GIRL FROM CHURCH

Chapter One

Jeremih

My house was always lively. Why wouldn't it be? We were six children and plus our pets so the house was always full. That day, we were all dressing up for church. Three of my siblings were in the small parlour, checking themselves out in the full-length mirror at the other corner. I wondered if they didn't have rooms.

"Omo ehn, I don't know what to wear I swear," Princess said. She was the first daughter but third child. She had a boyfriend, Neo, whom we (her siblings) were aware about and we were trying really hard not to let our parents know because they are against all of us getting into relationships that we wouldn't benefit spiritually from. My mum was a deaconess in church and my dad? Basically, he never went to church. He was busy, even on Sundays so he did not ever go with us. Sometimes we left him sleeping. He was at home every Sunday with nobody. At least he could make tea so that could keep him going till we were all back and then Princess or the house help, Kemi would make everybody's lunch.

Because we had a housemaid did not make my mum leave my three sisters to get spoilt so they always helped with the housechores in one way or the other.

"It's almost seven o! Because if mummy shouts ehn. Though, she won't do anything other than shout," Chantelle said. She was directly younger than me.

"Princess go and shower," Michael said to my sister who was sitting beside me on the chair, going through channels. He was the second child. The first child, Stephen was sleeping. He had nothing to worry about because he drove mum and he knew he could just be done while mum did her makeup. Our church was just twenty minutes away from our extra-large house.

"Mind your business, Mike," Princess snapped at him.
"Jerry!" Eudora called me from the balcony.

There! The baby of the house but she is twelve years old. I mean she is grown so I didn't still get why mum called her 'my baby'. She was not a baby at all. She was grown.
"What?" I yelled back.

"Please help me get my heels from my room? It's on the rack there. The pink rack not the brown one!" she stated.

"As per? Houseboy." I hissed and started walking down the purple hall with black tiles. I turned right to my room and to the bathroom, I got my paste on my brush and started brushing my teeth but I was still walking around the house. I usually took time to brush my teeth.

"Jerry please! Have you heard? Please just help me get it! I'm practising my bible recitation here!" Eudora kept yelling. "Michael!"

"Ogini?" Michael yelled.

"Bring my heels!" she yelled.
"I don't have strength," he told her. The rest of us chuckled.
"Mummy!" She yelled.

Mum did not reply.

"I dey go baf o!" Princess said and left.

"Who unplug my phone?" Stephen yelled from down the hall. Princess ran back to the sitting room and held her hand on her chest.

"Ahhh na wa! See how this boy is just walking as if he will burst through somebody," Princess said and panted.

"I will slap somebody o!" He yelled and came into the sitting room.

"Don't use your fat hand on any of my children o! Bia! What is wrong?" Mum was coming towards our sitting room.

Princess and I ran off to go and shower before she started saying things like the devil wanted to use us.
I went into my bathroom and spat out then moved on to my tongue, used a dental floss and finally a mouth wash. I held the mouth wash in my mouth as I showered.

Soon, I was dressed in a white sweater with Louis Vuitton designs all over, my Gucci trousers and Jordan sneakers. I had a chain hanging from my pocket and another chain around my neck. I had my expensive wristwatch and a bangle on my right wrist. I wore my face cap backwards and I bounced out of the room.

I really wanted to walk fast so mum wouldn't see me and force me to carry a Bible. I felt it was easy to use a smartphone instead of showing the whole world that you had a Bible with you. To me, it did not mean you were the greatest christian.

"Where's mum?" Chantelle asked when I got to the garage.

"Don't know."

"Who is driving?" Princess asked. "I'm not following mummy sha. Not today."

"Since Kemi and Bro Steve will follow mum, the five of us can manage this space," Eudora said.

"Mikey, join mum so I can drive," I said.

"You are yet to have to a license, why don't you join mum?" He said to me.

"Never," I said.

Of course, every Nigerian teen can relate to why they wouldn't want to be with their mum when another car was available or another means was available.

"Adaeze!" Mum called Princess. She never called any of us by our English names. It was always native. She loved Igbo a lot.

Princess rolled her eyes.
"Come come! Let's stay together so everyone would see our resemblance when we step out of the car," Mom said to her.

Princess shrugged and went over to the other car.