Phee's pleas

Chapter Fourteen

Phee, along with her Aunty Fiona had picked up her brother, Timothy at Ikeja. The three of them together would hopefully make the twins' parents see reason.

Now, Aunty Fiona's car smoothly moved into Mr and Mrs Fejiro's compound. Manicured hedges winked around them and the compound as usual, was swept clean, a feat handled singlehandedly by the twins' mother. The house stood into the middle of the compound, a simple, spacious three bedroom bungalow. It was painted in a generic cream colour, but the corners and window ledges were painted brown, giving it overall, a welcoming look. It was by all means, a family's house. Mrs Fejiro prided herself on that.

Phee tried to calm herself down and ignore the roiling in the pits of her stomach which indicated that she was nervous. She knew she could be nervous, it was expected. After all, she was going to tell her Nigerian parents who thought she was in her second year, that she had dropped out weeks prior. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She remembered once again why she'd done what she did: the Nigerian public school system, her mental health, her academic weaknesses, and her certainty that she could do well without a university degree.

"Phee", her aunty lightly tapped her shoulder, "We're here already, do you need a moment?"

"Uhm, no, thank you. I'm fine, we can go in", she replied, feeling just a modicum of calm.

They all got out of the car and moved towards the house. It was Saturday and the twins' parents would most likely have eaten breakfast and would probably be watching a movie or reading something old people liked to read. Mrs Fejiro, always wanting to be close to her husband to receive his orders, would be next to her husband.

They pressed the doorbell and heard a shrill ring from inside the house. Mrs Fejiro's voice quickly rang out, "Who is theree? I'm coming."

Some flaps of her slippers later, she got the door and opened it to see her two children and her notorious sister-in-law. She almost struggled with what to feel but quickly schooled her expression into a look of surprise, because she actually was. It was the weekend and although, both of her children's universities weren't very far, they didn't usually come home on the weekends. Timothy was usually busy with his final year project and activities and Phee should be trying to get her grades back up. She didn't know why Phee's own always had to be different...

She cut herself and opened her arms for a hug. Timothy stepped into her arms and Phee settled almost awkwardly at her side, getting a side hug. She felt a swell of pride within her and smiled at them both.

"Ejima, welcome home", she said

"Thank you Mama, good morning ma", they both greeted her.

She let go of her children and turned to her sister-in-law. She curtsied in greeting and said, "Sister, good afternoon, welcome o". She tried to collect her bag but Fiona refused to let it go and simply replied, "Thank you, Good afternoon Hannah", and walked into the house.

The twins took a cue from their aunt and they both walked into the house. Hannah really wanted to ask why all three of them had come together, but her husband had warned her against asking people questions at the door. It was bush people behavior, he'd said. Whatever someone wanted to tell you, they could say it inside. There was no need to chatter like a local market woman.

Translations
• Ikeja = The capital of Lagos State. Phee and her parents, along with her twin brother and aunt live in Lagos.
• Ejima means twins in the Igbo language. The twins' mother is Igbo.

Heyy guys! I know I said I'd update the story earlier but...life happened 😪 things got overwhelming and I had to take care of other things in my life and this story went to the back seat.

Right now, I'm busy with school as universities in Nigeria have resumed after a 4-week break because of the election. I'm back to classes and tests and lectures and practicals and waking up disgracefully early (by 6am). I won't be making any promises as to when I'll post the next chapter but I'll definitely write when I'm free. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment if there's something you want to tell me - I appreciate constructive criticisms and praises! and don't forget to vote pleasee, thank you and God bless you.

Don't forget that God loves you ❤️Yes, you.