Just do it √

Nineteen

‘Amanda, I totally forgot, where’s your grade sheet?’ Mom asked.
‘In my room, inside my school bag, nicely tugged in my Math notebook. I would’ve shown it to you but you..’ The stink as the edge of the steel spoon cut into my palm made me drop it and for a while the echo of the clanging noise it made filled the room until my phone rang. I quickly got up and went to my room, shutting the door behind me.

‘Abike’. I began speaking into the phone. ‘Sorry for telling on you’.
‘No, it’s fine. I didn’t know it was this serious’. She sounded tired.
‘What’s wrong? Are you okay?’

‘Mom rode me to the hospital yesterday as promised. Turns out I have appendicitis and it’s already very bad so it has to be taken out as soon as possible. I’ve been admitted, the operation is next tomorrow’.
‘Oh my God Bike, I’m on my way’.

‘You should rest, you just got home yesterday’.
‘So did you and I didn’t come back from war so shut your mouth and get ready for an unbelievable news’.
‘Why are you so cruel? Now I’ll just be anticipating, oya na do fast and come’.
I laughed and hung up.

I changed into knee length jean shorts and a white polo. Mom slipped into my room as I was pulling on my shoes.
‘Are you going somewhere?’
‘To see Abike’.
‘Amanda, I know this new arrangement is a little odd but can’t you try to work with it?’ I tightened the knot on my shoes and got up.

‘I’m trying mom but I need to get to Abike right now, she got admitted’.
‘What? Did something happen?’
‘She said it’s appendix’.
‘Oh, poor child. Greet her for me, I’ll call her mom later’. I nodded and walked past her.
‘Amanda’. She called and I turned to face her.

‘Just trust me this once’. She pleadingly said and I nodded before walking into the living room where Marcel was surfing through TV channels. He cast a glance at me and returned his gaze to the screen.
‘Looking good, brown eyes’.
I ignored him and proceeded on my journey.

Abike was in the children’s ward, dressed in a free flowing gown and going through her phone.
‘Aren’t you too old for children’s ward?’
She brought the phone down and smiled up at me.

‘There’s hardly any traffic in Calabar what took you so long?’
‘Keke drivers are on strike’. I took the only seat beside her bed.
‘Nawa o! Keke drivers too’.
‘Dem too are workers ni’.
‘E consign dem. Now, the gist please’. She sat up and repositioned the pillow behind her.

‘You will not believe who is staying at my house now’.
Her cheery expression died.
‘Mandy. Did your mom bring that rapist back?’
‘What? No’.
‘Then?’
‘She got another boyfriend but it’s not just him’.
She frowned slightly and lifted a brow.

‘Don’t tell me he brought his umunna’.
‘One of them, his son’. Her eyes widened
‘Why the suspense young lady? Give me full details. Is he hot? Do you think he likes you? Of course he does, it’s you’. She began unleashing the Henrietta in her.

‘You didn’t even ask me if he was still crawling or in the university’.
‘Okay, sorry. Tell me about him’.
‘It’s Marcel’.

‘They said I’m not supposed to eat for at least six hours before the operation. I’m not even fasting yet but I’m already losing it because I thought I heard you say Marcel’s name’. She sighed like she was sure she was running out of her mind.

‘Abike, Marcel is the one at my house’.
‘Marcel. The mighty Marcel is your mother’s boyfriend’s son’. Her relationship breakdown made me cringe almost as much as the stupid nickname did.

‘When did they start calling him that?’
‘Marcel is at your house!’
‘It’s not that big of a deal’.
‘Is it not? What if your parents get married?’
‘I don’t think it’s that serious’.
‘What if it is?’
‘It’s not and enough with the what ifs’.

‘Okay. How is his dad? Is he nice?’ she was back to looking worried.
‘I don’t know but at least he doesn’t walk around the house half naked’.
She laughed lightly.
‘Five points for papa Marcel’. She said and I joined her to laugh but shushed when an orderly speared us with her eyes.

The ward was filled mostly with kids ranging from ages 5-8 years. Each had at least a parent or guardian with them, buckets were lined under beds and despite all the snacks in sight and failed attempts at making the place look less sickly, the choking sterile smell of cleaning and purifying agents didn’t let anyone forget the place wasn’t a playground and not everyone who left, left happy.

‘Sooo. What were you discussing with the nerdy one yesterday?’
If that was her attempt at cheering me up, she was getting a steel medal.
‘We were just saying our goodbyes like everyone else’.

‘It’s an 18-day break, such lengthy goodbyes. He even waited for you to leave first and let’s not forget he was supposed to catch a bus to Lagos’. She wiggled her brows in a way that made me wonder if she was being injected some sort of stimulant.
‘He’s spending the break with his aunty at Awka Ibom. Stop making him sound like a Romeo’.

‘You do realize you sound like a Juliet right now’.
‘Are you..’
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I got it out. It was a text from my mom.
‘Is that our Romi?’
I rolled my eyes.

‘It’s my mother. She wants me to get bathroom slippers for our guest, apparently she forgot that when she was carving out his little abode’.
As I looked up at Abike, I knew that if she wasn’t scheduled for an operation she’d be following me to my house and giving Marcel a threat that’d replay in his head for weeks.

‘Are you going to be okay?’
I nodded. Mom asked me to trust her and I promised to try. Besides, how bad could the mighty marcel be?

---------------------------------------------------------------
Another update in the same week? Whaaaat??
Tell me I don't deserve an award