The November Order

💎 XX : Grown Up

Ada huffed as he dropped the last cardboard box of items on the floor. He laid on the tiled floor and spread eagle staring at the ceiling above him. Iye Eghe should have scolded him into retracting his statement. If it took this much work to move to somewhere new, he was already fed up with it.

He remembered how he stomped out of the living room fuming, "I'm moving out, I can't do this anymore," his grandmother sat and watched him walk away from her with a smile on her face like she had just heard the golden words she been waiting for for a long time, "I'm tired of all this duty and responsibility nonsense, I'm not my dad, I'm my own man!" He yelled as he marched up the stairs to his bedroom.

The funny thing was how He fell face first on his bed and cried, it was embarrassing how his attitude disappeared. He never asked for all the weight on his shoulders but life happened, Iye Eghe had told him time and time again to deal with it. He picked up his phone and called Reke, she had been getting busier since she started helping out her parents with the packages.

Apparently there was something deeper than what he knew about the business but she wouldn't tell him yet until he grew up. that statement still stung him even after he had finally moved out but He settled on ignoring it, she most likely was just teasing him like she usually did.

"I'm disappointed in your endurance," Iye Eghe said as she walked into the apartment's living room. She walked to one of the plastic covered sofa's and removed some of the boxes so she could sit down. He turned to look at her slightly amused face, he was getting better at reading her poker faces even with the more defined wrinkles. He had to admit that for an eighty year old woman, she was still kicking life in the balls, "you need to start behaving like the man your parents wanted you to be."

He groaned and covered his ears, "please don't start one of the lectures Iye," he had heard the destiny talk so many times he felt a lot of people in the world were significantly lacking such sermons because of him, "you make it sound like I'm the freaking pope," he groaned.

"I'm just saying you've got so many big things ahead of you Ada, how are you going to take charge of your life if you still keep refusing to start putting more effort in it, you've got so much potential that you're letting go to waste," she sighed and threw a throw pillow from the box near her at him, "at least tell me you'll finally finish the extracurricular classes I signed you up for?"

Ada groaned and sat up, “yes ma'am.”

The old woman smiled and walked to him, "I love you, you know that right?"

"Yes Iye," he sighed, "thank you for trusting me with moving out."

Iye Eghe chuckled, "I don't," she pat his back as he fumed, "but I know I have to let you grow up," Ada smiled and hugged her legs, old habits died hard. The old woman rubbed his head as she laughed, "doesn't stop you from being my baby though, stay safe ada," he let go of her and she began walking to the door, "I'll see you in a month and your sister would be back in town next week I hope you guys behave like normal siblings for once in your lives."

Ada grinned as he stood up from the floor and followed her out. He waved as she got into the backseat of her SUV and the driver drove out of the shared compound. He wiped his eyes and walked back into his apartment, he had some setting up to do before he had to resume classes the next morning.

He walked to the boxes on his small dining table and searched for his phone among them. He finally found the evasive piece of technology and grinned as he slipped it into his pocket, all he had to now was find his bluetooth speaker. He had an imaginary finger crossed as he searched for it, he couldn't imagine how Reke would act if he left it at home.

The seventeen year old sighed in relief as he pulled out the talking drum shaped bluetooth speaker, he couldn't remember half of the things Reke said made it special. As far as he was concerned, collectors item or not, it was special since she got it for him. He loved being sentimental about things. He laughed as he thought about his peculiarities.

He connected the two devices and played his new collection of hard rock songs, Iye Eghe said it was devilish but he didn't mind. He bopped his head as he began opening the various boxes and setting up his two bedroom apartment. It was a bit too much but he looked mature enough to not draw any unwanted attention and he was pretty sure Eghe would stare down anyone who tried to snoop. They had no intention of answering any questions about their family life.

He began moving the boxes around and emptying them bit by bit, his stuff weren't meant to be much but his grandmother had insisted on making the house look more homey. He had a feeling Reke was still going to add her personal touch to it sooner or later. More stuff he was going to hardly use but keep cause she gave them to him. He would need to get something for her one of these days, he read somewhere that he needed to balance the friendship for it to last longer.

*

Ada sat at the side of the hospital bed with hate filled bloodshot eyes, the rest of his family watched him in silence as he held the hand of his grandmother with his trembling one.

His voice was hoarse from screaming his heart out, his sister stood behind him holding his shoulders. She clenched her fists around his shirt unconsciously and gritted her teeth. She could already hear the old woman whispering to her not to let him go, he shouldn't be consumed with hatred. She knew what Iye meant but she couldn't bring herself to tell her sibling as he muttered hate filled curses beneath his breath.

The two siblings walked out of the hospital, Eghe had her hand wrapped around Ada as he shook with tears. The night gave off an eerie feeling that Eghe couldn't shake off, she couldn't figure it out. She helped her brother into the car and sighed, she had never seen him this weak. She closed the door and walked over to drivers side.

"Please don't say anything," Ada breathed out as she got into the car. He turned to look at her and she nodded her head, "I know she would want us to let this rest but I've got this hole in my chest that wants to find who did this and stab him in the chest the exact same way they did her."

Eghe sighed and nodded. She turned on the car and slowly drove out of the hospitals parking lot, "can you at least promise me you won't do anything drastic until after your graduation by the end of the year?"

He nodded and looked out the window, "I will work and get stronger before I do something like that. Iye Eghe wouldn't appreciate payback without a well thought out plan after all."

Eghe grinned, "that sounds to me like you're finally growing up," he turned to her and smiled lightly, "we'll make them pay big time for everything."

"Old woman," Ada chuckled as he watched the large smile on his siblings face.

"You know you'll have to open that office now she's gone right?"

"I'll finally have to start working with the family, she tried to protect me for so long but now I'm going to have to start pulling my own weight."

Eghe punched his arm, "you're going to make me a proud old woman in no time with an attitude like that."