CHAPTER 4

Anita goes back home with her father and mother, who arrived at her school to witness her final graduation ceremony. Her mother is very happy, but her father keeps his usual non-smiling face as he drives them home.

He is proud of Anita for not letting her beauty go to her head and deter her from becoming successful in life. Nonetheless, he's still confused as to why she is the prettiest of all his daughters.

Even though his wife didn't give him a son, Mr. Joshua isn't bothered about that, as their customs permit a woman to inherit all her father's property, even if she is already married to another man. Still, he wonders if he is Anita's true biological father.

He sighs as he drives toward their home, which is closer to the university in the city.

Arriving home, he drives into their simple compound and parks. Their home is just a modest bungalow, consisting of four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and five toilets with bathrooms.

Mr. Joshua Baker is the owner of the house; he acquired it from the direct landowners. He steps out first, followed closely by Anita and her mother. Before he sat back to answer his call.

Anita's five sisters—Flora, Esther, Favor, Lisa, and Glory—are all inside, but none of them come out to welcome them upon their arrival.

Mrs. Tonia walks into the living room first, and Anita follows suit, dragging her two boxes while her father remains in his car, answering a phone call.

"Mom!" Esther and Favor rush up to greet their mother first, while Lisa and Glory step out next. They all have separate rooms: Anita shares a room with Flora, Esther shares with Favor, and Lisa and Glory share the last room, which is sometimes used as a guest room too.

"Welcome back home, Mom! How did the event go?" Favor asks their mother first, as she is an 18-year-old girl.

"It was fine, but why don't you ask your big sister about it? She won two awards for best overall graduating student and best in her department as well," Mrs. Tonia responds with a faint smile. Favor frowns and replies, "Who cares, Mom?"

"Shut your mouth, Favor. Anita is your big sister, and you should show her some respect!" Mrs. Tonia warns Favor, while Esther quickly chimes in, "We don't care, Mom!"

"Esther!" Mrs. Tonia warns her as well, and Esther rolls her eyes from where she is standing by the middle door entrance, holding the curtain.

"It is okay, Mom," Anita walks up to her mother and taps her shoulder softly, but Mrs. Tonia responds, "Your father caused all this." Mrs. Tonia almost bursts into tears, but just then, Mr. Joshua walks into the living room and asks, "Caused what?"

Mrs. Tonia sniffs and quickly wipes away her tears as she replies, "Nothing. I was just discussing something unimportant." She quickly walks into the kitchen.

Mr. Joshua's eyes narrow at Anita, who smiles faintly at him. Anita isn't an albino, but her beauty is striking and charming. Staring at her dimples and chubby cheeks alone makes her look like an angel from heaven.

"Fine, take all these bags inside, and where are your sisters? Flora! Favour!" Mr. Joshua calls them out, and they respond.

"Yes, Papa! Good evening, Dad. Welcome back home." Flora walks past Anita, who is dragging her two big boxes, and gives their father a warm hug.

"Assist your sister and take those luggage inside," Mr. Joshua instructs Flora after giving her a hug too. Flora bites her lower lip angrily but finally assists Anita in carrying her second box to the room they share.

Anita doesn't utter a word to Flora, who is carrying her second box to the room, but as Flora turns to leave, Anita finally says, "Thank you." Flora doesn’t respond as she walks back to the living room to meet her father, who is sitting on the long couch and taking off his shoes.

"How's your day today, Flora?" Mr. Joshua finally asks.

Just then, the rest of his daughters step out. 

"Father, do you remember your promise to take me to a private university?" Esther asks.

"Yes, I remember, but you still haven't passed your JAMB exams yet. This is the fourth time you're writing the same exam, along with your younger sister Favour. Can’t you both learn from your elder sister, Anita?" Mr. Joshua questions.

"No, Father!" Esther and Favour both respond, surprising their father and making his jaw drop.

"What has come over you girls? If you fail to pass your JAMB exams again this year, then forget about going to the university and find a trade or craft to learn! I cannot continue to waste my hard-earned money sponsoring you through a private university when you cannot even qualify for a government university. Now leave my sight, ungrateful children! I'm sure you all inherited your dullness from your mother. Can't you learn from your elder sister, Anita for once? Don’t you see her good grades, despite being more beautiful than you all?"

"No, Father!" Flora, Esther, Favor, and Lisa all exclaim sadly.

"Shut your mouths and don’t father me. I have been a good father to you all, yet you cannot be good daughters in return. Fail your exams this year again and see the other side of me!" Mr. Joshua warns them, standing up from the couch. Just then, his wife steps out of the kitchen and stares at him and her five daughters in the living room, as Anita is the only one in her room.

"Excuse me!" Mr. Joshua walks past his daughters and enters the room he shares with his wife, knowing it’s entirely his fault. He has shown more love to the rest of his five daughters than their elder sister, Anita, making her feel like an outcast, and now he's regretting it all. 

Mr. Joshua is even facing some challenges at work, as some missing funds from certain transactions were detected under his records. If the error isn't corrected, he could lose his job as a banker at a government-owned bank.

His brows furrow as his wife steps into their room to meet him a few minutes later.

"Aren't you being too harsh on our daughters today?" Mrs. Tonia questions, but Mr. Joshua only glances at her, not responding as he stares away. Loosening his necktie, he takes off his long-sleeve shirt and strips it off.

"I'm preparing dinner; it's already getting late," Mrs. Tonia informs him, but he still doesn’t respond as he removes his trouser belt.

"Honey, aren't you going to say anything in response?" Mrs. Tonia finally asks him.

"What do you want me to say? Can't you at least see that I am busy?" he replies icly, walking past her and stepping into the bathroom to take his bath.

Mrs. Tonia sighs and shakes her head in sadness. She knows all is not well with her husband, as he has been behaving unusually. He even acted happier when Anita was announced as the winner of two prestigious awards. He jumped up with joy and screamed, "Yes!" not minding the other parents and relatives around him, and when he saw Anita approaching, his smiles faded as she didn’t smile back, thinking he hated her and wasn’t proud of her achievements.

Mrs. Tonia smiles faintly, remembering how her husband reacted to his first daughter's wins. Although the school rewards weren't much—just some cash and medal awards—Mrs. Tonia believes her daughter's certificate will help her secure one of the highest-paying jobs in the country.

Mrs. Tonia finally walks out of the room she shares with her husband while he is taking his bath, and she can hear the sound of water splashing in the bathroom.

She then walks into the kitchen, where the okra soup she was preparing has already heated a little. She serves it into different soup plates.

Just then, Glory walks into the kitchen to assist her in carrying it out to the dining room beside their living room.

Glory, a 14-year-old girl, is two years younger than each of her older sisters. She is still in Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3).

"Mom, I want to become a business administrator like my big sister, Anita," Glory says as she carries a tray of soup in her arms and looks up at her mother's face.

"There's no problem with that, Glory. You should study hard as well. You've got your big sister here to guide you," Mrs. Tonia smiles at her youngest daughter.

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

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

"Oh, so Mom, do you depend on our father for money too?" Glory inquires, surprising her mother.

"No, Glory! Now that’s enough of this conversation. Carry the soup out now before it gets cold. Oh, Anita is already here to assist us." Mrs. Tonia smiles faintly, and Glory turns to see Anita standing by the kitchen door.

Anita overhears their conversation, and she wears a faint smile 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 says, but Anita's smile quickly fades at the mention of her father's name; she doesn’t like him either.