Mother's Last Gift

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The moment Fiyinfoluwa heard the room next door creak, she jumped out of her bed and knelt down beside her bed holding her stomach as an agonized expression could be seen on her face.

Someone knocked on the door and opened it before entering. A woman in her mid-thirties walked in and seeing her daughter wriggling beside the bed, she rushed up to her immediately.

"Fiyin, are you okay?" She asked and Fiyin shook her head negatively.

"Menstrual pain?" Her mom asked anf Fiyin weakly nodded as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Oh my. Sorry ehn" Mrs Alade said as she put her hand on her stomach.

"I pray that every spirit fighting battles in your stomach be cast out in Jesus name. The thing that gives you this pain every month, when Jesus was on the boat and the sea was raging, he said just one word, Peace be still and the sea calmed down, with the name of Jesus, your stomach be stilled! In Jesus name" Mrs Alade prayed as she rubbed her daughter's head.

"Pele. Take care ehn, I'll do the morning devotion with your younger sister" She said and walked out of the room.

Fiyin didn't move until she heard the clapping and singing downstairs before she stood up and sat on her bed. She wiped her cheeks and stopped crying before she chuckled.

She would do anything to miss the early morning devotions. They annoyed her. Her mom would pray for hours and most times if she couldn't avoid it, she just slept off.

Fiyin grabbed her phone that was on the bed and put her finger behind it before the phone opened.  She reconnected her ear pods and continued watching the American movie she was watching.

Lies and Pretence had always been her way of avoiding the devotions, fasting, fellowship and all. Her mom was a devoted Christian. A very devoted one that made her wonder many times why she wasn't a Pastor yet.

She took them to Christian seminars, camps, fellowship even mountains. Fiyin had remembered the first time she had gone to the mountain. She thought that they had gone mountain sighting until she saw people clapping vigorously and praying.

Fiyin would never forget that day. Five, Six, Seven hours; they were still clapping. She had ignored her mom for a week because of it.

Looking at the time, she hurriedly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She quickly took her bath and dressed up ready for school.

She didn't waste any time before wearing the purple kissing pleated skirt and a light purple stripped shirt. She picked her tie and skillfully knotted it before wearing her socks.

Within minutes, she was done. She carried her school bag and started to make her way downstairs. Her younger sister was already dressed in the same uniform eating breakfast.

"Do you feel better?" Mrs Alade asked and Fiyin nodded.

"Yes ma" she replied.

"Did you do your personal devotion?" Mrs Alade asked and Fiyin nodded as she sat down.

"Not really. I just read some passages of the Bible" Fiyin said as she served herself some tea. These were one of the times she hated. She prayed internally for her mom not to ask where she read.

"Which book did you read?" Her mom asked as Fiyin swallowed her saliva.

"Hosea. I read chapter 9, just the first five verses. I really couldn't do anything. I barely managed to read those five verses" Fiyin replied as she mentally high fived herself for coming up with a swift lie.

"What's in Hosea 9:3?" Mrs Alade asked.

"The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her" Fiyin replied confidently with a smile.

"Mom did you really think I didn't read my bible or do my devotion? I really did" Fiyin said and her mom laughed.

"I've told you to brush up your lying skills. That's Hosea 9:2" Mrs Alade said and bother the smile and Fiyin herself froze immediately.

"And besides, I know that was the Sunday School memory verse for yesterday" Mrs Alade added and Fiyin sighed.

That was the bad part. She could conjure up all kinds of lies but her mom always saw through them. She might not even see through it at that moment but sooner or later would find out.

"Okay. I lied, I didn't do it" Fiyin said.

"Ask God to forgive you" Mrs Alade said with a small smile and Fiyin closed her eyes while her mouth moved.

"Mom, can we go now? We are getting late for school" Fadekemi said and they walked out of the house while Mrs Alade locked the door.

Fiyin looked outside the window as her mom drove through the busy streets of Lagos. Somehow she didn't get stuck up in the morning traffic and they got to school right before the assembly.

"Bye mom" Fadekemi said.

"May the Lord be with you both" Mrs Alade said and Fiyin sighed as she walked to join her friends on the assembly ground.

"What's up girl?" A girl said and Fiyin slapped handshakes with her.

"See her face. Wetin your mama do again? " a girl asked in pidgin and Fiyin joined the line while laughing lightly.

"See ehn, Imem, don't even get me started. I pretended to have menstrual pain and I escaped morning devotion. Just as I thought I had escaped, she asked if I did my devotion and I said yes. Asked me where I read and I told her yesterday's Sunday School memory verse. She caught me pah " Fiyin replied and the girls burst into laughter.

"One of these days, I'm going to start memorizing random passages in the bible" Fiyin added and the girls laughed again.

"This makes me laugh a lot. You guys have been doing devotion for years now Fiyin, shouldn't you have gotten used to it?" Eri asked and Fiyin turned to her but before she could talk someone beat her to it.

"Are you aware there's an assembly going on? You guys are laughing and making noise and Fiyin; as a prefect, you aren't only at your post, you are also the center of the noise"