LETTER TO MY BESTFRIEND

Chapter 2: UK to Calabar!!!!

Like I said yesterday, the school year just ended. It's time for my best holiday , it's the most wonderful time of the year-Christmas!. Im so excited, not because of snow or Santa's gifts but because my mom just told us that we would be leaving for Nigeria in the next three days for the Christmas holidays. It is a tradition, my family members from all over the world come home to Nigeria, every December to keep in touch and spend a little time together.

This was the point when I started searching for gifts for my favorite cousin, Etoro. Etoro is short for Etorobong. I was meant to be packing for the journey but , I wanted to live the moment. I was too excited to start packing anything. I wasn't at the mall yet but I was still thinking of what to get her. We are so close;we get each other presents every Christmas. We were thousands of miles away from each other but we still spoke to each other from time to time, whatsapp, face time and the rest.

Yes, I am from the South-South, Cross River State to be precise meaning if I claimed to love an Igbo man, that is when my family will just disown me. Ok maybe I over exaggerated the last part but my father would raise both hands above his head and snap his fingers- a popular way of saying God forbid in Nigeria.

I liked it in the U.K (UNited Kingdom) but I did not buy the idea of settling here after college. I just wanted to finish school and head back to Nigeria. I didnt really like the Ajebo lifestyle although we were not really ajebos.

In Nigeria, my fatherland, there is a little bad blood between Cross-Riverians and Igbos. Both tribes relate but not asfar as getting married to each other. It was slowly becoming an abomination for a Cross-Riverian and an Igbo to get married. Nigeria is divided into the North, made up of mostly hausas, they call themselves Arewa and are the richest tribe in Nigeria, East, made up of the igbos , West made up of the yorubas, and the South, made up of a lot of other tribes. Coincidentally, the Igbos and yorubas still fall under the south. You can look that up on safari or google.

I was more of an outdoor person than an indoor person. I loved to interact with nature. "What a beautiful flower'" I said under my breath. I was standing by the balcony adjoined to my room and taking some fresh air. I glanced at the beautiful birds singing on the tree tops, and how the flowers danced swiftly as insects jumped from leaf to leaf.

I was mesmerized. Not that I have never been outside before, but it hits different when your aim is to enjoy the view of Nature around you, besides I was already in a very good mood.

It was all going well, until I heard footsteps behind me. I know say na you- I thought out loud,as I turned around to see Amber standing in my room. I walked back into the room leaving about 3metres between us. I know say na you means I know youre the one. Its kind of English but it is not. Its just a modified version of British English to be specific. She just stood there and starred at me in confusion while I smirked at her. To be honest, she looked better when in a bad mood.

She was sun kissed , as rays of sunlight from the balcony printed themselves across her fair, dimpled face. Slightly above those perfectly shaped lips of hers. Damn!!, she was beautiful but not as beautiful as I am. She had legs as thin as spaghetti, a trait she got from our mom. Just that our mom was brown-skinned. The fairness flows from my dads part of the family.

"Mummy is calling you, Aunt Dorothy, alongside her kids is around"

"Danielle! Amber! Come outside now!!! We have special guests".Yu could feel that Nigerian mom vibe in her. I was like her. After 6 years in Regina, I still didnt have an accent. As a matter of fact, in the whole house, only Amber had an accent and she was so proud of her achievement.

As we hurried out of my room and approached the living room, we could already hear mom and Aunt Dorothy giggling with eachother, they were not the quietest bunch. As Amber and I got closer to the sitting room, I sighted Aunt Dorothy. She looked very ok to me. She lost her husband a few years back but the unfortunate incident didnt stop her from slaying.