Trying Love, Again

Chapter 16- ---Home

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As I stepped into the compound of my father's one storey duplex, I met aunty Nene the house assist lifting boxes of items on to her head. I rushed to her to offer my help.

"Oh! Aunty Nene let me help you."

"Oh! Tejumade, I didn't hear you come in. It's been a long time o." She said as she let me help her with a smaller box.  "Thank you very much."

"It has been, I've been so caught up with work." I explained.

"Oh! Well done. How is work?" She asked.

"Work is fine, ma." I assured her with a smile.

We made our way to the top unit of the duplex. Aunty Nene was a woman in her forties. She was married and has for children, one of them was currently in a state university.

She has been the family's assist for five years and counting. She did the job as a means to support her family. Her husband was old and had no strength for hard labor.

Basically she was the breadwinner of her family, carrying the weight of the family on her shoulders. She was a nice woman, with great personality and has been of immense help to our home.

"Hi! Hi! Hi! This place is quite stuffy." I said as we got into my parents' living room."Where's everyone?"

The living area was flocked with a lot of wrapped gifts meant for the bride to be and her family. The living room was modestly sized and opened to a balcony.

Regardless of my parents' house been really spacious the place was awful cramped with items meant for the forthcoming event.

"I have even cleared it a bit." Aunty Nene remarked. Leading the way to the kitchen. "Grandma is in the kitchen. And Grandpa is in the garden."

Kicking the kitchen door to a curb, she shoved the ginormous box rather ungracefully on the white tiled kitchen floor. I also placed the one I carried next to hers.

She slumped on the stool by the island, gasping for air. When I say gasping, it was more in the line of sprawled on the island slab dying of carbon monoxide poisoning level exhausted.

She groaned, massaging her calvicle. She sat there until her breathing returned to normal.

"Tejumade! My darling daughter!" My mother gushed affectionately as soon as she laid eyes on me. She approached swiftly, cupping my face in both her palms.

Beaming at her, I went in to place a light kiss on her cheek, before taking a step back out of her embrace. "Hi mummy!"

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I forgot I was supposed to be mad at you."

"Awwwwn! Mummy?!" I whined."You can't possibly stay mad at your favorite daughter."

"As if I have any other daughter." She huffed,"favorism only works when you have a competetion. Or is that not how that works?"

"Well, that's besides the point." I raised my brow, biting back a snort. "I am sorry I haven't been in contact lately.

"That is no way to treat your mother and you know it!" She exclaimed.

"But I said I'm sorry." I whined."And dad doesn't even complain at all."

"Ehn, that him now. Who does he call too? You took after him. Birds of same feather." She lamented.

"Flocks together." I completed her statement.

She giggled and waves to dismiss my silliness. I caught aunty Nene still rubbing the crook of her neck. I strode to her, standing behind her.