Lisa
I have always known Adebanke is beautiful. She has that natural beauty that no amount of make-up can accomplish. It used to bother me when we were younger. Our mums would drag us along with them to their big Lagos parties and weddings. We would dress up in the most pretentious baby doll poof dresses that our mothers could find, paired with shiny black buckled shoes. Mine were always bigger, shinier, and puffier than Adebanke's of course. After all, my mother is Lisa Obaseki. However, Banky always got all the attention. She was the one who grandmas with their false teeth and heavily made up faces, would pick up first and coo at, chattering to themselves in Yoruba about how pretty she was. 'Debanke was the one who fathers and grandfathers and uncles would pick up and twirl around the dance floor, spraying her with fifty and hundred naira notes. Adebanke glows. I am not bitter. It is just something I have had to get used to since we met each other in the sandpit at our playgroup when we were five. We have been friends since then, we have been sisters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa opened her eyes reluctantly on Saturday morning, awoken by the sounds of DRBs Cut Corners from her phone on her bedside table. She switched off the alarm and climbed out of bed. She padded out of her room in her monochrome onesie with moustaches all over and her fluffy slippers, and down the long winding staircase into the kitchen where Chef Augustine was chopping up vegetables for lunch later.
"Good morning Mademoiselle," he gushed as she walked into the kitchen, in that over-enthusiastic fake French accent of his.
"Ah, bonjour chef ! Je voudrais crêpes au babeurre avec sirop doré arrosé sur et un verre de jus d'orange. Merci," Lisa replied in fluent French. His face drew a blank and then it fell. She went round the counter and playfully punched him on his shoulder to show she was just joking.
Sometimes it seems as if the staff is the only family she has. Well, asides from her mum and 'Debanke of course. Chef Augustine and his wife, Franca watched Lisa take her first steps. Franca took her to school every day when she was in primary.
Ten minutes later, Lisa sat down to a pile of buttermilk pancakes with golden syrup dribbled all over. Her mum walked in as she was finishing them off.
"Morning sweetie," she cooed, bending down and putting a kiss on her lips.
"Plans for today?" she asked, reaching into the fridge for a bowl of strawberries. Lisa looked her over as she emerged with a bowl in one hand and the can of whipped cream in the other, her smile triumphant. Lisa's mum is hot. She is bone-skinny just like her and her face and body are ageless. She was dressed in a navy blue peter pan collared top with lace bits at the side. Lisa frowned as she noticed her mum was wearing the CLAN Ankara print shoes that she had been given after modelling them in December.
"Um, Reni's barbecue remember?" Lisa reminded her as Chef cleared up after her, "You're wearing my shoes," she continued pointedly even though it was pointless.
"They go with this top sweetie," Emma replied, blowing Lisa a kiss as she flounced out the door.
Lisa headed up the stairs for a hot shower and took her mum's unfinished bowl of strawberries and cream with her. Fortunately, she has unbelievably fast metabolism. As she stepped out of her bathroom with her towel wrapped turban-style around her hair, her phone rang. It was Ahmed.
"My Edo wife, nagode," Ahmed drawled through the phone. Lisa rolled her eyes and pulled on her underwear then shrugged into her SpongeBob jumper and leggings.
"Hello love," she replied.
"How far na? What happened last time?" Ahmed inquired. He was referring to the party Adebanke, Lisa and him went to the night before. Banky had acted strange that night, well, stranger than usual for Adebanke. She sat alone and played with her phone. Lisa had fun, with someone called Michael. Adebanke had already given her a stern talking to, she did not approve.
"I should be asking you, guy" Lisa teased.
"Anyhow, how far this Reni babe's thing today?" Ahmed asked. She told him she was going, he grunted in response and cut off.
Lisa has known Ahmed since forever. Their mums had both gone to Queens College together when they were younger then to the University of Nottingham then back to Lagos. Lisa's mum, to start her company and Ahmed's mum Aunty Farida to marry Ahmed's dad and have all those children for him. Ahmed is like Lisa's older brother and he sees her as nothing more than a little sister. No one saw it coming when 'Debanke and Ahmed got together the summer after Year Nine; funny Fulani Ahmed and quiet curvy Adebanke, including Lisa. Banky gets everything she wants after all; even when she does not know she wants it.
