes to learn a few things?" My Mother suggested, but  Emily scrunched her brows in disapproval.
"No Maa, I don't want to spend my days and time working in a kitchen all day. I'd prefer to work in the office with a desk and a computer," she shrugged. Mama Gabby and my Mother raised their brows simultaneously at Emily's response.
"Why? To look 'cool?' As you say. 'Cause your opinion - I must confess sounds nothing in line with fulfillment."
"At all," my Mother agreed with a shake of her head and her lips turned down.
"No, it's because I can." Emily shrugged. "why become a cook..."
"Chef," mama Gabby chimed in.
"...when I can be anything else.
Considering how brilliant I am."