Greater Expectations

My cousin Abike was taking the GCE exams and her center was at Igwurutali so she would be spending the next month in our house. We lived at the outskirts of Rupkokwu which is still quite a distance from Igwurutali but is cheaper compared to that Aggrey estate Abike's family resided. I was super excited because Abiks, as I fondly call her, is my favorite cousin and since I don't have any siblings, she was like my sister and we used to act like twins when we were younger even if she's two years older. During the long holidays she spends in our house we'll make my mother plait us same hairstyles, wear near matching outfits, we really tormented my mother because anything she did for one, she had to do for the other. My fondest memory of us was how we used to pinch each other and roll our eyes during those long boring morning devotions when daddy will forget it wasn't one of his sermons in church. I swear, the only reason I attend my father's church is because he's my father. I wasn't that way with her siblings though, they were so quiet and always acted like robots. Anyway, she started attending some girls' boarding secondary school in Calabar so she didn't come for holidays again. Phones were not allowed in her school so we only talked once in a while. I was devastated when she told me she didn't get her complete 5 credits in her Senior Certificate exams so she had to take the GCE exams but a little selfish part of me was happy because I'll finally spent time with her.

Daddy picked her up on Sunday afternoon. There was no point for that because the bus stop was not very far from our street and she could easily take a motor bike if her luggage was too heavy which I doubt because how much will a girl pack for only one month but Pastor Makinde always liked to play the part. Mommy was home fanning her self with a rafia hand fan after power was interrupted. The fuel price had massively increased over the past week so we saved our fuel until when its dark. 

She was always restless on Sundays after church especially if there was no power supply. She hated being idle and daddy will not let her open the saloon on Sunday. Keep the Sabbath day holy! 

"Oh Teni come and braid my hair"

"How much will you pay me?" I was searching the fridge for something cold to drink. The sultry weather wasn't helping matters at all. I settled for a sweaty bottle of water.

"Haba! Just hold it into four places jare. This heat is killing me"

My mother's hair was a mane, thick like a forest.

"I'm tired" I pretended to fume.

"My friend, will you get up and plait your mother's hair. When I carried you for nine months do you think I wasn't tired? Those useless nurses were telling me 'madam calm down' in the labor room as if they are the ones in the labor. For six hours they left me there, six! They were lucky I was in pain, I would have.......... "

And there goes my birth story again. Trust me, I'll never hear the end of it till I grow grey hairs and bald over.

Daddy arrived later with Abiks. She was so tall and slim like a twig as if she was going to break in half. Her face was rounder than I remember and her make up was so on fleek. I remember once she mentioned she was learning makeup professionally. See little Abiks, all grown and stuff. There was an empty room for visitors but we've always shared my room. I waited as she took her bath while I went through her stuff, selecting the clothes that were my size. I gave her one of my nightwear, a silk playsuit that nearly reached my knees but were up her thighs.

"So, how is SS2? Senior things. Which post did they give you?" She was sitting on the bed with her knees up and her slender arm draped around them. 

I yawned and stretched "It's till next term. I think it'll either be deputy senior prefect or labor prefect"

She looked at me teasingly "See this one that was bragging about being senior prefect"

I drew a long hiss "There's that Brenda girl. All the teachers like her. I told you about her, right?"

She nodded and slapped a mosquito off her lap. There was something distant about her, a part of her life I couldn't reach. I was jealous of the places she'd been without me, the people she'd met that I'll never be aware of.

"What of boys" She eyed me, edging closer. 

"Boys?" I tsked tsked. "They are all a bunch of idiots in my class"

We burst out laughing. She leaned further on the bed, sprawling over.

"What of that Ibinabo guy you were dating?"

"We've broken up since last century. Very foolish boy. I can't believe I even looked at him twice. He should be giving testimony every Sunday that he had the privilege to date a girl like me"

"Haba! Teni!" She pushed me and we both laughed again.

"So no gist about school ehn?"

***

Somebody was knocking. I went outside to find a boy about Abike's height standing in front of our proof. 

"Can I help you?" I asked

"Good morning" He said with a smile in his guttural voice. The sun was blaring hot and his yellow face shone with sweat. "My family and I just moved into this house" He pointed to the flat immediately next to ours to the left. There were five flats lining on opposite ends of our compound with a free space in the middle. 

"Oh you people are the ones taking Uncle Brigg's house huh" Uncle Briggs used to be our care taker and he had just moved out, making my dad the next care taker, not like he cares for such unnecessary activity but our landlord wanted someone he could trust. Pastor Makinde to the rescue! 

He nodded "Oh yes, yes. So it appears my sister went out with the spare key and I'm locked out. We're still trying to put things in order so we're not very settled yet. I have no money on me and I'm very tired and thirsty. If you can give me a little water, I'll be very grateful "

" Ah no oh" I replied. He looked taken aback "I can't trust a stranger oh. I don't know if you're an ex con or something and the police is looking for you" 

He had a wounded expression but not necessarily an offended one and it made me lose my act and burst out laughing. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I laughed "I was only kidding. You should have seen your face" 

He laughed with relief "You almost got me" 

I asked him to hold on a minute while I brought the key

"My parents are not around but my cousin is inside. Hope you like coconut rice? If you taste Abike's food you will just marry her, sharp sharp" I said as I fumbled with the padlock while he laughed. 

"I like you" He said as he followed me inside. I love the way he said it, like it was normal to tell a random girl you meet that you like her and you expected her not to take it the wrong way. 

"I'm a very likable person" I laughed "Although I really have to stop scaring strangers with my pranks, my mom used to tell me 'Teni, one day you will get into trouble because of your silly pranks' "

He laughed. "You weren't wrong though. I could be an ex con. Stranger danger" 

I nodded in approval "I know right?" 

I handed him a bottle of water and he finished it in fast gulps, thanking me profusely. The boy was very thirsty. 

"So Teni is your name huh, like Teni the musician" 

"Yeah, the billionaire, you know" I chuckled "What's your own name?" 

"Mondread" 

"Mondread? What kind of name is that?" 

He seemed very amused by my question. 

"Teni, come look at this dress. Does it make my butt look fat?" Abike shouted from the room. Oh God, this girl. 

"That's my cousin" I said, flustered. He looked like he was going to laugh. 

"Let me go and meet her" 

"Ugh nothing in my closet fits! I can't find any thing to wear tomorrow" Abike fumed. Her entire clothes were scattered on the bed.

"Is that why you're shouting? There's a boy in the sitting room" I said in furious whispers. 

She pulled one side of her lip up in a sneer "So?" 

 "You're shouting about your butt for the whole world to hear and you're asking me 'so?' " 

She shook her head, amused. "Who's the boy?" 

"Our new neighbor. He said they locked him out of the house" 

"How cruel!" 

"Not like that" I chuckled, realizing how funny that sounded "They just moved in and his sister left with the spare key" 

"Oh" 

"Okay hurry up and come give him some rice" 

"Is he handsome?" 

"So you will not give him rice if he's not handsome?" 

She laughed "I just want to know" 

In the evening, I followed my parents to greet our new neighbors. They had four children. Mondread being the oldest, one girl about my age, a younger girl and then a toddler and they all bore funny names. They seemed nice but they were Witnesses and daddy does not like witnesses. He had his nose in this scrunched up, self righteous manner as Mr Waritimi regaled us on their missionary experience and shared their latest issue with us. I wanted to laugh but I didn't want to make a bad impression on the first day. Thankfully, Mrs Waritimi was a beauty enthusiast. 

"Ronke's shine and glimmer, that Beauty salon along the road" My mother was saying

"Oh oh oh, that one opposite that school building. There's no way I could have missed it. The exterior design is very catchy" 

My mother seemed very pleased to hear that. It wasn't easy pleasing my mother. 

"We do nails, pedicures, spa treatments, make up and we sell wigs. You can even book an appointment and we are connected to many beauty magazines in the country so we usually give free issues if you patronize us" 

Mrs Waritimi looked sold already. 

I sat outside with Mondread long after my parents had left, talking about family and school and friends and other petty things that pertain to life as a teenager. Apparently, he was awaiting his admission letter and hopefully he'll be leaving for the University soon. 

"What University?" I asked.

"Bowen" He said, much to my surprise. 

"Your parents must be really rich" I pointed out keenly. Bowen was a private owned university and very prestigious.

He shrugged. He obviously didn't think it was such a big deal. 

"Do you play any sport?"

"Does the makeshift ping pong in our back yard count?"

I chuckled "I guess"

A pause.

"I have a few weeks until I leave for the University and I really want to make it count, you know" Mondread said, staring up at the dark sky with bright stars winking ferociously.

"I can't help but wonder how life is so short. It seems like only yesterday I started Secondary school" He chuckled wistfully. "And I don't think I've done so much with my life. I mainly cared about getting perfect grades so I can get into a prestigious university and make my parents proud but I never really thought about what I really wanted for myself until now"

He looked at me "I don't know if you understand"

I nodded. Though I was only in my sophomore year, I've had my own share of thinking. The world outside the little confinement of my school was so vast and wide and I wonder if it has a place for me. Then I had a bright idea.

"Hey, how about we make a bucket list of things to do before you leave?"

He seemed pensive for a while, then he said. "We'll call it 'our epic adventure list before we get drawn into the whirlpool of adulthood' "

Laughter shot out of my mouth "Or we could just call it 'a summer bucket list' like normal people"

"What's fun about being normal?" He said with a chuckle.

I shrugged. He wasn't wrong but I wouldn't agree with him just yet.