Twirl

Chapter 12

“Tomini, give the phone to your mummy, I’ve been calling her, she’s not picking. The photographer is coming by 11,” Aunty Bamike said when Tomini picked her call.

The maternity photo shoot was scheduled for that day, and she knew her mum was still in bed. It was only 8 am anyways, why was Aunty Bamike fussing? There was enough time for them to get ready.

“I think she’s still sleeping. She hasn’t come downstairs this morning. I just came down not quite long ago sef. Everybody is sleeping.”

“Well, wake her up! We don’t have so much time. I’m coming with the makeup artist soon, latest by 9.”

Tomini was surprised. Wasn’t getting a makeup artist too much? She now understood her mother’s reluctance to do the shoot. Aunty Bamike could be a bit too much. “Aunty Bamike, which makeup artist again? I thought you were going to do it yourself.”

“We need a makeup artist, okay? This is a huge deal. Everything has to be perfect.” Tomini laughed and shook her head.

“Get yourself ready also. I’m coming soon,” she continued.

“Aiit Jesus,” Tomini chuckled.

“What?” She could hear the confusion in Aunty Bamike’s voice.

“You said you’re coming soon now,” Tomini laughed. Her aunty didn’t find it funny though.

“Be cracking dry jokes, don’t go and get ready.” Her aunty hissed before cutting the call. Tomini burst into laughter.

Tomini did her chores before taking a bath and putting a T-shirt and shorts on. True to her words, Aunty Bamike came when it was almost nine.

“Wow, Aunty Bam Bam,” Tomini teased. “You’re really serious with this shoot. Anyways it’s good.”

“How are you? Where’s your mum?”

“Should be in the kitchen cooking for her husband.”

“Oh, daddy is around? Where’s he?”
Aunty Bamike asked placing the bags she was carrying on a couch.

“Not sure,” Tomini shrugged. “Maybe his study or upstairs. What of the makeup artist?”

“Change of plans,” her Aunty answered walking to the kitchen. “She’ll meet me here.”

It was fun watching her mum’s makeover. Her aunty had gone all the way with the flowing off-shoulder white dress that had a slit at the front. How had she known it would fit her mum so perfectly? Tomini knew her mum was pretty but the makeup made her even more beautiful. She wore a flower crown on her straightened hair and a necklace sat gracefully on her neck. Aunty Bamike had tried to convince her to wear the wig she had brought but she refused vehemently. She did not want any load on her head; she was very tired but went through with the shoot just to please them.

Her mum was grumpy. At some point, she was ready to pull the flower crown off her head. Aunty Bamike warned her against it, wriggling her right index finger at her older sister as if talking to a naughty child.

“Sister mi, don’t try any nonsense.”

Tomini laughed so hard. Everyone laughed also, except Aunty Bamike who took the photo shoot like it was her baby.

After that episode, her mum cooperated, even striking different poses contrary to her previous nonchalance. They were done by 1pm.

***
They got the pictures after a week; three were framed in different sizes. Tomini took the smallest for herself, placing it on her bedside stool. In the picture, her mum was smiling down at her belly, both hands placed on it. She loved it. She found herself wondering about her unborn sister. She hoped she looked like her and had a lot of hair so she could style it for her in different ways. She would use her as her makeup muse but that would take a while, a long while, maybe when she clocked ten. Ten years seemed so far away, she wondered what her life would have become by then.

She heard the doorbell ring and ran to get it. It must be Mr. Chuks, she thought. She welcomed him and dashed off to get her chemistry and biology textbooks and past questions.

“So are you ready for your exam next week?” Mr. Chuks asked after they settled down at the dining table.

Tomini smiled widely. She was pretty confident. She nodded her head saying, “Yes, sir,”

“Good. So let’s see, what year haven’t we solved in chemistry?” He loosened his blue tie.

“Err,” she said opening her UTME chemistry past question. “1998, 1997, 1996,”

“What of biology?”

She checked and called out the undone past questions. He decided they revised topics she had difficulties in since they had already answered most of the past questions.

On Thursday the following week, she sat for her UTME in a yabatech. The questions were easier than she had expected, except math, although she was able to solve some of its questions. She finished before the time allocated elapsed but went through her work before ending the exam. The exam was in the afternoon so she and her mum, who had followed her and waited till her exam was done, got home late in the evening at past seven pm.
She had a long cold shower before cooking noodles and fried eggs for herself. Her dad came home soon after. She greeted and he nodded at her, asking how she was.

“I’m fine, sir.”

“Good, how was your exam? Hope you wrote it well. I won’t be paying for another jamb form for you next year.”

“It was fine.”

“When are the results supposed to be out?”

“I’m not sure, I think three days.”

“Okay, we’ll see. Where’s your mummy?”

“In the kitchen,” she took a forkful of noodles and chewed slowly. She doubted she would score up to 250 but she was sure she’d pass. She turned to look at her father’s back as he ascended the stairs. Why was he always cold? No smile, no words of encouragement.