Growing Together:An African Tale

Chapter Five

          Dedicated to Yorubademon

The door bell rang, stopping everyone in the room from laughing, Kike wondered who might that be, because she wasn't expecting any visitors, her sons presence was a surprise.

"Jide, go and freshen up, lunch will be ready soon", Kike instructed her son ignoring the bell.

"Let me answer the door first", Jide replied feeling irritated that the person was pressing the bell nonstop.

"No, now go and freshen up, Bunmi will check who that is", she implied

Seeing the confused look on his face, she realised just then that she hadn't spoken to him about her, old age was really creeping at her door faster than she had thought.

"No questions now Jide, go and freshen up".

He resigned and obeyed his mother, as he climbed the stairs up, he heard his mother call Bunmi.

"Bunmi, Olabunmi" kike called trying to beat the bells with her voice.

She was ready to flog that impatient person with her words, once she discovered who it was.

Bunmi's mind had gone far off, standing in the kitchen she was missing the comfort of her mother, they usually joked about in the kitchen as they prepared the daily meal.

Hearing her name, Bunmi ran out after her attention was drawn back to her present environment, they would always say, it was harder to forget the things or people that mean the most to you once they're gone.

"Yes Maami", before reaching where her aunt stood, Kike had instructed her to answer the door.

Bunmi walked towards the door of the living room, exiting before walking straight to the outer door, peeping through the hole she was met with the face of a girl, that seemed large before her eyes.

Bunmi chuckled, she never got used to the magnified looks.

She pressed the intercom from the inside, asking nicely who the person is and what or who they were here for.

"Urgh, finally", was the strangers reply before she added more to her previous sentence.

"Tell Aunty Kike that it is me, Kemi".

Bunmi didn't move an inch because she heard aunty Kike's orders to open the door for Kemi. As soon as the door was opened, Kemi pushed pass Bunmi, heading straight to where Aunty Kike stood.

Bunmi felt a sharp pain in her breast, as Kemi shouldered her right boobs in passing, Bunmi closed the door, walking into the gathering of the three women.

"Bunmi, please set the table for... ", Aunty Kike paused before asking Kemi if she would be eating lunch with us.

"Yes ma, I'm a bit hungry and stressed from working". She replied.

"Please set the table for two people Bunmi". Kike stated to Bunmi, trying to ignore the fact that Kemi had not greeted her friend upon entering.

Bunmi looked confused.

"Mummy, Two people?" Bunmi asked uncertain.

Kemi butted in, "Yes, two people or is something wrong with your hearing?".

Everyone was taken aback with Kemi's reply except Kike. Kike knew well the kind of person Kemi is, always rude and disrespectful to people, commanding and quite impish.

"Yes Bunmi, two more, Jide came home not too long ago", Kike answered.

Bunmi noticed the giddiness in Kemi once she heard his name, Bunmi rolled her eyes.

Pleading with her friend silently, Kike used this medium to communicate with Bimbo  apologizing for Kemi's behavior.

Bimbo understood, standing up from where she sat, Bimbo excused herself not wanting to be around an unwelcoming child, directing Bunmi into the kitchen, to assist her niece, so that they could quickly set the table up together.

"I'll like an orange juice", Kemi added without a glance their way.

"They are not your slaves, you know where the kitchen is, help yourself to a glass", Kike scolded, fuming inside.

Bimbo and Bunmi went on, arranging the dinning table for two more present people.

Kike knew she had only come because of Jide, she must have been watching the building like always for her to figure that out.

Kike had warned Jide numerously to caution her, and tell her off, she was just not the kind of girl she wanted associating with her son, but no matter how she warned he never listened.

Kike knew that if she wasn't Jide's mother, Kemi would have disrespected her also, she knew how scolding Kemi always made her mad, Kike couldn't even speak to the girl, her advises and corrections fell on deaf ears.

Once the table was set, and Kemi, Kike, Bimbo were present, Bunmi was sent off to call Jide downstairs.

On reaching his room, Bunmi knocked at his door gently, after some time when there was no reply, she knocked at the door again, this time she heard shuffling of feet at the other end before Jide's voice.

"Maami said I should tell you to come downstairs, food is ready", Bunmi delivered the message through the door.

"I'll be down in a minute, you all should start without me", Jide replied.

"Okay", then Bunmi left, running down the stairs to tell Aunt Kike what Jide had said.

Once the message was delivered, they all sat, nobody touching their plates, it was one of Kike's rules that everyone present at home, must wait till the table was complete before dishing their food.

After a minute, Jide came downstairs, once he got to the dinning room, he saw everyone sitting patiently, his eyes fell on his mum as he asked, "Who was at the door?".

On cue, Kemi stood up, hugging Jide and plastering kisses all over his face, Jide tried pushing her off but she held on to him.

"Shall we eat?".
On Aunty Kike's note, Kemi froze in her actions, straightening her dress, she walked back to her seat, as Jide followed, taking the spot close to his mum, sitting opposite Bimbo and beside Kemi.

"Let us pray".

Everybody joined hands together, bowing down their heads as the Lords prayer was said after the food had been blessed.

Bunmi rose her head the same time everyone did but only now did she notice Jide's appearance when they locked eyes, Bunmi studying Jide with hers as Jide did the same with his.

Everyone noticed how still they had both become, Kike and Bimbo smiling as they watched the pained expression on Kemi's face.

"The food is getting cold and we're hungry, Jide", Kemi interrupted.

Bunmi bent her head, picking up her fork and knife to eat and looking anywhere but at the man sitting at the other end.

******
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