Mum placed the black tote bag on the table in the busy cafeteria. As usual, she dressed in such casual clothes that the first time she visited me when I was in JSS1, my friends thought she was my elder sister.
She had on a black baggy shirt, blue jeans, and white Crocs. She had braided her hair, and she packed it like a doughnut on her hair. She had minimum makeup on, and whenever she smiles, she has dimples—something she forgot to pass on to me.
She placed the food flask on the table and grabbed a spoon, wrapped in a small white see-through waterproof bag, from the bag and gave it to me. She had prepared abacha, an African salad, with every possible side dish. She even included five fried fish pieces and two fried chicken pieces.
She placed a plate on the table, and I filled it with abacha and every side dish she brought. She had come for visiting day, which is once every month.
“How is school?” she asked.
I stopped and stared at my spoon.
How should I phrase this?
Was school enjoyable?
Has it turned into a mystery box, or was it me that changed?
What happened?
It was really difficult to phrase or pack into an English sentence.
“It's... interesting. I mean, it's getting interesting.”
“How so?”
“Somethings are not adding up.”
“What things?”
“Mum,...” I dropped my spoon on my plate and continued, “What will you do if dad cheats on you?”
“Dad won't cheat on me, young lady. Mind your words!” she exclaimed.
Her exaggerating character was obvious, and I rolled my eyes.
“I'm not entertaining the thought, mum. It's a ‘what if’ question.”
“Hmm,” she said, holding her hands under her jaw and saying, “I would probably murder him.”
What?!
I looked at mum.
Would she actually go that far?
Mum stared at me before bursting into laughter.
“I won't kill him, okay? I don't know what I would do, but I probably will feel heartbroken.”
“What if I had seen it and didn't tell you beforehand?”
“I wouldn't like it. Telling me beforehand lessens the heartbreak, and I would have more time to think it through and come to a decision, but what's this all about? Don't tell me you sneaked out of school.”
“I didn't,” except when I was stalking Adanne and Norah.
“I'm just curious.”
YOU ARE READING
Teenage Tendency
Teen FictionOdinma is bored. She's been bored ever since she couldn't find something that would hold her interest for an hour. She started trying out different things to feel alive, but Odinma had forgotten that teenagers usually live in their own little creat...
