Tara: A Baker's Adventure

009

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"You said today hasn't been very good to you."

"I haven't been this stressed in a long time. Trying to get this cake delivered in time is looking impossible."

"You don't have anyone who handles this? The delivery?"

"Oh, yes I do," I said, remembering Uche and frowning slightly. "I'm not just sure what's going on."

"No back up?"

"I've never seen reason to have back-up" I shrugged.

"How long have you been doing this?" He looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"It's three years now."

"Three years, and you only have one person who handles the delivery?"

"Okay, I don't need your judgement," I chuckled lightly before my voice dropped into a low tone. "Uche has been the only constant in my life, it's just so much easier to depend on him."

"I really think you should change that. Maybe try working with a dispatch company or something, so you can have riders for back up."

In reality, there was no reason why I couldn't reach out to a dispatch company. It could relieve Uche of the stress he had to go through with customers sometimes. Maybe Tise was right about me being selfish, but I'd just never been able to let Uche go in the sense that I'd always felt the need to keep him around. Somehow, it was easier navigating this grown-up life with him beside me, and I didn't want to lose that.

"I- I'll do that," I looked up at him, a small smile on my face. "Thank you."

He smiled back at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling a bit as he did so, and I felt comfortable instantly. It was the same comfort I'd felt when I heard the words ìkòkò tí yó je ata, ìdí è á gbóná at the time I had to carry a course over to 400 level. I had walked into the kitchen after a slight transfer of aggression to Tise.

"You are always moody, Taraoluwa, what is your problem?" Mommy turned to look at me while Tise walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm not moody, Mommy," moving to fetch some water from the tap to drink, I felt more upset than I already was. There was something about being referred to as moody when one wasn't. The statement could make you experience an immediate change of emotion that could cause you to be, in fact, moody.

"Then, what is the matter?" She turned to fully face me now,

"It's that lecturer!" I burst into tears. "She doesn't like me, I've been saying it."

"Which lecturer is that?" Mommy's eyebrows were furrowed as she rinsed her hands. "The statistics one?"

"Yes," I wiped my eyes. "I have to do it again."

"You will do it again," she moved to rub my back as if the gesture was supposed to take away the effect of what she said. "Abi, what choice do you have? Shebi, everything is for the degree you're trying to get."

"Is that why I have to do it again? I can't pass it!"

"You will pass it,  ìkòkò tí yó je ata, ìdí è á gbóná, you will be okay, I promise."

Although, in that moment it didn't make much sense to me, as I remained with her in the kitchen, chewing on the little pieces of meat she gave me from time to time, to eat as some form of comfort, I began to feel better as I kept thinking about her words.

"Are you okay?" His voice pulled me out of thoughts.

"Yeah, I am."

"Your eyebrows were furrowed for about 2 minutes."