Even Families Become Strangers

Chidinma felt bad for Lanre. She could not believe a lady as nice as Lanre could do that to her own friend. She felt Ify was lying. Meanwhile after Ify was done crying she stood up to take her leave and refused the food Mrs. Olayinka offered her saying she has lost her appetite.

Lanre had not just left her apartments, she had gone away from the compound and had almost got hit by a motorcycle when she rushed out into the road. She was not self conscious and got scolded by the rider, if that could be considered as scolding.

He called her names and told her that if death was her wish, she should go to her mother and let her kill her. Lanre was appalled by the man’s words. But that’s Nigeria, it is hard to see a commercial motorcyclist or bus driver who has a sweet tongue. They were always vulgar.

She walked into the street. She did not know when she trekked down Mosolashi road to Shoga area. She hits her hand on her head when she learnt she has gone too far away from her place and found out from people that she was in Shoga area.

The worst was that she was not with any money. She was just with her phone. She looked at her phone and realised that she has been walking for over an hour. She asked in one of the stores around where she could found a POS stand so she could withdraw money. The store keeper pointed at the opposite direction. Lanre had to cross the road to get what she wanted. She withdrew some cash and took a bike back to her place.

When she got home, she met her mother crying and Chidinma kneeling before her pleading with her not to cry. The mother noticed Lanre’s presence. She eyes Lanre despicably and puts her face away. Lanre sighed and asked Chidinma what happened.

“She won’t stop crying ever since that wicked aunty lied about you. I hate that aunty”. Chidinma said. Lanre immediately reprimanded her telling her not to hate anyone. Then she asked her to go to her room and read some of the books she had gotten her. Chidinma protested telling her she already finished the books.

“First reading is not appreciating enough when it is literature. Please go and read again, you will realise you missed out on some things on your first reading”. Lanre said. She was literally telling Chidinma to remain in her room and to give her and her mother space.

Immediately Chidinma left for her room, Lanre asked her mother if she believed a stranger over her own daughter. The mother replied her with a question if Ify has now turn into a stranger over night.

“Maami, even families becomes strangers when they start singing in a language you do not understand”. Lanre said to her mother. Her mother told her that she never said anything to refute Ify’s allegations, so what else was she supposed to believe?