Chapter Eight

Kelechi's Pov

"I'm not crying, Okpo¹!!" I shouted before pushing Ify out of my room.

Thud!

Frustrated, I closed the door. I sat on my bed clutching my phone to my chest as I murmured.

"I'm not crying. I can't be crying for a... a guy." I said in disgust.

I walked to the full length mirror beside my vanity and looked at my reflection to admire myself.

I'm too beautiful for that Idiot. I deserve better.

I dressed myself up in a red lace sleeved skimpy gown. A pair black sneakers to match. I can't let him full my shine².

With the beauty I possessed, I found full make up unnecessary.

A little mascara here and there with my pink lip gloss was enough for me.

We had two backdoors downstairs. One in the kitchen and the other at the second store. The second store was where we kept fancy plastic chairs, tables and decoration materials.

My Papa was involved in event planning. And when he died mama took over the business deal downstairs. Apparently, having three sons didn't stop her from taking control of the business.

The passage leading to the second store was empty.

Grandma must have given up on me helping her in the kitchen and asked Ify and Meso instead.

I tried making no noise as I sneaked out. I quietly entered the second store. I didn't bother closing the door after me because I might not get lucky doing it quietly.

It was when I tried opening the backdoor, I discovered it was locked.

Arghhh!

I screamed internally. The key should be in Mama's favourite purse.

Going to her room would have been a total waste of time. So, I did what I knew best.

I went to the living room with the intention of lying my way out to my dad. But when I got there, I was shocked at the sight that greeted me.

I was expecting my Dad or at least one of my uncles. I didn't expect to see the living room empty.

So all the Ninja Sneaky moves I've been doing was all pointless?

I used the front door. I was about leaving when I heard someone's voice from the garage.

"Sneaking out again?"

"Keep your voice down. I'm going out not sneaking out." I whispered to him.

"So, it's okay if I tell mama?" He asked with an annoying smirk on his face.

Ben was leaning against the wall beside his bicycle. We both had a bicycle as our fifteenth birthday gift. Although, Ben didn't use his, I used mine whenever I came here.

"And you're going to explain why you're holding my dad's car keys." I said folding my hands in a challenging stance.

He was really holding the car keys to a car. I only guessed it was my dad's because there were only two vehicles in the garage at the moment; Mama's and dad's. There was no way he was able to get Mama's car keys. So dad it was.

"Come in, let's go." He said as he opened the door to the car.

"Better" I went to sit on the passenger seat while he started the car.

" Why did you even steal the keys?" I asked.

" I didn't steal the keys. I just borrowed them." He tried mimicking my voice.

"I don't sound like that." I angrily replied, almost yelling.

"Sshh..." He put his forefinger on his lips as he whispered "...you don't mama hearing us."

Humph!

" Don't you think the car will make the noise? Are you sure you can drive? I'm too young to die." I whisper yelled.

Now I think of it, I'm right. The bicycle would have been better since it was less noisy. But it would be less classy.

Ben stopped what he was doing and started reasoning with me. Or so I thought.

It was when I noticed the strange way he stared at the entrance of the garage as if he was expecting something.

"Kelechi! Kelechi!" We heard mama yelled out. "Uchechukwu! Uchechukwu! Kede 'be umazhi nda gara²"

Ben grabbed me by my head and pulled me below the dashboard when Mama's voice seemed louder and closer.

I turned to face Ben only for him to cover my lips with his fingers.

We heard her footsteps getting closer before we heard her calling us again.

"Kelechi! Kelechi! Uchechukwu! Uchechukwu!" She came close to the car we sat in. If she had paid more attention to the car, she would have found us.

Defeated, she sighed and left the garage.

I removed Ben's hand from my lips and attempted to sit up well when we heard the honk of a car.

It was obviously Uncle Joe's car honking. They must be back from wherever they went.

Ben and I got out of the car at the same time without thinking twice and ran to the the backyard, somewhere behind the garage.

We both knew we were going to get caught if we tried hiding in the car. Hiding might have worked for mama but that definitely would not work on them and we knew it.

It was a common rule in the family that at least one person in the family should know the whereabouts of another if he or she was going out.

Then why didn't i come clean and tell mama or anyone that i was going out?

Simple. That rule doesn't apply on Sundays especially when mama is around. She was a strong Christian remember? And she believed Sundays should be spent indoors after Mass to keep the Sabbath day holy.

And that was probably why dad and his brothers came back fast from wherever they went.

I was not surprised we both ran to the backyard. It was where Mama's little poultry farm was. It had always been an excellent spot for hide and seek. So, we hid at a particular spot out of habit; at a corner where mama kept brooms for the poultry's maintenance.

Ben tried covering my lips again but I slapped his hand away and glared.

"Don't you dare! " I said sternly.

"I'm not the one who needs to be quiet." Ben said calmly, irritatingly calmly.

You know that moment when you're not in a good mood and warning someone off and instead the person calmly talks back like he's unaffected, like your bad mood is not a big deal.

Very annoying, right? It made me want to give him a reason to be in a bad mood too.

"You didn't have to cover my lips with that hand that must have touched your bum bum." I snapped.

Guess what he did? He ignored and started checking if the coast was clear.

His lack of response made me notice how cramped the corner was.

I don't remember here being so narrow.

It had been years since we had played hide and seek here. No wonder it feels smaller. Ben and I must have grown too big for it. I didn't change much but Ben did. Anyone who knew Ben when he was younger would notice the difference.

He was so tall that when he leaned over to check if they were gone, all I could see was the black T-shirt he had on. I could feel him pressed to me. He was really close.

So close I could perceive the cologne he always wore. I could even feel his breath on me.

"Are they gone?" I whispered. I really didn't know why I whispered.

He did not respond. I craned my neck up to see him staring at me.

My first instinct was to snap my fingers at him, wake him up from whatever trance he was caught up in. That is until I noticed what exactly he was staring at.My eyes widened in shock.

My lips!

He was staring at my lips!

🙋🙋🙋🙋🙋

A friendly reminder. In Nigeria, it's common to have a native name and a baptismal name. So, Ben's full name is Benjamin Uchechukwu Chima and Kelly's full name is Kelly Kelechi Chima.

GLOSARRY

"Okpo" means "fool" in Igbo dialect.

"...Kede 'be umazhi nda gara²" mean "where did this children go to" in Igbo.