Pastor Samuel Akinsunya, my former pastor always said there were seven heavens and one hell.
I found my theory, there’s not one hell but one hundred and forty-four thousand. I knew this cause I was sitting in my second hell.
I was staring at hell and breathing the excruciating smoke of hell.
My aunt and I were sitting in the principal’s office of my new school, Pivic. And now if you ask me, everything I’d been through in my first hell (of loneliness) seemed like a child’s play.
We both glanced at each other before dragging her gaze back to the woman before us in Ankara jumpsuit and excessive makeup that changed her skin to white, lips to blood, eyebrows to forests who needed a shave, her lashes were bowing to God in praise. Her locally made Shuku stood like the huge Olumo rock bounded with threads as they threatened to fall on me if I misbehaved.
"Anything?" My aunt collected the receipt for the tuition fee, writing materials, school uniforms and all other dues.
"She needs her ID Card, that would cost ten thousand naira." Abigail Odinaka the woman before us said as she had on that fake smile that cost — money.
My aunt choked on her saliva, she clutched her throat coughing at the amount she heard. "I thought you said it was two thousand naira."
"That was before I saw your purse and realized you have a lot of money." The woman locked her fingers as she sat upright staring at us with that creepy smile on her face that made me shiver.
My aunt’s expression changed immediately, both of us wearing the same look. "What?!!"
"It’s not my fault that things are expensive now." The woman shook are head still wearing her strange smile.
"Since when?!" My aunt raised her voice while I frowned, my previous fear of sitting opposite a stranger reducing by 10 percent.
"Since now." The woman irritated me so much that I wanted to puke all over her but i couldn’t, not because it would be profoundly disgusting but because of that huge rock that stared me down.
"This money isn’t mine, she’ll just have to start without the ID card." Alice flashed her purse right in the woman’s face, that transformed the principal's smile to a look of desperation.
"Impossible." The woman said the same time my aunt dropped her purse on her lap, my fear was crawling back to 80 percent it was before.
"What is impossible" My aunt frowned at the woman who stood up moving closer to the window behind her.
"The part where she has to start without an ID card, she would need it for identification if she wants to attend any class, and even for getting meals and for going to the restrooms if not the doors wouldn’t open." My aunt and I gawked at her.
"You can try to pass through that door if you want to practice— " She pointed at the door behind us that led to the hallway. "The ID card is important to prevent strangers and harm of any sort. So pay, it’s in the school’s rules and regulations —" She pointed at the book in front of me that was as gigantic as three Oxford dictionary in one. "It’s necessary."
My aunt seemed confused and so was I, we loved the security but the price was too much. "I don’t have ten thousand." My aunt muttered opening her purse.
"If you don’t have ten thousand, you can wait till tomorrow to start or you can just find some other school." The woman stood opposite us as she folded her arms like we were having a battle.
"Okay, give us back the school fees and other dues we paid, she won't be coming here anymore." My aunt folded her arms as she scowled at the woman.
YOU ARE READING
Monica. (When Life Takes A Wrong Turn Series #1)
Teen FictionIt had only been few months after her cousin Hannah had died in a fire and her best friend Tina had left town without a goodbye. As if that wasn't devastating enough for Monica her entire family (except for her aunt) had died in a car accident. Seei...
