Chapter one

2 1 3
                                    

What day is it today? I asked liz, and she just scoff. Fuck that voice in my head, she just have to scoff right now.

I watched late night movie yesterday. So I'm pretty sure whatever day it is, I'm late for morning devotion and not woken up.

I picked my phone to check time and date. My head really aches, that's the outcome of late night movies. I actually watched till this morning. And now the time says twenty minutes after ten and the day is a Sunday. I'm toast. I will never hear the end of this. She didn't wake me up intentionally, she must have known I watched late movies on Saturday while I'm aware the following day is a Sunday.  And she probably warned my sisters against waking me too,else they lose something. I dropped my phone and got myself out of bed. I felt hunger pang. ah! not now.

"you won't even get a crumble of bread glutton" I said rubbing my stomach

"But she's hungry" Liz said

"Shut up Liz" I said out loud to the voice in my head.

Mom. God I sometimes wished she travels far far away. Don't get me wrong, I kind of liked her. Yeah. She's my mom, our mom. So I have a motherly love for her. But sometimes I feel strange, like I hate her so much. I hope thats normal. Emmanuella-my friend- says it is though.

Mom is a strict human being, opposite of tender dad. She has this silly routines every Sunday. 'no food till three'  like WTF right? but who are we to complain, she says its religious. I doubt that, I feel she just wanna suffer us that day. It's the only day she spends a full day (all week) at home. She's always at one place or the other from Monday to Saturday. Always coming home late. She says work, I don't care.

Now today is a Sunday and I did worse by not going to church today. I'm dead, only God knows what I'm gonna lose. I tried to think but I couldn't figure it out.

Out of the four of us, she hates me most, well, I hate her as much. Is hate too strong word for a mom? I don't know.

I took my lazy self to the bathroom,brush my teeth and have a cold bath. I keep sighing every now and then.

It would have been easier if dad was around.

I put on the cloth I was supposed to wear to church. I would have died today anyway, whether I go to church or not. My choice of clothe would have annoyed her.

I don't know why, but its not every day I want to wear what she tells us to wear to church. Today was ankara. and I hated it.
So I picked a pretty chiffon dress. Slightly below my knee.

Rebel? No.

I just don't like her choice of almost everything.

I clad myself in the clothe. It looks good on me.

Anything does.

I patted the dress as I look at myself in the mirror. I smiled weakly. I'm gonna be bored till twelve. I didn't even bother about my make up.

My stomach growls for the 100th time. I wish I had duplicated that key the day I had my hands on it when she left it on the kitchen cabinet.

I would have been able to blackmail my sisters every Sunday too. I sighed. Too late, she would probably never forget it.
The separate cupboard is where she keeps our snacks every Saturday in the evening after dinner. And she makes sure to search our rooms to make sure we didn't keep any snacks.

I remember when I was too smart for my own good.  I had hid twelve roles of coco balls behind my window.

We stayed on the second floor, the first is for family visitor and the upper floor for when dad has dignified visitors  as he used to refer to them. So I had flower beds outside my window where I grow flowers, I and Annie only grows flower, the rest thinks its too much of a job. So I hid the snack, and surrendered the rest to her happily. She was amazed. I never surrender my snacks happily, and I just told her I had to fast to pass my junior WAEC exam. And she gave me a scorn. like why?

So when we came back from church that day, after praying I went to my room and picked the snack and secretly go into Annie's room to share with her, it was a time she needed to eat something, though not sweet things but I still wanted to share with her. She actually declined, saying she didn't want to eat anything sugary cause the cramp was way too much when she started.
I was glad she declined. Cause as soon as I entered my room and poured the crunches in my white ceramics plate,and settled in front of my laptop on my table.

Mom!.

She walks in. Busted. I locked the door of course, I'm too smart not to. But she has every master key to every room. And I already had my headphones on, I didn't hear the key turn in the lock.

I was caught. So caught and nowhere to go.

She asked how I got away with it, and I foolishly explained.

I almost lost my flowers that day. I begged and begged I even cried until she gave me another option. My flower or my allowance. I didn't need my weekly allowance that much then so I gladly let my 20thousand naira weekly allowance go to her.

OH no! I think I know what am going to lose now. Please lord not that, I need it badly.

Just then the car horned and the gate opened.

What a show Sasha will have today. Sasha is my other sister, we're four in number, remember? we're not just four in number, we're of the same age. The same sex, almost the same resemblance with dad, except for me. I dont look like him.
He said I looked like a family member that died close to when we were given birth to. And he likes me so much, a little bit more than the others if I may say.

I have the beauty of that woman, he used to say with nostalgia.
I sometimes wonder if he was in love with his family member. lol.

I know they must be in the house now, praying. I know how it goes. I was the only one missing now, apart from dad. I am the missing member not present in church and family prayer. Both morning and noon. I sighed again. I'm just whipped.

Why can't Sasha be the missing quad. She is always one to please the hand above. Not me. So she will never be the missing quad. I'm the missing one of the quad. The different of the quad. The most brainy of the quad. The most beautiful of the quad. The most hated of the quad by mom. The most loved by dad.

Just as I was standing from my seat on the cushion. My door burst open, so I just sit back down and put my legs on the table and mom appeared. In all her glory. She is kind of beautiful. curves at the right places, I have those too, even though I'm just sixteen. I wonder how dad makes love to her.

Oh my God. Am I nut?

"Hello darling. how was service?" I heard her tormenting voice boom in my brain.

Welcome to my funeral. I'm gonna die technically.

"How was service?" she asked again. this time harshly. All her sarcastic sweetness gone.

I dropped my legs. Skinny beautiful legs. I sighed and pursed my lips.

Should I just beg her?

Should I annoy the fuck out of her?

Meek or sassy?

               
                           ***
Leave a Comment or two.  Or more

Tap the 🌟
    
👇👇

Becker's quad Where stories live. Discover now