I Am Black

Chapter 1 : Absolutely Crazy

{REVISED EDITION}

               I was leaving.

A part of me wished I could stay, while another part of me was excited. Its not everyday that you hear someone is relocating -wait, well yes but that's not the point. I was leaving Nigeria to some place in America and I couldn't even remember the name. I was going to see my brother with my own two eyes again. Its been what? Two years? How was our relationship going to be like? He was always screaming at me for doing one thing or the other, he never liked me hanging out with him especially when his friends were over at our place and he didn't even play with me. We were practically strangers.

But, I knew his favorite color, artist ( if he hasn't changed his mind since the last two years), his crush - let me rephrase that - his former crush, because he hadn't seen the girl in two years. I knew his favorite food and what he could and couldn't eat. Since he was still an albino, he couldn't eat food with salt and pepper.

I know, life without salt, how could he survive? But he'd been surviving eighteen years without salt and pepper.

Even though he escaped the full albinism, he was and would always be an albino. Like, the dude he was really pretty. He was just perfect. With the looks and all. Even my bully, Yasmina, was stunned when she saw him at my school during my graduation from Junior School. That day I would never forget.

Mordecai was supposed to come over to pick me up and take me with him. There was just one reason I hesitated at the idea to go abroad for schooling.

Him.

He was bossy, obnoxious and crazy.

Absolutely crazy.

Without my mom, I don't think I would have been able to live with him for thirteen years (he traveled when I was thirteen). He was so annoying to the extent that I talked back at him and even insulted him. He didn't like that, but he couldn't hit me. He couldn't even if he wanted to, because my mother would peel his back with a wire.

He tried it once, and let's just say that he'll never try it again.

I hope.

Well, since I would be living with him and all.

Mordecai came home and stayed a week, and we avoided each other like a plague. We only talked when our mother was around so she wouldn't know what was going on. Others than that... He wishes. Some of his friends came to visit. Some were already 200l students while others were 100l and some hadn't even started university yet. I just locked myself in my room and let them do whatever the hell boys do.

I knew that If I said anything or we made small talk, an argument was bound to sprout out of nowhere.

So no thank you. Ignoring him was fine by me.

One morning he stopped by my bedroom door. One hand in his pocket and the other at the top of the door. He did that while leaning on the right arm, which was on top of the door, for support. "You've been avoiding me." He said.

Oh how I was dreading this day. But I had to face it and to face him.

I sighed inaudibly, "what makes you say that?"

I couldn't have been that obvious.

"Well, the fact that you run the other way when you see me, or the fact that you don't even look me in the eye or you give one word answers when I'm talking to you."

"But I'm answering you now, am I not?"

"You are," he agreed, "but you aren't looking at me."

I stopped texting and looked at his nonchalant face. "Well, I am now."