DAMOLA

Chapter 10

The following day, Damola woke up by 7:00 am and sat on her desk admiring the flowers in the flower shop she had seen earlier that week. They looked beautiful in the morning as they were vibrant in the afternoon. While she was still lost in thought, Aunty Ndidiamaka walked into the room,
"Damola get dressed quickly, I want to take you to see my friend"

Damola was about to ask who it was but it seemed as if her aunt was in a hurry so she dressed up quickly.

When she got into the car, she asked her aunt who the friend was and why she wanted her to meet the friend. Aunty Ndidiamaka told her to wait till they arrived at the place.

Damola was still puzzled but decided to leave it at that. The road that day was busy and a bit congested but Aunty Ndidiamaka's driver was a very skilled driver.

The surrounding soon changed to a beautiful well organized one and it was clear that it was government residential area. Aunty Ndidiamaka's friend was a rich woman. The car eventually stopped in front of a big red gate and got in.

The theme of the house was white. White fence, white duplex and a white water fountain. The fences were lined with flowers just like in her aunt's house.

Stepping into the house, Damola felt a cool breeze and made herself comfortable on the black leather sofa. The interior had a minimalist finish to it. The living room had nothing else but the basics: sofa, television, glass center table and two paintings on the wall.

Damola was about to ask who they came to see again when the host walked in. The woman appeared to be simple like her home. Her hair, with streaks of gray, was tied up and she wore a flowing white gown. She looked like she was in Aunty Ndidiamaka's age group, Damola was sure of that.

"Amaka welcome!" She had emerged from the hallway behind the sofa. Aunty Ndidiamaka stood up to hug her "Damola how are you?"

"Good morning ma. I'm fine and you?"

"Oh I'm good. Well, I don't know if your aunt told you why you're here but I'll introduce myself properly. I'm Dr. Grace and I'm a psychologist"

Damola resisted the urge to show that she was beyond annoyed. What did her aunt tell this woman? Does this woman think she'll talk?

"I can see you've put two and two together."

Damola said nothing.

"I just want you to know that you can talk to me. I want you to see me as a friend"

Damola looked at the old yet fit woman and wondered why she studied psychology. Was that the only bachelor's degree she owned? How long had she been a therapist? Did she license herself? She sounded like she was a children's teacher.

"Amaka, you can excuse us so that we can talk better"

"No problem" Aunty Ndidiamaka walked behind them, apparently going through the hallway the woman emerged from.

"Now, tell me what happened. I'm your mum's friend too so you can trust me."

Damola looked into Dr. Grace's eyes and had the feeling that she was a gossip. She also imagined Aunty Ndidiamaka staying close to the wall, straining her ears to listen. "It was a few people in class. They laughed at my boyish stature."

Dr. Grace laughed, "Is it not the body you were born with? It's not supposed to bother you. There are boys that like girls like that. Are you sure that is the only reason?"

" Yes" Damola was glad she hadn't said the truth. What sort of therapist would laugh at something that someone else took serious? She was clearly a children's teacher that probably made children feel small and stupid.

Damola didn't blame Aunty Ndidiamaka. She did the best she could and therapists were quite expensive. The drive back home was quiet. Damola felt Aunty Ndidiamaka was ashamed of herself but she didn't look it. In fact, she looked like she had accomplished something big.

When they got back to the house, Damola walked to the kitchen to get snacks she knew Aunty Ndidiamaka stored in the fridge.

"Damola I had to get a therapist and she was the best I could find around here"

And the cheapest, Damola thought to herself.

" I hope she told you what to do and what not to do?"

"Aunty Ndidiamaka I told you I was better"

" I wanted to be sure"

Damola sighed, " Yes, she told me what to do"

" Where there drugs? Did she talk about drugs?"

Damola shrugged, " No "

" Okay. Please do everything she told you to do, please. I want you to be better before you travel to start school"

" Okay. Aunty Ndidiamaka thank you"

" And after taking those snacks, make sure you eat real food"

Damola laughed this time, " yes"

Aunty Ndidiamaka left Damola to go to her room while Damola remained in the kitchen.

Damola had not told anybody the real reason she did what she did. If she had, things would have turned out much worse than they did. Her mother would have acted the drama of the century and would have hated Nike's and Taj's family for life, which was unnecessary.

Damola remembered the points she had been reading and returned to her room to continue. The next point was to,

'Try something new'

This was going to be tricky. What new thing would she want to try that would really engage her?