Two

           ~Uthman~

Dinner had always been a hurdle in the house. Not like we always eat together because dad was hardly ever home but the few times he was home, he'd make us eat together. I still don't understand why he'd that because eating together does not do anything to help our family. Infact, contrary to the popular opinion of family bonding well over meals, ours only seemed to highlight how torn apart our family was. 

Aunty Bola was always on edge anytime dad was planning on eating with us and today was no exception, she had been on edge since he got back. She was trying to put dinner in place and even from my room, I could taste the apprehension in the air. I did not step out of my room until dinner was served. Now, we were all seated round the table pretending to be normal when there was absolutely nothing normal with the setting. Heck! There was no one normal in my family except my baby sister, Moji of course. 

'You should reduce the amount of salt you add to food. I keep saying it. It's not healthy.' 

That was the first thing dad said since we started eating and it worsened the already worst apprehension in the air. 

'I'm sorry.' 

She replied curtly and went back to eating. We continued the game of silence and I was only swallowing, not tasting the food I was eating. I wanted to retreat to the corners of my room. To lie on the familiar sheets. I wanted to be anywhere but here. I glanced at my younger sister. She was chewing silently and noiselessly. It was so easy to forget she was here. She can ghost indeed. Ghost was a term we learned from After Earth and we twisted our own ghosting to mean 'when we are in the same room with dad and we act so invisible that he forgets we are there.'

I stood up. I was done with my meal. It was one of my favorite food and I'd have enjoyed eating it on a normal day but with dad's overbearing presence, I did not even know how the food tasted like. I only ate as fast as I could so I'd leave the dinning room faster than usual. 

'Thank you sir, Thank you ma.'

I said and gathered my plates.

'Meet me in my study in 5 minutes.' 

That was dad and my heart sank at the idea of spending a minute more with him. A distant memory suddenly came to my mind, a small boy and his dad playing football. I closed my eyes. 

Not today please.

Five minutes after, I was standing in front of dad. He was sitted on his chair, glasses on and flipping through a file. We stayed like that for a minute or so with the air thickening with awkwardness each passing minute.

'I called your principal today and I told him to have you evicted from the school's football team.'

I stared at him for a minute, the words not registering in my brain. Evicted and football team can not exist in the same sentence for me.

'Sir?'

'You heard me.'

'But I can't... You can't force me to leave the team.'

"You have no option here, I've tolerated that mindless obsession of yours for five years, now it's high time you grew up. You have big exams in front of you."

That's it. I knew it. Dad was going to take one of the two things that matters to me away from me because of what he wanted me to become. I've signed my whole life for that.

'No dad. I'll do the two together. It's not like I have bad grades because of football. I'll try harder if that's what you want.' 

'No son, this is neither a debate nor an argument. I've said my piece and that's the final.'

He went back to flipping through the file, completely ignoring me. I stood there. There was no way I was going to give up football. Not for anything in the world. And I know my dad. There was no going back for him. I bit my lips.

'Please Dad. I can't live without football. Please.'

He looked at me for a moment longer than usual and then his gaze flipped back to his file. He did not look up minutes lather even when I walked out of the room.

The short walk from dad's room to my room seemed longer than usual and with every step I took, my heart was sinking. When I entered the room, the sight of Moji, sitting legs crossed on my bed and reading my chemistry textbook with my glasses melted my heart. I smiled at her. 

'Miss Moji, the next chemistry guru. How do you do?'

She smiled widely at me as she closed the textbook. 

'What were you talking to dad about anyway? I waited decades for you.' 

I smiled again, at least she knows metaphor. 

'Men stuffs. Babies like you can't understand'

My sister actually scowled as she stood up from my bed. 

'I came to tell you goodnight but it seems you got it already from dad so...' 

She stuck out her tongue and exited the room

I laughed at her retreating figure and I laid on my bed. Dad was a hard nut to crack and I knew he meant every word he said. My subconscious faded into a time so long ago, when I actually had a father. I groaned and turned. I did not want to think about this. 

                                *********

                                   ~Jade~

Dinner was almost a disaster. 

Dad and Saheed were having dinner with us in a very long time and here we were at the dinning table and the things dad and brother decided to talk about was surgery! surgery!! surgery!!!

Imagine? Surgery in a family dinner? A once in a while family dinner. 

'Dad, you know the woman with kidney problem. I think we are going to lose her if we don't get a donor soon.' 

I watched as Zainab's hand froze in mid air. She swallowed what was in her mouth loudly.

Dad shrugged at Saheed's statement. 

'Shit happens son.' 

My brother just started his residency at our family owned hospital. Mom serves as dad's executive PA even though her discipline was home economics and was not related to medicine or being a secretary at all. Zainab once said Mom probably started working with Dad so that they'd always be together. You know Doctors are always busy and she probably doesn't want him to look out. Typical of my elder sister. That was something Zainab could say and had said. 

'Dad, this is a family dinner you know and we've not eaten together in God knows how many weeks and now that we're eating together, we should not be talking about work, at least not surgeries and people dying and all that. Urghh' 

Zainab said and made this terribly irritated face. I laughed. Will my 18 year old sister ever grow? 

'Well, Miss Zainab, that's our reality and what do you think we should talk about anyway?' Saheed countered. 

Zee rolled her eyes at him. 'Other things of course, like your girlfriend for instance or my boyfriend or Jade' s crush.'

They all turned to look at me. I bet my eyes were shooting daggers at Zee. 

'I don't do crushes. I'm not a baby.'

'I don't do crushes' 

Zee mimicked and laughed. 

'Aanu e se mi, you're still a small girl though. You're just 16, so young' 

That got everybody laughing even mom who was determined to keep to the dinning room etiquette broke her rule. 

'As if you were not this age just two years ago.' 

'That's a long time ago baby' 

 'Zee, I'm not a baby'

'You're a baby'

'I'm not' 

'CAN WE HAVE SOME PEACE FOR ONCE?' 

That was Dad and that automatically got us quiet but we kept exchanging words with our eyes with Zee's eyes dancing with amusement. 

This is my family. My crazily beautiful family. My perfect family. But even cliches have it that nothing is perfect, that nothing ever is and nothing would ever be. 

After dinner, we all retired for the night but not Dad and Saheed though. They both went into Dad's study to certainly discuss things about the hospital. Dad was always busy. Saheed just started his internship and he was always busy. Maybe Zee was right that mom gave up her career to be closer to Dad. Since there was no way in the world I'd give up my career, that's law by the way for anything, I guessed I can't marry a doctor or probably even date a medical student. I was jolted out of my reverie when someone opened the door, it was Zee, her face was freshly washed and it glowed under the bulb. She entered the room and sat on my bed. 

'What's my baby thinking? You're thinking about your crush?'

'Zee, I keep telling you. I don't do crushes oo. I want to read self.' 

She rolled her eyes, one of the things she does most. 

'Read ko, reader ni. First day of school and you already have things to read. Take it easy dear.'

I kept staring at her as if she has two horns. She smiled coyly and moved closer. 

'Talking about crushes, what about that fine guy I saw in your school the other time?' 

' Zainab, aah, God! Do you realize you should not be taking about stuffs like this to your 16 year old sister? '

'I should be talking about this stuff to you when you're 20, right?' 

'Probably' 

'You're high. You are at the age when you can actually have a boyfriend, you know? It's your last year in secondary  school. Get a boyfee, trust me, it's going to make your year the most amazing and adventurous.' 

Zee had to be the craziest girl God had created. 

'You should be telling me to prepare for my external exams and to avoid distractions. '

'Saheed would do that, let me be the one to give you girly advice. '

This isn't girly, this is stupid. I laughed 

'Zee, get out' 

She did but not before trowing the pillow in face, shouting 'Think about it Baby' 

Zainab is crazy and I don't want her any other way than this.