Water Under the Bridge

Chapter 1

Present Day.
Lagos, Nigeria
22nd December, 2022

The hot humid air slapped my face as soon as I stepped out of the air conditioned Uber that drove us from the hotel we checked into as soon as we landed in Nigeria. I sighed as I gaped at the mansion in front of us while my mum settled the Uber driver's bills.

Bending a little below the roof of the car, I picked up my sleeping 3 year old brother and gently placed his arm around my neck while I tightened mine around his waist.

My mum stepped out of the car after settling the Uber driver and gestured for me to move closer to her. Hugging me close to her with her left hand swung around my neck, we stared at the huge mansion we would be living in now. I wondered how my mum acquired a house within such short notice.

Two words.
Money speaks.

We entered the house and my mum immediately took off to the kitchen. I stood in the living room with Benji, my little brother, in my arms admiring the beauty of our new home. The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior.

The living room had high ceilings and ornate decorations. The main entryway had a sweeping foyer with an elegant staircase and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were covered in rich tapestries and paintings, and there was a large vase with fresh flowers on a side table. The windows were huge and leaded, allowing in plenty of natural light. There was a lot of marble, mahogany, and brass in the house, making it feel luxurious and opulent.

This was exactly mum's style.

I laid my brother  on one of the fine leather couches then brought out my phone to check my social media accounts. Opening up instagram first, I nonchalantly liked different posts before proceeding to check my messages.

I smiled wistfully as I saw the texts from the friends I had made in the United States. Some of them wishing me luck in Nigeria while some feigned anger at me questioning why I did not let them know before moving.

My own mother told me last minute.

"Riri, there are three rooms upstairs and we have four down here. Where would you like yours to be?" questioned my mum as she came out of the kitchen holding a cup of water to her lips and looking at me over the rim of the cup.

"Where will yours be?" I asked her without looking away from my phone.

"Upstairs of course" She replied sitting on the couch Benji was laying and placing him in her arms.

"Then mine will be upstairs too" I said facing her a moment before dropping my face to my phone again.

"Alright then, I'll have the interior decorator come do her work. Same colour right?" she questioned referring to the colour of my room in the United States.

"Yeah" I muttered giggling at the funny skit I was watching on my phone.

"Okay, I'm going upstairs now to give Benji a bath then put him to bed. The moving truck will soon be here. Please be at alert. I'll be down in a bit to help you bring the boxes in"

"Yes ma"

She woke Benji softly then held his hand and they both went upstairs. Putting my phone in my pocket, I went to the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the fridge then I went back to the living room and sat on the floor waiting for the moving truck to arrive.

Fifteen minutes later, my mum shouted from upstairs alerting me that the truck had arrived. I went to open the door so the men who came with the truck will bring our boxes in.
My mum joined later on and we arranged everything where they should be.

After arranging my room, I went to downstairs to have the pizza my mum ordered for dinner because she was too stressed to cook.

After dinner, I put away the dishes and washed my face. I then decided to pamper myself with a little beauty routine. I exfoliated my skin and applied a hydrating mask. I then massaged my feet with a moisturizing lotion and buffed my nails. I finished off with a spritz of my favorite body mist. I felt relaxed and refreshed after my pampering session, and ready to curl up in bed and enjoy a good book which I kept dozing off on as I read. Closing the book finally and shutting my eyes, I felt grateful for the simple pleasures in life and only hoped that our time in Nigeria would be long lasting.

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And that's a wrap for this chapter!
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Off to the next chapter.