Behind the Mask✔

Chapter 13

      Saying that I like Christmas and New years  vigils  is an understatement. I absolutely love them. So as we prepared to go,  I was over the moon with excitement.

    

       Mum had asked me to prepare plantain and eggs as a light dinner before we went to church. I suspected she was just hungry because we had a nice dinner of semolina and vegetable soup. The meal was served and surprisingly , everyone finished their meals and after washing the plates, I was getting ready for the vigil.

   "Jasmine, you better be fast. We're leaving this house by nine on the dot." Mum called out from her room.

I checked my time and it was few minutes to eight so I quickly had my bath ,  humming 'Silent night' while at it. I donned a red top and white jeans

Santa's  assistant

I laughed at myself and continued getting ready. Why was I this happy?
Maybe because dad wasn't home or because of mum's birthday tomorrow or the usual Christmas excitement.

I cancelled the last option. This was more than the usual Christmas happiness . Soon we were all ready to go. I was surprised grandma and Aunty Ebere agreed to go in mum's car especially after today's drama.

They don't have car  that's why their pride has come down

I sat upfront with mum in her black Rav4  while grandma and Aunty Ebere sat at the back.

The night wasn't young any more and the sky was now velvet black with the stars here and there up in the sky adorning it's black veil. The sight brought to my mind the song 'Oh holy  night ' and I began to hum to the song.  Everywhere screamed 'Christmas ' as every building from the local canteen to the largest building in our area had Christmas decorations here and there.  Some places had live sized Santa Claus, the sounds of Christmas hymns echoes from different areas. 

    Since our house was void of any decoration, I looked forward to the decorations on the shops, roads, other houses , schools,  different buildings and the Church itself and they never disappointed me.

I looked at mum who was driving,  her gaze fixed on the road with brows furrowed in concentration. Her hair was wrapped up in a red turban and she wore an a-line dress that had red lace for the sleeves. I wondered if the harsh harmattan won't give her chills.

Finally, we were at our church and honestly, the church was beautiful. Christmas lights were intertwined with the shrubs giving them a multi coloured appearance and brightening their green shade. The church premises had tinsels, Christmas lights and various decorations which sparkled in the night and the entire place looked like fairyland. Wreaths were hung on every doorstep and lights wound on the railings of stairs and the pillars of the building.

   All the decorations plus the simple beauty of the night made the already beautiful church more beautiful. It was thirty-five minutes past nine so we still had twenty five minutes before the vigil mass started. However, people were already flooding the church. The voices of the choristers was heard from a distance and they were singing 'Joy to the world ' probably in preparation for the mass.

    As soon as we got down from the car, Clara one of my friends in the church approached us. She greeted everyone and mum responded with a smile while grandma and Aunty Ebere simply nodded.

"Jasmine, how far na? " Clara asked me
"I'm cool.  You? "

"Fine o, see you like father Christmas' assistant. Red and white" she said and we laughed

"Coming from someone wearing a white gown and a Christmas hat "

We both laughed
"Where are the rest?" I asked of our friends Juwon, Faith and Henry