вęℓę

𝔽𝕆𝕌ℝ

I'm terrible at naming characters, so I've been referring to Xxx's Father or Yyy's Mother. Lmao, I can't even give a surname. Naming characters is really hard.

"Your Father is back". Adunni's mother walked into the kitchen with purpose. She wiped her hands with the napkin on the counter and paused.
"Did you go out?" She asked.
Adunni closed the pot of boiling soup, "For vacancies, yes".
"Oh! So how did it go?"
" I didn't see any at all". Adunni proceeded to turn the knob and lower the heat of the gas cooker.
"Even Mr Larry's Cafe down the street?"
Adunni scratched her hair. She actually didn't see it, but, "I forgot about that one", she said with a fake laugh.
With much suspicion, "Indeed," her mother hissed and turned around. She walked out.

Adunni wiped her hands with the same napkin on the counter and proceeded to leave the kitchen.
She got to the Sitting room and collected her father's bag from him. "Welcome back Daddy".
He was tired, so he nudged his head to appreciate her greeting and sat on one of the couches.
"Epęlę", His wife said.
In Nigeria when people said "Sorry" in any language, they had practically no reason to apologize to a tired person, they just did it. "Sorry," His wife added.
Adunni returned from the room after returning Her Father's bag.
"Uhm. Daddy, I invited Isaac and his parents for dinner."
"And you're just talking?" Her mother attacked.
"I just remembered. It's not like we can tell them not to come again."
"That your yęyę boyfriend. Shebi I asked about him today."
"It's okay," Her father finally spoke.
"The soup!" Adunni ran into the kitchen. Nothing had happened to the soup, she only foresaw the awkwardness that would occur, so she used the soup as an excuse to leave the scene.

🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾

Adunni's Mother hated the American idea of inviting people for dinner because she couldn't eat the Eba with a  wrapper around her breasts, but rather she would have to look all fancy.
Adunni's mother felt nostalgic from the thought. She missed Nigeria all of a sudden with its colourful and patterned wrappers. A lot of which she rocked as dresses when she could afford to sew them.

The doorbell rang and Adunni was already at the door, welcoming their guests. Greetings were exchanged between parents and soon, they were all seated at the dining table. The men sat at the final seats at the table's edge and their wives beside them while Adunni and Isaac sat opposite each other.
Adunni pulled a lot of fake smile performances.
The food is at the center of the table and plates are at everyone's front. Isaac's Father coughed.

Adunni's mother took to starting the conversation, "Adunni mentions Nigerian ancestry in one of you because none of the Sandwiches is coming to this table for dinner".
They laughed all though it wasn't funny.
"I", Isaac's Father said. "I've been to Nigeria like twice, so bring your dishes on, we can handle it." he paused, "Even the pepper".
They laughed.
"My second wife, what soup did you prepare?" Adunni's Father asked his daughter. Although he knew what was prepared, he asked to threaten his guests with the pepper.
"Daddy, Eba and Vegetable soup".
Adunni's Mother chuckled. She muttered to herself, "ę ti ri kankan".
Now this time, Only Adunni and her parents laughed. The guests wanted to be defensive.
"Shall we?" Doctor Hope asked.

Adunni's Father proceeded to prayers, and a few minutes after, moulds of Eba beside Vegetable soup lay on each plate.
There was silence at the table as they ate. Isaac's Father was the only one who coughed and drank a glass of water after one swallow, the rest weren't affected by the pepper content.

Adunni's Father cleared his throat.
"So, Isaac? I'd like to know you?"
That question was enough. Enough to trigger Isaac's sweat pores to overact, and they did.
Doctor Hope nudged him to answer the question while Adunni just stared straight into the meal.

"Uhm, sir. I studied Music at UC and I perform at some shows or sometimes, I teach".
Adunni could read it off her parents' faces. The dissatisfaction with the course he studied. She studied Engineering in Nigeria and couldn't work with it in NY. Black Women weren't respected and worse studying in Nigeria didn't qualify you for much. So she had to apply to Universities. Just to have her next degree there.

"I see. But was that the plan when you applied for the course?" Her father threw another question at Isaac.
"No. Sir. I planned to have a recording studio and be a producer. I've started working on it".

Adunni's reaction to the last line with the way she turned her head really quickly to look at him, made it obvious that it was a lie. But who saw her?
Isaac coughed.

"You have your own apartment?"
"Yes. Sir. I pay the rent" Isaac replied smartly.
"The performances are enough to cover it?"
"Yes. Sometimes my Dad—Yes. It's enough. Sir."
Very soon they were done eating.

Adunni and her Mother carried the dishes to the kitchen. They returned to a merry table, discussing and laughing with two bottles of Sparkling wine.
They filled their glass cups and passed the bottle until it had gone around.

"Let's make a toast". Isaac's Father said.
"To Progress!" Adunni's Father said.
"To Love!" His wife said.
"To Success!" Isaac's Father said.
The rest three felt the knots in their guts.
"To forgiveness," Doctor Hope said.
"To surprises we don't expect", Isaac's voice trailed off.
Now everyone looked at Adunni awaiting her toast. Adunni sunk into the chair, and the toast fell out of her lips.
"To the One Month Pregnancy".

"WHAT?!" Her parents shouted in unison.

🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾🤰🏾

Life came to a sudden halt.
Nobody spoke. Her parents tried to Interpret the information, Isaac's Parents knew already and Adunni and Isaac started creating all explanations their heads could to pacify Adunni's parents.

Adunni's mother jumped out of her seat shouting exclamations in Yoruba. "Mo daran!"
"Ye!"
"Adunni so you're not a virgin?! You're just Twenty, Is this your first time?" Her mother asked