Jss1(7th Grade)
"The boys are here!" Blessing, my classmate shouted.
"What's the big deal?" Ebube asked and we all laughed at her.
Of course it was a big deal, it's not everyday you see nice looking boys in an all girls school, but well it wasn't a big deal for me because they'd never like a girl like me and well, I have my Josh, I never forgot him.
I usually went with sister Dara to Danny's place every Christmas, being his birthday and all that, everyone went to celebrate with his family. I usually
went on the 24th and left on the 31st of December. There was a time we even did a choreography for his birthday party.
Flashback to last Christmas
It was on the 22nd of December, I had gone earlier this year and the next day was my birthday.
"Pelumi, Yewi, Keisha, come let's dance for Danny's birthday" sister Dara suggested and we all agreed. I was the youngest there and I was mostly used as the errand girl.
"Can this one dance?" Yewi asked referring to me. [shuuush!! Don't tell her, I never liked her 😁]
"We'll teach her" Dara assured and I nodded too, I didn't want to be left out.
"whatever, what are we dancing to?" Pelumi, Danny's girlfriend asked and we all looked at Dara to answer us. I never liked Lumi too though, actually I was jealous of her, she was beautiful and all that, and she had the coolest guy as her boyfriend.
"We'll dance Do Me by Psquare" Dara answered after a while of searching for songs on her phone. We all agreed, chose a rehearsal time and went our separate ways.
Finally, around 3pm, we had lunch, Lumi, was from Danny's step mom's side so she lived in the second apartment that belonged to the second wife of Danny's dad. Yewi came back from her house that wasn't far from Danny's.
We all started rehearsing but when it got to the part for us to whine our waist, I just didn't get it. I mean how they do the twisting thing?
After so many moments of teaching me and me not getting it, Dara turned her back on me and joined the others as they insulted and called me names.
"You're just so dumb! The only thing you know is boy boy boy, yet simple thing you cannot do!" Yewi shouted at me and Dara asked to go on my knees and raise my hands. Yewi has always been too righteous for my liking, I think they call it holier than thou.
We tried the dance again, surprisingly I managed to get it, or better still do something that looked like I was whining my waist, but I still wasn't proud of myself, I wanted to be like Lumi, she was perfect, her clothes were always so nice and all that, unlike mine, my mum only got me baggy jeans, long gowns, big tops and all that.
"I don't want to dance again" I announced and they all looked at me like I had grown two heads.
"because?" Dara asked and Yewi just eyed me.
"I can't dance" I said, covering my face with my hands.
"Thank God you know sef" Yewi said and It pushed my self esteem further lower.
"Yewi leave this girl na" Dara said and laughed before facing me. "of course you can dance, I'll teach you, you'll learn, you're a fast learner, and I trust you" Dara assured me and I smiled. I don't know if I can do this, I don't want to look like a fool in front of Danny, his friends, my church members that were coming, and big mummy's people too(Danny's mum is big mummy). I decided to keep rehearsing and on that day I'll go missing.
+++++
"KayKay, your mum wants to speak with you!" Dara's mum woke me, causing Dara to wake up too.
"Hello" I said into the phone sleepily.
"My baby!! Happy Birthday!!" my mum's cheerful voice said into the phone and I woke up fully!
Wow!!! Today's my birthday??!
"Thanks mum!" I said and let her continue. Of course as a Nigerian you should know what's next. Oh yeah some of you aren't Nigerians.
Well, after the "My baby, happy birthday" thing, the next thing is the long moment of prayers!
"Amen" I kept saying as she prayed on and on and on.
"You will succeed, you will do what ten children can't do for their parents for me." she prayed, that was always my favorite prayer, cause I was the only child.
"In Jesus' name I've prayed" She concluded and I mentally thanked God for the conclusion.
"Amen! Thanks mum!" I said and Dara laughed too.
"Your dad wants to speak to you" she said and handed the phone over to dad.
We talked for a short while and they hung up.
"Happy Birthday dear" Dara greeted and gave me a chocolate bar as my birthday gift. I squealed happily and we rushed to the bathroom to have our bath and get ready for the day.
I wore the clothes my mum had packed for my to wear on my birthday, a long jeans skirt, a Barbie top and Dara helped me pack my hair nicely, since I was just going to be indoor, I wore my normal pink slippers, that made me taller, cause of the extra height they added to it.
We got downstairs and headed to the kitchen. I handed Dara's mum her phone.
"Happy Birthday Darling" she greeted and I smiled.
"thank you ma" I answered.
"oh, my baby, how are you this morning" big mum asked and I told her I was fine. "oh by the way, happy birthday my love" she said and I smiled. "thank you ma" I said.
We were helping out in the kitchen when Danny and his two brothers entered the kitchen.
"What's the occasion?" Uncle Mike asked as soon as he noticed how over dressed I was.
Danny rarely spoke to me since the wedding incident, Uncle Ethan who was Danny's elder brother, rarely talked to anyone, but Uncle Mike who was the eldest, took me as his little baby.
"Uncle Mike! Today's my birthday!!" I said excitedly and everyone smiled at how bubbly I was.
"Really!???" Uncle Mike asked again and I nodded, who doesn't love birthdays?
"Wow! My baby girl's now a big girl!" Uncle Mike said and lifted me up.
Uncle Ethan smiled at me and drew my cheeks. "Happy Birthday Princess" he said and took my from his brother. Uncle Mike took a bottle of water from the fridge and we all went back to the mini sitting room upstairs where our room, and some other rooms were, they all had separate rooms but they just slept wherever they found themselves, except the room meant for us girls.
We got to the stairs and peeped into the other apartment since it was just a door apart, in fact I really can't explain how it was built, the architect did a nice job though, he joined the house together and at the same time made it so separate.
Danny went into the door leading to the second wife's apartment, probably to meet Lumi or his other friends. The other apartment was always bubbly cause they had more children around than ours.
Anyways, Uncle Ethan, Mike, Dara and I went into our own mini sitting room and settled down.
"okay since today's KayKay's birthday, why don't we go out?" Uncle Mike suggested and Uncle Ethan shrugged his shoulders while Dara squealed happily. Biko Is it your birthday?
"No, I don't have fine clothes" I said and they all looked at me. Dara gave me this are you sure something's not wrong with your brain look. Uncle Ethan looked confused and uncle Mike gave me the Awww look.
"You're fine in whatever you wear! God!
look at you, you're ten now right?" he asked and I nodded. "Has anyone ever told you're so beautiful, in and out?" he asked again and I nodded. What? My dad says it all the time. "Good, so even if you wear rags, which will never be your portion, you'll always be beautiful! And besides, you don't need to change your clothes, this one's beautiful enough already" he said and drew my cheeks. I smiled at him, I have always adored this three rich brothers. "Thanks Uncle Mike" I said and he waved it off "it's nothing baby boo"
"Good, let's all get cleaned up and we'll meet you guys in an hour" he said and the Two brothers go up.
"by the way, call me Danny" Uncle Mike said and went into a room.
Dara had already settled in her seat, watching a movie on the television, which meant I had to go to the other house and get Danny.
I huffed and moved to the next apartment, I did the cross sign before finally knocking on the already closed door.
"Yes KayKay what do you want?" Abayo, Dara's boyfriend, and one of Danny's friend asked politely.
"Uncle Mike is calling Danny" I said and he shouted back into the apartment calling Danny.
"Danny, they are calling you oh!" Abayo shouted and I laughed. Biko it's just Uncle Mike that's calling him na "He's coming" he said and left. I turned to enter our own apartment which was just two or three feet away, depends on how long your leg is😁
"Happy Birthday" I heard a voice say so lowly at my back but I pretended like I hadn't heard.
"Ehn? What did you say?" I asked (Ehn in this sentence means what? Or pardon?)
"I said happy birthday" he repeated more aggressively this time and I just smiled.
"thank ---" he slammed the door on my face as soon as he entered, leaving me dumbfounded. "---you" I complete and entered, but he wasn't in the room when I entered so I just guessed he had gone to meet his brothers.
--+++--
We all went out including Danny, leaving the mothers at home and the other kids from the other apartment.
Baba drove us to Mr Biggs, and some other cool places that Uncle Mike suggested. I had fun! It could never be like this with my parents, we'd just stay at home, take a couple pictures and cut a cake, just us three, but here I had more people to celebrate with and that got me happy. I haven't even been to half of the places they took me to, at home, my dad went to those places and got me goodies from there, but sometimes he took I and my mum too, but it wasn't everytime.
Finally we got back home around 6pm and I was already with a full stomach and happy too.
"What do you say when someone does something for you?" big mommy asked and I smiled. Biko I have been saying thank you since na, do you need to remind me again?
"Thank you all" I said facing the three brothers and Dara.
"Where have you so been?" we heard big daddy's voice all of a sudden.
"Today is KayKay's birthday so we went on celebrate" Uncle Mike answered for all of us.
"Oh, my small wife, happy birthday to you" he said and hugged me with my head only reaching his potbelly, then he released me and dipped his hands into his pocket to bring out something, he counted 5 one thousand naira notes and handed them over to me. Cheiii 5 thousand Naira keh! Only me! Chaii it's good to know rich people Ohh😂😂
"Thank you Sir!" I squealed happily and hugged him again.
"You're welcome dear, hope you had fun today" he asked.
"Yes sir, all thanks to Uncle Mike and Uncle Ethan and Uncle Danny and Aunty Dara" they did not born me well to call Danny and Dara names when their mums were there! I'd hear how rude I was and all that this night, Biko that's not an episode I want today that's supposed to be my birthday
"oh, that's good, go have fun upstairs guys" and we all went up with the goodies we bought. My stomach kept singing 🎶this is the day of joy, the day of joy, the day of joy😁🎶
As soon as we got upstairs, I went into the room to drop the clothes they had bought for me. Inside the shopping bag that was meant for me, I saw an alter neck, show-me-your-back top. I was surprised though, it wasn't part of the things Uncle Mike and Uncle Ethan had bought for me, or was it? I dismissed the thought. I liked the top anyway so I don't care. Are you sure it's yours? I looked at the top again, mentally looked at Dara. nahh, it's not her size. I was about to put it in my cloth bag when another thought came again, but you and Lumi are almost the same size oh.
"Wo! Don't disturb me, I'll just ask Abeg" I said aloud as I walked out of the room.
I got to the sitting room to meet only Danny and Dara there.
"Sister Dara, I saw this in my bag, and I don't know if it's for me" I said showing her the top.
"Ah! Me I don't know oh, wait let Uncle Mike and Uncle Ethan finish, they did the buying." she said and concentrated on the movie she was watching.
"It's your own" Danny said, not looking at me even for a second.
"Are you sure?" I asked again but he didn't reply this time and I rolled my eyes at him.
He's so arrogant! He's just 2 years older than me yet he'll be doing shakara! I thought to myself as I stomped my feet and went in the continue what I was doing.
"How did you know it's for her?" in heard Dara ask before I closed the door.
"because I bought it" I heard him answer with a duh Sound.
"seriously! You like her!!" Dara squealed!
Ehn? Like who?!! It can't be me!
"What ever please" Danny answered and that was the end.
🎄 🌲 🎄
Christmas Day 12 am
"Merry Christmas!" We all shouted. We were at the other apartment, with the other kids, dancing and playing different songs, while the boys were playing their PS games.
Did I say WE?? SMH!! I meant THEY!!
I was on my own, watching everything that was going on.
The thrills of Christmas had probably made them forget that today was Danny's birthday.
I ran into our apartment and got a sheet of paper and a Biro.
Happy Birthday Odun I wrote but I looked at the paper again, looked at how big and ugly my handwriting was and just threw it in the bin.
I walked back to the room and by this time every one had their full attention on Danny, flogging, wetting, beating, playing and doing all sorts to him all in the name of BIRTHDAY.
When things had settled down, I just went to him and wished him a Happy Birthday but he just muttered a thank you and continued with the ps2 game he was playing with his friends.
"I'm going to sleep" I told Dara and left.
Back to present
"KayKay, what were you thinking of?" Ebube asked and I realized I had zoned out.
"oh, nothing was just telling my spiritual friends some stories" I said and she gave me the are you sure you're okay? Look. "Just kidding, was thinking of how I'll sleep in the hall during those boring presentations.
"It's you that know, please let's go before your school mother will come and use cane to flog us to the hall now" she said and I stood up laughing.
"Biko I know my school mother and my school mother, That one can never be my school mother, I'll just poison her" I said and we laughed as we made our way to the hall.
Guyssss!!!
Wo- Yoruba word for SEE
Shakara- means arrogance
Here's a long enough chapter! Because I love you guys.
BTW.. Of all the three brothers who's your favorite so far?
Uncle Mike-eldest, fun, nice and good-looking.
Uncle ethan- second born, fun, nice, quiet, good looking.
Or Danny-last born, December born, fun, bad boy type, good looking
Tell me your favorite!!
I love you guys.. See you in my next update and well see you in my comment box.
Don't forget to vote and comment.
Bye!!