Chapter 15

Mum was super excited to see us. She had already stuffed the house with provisions, drinks and some other junks we like. Mum still did not know exactly what was going on with Dada but she knew something was not right. Not like I and my brothers also knew the exact cause of Dada's illness, we knew he went for medical check up in the hospital, except one time when he told us that a doctor guessed he had pneumonia but they weren't sure yet so he still went for medical check up and tests. Dada made me promise not to tell mum about his fainting and terrible breathing condition. She did not particularly see Dada the day she came during the prayer, she only knew he was sick and as sick as not being able to work for awhile.

After dinner one night, my brothers were asleep already, Mum came and sat really close to me. Demi, I want you to tell me the truth,why did you ask me to get those things for you because I know your Dad won't take them, but I brought them only because you begged me to, you sounded really worried and told me you were going to explain to me later. And why did your Dad drop you guys here when you have not even spent two weeks with him. I was afraid to tell her because I knew Dada would get angry if he found out I did and he already told me not to. Mummy, it is nothing to worry about, everyone was bringing things for him to show they cared and I wanted you to do something too. Also he had to go to the hospital for tests and he did not want us to be alone at home, so he brought us here. Mum had that suspicious look on her face. What about the dog, why did you not bring the dog too, who will feed it. Dada does not want Resh to leave the house for security reasons and Uncle Fola goes to feed him every day because Dad gave him his house keys just incase we need anything. I knew she wouldn't stop questioning me so I lied down to sleep. He said he would be back in two weeks mummy, everything will be fine don't bother, he said it himself, everything will be as they were. It annoyed me to see her this worried about him but he still did not want her in his life nor business. But I was glad to be at her place because it was a good opportunity to spend time with Nelson. Although there was still Covid in some places in the country, people had started moving out freely, economic activities had

slowly started booming.

Mum would always ask me to check up on Dada to know if he was getting better. It made my anger with Dada worse that she cared so much but he still did not care. One morning, she told me to ask Dada about the hospital he was in. Dada told me the location of the hospital and warned me not to bring Mum if I was coming to see him. I then decided that it was best not to go see him till he returns to pick us up from Mum's.

On the other hand, things with me and Nelson were going fine. I got to spend some time with him and understand him too. He tried convincing me to spend time with his mum as well whenever I visited at his, but I felt really scared to, I felt she already did not like me and so there was no point trying. The last thing I wanted was his mum seeing whatever I did as trying to impress her son.

I also tried working around since Dada did not want me going to mum's shop or working yet. I had started learning tailoring and bag making, but I had to stop at some point because the place I was learning was closer to Dad's and we were at mum's more but also mostly because I didn't want to anymore and that was because I felt my boss was taking longer to teach me and I did not know much about sewing two months to my learning there. I want to go somewhere else to learn or do something else. So I sold cakes and cookies around, there was also a secondary school very close to where mum stayed.

Although I didn't call Dada,we chatted most times, he chatted with my brothers as well. He told us he was getting much better and would be back before month end. I was so relieved whenever I chatted him up and he told us something to prove he was getting much better, like how he had started breathing better or how he was not really depending on his inhaler, the way he spoke sometimes using voicemail proved it, I was happy that he wouldn't have to go the hospital anymore.

Dolamu had also completed his primary school education, he was going to secondary school, although mum and Dad had different schools in mind for him, I just wanted Dada to come home so we would all decide on a school for him.