A Loner's Journey Through Lemonade Making

Chapter 24|

I thought it amusing how the vibe Lagos possessed, the vibe Lagosians created and emitted throughout the month of December, all over the state, didn't seep into our house.

Lagos was the place to be in December. People partied from dust till dawn, downing drinks and living their best lives with the money they'd saved up throughout the year. The parties would be wild, the music concerts would be populated and have music fans dying to hear their favourite artistes sing. It was the only month when people forgot why they disliked the three bridges that separated the mainland from the island and crossed over to whatever part the energy was stronger on.

Detty certainly wasn't an adjective that could be used to describe our December. It was boring all over, with nothing exciting or fascinating to look forward to. I didn't feel the festivity, the vibe Lagos had. The New York of Nigeria, like the state had been dubbed, did nothing to lift my spirits that year.

It was like there an invisible wall or barrier stopping the energy from getting to our house, because it was boring inside and outside.

Unlike previous years when Aunty Oma and Uncle Blessing would travel-almost always to England-, that year, nobody went anywhere. No-one even knew Uncle Blessing's whereabouts and I was starting to think Aunty Oma didn't care anymore. He did not come home, neither did he call. Our house looked lifeless, with nothing in place to remind you that we were in the season of Christmas. There wasn't even one tinsel or Christmas light around, talk less of a tree.

Our neighbors, the Dumelos, who lived by our right, had their entire family over for the holiday. On December 25th, the happiness they felt became even more visible and apparent, like it was fire that had been fed fuel. They rejoiced fervently, with food and music. And on December 31st, their house was as quiet as could be, as they had gone for the cross over service in their church. They were staunch Christians who didn't hold back on disturbing others when they prayed in the morning and praised at night.

I looked at their lifeless house from the kitchen window and remembered how bubbly and full it had been a few weeks back. It was New Year's day and I was resuming school in eight days.

I bent and loaded the dirty dishes and pots into the dishwasher. We had just eaten the last bit of our Christmas rice. We still had the barbeque chicken in abundance, though.

When I was done in the kitchen, I took my books to the garden and joined Aunty Nelo who sat with a tub of ice-cream, editing a video of hers. Although our Christmas had been uneventful, she still managed to get content for her channel.

The leaves fanned me like they were being commanded to by the wind, making me feel like lying on a soft bed with silk sheets and sleeping. But my exams were inching closer by the day, and I couldn't afford to fail.

Hours passed. By seven o'clock, I picked my books up, on deciding to go inside. As I approached the front door, I noticed a shiny object in the background that seemed to be moving closer to our gate. I moved closer and stopped.

I was absolutely flabbergasted when I saw the very familiar red Mercedes-Benz that once upon a time, used to be in our compound almost everyday. It looked shiner than before. I remembered the smell, a nice banana scent. I could hear the sound the leather seats made when I sat down.

My thoughts were going wild, seeing it move closer and closer to our black gates. It stopped, and the man I hadn't seen in so long, the stout man that was Mr Pius, alighted and opened the gates, despite me standing a few feet away. I moved away so I didn't get knocked down when he drove in.

I heard something crash to the ground before I saw the object. It was the white iPhone Aunty Oma cherished so much and never let anyone touch. Slowly, I looked up. Behold, she stood with her hands resting on the rails of the balcony, mouth agape.