Six

                                ~Jade~

This morning like most mornings, I ate alone in the big dinning room I saw no reason my parents should have built for a family of five. A family of five that rarely eats together at that. My dad had an impromptu surgery during the night and he had rushed to the hospital with Saheed. Mom already left even before I woke up to deliver their breakfast to them. Now, I'm sitting at the dinning table alone, listening to the clusters of cutleries on plates and listening to the echos of my thoughts. Our debate on Sex Education was just two days away, today was Wednesday and on Friday, we'd climb the podium again except that this term, Lakeview had decided it wasn't going to be a debate-like but an argument sort of, like a panel discussion on Sex Education in front of the whole school. I was still busy with my thoughts when the house's phone rang. I stood up and I picked the call, expecting the person on the other line to talk but the person only remained quiet and I remained quiet too, thinking two can play the game. I was about to hang up, concluding it might be a spam call when the person spoke up

'Hello, Is this the Badmus' house'

The voice was distinctly an older Zainab's voice and it was barely above a whisper. Now my sister is prank calling our house. What won't she do now?

'Zee, you know you're crazy, abi? Now, you're modulating your voice to sound older to prank me, abi?

She hanged up abruptly, the sound clicking down my ears. I stared at the phone for a moments longer, a sense of foreboding rising in my heart. The wall clock chimed 7:15. It was time to leave for school. 

                                  *******

I was in the library, writing my points for the debate when I felt a figure looming over me. It was Uthman and he was reading my points. I closed the jother.

'What do you want now?'

He shrugged and say down beside me, pulling the chair closer to me. I ignored him and continued writing in my jother.

'Jade, are you seriously going to argue about Sex Organs with me? In front the whole school?'

I turned to look at him. His usual smirk was on his face or should I say the smirk he always has whenever he was with me was on his face.

'Seriously, you're asking me that? I guess you will get your answer when I win on Friday.'

'You can win that. The only thing I'm interested in winning now is ECOWAS Debate.'

'Oh really? Have you forgotten the person in front of you won over you last year to represent Lakeview'

'I get am before no be property.'

I stood up and packed my books.

'I guess I have to show you again, then.'

I started walking away but he grabbed my hand. I stopped, looked at our almost intertwined hands before we both pulled away. He smiled.

'it's just like three months to go. We'll see then, who the winner will be.'

He said, stoop up and left. I stayed for minutes longer. Staring at nothing, my mind blank. Hana was talking with Akin in front of our class when I got to class. She immediately came over.

'Jade, I was just going to get you. You stayed longer in the library.'

'Yeah. Had other things to do.'

'Do you think Keji slept with Caleb?'

What!!

Fine, rumors were flying all around about Keji. She had caused a whole lot of senseless commotion in the few days she has spent on school. She kept making moves on Uthman and she was probably with Caleb. In short, she was a bad news for Lakeview. I still haven't seen why Lakeview will admit someone like her.

'I don't know. I don't think so.'

Even as I said it, I found myself thinking if it was possible, not just K with the A sleeping with Caleb but my mates actually doing stuffs like that behind closed doors. With the research on sex education I carried out, 65% of girls lost their virginity in Secondary school and we're supposed to be in our final year. I looked at Hana, maybe the only saints in my school was the both of us but then it was really hard to think that my classmates are already active sexually. Hana was writing a colomn related to Sex Education to be posted on the school's board so she was really into knowing about our mate's supposed sexual life even more than I. I was going to stand in front of the whole school to advocate for teaching sex education in schools when I don't believe in it. Not like I don't believe in it but for topics like that, girls were always at the receiving end. A typical example of when we did Reproduction in SS1, only God can remember the amounts of taunts and jests girls got afterall. Maybe it's a good thing I was talking about it, I could  actually........

'Jade, you're spacing out again. God!'

I touched her hand.

'Mabinu simi, ore mi'

She laughed, throwing her head back like she does normally.

'Really? You just spoke Yoruba in school, did you know? You're supposed to be the pace setter to other students and you're speaking yoruba in school when it's not Yoruba period?'

'Shut up joor'

'Owa Lara e'

That definitely got me laughing. What? My best friend literally murder Yoruba language anytime she speaks it.

'Hana, if you can't speak Yoruba correctly after almost six years of living in a Yoruba speaking community, how on earth did you pass exams? Olodo.'

She looked at me scornfully.

'Iwo lomo oo. The only thing I know is that my Yoruba is better than yours.'

I laughed again.

'In your dreams, baby'

Just then, the bell rang signaling the end of our free period. Our mathematics teacher entered immediately, earning groans and hisses from my classmates.

'God! This man no get chill pill at all. Let me quickly finish the novel I'm reading.'

Hana muttered beside me. I turned to look at her.

'Really? You want to read that obscene romantic novel during class?'

'Not obscene but hot.'

She stucked our at tongue at me and I laughed silently.

'HanaJade, can we have some peace and quiet for once.'

Our mathematics teacher cautioned as he proceeded to write the day's topic on the board. I watched Hana put the obscene novel in the middle of her mathematics notebook. I shook my head. Our teacher started explaining some stuffs, serious students were already jotting things down, others were doing other business. I willed myself to listen while thinking.

Cheers to another 45 minutes of absolute boredom.

                                  ******

                               ~Uthman~

I just finalized our points with Wura who obviously can't stop wanting to touch me or even touching me, a brush of arms, calculated collides. I couldn't help but to smile sha. When I left, Daniel was waiting for me.

'I saw how the girl was swooning over you. Oh my God! Why am I not you?'

That was the first words my best friend said to me.

'Oh shut up dude'

He rolled his eyes.

'If only Michelle would  be willing to get this physical with you.'

Yeah, Michelle, after her brief moment on the school's field, she's changed, not so subtly, she now left lingering touches, doesn't mind us linking arms. I did not want this but I couldn't hurt Michelle. When I think of love, I think of a complex feeling. I wonder who the first girl I'd like would be. Maybe when I was ready to be in a relationship, I'd consider Michelle but for now, NO.

'I know that look. Uthman. What are you thinking about?'

'About how senseless you are, obviously'

'Gbenu soun'

We started walking towards our class, he put his arms around me, smiling micheviously,

'What now?

'What do you think of K with the A Ass?'

I shrugged his hands off immediately.

'Damn, Daniel. You're mad! How on earth did we become friends?'

'Question oo'

'Aah God! You're so corrupt. I can't allow you to ruin my life'

He burst into laughter.

'You can't get anymore corrupt than you're right out. Just come out clean and get a girl. Damn, get a life. When you have a girl, things like this becomes much more easier.'

I shook my head. Daniel is canceled, for life.

                                  ***

Hours later, I was at home reading a story to Moji. Aunty Bola was cooking in the kitchen and Dad, as usual was at the hospital.

'Why don't you like mum?'

Moji asked suddenly, I was startled, the book nearly dropped out of my hands.

'What?' I looked at her. She looked back, eyes uncanny and blinking. My sister was reminding me more and more of Jade.

'What do you mean?'

'You don't like my mom.'

'I do'

'No, you don't. You don't call her mom. You don't talk to her unless absolutely necessary.'

'Moji, let's read the story we're reading. You're too young for all these.'

'I'm not too young to know my mom is not happy in this house.'

She stood up and left. I stared at her retreating back. My sister was grown now, I couldn't keep things away from her anymore. She was right, her mum wasn't not happy but I was not happy here either.

Mom died when she was giving birth to her second child, my younger sister who followed her immediately. I remembered that day clearly. I was eight, Dad had gone to his hospital on that day. It was mom who prepared lunch for me. I remember her rubbing my hands against her belly, feeling the baby kick, I already named her Eniola. Then mom said she was going to the clinic for check up. I remembered I wanted to follow her but she insisted otherwise. I remembered waving to her from the balcony. I remembered her smile as she waved. That was the last time I saw her smile. That was the last time I saw her. I was still in the varender painting my color book when a car honked and our gatekeeper opened the gates. I stood up eargely, expecting my mom but it wasn't her, it was never going to be her again. It was my dad who got out of the car surrounded at both sides by his friends and our families. His eyes were bloodshot. In his eyes, I saw the pain, I saw the unspoken words. I did not lose only mom that day, I lost my dad and the little boy who waved farewell to his mom.