Today is Saturday. My Dad and Mom had to travel to Abuja very early this morning to attend the birthday ceremony of an old family member- I have never before met him. They promised to be back before night.
My twin brother, Perez, is still not back from his best friend's house, Abel is his name. He went there a day before, saying they needed to read for their upcoming examination. Like they were really going to read.
Not that my brother is not a serious person when it came to studies, no, he hardly reads, but he passes. He is what one would call a genius. Just listening to his lecturers makes him understand the topic being taught. I'm so unlike him. I read a zillion times before I understand anything. Except my Bible and novels.
Anyways, I'm home alone. Well not really, I'm home with our gate man.
And I'm muttering right now because I need the car my father gifted Perez and I as a birthday gift- to manage for the time being- till we graduate. I need the car to go to the library.
"Where's this boy when I need the car?" "So annoying." I mutter to myself.
I pick up my phone, and send him a message on WhatsApp.Me: Where are you?!
Some seconds later my phone vibrates, I see my brother has replied me.Twinne: Hello to you too. :-[
Me: Durrrrrrrrr! Where are you?!
Twinne: I'm on my way home. :-* I know you've missed me. I've missed you too.
Me: Just bring the car home ASAP.
Twinne: You're even worried about the car, not me. =_= I'm not coming home again.
Me: Just dare.
Me: ***Send my greetings to Abel and his cuteee sister and the rest of his family. Ok.
Twinne: :-\
Me: I'm going offline now. Be home in an hour.
I put my phone on the bed and go into the bathroom to bathe.
I hear the gate opening about four hours later. I am in the dining room eating. This is some hours after I finish bathing and cooking my favorite dish. Fried rice and boiled egg.
I kept Perez's share of the food in my room, so that he will lament upon seeing that there's nothing for him to eat. This is my punishment for his late coming.
I only hope he hasn't eaten yet.
"Nana." This is his nickname for me.
"Your Sweetheart's home"
My ever annoying twin brother calls out as soon as he walks in and slams the sitting room door, thereby causing my ears to ache a bit. Loud noise makes my ear ache a little as my hearing aid makes things louder than usual.
I groan inwardly.
"Nanaa!"
"Nanaaaaaaaaaa!" He shouts when I do not reply.
"Stop shouting already, I'm in the dining room"
"Oh!" He walks into the dining room with his funny walking style. He bounces more than he walks. He calls it 'swagger'. I roll my eyes anytime he says that.
"How's my sweetie doing?" He asks as soon as he comes in with an amused smile on his face.
He must have come home late on purpose.
"You can ask again."
"Don't be angry I came home later than expected, I was really enjoying myself in Abel's home."
"As if I knew you weren't reading at his house, you were enjoying yourself instead. Èkuse o." (Well-done.)
"Over know! Let me taste this food." He makes to take my spoon so as to 'taste' my own food but I slap his hand away. He chuckles.
"I hope you cooked for me too, I wasn't able to eat much this morning, you know you rushed me shaaaa." He walks into the kitchen as he says this.
"Nana!" He calls out after opening the covers of the two pots on the gas cooker and finding nothing but soup and vegetables in them.
"Mí o rí ounjé níbí o! You didn't cook for me?." (I didn't see any food here.)
I start to laugh but stop myself. I reply in a serious tone.
"Oh no! Maybe the savage rat that we've been trying to kill for a while now has eaten it up."
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Wait, who are you deceiving?!" He says this while coming back to the dining room which is directly opposite the kitchen.
I burst out laughing as soon as I see his worried and yet disbelieving face.
"Let me pity you. Next time don't disobey me, after all I'm older" I say as I start to get up from my seat.
"You're older by 4 minutes. It's nothing big."
"It's like you don't want to eat."
"No no no no, pleaseeeee!."
"Forgive me." He pleads while slapping- more like tapping- his mouth. I laugh again. I go upstairs to get the pot.
He eats hungrily when I dish out his food and give it to him.
"You're becoming a great cook!" He says some minutes after he digs into his food, his mouth is full of rice at the point of making his speech.
"Thanks Boo boo, but didn't you know that before?"
"I didn't, this is the best food you've ever cooked". I smack his arm.
"You know nothing".
He pouts.
"How's Deborah's arm now? Has the cast been removed?"
"She's better, the cast hasn't been removed."
"Honestly, Adam shouldn't have hit her with the stick, he could have used his hand to do so. After all she's still a small girl and is still fragile. Thank God it wasn't her head. What did he even say he was beating her for?"
"For sitting on his laptop. The screen got destroyed."
"Hmmhmm. No wonder. It's well o. I was even thinking Abel is the only one that punishes his sister, I didn't know the elder brother does too."
"It was one of the rare days you know."
"Speaking of elder brothers, have you heard from Gideon since last week?" Gideon is our elder brother who got married a year ago. He is the first born. The second born, Jude, lives in Canada. He found a job there almost a year and a half ago. I am the third born and Perez is the last born- this status quo became his when he came 4 minutes after I did. Some last born he is.
"You know Gidi is focusing on his wife and work for now. I guess he's forgotten us. He's busy making what will become our nephew or niece, you know let's leave him alone for now" He winks and grins all the while.
"Must you go there?" I shake my head. Perez grins even more.
"Let's Skype him later tomorrow after church service.
"Alright o".
"Dad called before you got home, he said the plane landed safely and they will be back before 8pm."
"We thank God for their safe journey."
I get up.
"Wash everything on the sink. It's your turn to wash today".
He immediately stops grinning.
"But I'm going to church soon".
"You should have come earlier then. You know the earlier the better."
"I'll think about washing plates."
"Just dare."
I go upstairs to my room to take my books and my phone. I hear the door of Perez's room open and close. I sigh. He's not going to wash the plates now or later. I sit on the bed and text my course mate who lives not so far from the library.
YOU ARE READING
Life as She knows it
Short StoryHighest ranking; #1 in Impacting as at July 27, 2020, #2 in Humor as at May 20, 2019, #7 in Hearing aids as at June 23, 2019. Some nine years ago it was revealed that I had hearing loss- in my left ear. I think it- the beginning of the finding out b...