Waver✓

E I G H T E E N

<Fear not, for I am with you- Isaiah 41:10>

|18|

"I DON charge my energy, I no get time for no enemy. . ." Mom sang lustily as she scooped two spoonfuls of strawberry ice cream into her mouth. Every now and then, she hit the steel spoon against her ice cream tub, and it remained a fraction for her to actually stand up and move her body to the melodious rhythm of Burna Boy's afro beat coming from her iPhone.

She was the only entertainment around so I watched her while sitting on the edge of the white and pink tablecloth we had kept on the carpet glass, a pinch of fromage frais placed rather lazily on my tongue. I wasn't really hungry but I had to pretend I was eating, or Mom would start throwing the why questions. And I wasn't in the mood for any answers.

Dad reclined against the sycamore tree, frowning slightly as he flipped through the pages of a medical magazine. Perhaps mom's music was a distraction. I was right.

He lowered the magazine down and looked at Mom. "Sasha you should have brought your earphones if you wanted to listen to some songs."

Mom remained oblivious to what Dad said and instead gulped down another spoon, still singing, "Anybody wey no want to soji, anybody wey no dey carry body, nack am something ahh, nack am something!" This time she sang with much more gusto than before, almost as if she was referring the lyrics of the song to Dad.

Dad sighed and tried again, the wind blowing his red shirt haywire. "Sasha, can you turn down the music? It's creating havoc on my reading and on other people here too."

It was true. The few people close to us---'wey no want to soji'---were casting fiery glowers Mom's way.

Mom faked a yawn and wiped the corners of her lips with a tissue. I can't help but feel she did that to hide a smirk I knew hovered on her lips. After all, I hadn't observed any ice cream stains earlier.

"Say please, Chris." This time the smirk she had been hiding was full blown.

Shaking his dark head, he cracked a knowing smile at her. "Please."

She covered the half-eaten dessert and held her phone in her right hand. All my sexy ladies, pawon! All my sexy mamas, pawon, blared loudly from it. The beat was maddening although I got zero comprehension from the lyrics and if I wasn't so miserable, I would have danced along. Nigerian songs are dope, honestly.

Moving closer, Mom put off her phone, sat next to Dad and placed her cheek on Dad's broad chest. She sighed contentedly. "There, I've put it off now. Hope you're happy."

"Of course I am. Although I really don't mind if you want to blast my ears off in the name of music." They chuckled together as he patted her hair.

"All I know is that you still love me." He smoothed down the orange flowery gown she wore.

Is it weird that I want to take a picture of them that way? I'll probably gush out, "Awwn, just look at you two. Come on say cheese, I wanna take a pic," because things were getting romantic here or put in the Nigerian way, they're catching feelings. Yeah, I had been pestering Mom to start teaching me some Nigerian slangs and I know a few now. I have to admit, those slangs are darn savage.

Mom whispered something to which Dad laughed heartily at, his shoulders shaking vigorously. Despite the clogging feeling of misery flowing through my veins, I couldn't help but smile at the two.

They conversed in low tunes, an occasional chortle from Dad and a childish giggle from Mom. Yeah, she doesn't behave like an adult whenever she's around him. I had a hunch that they were in their own private world and weren't aware of anyone else not in their orbit. Hmmph.