Coma

Morenikeji

Another update, pls read, like and most definitely comment.

I hope you guys are beginning to understand keji and her family? 😶

Enjoy!!!

I turn in my bed for the umpteenth time, the mattress squeaks as I move and I almost wake Olive who sleeps peacefully beside me.

I hum the tune of her favorite cartoon show, prompting her back to sleep.
I continue the tune, knowing she'll wake up the second I stop.

My tummy ache from the Rice&dodo we had for dinner that still hadn't digested.

I had to gorge my food in time to do the house chores and my assignment in preparation for school tomorrow. I didn't want to take chances of getting late to school tomorrow again. My attendance track record was faltering and beginning to garner attention from teachers.

I didn't want to give any teacher a reason to come to my house under the prospect of reporting me to my parents only to start poking nose into my business.

Mr. Sam had threatened to come to my parents to report my; in his own words

'consistent latecoming'
after I arrived in school two hours after the assembly.

Just the thought of someone coming to confront my father scares me. I could imagine his face when Mr. Sam who is an expert on frustrating people with his vocabulary comes before him to report my supposed indiscretion, he would rubbish Mr. Sam, beat me up and I might just end up forfeiting school altogether.

It was a miracle Mother got father to agree to my schooling.

The stereotype belief of a woman 'barefoot and pregnant in The kitchen' was engraved on Father's mind, any small mistake and I'll be a dropout and he didn't even pay for me school fees, mother did.

The mere thought of mom brought tears to my eyes, I see how she worked hard everyday to fend for the family & pay for my school fees. Seeing her strive everyday makes me want to work hard both at home and school. Things had gotten hard lately, her shop at the complex was not doing well since there was no stock and no money.

In between tending to her shop and working odd jobs around the neighborhood, she had her hands full. She looks awfully tired everytime she arrives in the evening and still ventures into the kitchen to prepare father's dinner.

Father on the other hand was not making things easy for her. He would always come home drunk & then demand his dinner which he mostly eats little out of. Leaving it to Olivia and I to pick up after him. Father didn't know that we were able to prepare tonight's dinner out of Mrs. Bakare's benevolence.

Mrs. Bakare is Mother's only friend, she owned the two shops beside Mother's provisions shop at the complex. She sold electrical appliances and it was rumoured that Mrs Bakare was a mistress to a married senator in Abuja whom nobody has seen but the rumour was enough to make her an outcast.

That was probably what made Mother and Mrs Bakare friends_they had a lot in common, except Mrs Bakare was rich and her children were abroad as far as I know.

She often gives mother foodstuffs and clothes which Mother politely declines but ends up taking every time.

I once caught Mrs Bakare telling Mother to 'divorce that mad man'. Mother had ended up at the hospital after a night of endless beating. Neighbors had intervened, pleading on Mother's  behalf, none of them bothering to ask what she had done to deserve such hostile treatment.

Either they were scared of father or they just concluded Mother did something gravely unforgivable or both. I remember the night clearly, it was a day to my birthday, two years ago.

''my mother's youngest is a lawyer and she's an expert at divorce cases "Mrs bakare had advised
"she even received an award last month" she added as if that might change mother's mind

Mother didn't reply, she just stared at Mrs Bakare like the woman grew a horn on her head. Or maybe she was about to reply when I walked into the shop.

The door to the room opened bringing me out of my thoughts, Mother came inside, it was a ritual for her to check up on us after bedtime. She was still dressed in the Ankara she wore to shop today. She moved closer and sat at the edge of the bed. Mother managed to look beautiful even when sad and tired, I always envied that about her. She smelled of smoke from the kitchen stove and Shea butter(Orí).

"Morenikeji "she calls .
I once asked mother why she named me morenikeji. I always loved my name but the meaning;

'I have found a double' didn't appeal to me .

Mother answered me by placing a mirror in front of us. She asked me if I noticed the striking resemblance and I nodded. Our skin color, though mother has a lighter shade is ebony. Our nose are slightly pointed and  we have the same eye color.

I was a mini-mother.

'my child, aren't you sleeping ' she asks me, cupping my face in her hands .

"I was about to" I answer

"you wouldn't want to be late to school tomorrow" she says

"I saw Teacher Sam today and he complained about your lateness"

Mr. Sam and his runny mouth, he must have exaggerated my conduct in school and made Mother worried. He knew how to irk  parents.
"Yes Mother, I'll do better" I answer.

She gets up from the bed.

"good night" she whisper as I closed my eyes . She switches the light bulb off.

Her words on the day I asked the origin of my name reecho in my head as I hear the door click close,

'though you look like me keji,i hope you never be me'.

What did mother mean by those words?

Morenikeji; a Yoruba name meaning I have found a  double or a twin.

dodo; a Yoruba name for plantain

Ankara; a form of clothing worn mostly by Nigerians.

Give your Comment about what you think of this part, and

what do you think keji's mother meant by "I hope you never be like me"?🤒🤒

In my opinion, those are the most painful words a Mother could ever say to her daughter cos daughters are expected to mirror their Mothers right?
Keji really has a pitiful life.

Soon you'll get more insight into keji's school life and almost nonexistent love life😊

Stay tuned for the next update.

Thanks for so so so so much reading
Love Marian.