Chapter 4 – Returned home

Anita went back home with her father and mother, who had arrived at her school to witness her final convocation ceremony.

Her mother was very happy, but her father kept his usual unsmiling face as he drove them home. He was proud of her for not letting her beauty go to her head and derail her success in life, but he was still confused about how she was the most beautiful among all her siblings.

Even though his wife hadn't borne him a son, Mr. Joshua wasn't bothered, as their customs allowed a woman to inherit her father's property, even if she was married to another man.

He sighed as he drove toward their home, which was close to the university in the city.

Arriving at their simple compound, he parked the car. Their home was a modest flat with four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and five toilets with bathrooms.

Mr. Joshua Baker owned the house, having acquired it directly from the landowners.

He stepped out of the car, while Anita and her mother, Mrs. Tonia Baker, followed. Their sisters—Flora, Esther, Favour, Lisa, and Glory—were all inside, but none of them came out to welcome Anita or their parents.

Mrs. Tonia walked into the living room first, with Anita following and dragging her boxes, while her father stayed in the car to answer a phone call.

"Mom!" Esther and Favour rushed up to their mother, while Lisa and Glory stepped out next.

They had separate rooms: Anita and Flora shared one, Esther and Favour shared another, and Lisa and Glory shared the last one, which sometimes served as a guest room.

"Welcome back home, Mom. How did the event go?" Favour asked, as she was an 18-year-old girl.

"Fine. Why don't you ask your big sister about it? She won two awards: best overall graduating student and best in her department," Mrs. Tonia responded with a faint smile, while Favour frowned.

"Who cares, Mom?" Favour replied.

"Shut your mouth, silly girl. Anita is your big sister, and you should show her some respect!" Mrs. Tonia warned Favour, while Esther quickly added, "We don't care, Mom!"

"Esther!" Mrs. Tonia warned her too, while Esther rolled her eyes from where she stood by the middle door entrance, holding the curtain.

"It's okay, Mom," Anita said, walking up to their mother and tapping her shoulder softly, but Mrs. Tonia responded, "Your father caused all this." She almost burst into sobs.

"Caused what?!" Mr. Joshua asked as he walked into the living room, and Mrs. Tonia quickly wiped away her tears.

"Nothing; I was just discussing something unimportant," she said, hurrying into the kitchen while Mr. Joshua narrowed his eyes at Anita, who smiled faintly at him.

Anita wasn't an albino, but her beauty was striking and charming, with her dimples and chubby cheeks making her look like an angel from heaven.

"Fine. Take those bags inside. Where are your sisters? Flora, Favour!" Mr. Joshua called them, and they responded.

"Yes, Papa! Good evening, Dad. Welcome back home."

Flora walked past Anita, who was dragging her boxes, and gave their father a welcome hug.

"Assist your sister with those luggages," Mr. Joshua instructed Flora after hugging her, and she bit her lower lip angrily before helping Anita carry her second box to the room they shared.

Anita didn't say a word to Flora, who carried the box to the room. As Flora turned to leave, Anita finally said, "Thank you," but Flora didn't respond. She walked back to the living room, where their father was sitting on the long couch, taking off his shoes.

"How was your day today, Flora?" Mr. Joshua asked, and just then, the rest of his daughters stepped out.

"Father, you remember you promised to take me to a private university?" Esther asked.

"Yes, I remember, but you still haven't passed your JAMB exams yet. This is the fourth time you're taking it, along with your younger sister Favour. Can't you both learn from your elder sister Anita?"

"No, Father!" Esther and Favour both responded, surprising him and dropping his jaw.

"What has come over you girls? If you fail your JAMB exams this year, then forget about university and look for a trade or skill to learn. I won't waste my hard-earned money sending you to a private university when you can't even qualify for a government one. Now, leave my sight, silly children. I'm sure you all inherited your dullness from your mother. Can't you learn from your elder sister for once? Don't you see her good grades, despite her being more beautiful than you all?"

"Father!" Flora, Esther, Favour, and Lisa all exclaimed sadly.

"Shut your mouths and don't 'Father' me. I've been a good father to you all, yet you can't be good daughters in return. Fail your exams this year again, and you'll see the other side of me!" Mr. Joshua warned, standing up from the couch. Just then, his wife stepped out from the kitchen and stared at him and their five daughters in the living room, while Anita was the only one in her room.

"Excuse me!" Mr. Joshua walked past his daughters and into the room he shared with his wife, knowing it was entirely his fault. He had shown more love to the rest of his daughters than to their eldest sister, Anita, making her feel like an outcast, and now he was regretting it.

Furthermore, Mr. Joshua was even facing challenges at his office, as some missing funds from transactions had been detected under his records. If the error wasn't corrected, he was at risk of losing his job as a banker in a government-owned bank.

His brows furrowed as his wife stepped into their room a few minutes later.

"Aren't you being too harsh on our daughters today?" Mrs. Tonia questioned, but he just glanced at her and looked away, loosening his necktie and taking off his long-sleeved shirt.

"I'm preparing dinner; it's getting late," Mrs. Tonia informed him, but he didn't respond as he unbuckled his trouser belt.

"Honey, you're not saying anything?" Mrs. Tonia finally asked, and he replied, "What do you want me to say? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Mr. Joshua walked past his wife and stepped into the bathroom to take a bath, while Mrs. Tonia sighed and shook her head in sadness.

She knew something wasn't right with him; he had been acting unusually, even happier when Anita was announced as the winner of the awards. He had jumped up and screamed, "Yes!" not minding the other parents around, but when he saw Anita approaching without smiling, his happiness faded, as she thought he hated her and wasn't proud of her achievements.

Mrs. Tonia smiled faintly, remembering her husband's reaction. Although the school's rewards weren't much—just some cash and medals—she believed her first daughter's certificate would lead to one of the highest-paying jobs in their country.

Mrs. Tonia sighed again and walked out of the room they shared, as she could hear the sound of water splashing in the bathroom. She went into the kitchen, where the okra soup had already been heated and warmed up a little, and she served it into several soup plates.

Just then, Glory walked into the kitchen to assist her and carry it to the dining room beside the living room.

Glory was a 14-year-old girl, as her siblings were each about two years apart, and she was still in Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3).

"Mom, I want to become a business admin, just like my big sister, Anita," Glory said as she carried the tray of soups in her arms and looked up at her mom.

"There's no problem with that. You should study hard, and you have your big sister here to guide you," Mrs. Tonia smiled at her youngest child.

"Okay, Mom. Is Big sis going to marry soon? Chika told me her big sister won't be returning home because she's already pregnant and expecting a child for her fiancé."

"No, Glory! Although I don't know about that, Anita will get a job first before she settles down. You know your big sister is hardworking and wants to become an independent woman instead of depending on a man for money," Mrs. Tonia replied.

"Oh, so Mom, do you depend on Father for money?" Glory asked, surprising her.

"No, Glory! Now, that's enough of this conversation. Carry the soups out before they get cold. Oh, Anita is here to assist us," Mrs. Tonia said as she smiled faintly.

Glory turned to face Anita standing by the kitchen door. Anita had overheard their conversation and had a faint smile on her face too.

"Why are you standing there staring at us? Come assist us in serving dinner. I'm sure your father will be out soon," Mrs. Tonia said, and Anita's smile quickly faded at the mention of her father's name, as she didn't like him either.