Waking up to a new day always brings to me so much excitement and enthusiasm. And this Wednesday morning was no exception. I was in a good mood. I felt that way after the message I had sent to Ola during the night.
I convinced myself he must have replied and so I didn't bother to switch my phone on. I wanted to wait until I left the house. I prepared myself and went to join my parents at the breakfast table.
Having parents who are constantly watching your every mood is like being monitored 24 hours a day by a CCTV camera. At the breakfast table I noticed my mother stare at me from time to time, while I was eating. My father in his usual habit always ate quietly. He would only stare at me when he thought I had not eaten enough.
But my mother? She would stare and in her usual habit, make one or two comments. And right now, she was about to say something.
"Tola, you seem to be too happy this morning. Is there something I should know?" She asked. I knew where she wanted to go with this. Soon she would want to know if there was a guy who was taking advantage of me.
"I'm just feeling happy, that's all?"
"Honey, she's a big girl now, she must have her reasons for being happy." My father said.
"Papa Tola? Don't you see how bright her face is?"
"So her face should look dull? You mean my daughter's face should look dull?"
"I mean it's too bright for my liking. There must be something wrong." I stood up from the table ready to go out. I wanted to go out quickly to avoid any further observations and comments from my mother. But as I got up and greeted them and walked towards the front door, she called me. I turned and faced them. I noticed she was looking at my stomach.
"Tola?" she called, looking at my stomach.
"Yes mum?"
"Hope you are not pregnant?" My father looked at me and frowned almost to the point of getting angry.
"And how did you arrive at such a conclusion?" My father asked her, " My daughter, don't mind her, and go to where you are going."
"Papa Tola, no make me vex o."
"If you want to get angry, get angry. Tola, my dear go where you are going and don't listen to your mother."
I thanked my dad and went out. I knew my mother would insist on knowing if I was seeing someone. She would want to know who that guy was. And I knew until I gave her an answer, she would keep on insisting.
This eventually happened when I came back home. She was alone in the sitting room watching the television with her arms folded across her chest. Where was my dad? It appeared he wasn't in the house and this made me believe, she would use this time to talk to me.
"Hello mummy. " I greeted her. I was quickly heading towards my room when she stopped me.
"Tola, let's talk, woman to woman, now that your father is not in the house." she said
"Where did he go?" I asked not really wanting to engage in a discussion I already knew was about me.
"He went out is all I can tell you."
"Okay then, I'll be with you in a minute." I told her.
"Tola there's no time to waste come and sit down."
"Okay." I went to sit down beside her and waited for her to say something. But five minutes passed and she didn't utter a word. Then she adjusted her voice and looked at me.
"Tola, you are a big girl now, but you are still my daughter. And besides you are not a man. So all this support you are getting from your father should not get into your head."
"Ah but mommy... " she pointed a finger at me as a way of telling me not to interrupt her. I kept quiet and listened.
"I know what I saw this morning and I am convinced there's something you are hiding from me."
"Mummy, why should I hide anything from you?"
"Tola, tell me what is going on, so I know how to move, o. I will not carry a bastard child and pretend it is normal." I was surprised to hear her tell me about being pregnant.
"Mom it is as if you don't trust me." I replied still terribly shocked.
"Until I know who he is and what he is doing around you, that is when I will trust you." She folded her hands across her chest making me wonder why she was so concerned about me getting pregnant.
I shook my head in disbelief as I felt, this wasn't about any pregnancy. It may have something to do with them taking me to see Ola's family.
"Mom, if it is about seeing the son of dad's friend, then I can understand you are worried I may decide against that." She looked at me in an unpleasant manner but managed to pull out a smile.
"Tola, is it not good that you meet him so both of you can start life together? Why follow someone who will not guarantee you a better future?" This sounded more like what they wanted for me. I looked at my mother and finally knew what she was worried about. .
And I had to imagine it was something they had already planned. But it seemed luck was on their side as I was already in love with Ola, and couldn't think of any other man that could take his place.
" Mom is it not too early for that? I mean I'm almost finishing my degree program."
"Tola, I'm not against all the degrees you want to get in life. My only concern is that you get a man of your own before you find yourself sharing one with another woman."
"Okay then. So when are we seeing them?" My mom's face radiated with a smile I had not seen before. My decision to see Ola's family was the best news I had given her. I saw her get up and wondered where she was going. She went straight to the kitchen. When she came back, she was holding in her hands a bottle of wine and a glass. She was about to celebrate this good news.
She opened the wine and poured some into the glass and drank it. She then poured some more wine into the glass and held it up.
"Tola, my baby come and have some wine." I stared at her in absolute astonishment as she held the glass close to my mouth.
"Tola open your mouth and drink this wine. It is your mother giving it to you." I quietly opened my mouth and drank the wine.
My mother was happy. She was overwhelmed with so much happiness. I could see that. And she carried it until my dad came home. When she heard the front door open and my dad come in, she got up and danced towards him and embraced him, giving him a kiss.
"Tola, is your mother alright?" He asked. I smiled at him.
"I think she is?" I answered.
"So you think she's alright? And since when did you start thinking like that?" I couldn't reply as my mother had started pouring praises and blessings on me.
"Ha my daughter, God will bless you day in and day out. God will really bless you for making me a proud mother."
"Anyway whatever it is let her get her degree first and start to run my company for me, please." My father added. My mother seemed not to listen to him but continued speaking.
"My daughter I now know that you really love me. Oh, my daughter, I thought you loved your father more than you loved me." My dad and I looked at my mother baffled as she kept talking and pouring praises on me.
"Ah Papa Tola, your daughter is asking when we are going to see your friend o. Is that not good news?" My dad sat down and placed his hands against his jaws.
"Is it not too early seeing she will soon graduate?" My mother gave him a strong look of disapproval.
"What is too early? Let her start now so she will get used to that boy." My mother said.
"No, I don't agree. let her finish her education first."
"Aha but is she not in her final year?"
"Final or no finals, I want to hang that degree on this parlor wall." I looked at the two of them as they argued over me getting my degree first before seeing Ola's family or not. I wasn't in a hurry, my father wasn't in a hurry. So why was my mother so bent on wanting it to happen fast?
I listened to their arguments and soon got tired and told them, I was going to bed. My mother hugged me so hard, it reminded me of how Ola had hugged me. It was then I remembered the message I had sent him. I left my parents and went to my room and switched my phone on.
When I looked, to my surprise I found that the message had not been sent. I was shocked that the message I sent didn't go. I sat down on my bed wondering how it could have happened.
I decided to resend the message again, seeing it was in the draft folder. I resent it and still got the same result. My message could not be sent. This got me asking myself if Nancy in her anger had given me the wrong number. I dialed her number and called her, but her phone was off.
I tried again and still got the same response. After a few more attempts, I gave up convinced it was a mistake on her part. I switched my phone off and went to bed wondering how I didn't notice it earlier.