Ìrètí [Completed]

3| AFTER SCHOOL

"Let's go to Daddy's shop. He told us to come after school" Itunu says as we get off the shuttle bus at the bus stop.

The shuttle buses program our state government provides for public school students is very good. It saves transport money for people like us.

The bus stop is crowded as many students also get off the bus at this bus stop. Itunu and I maneuver our way out of the crowd to the junction of our street.

"Okay" I say in reply to her as we walk down our street.

I glance at the spot where I always sell doughnuts, puff puff and buns between the carwash and okadas space by the road. I'll come back there to sell in like fifty minutes from now.

"Ireti! Ireti!" I hear someone call me from behind and I know who it is without looking back.

It's Ayo, one of the street boys. I guess he wants to disturb me again.

"Don't look back" I say to Itunu as I hasten my steps. "Don't answer him. Let's walk quickly to Daddy's shop"

"Ireti! Wait na" Ayo says and he's closer to us now.

"Answer him. He'll follow us into Dad's shop o. We don't want that kind of person as an in-law." Itunu says in a teasing tone as we get to Father's small shop.

Though I'm a little glad that Itunu is back to teasing self and not as dull as she was a week ago, I still turn to frown at her to stop her from teasing me.

"You better shut up and go inside." I say and Itunu enters the small shop,smiling.

I look back and see Ayo just behind me. I glare at him and turn away to enter the shop.

"Ire-" Ayo calls again but I cut him off with another glare and I enter Father's shop.

"School was fine" I hear Itunu say to Father as I enter his shop.

Father is a shoemaker. He mends worn-out shoes and sandals. He also makes cheap school sandals and slippers.

"Good afternoon Daddy" I say to Father as I seat beside Itunu on a bench with some soles and shoe pads piled on top at one end.

The shop is small and crowded. Father's small phone is placed beside him and he's listening to a program on the phone's radio as he works on a worn out shoe. The smell of the shoe glue he's using fills the air. It's really stuffy in the shop.

"Oodan, welcome" Father says. "How was school?"

Father calls me Oodanolorun which means The work of God. He calls Itunu Ejije and Iyanu, Oofa. They both mean Gift of God.

They are names in our dialect. Father told us that we're from Arigidi Akoko in Ondo State but we've never been there. We don't even know any of our relatives. When we asked before, our parents curtly told us we don't have any.

Now, I don't like it when Father calls me Oodan. What work of God I am indeed.

"It was fine" I say and look away.

I'm so disappointed in my parents. I'm angry with them and I'm ashamed of them. I'm really hurt but the most painful thing now is pretending like all is well and I don't know about their secret while I'm already aware of it and all is definitely not well.

"Let me give you the money so you can go home. I'm sure you're hungry" Father says as he drops the shoe sole in his hands and dips his hands into his pockets.

"We're eating eba this night. Elubo has finished at home." Itunu says to Father.

"OK." Dad says as he brings out some fifty naira and hundred naira notes from his pockets. "I'm expecting some money from someone. I'll give the money to your mummy to buy food stuffs during the weekend"