IF I WERE YOU. (Editing)

SEVEN_

Pa Hezekiah was at her door before nightfall. An emergency family meeting had been called by Bishop.
The young lady picked herself from the bathroom floor after birthing another of those things.

After one month break, she was actually beginning to think maybe her visit to the 'Beach people' helped her situation. But this morning had defied that assertion.

       Incinerating those things inside the place designated for them, she rushed into the bathroom to get a good bath.
Before Pa Hezekiah could ring the bell again, Vivian was out of the door racing down the stairs.

       It took roughly ten minutes to get to her parents residence. And only because she was having a heartfelt conversation with Pa Hezekiah.

         "There she comes!"  Kelechi's high pitched voice startled her.
She walked into the residence through the back door in order to avoid her troublesome brother. But it seemed as though the guy had been manning all the entrances.

       Ignoring him, she walked into the huge seating room she hadn't been in for months. It was still the same, her fathers pictures hung side by side her mothers. Then there a picture of her parents vacation in an island.

A picture of herself and her twin hung on the other end of the wall. She observed that her matriculation picture that used to hang at the entrance of the room had been removed.
The thought that any traces of her as an adult had been removed, struck her heart with pain. She wiped the tears that walled her eyes.

        "Not today.....Not today."
Paying attention to all the beautiful furniture in the room, she decided not to seat. Fearful of her parents reaction, she stood right by the hallway.

        Meso winked at her from the kitchen that separated the hall way. A waft of good meal flowed from the kitchen.

Bishop and his wife were now down stairs and took a seat next to the huge television that hung on the wall.

Soon, Kelechi who had never left the seating area took a spot next to her parents.

             "Ke ebe ino? (Where are you?)" Her father called.

Knowing that question was meant for her, she rushed into the seating room.

         "Erm, seat down." Bishop pointed to a couch next to Kelechi.

His daughter shook her head slowly.. "I prefer to stand."

Bishops fiery eyes landed on her. "If I were you......"

Vivian rolled her eyes, a wave of anger was slithering into her blood stream.  "If I were you...... blah blah blah." She mocked. Turning to face her dad with a gaze of defiance. "Well, you're not me. And I choose to stand here."

           "My friend, I gave you an instruction. Sit!" Bishop's two fingers pointed intensely at Vivian while he puffed.

The young lady who planted her foot strongly between the seating room and the hallway.
            "Say whatever you all need to say. Because like everything else that's been going on in this family, I m not even part of you. Yet, I don't understand why I am here!"

          "My friend, mind your tone. I am still your father!" Bishop warned.

          "Father indeed. Please hasten this meeting, I need to go back to my prison."
Bishop swallowed the hurtful words that were rushing up his vocal cord.  Sucking in a huge amount of air, he let it out with a sigh.

        "Vivian dear, please sit." Her father's voice spoke politely.
First lady kaima's gaze caught her daughters defiant posture and tried to speak to her silently, but the young woman didn't budge.