13/01/2018
Episode 2
RAIN
Hmmmm….Nana that smells delicious’ she drawled and licked her lips.
‘If you like bite your tongue before the cake is ready, your chores are waiting for you.’
‘Urgh! Nana cut me some slack at least today would you?
‘Who’ll do them then?’
‘I’ll do them tomorrow, she answered pouting.’
‘It won’t be just chores alone now I think I’m going to smack those tiny buttocks of yours! Are you still looking at me?
Rain sauntered off, lickety-split, murmuring but turned back just in time to catch Nana smiling and shaking her head. She frowned back.
Some minutes later and they were both seated in front of a large, steamy cake on the dining table.
‘Nana, can we put candles on the cake? She said grinning.
‘No my princess, the cake is still too hot and it might melt the candles. But you can still make your wish.’ She said smiling.
‘Yikes! Rain shrieked in excitement. Then she closed her eyes and mouthed a few words.
They both took their forks and began devouring the cake.
‘Same wish every year, why don’t you make new wishes? Nana remarked slyly.
‘You read my lips again, It’s supposed to be a secret!’
‘Okay, fine. I’m sorry I couldn’t help it. But that’s not the problem. I think you should try to learn how to accept the fact that.. you may never get to meet him’ she finished, ignoring the stony look Rain threw at her.
‘Whatever.’ Rain retorted and with that, dismissed the topic.
A knock came from the door, breaking the silence in the room.
Rain got up, walked gently to the door and peeped through the tiny hole on the wooden door. Then she quietly retraced her footsteps and mouthed in an almost whisper ‘I’m not around’ to Nana. Waving her hands before a confused grandma.
The knock came again.
‘Come in’ answered grandma.
The door opened and a lanky boy about Rain’s age, strode in.
‘Good morning ma’ he greeted bowing.
‘Morning Michael, how are you?’
‘I’m fine ma.’
‘And your parents, how are they?’
‘They’re fine too, thanks ma. Ma please I’m here to see Rain.’
‘Rain?’
‘Ok Rain is still sleeping.’
‘Oh..okay ma, no problem.’
‘You have a message for her?’ she added
‘Yes ma, please when she wakes up help me remind her of our meeting later today by 12pm at the..
‘Yes ma, its for the clay modeling project Aunty Rahila gave to our group to make against Monday.
(Rain rolled her eyes).
‘Ok my child, I’ll give her your message as soon as she wakes up.’
‘Alright thank you ma.’
‘You’re welcome. Please come join me for breakfast.’ She added with a beguiling smile.
‘Oh no, thank you ma. I just had mine.’
‘Ok then, my regards to your mother ehn’
‘She’ll hear ma.’
‘Err.. ma, lest I forget, please wish her a happy birthday for me’
(Rains’ eyes popped open, then she smiled small).
‘Oh that’s nice of you. I’ll make sure she gets that’.
‘Thank you ma. Bye.’
‘Bye my dear.’
The door closed.
And this years award for the best graduating student, Bill Clifford’s College, goes to Rain Kumar!
Sounds of applause reverberated in the hall as a sylph-like figure walked majestically to the stage for her award. She was given a congratulatory handshake from the amiable white man before they both smiled into the camera. She lifted the award and the whole school cheered..
It was obvious she was loved by all but of course, they were a few group of girls who couldn’t disguise their contempt as they sneered at her maliciously.
Rain would have poked her tongue out at them, if only she cared.
Outside, lots of photographs and picnics were going on, and after taking lots of photos with friends, staffs and well wishers, she grew tired and her face hurt from too much smiling. She skimmed around the visiting garden for her grandma and sighted her sitting on a mat filled with coolers and waving at her. She excitedly began trudging towards her direction only to see Michael approaching her from the corner, she reluctantly slowed down.
‘Congratulations.’ He said warmly
‘Thanks. And congratulations to you too.’
‘Oh please, it’s just mere French.’ He waved.
‘Only a genius would say that. French is not an easy course you know.’ She explained.
‘Yeah, right’. So can I take a photo?’ he asked raising his hand to scratch a top of his hair.
‘Sure why not’.
A photographer was already standing by. And Rain started striking a pose.
‘Not with you, I mean the award’.
‘Whaat!’ she raised her eyebrows.
‘Hahahahaha, got you, I was only joking. C’mon, who wouldn’t die for a photo with the prettiest and smartest girl on campus?’
‘Flatter me’. She scoffed.
‘You know that’s true. Alright let’s take the photo already before your grandma bores a hole into my skull with her eyes.’
‘Oh, right.’ She posed and noticed how lightly he wrapped his left arm round her waist. She smiled.
Rain was seated in the study thoroughly engrossed in the book she was holding.
The study was her most favorite part of the house as she was obsessed with books. Mr Clinton must have loved books too as evident in his library which bore six, long shelves, stacked with diverse books. By the time Rain clocked ten, she had finished about a quarter of them. She’ll be sixteen in four months.
Her stomach growled reminding her she’s yet to have lunch. She checked the clock on the wall and realized it’s already past 7pm. Quite surprised, she simply adjusted her glasses and continued reading, ignoring the sting in the pit of her stomach.
The door creaked open making her flinch at the noise, before turning to see her grandma carrying a tray with a plate of food and a cup.
‘Nana, haven’t I told you times without number that I don’t like having my meals here?’.
‘And how many more times would I have to remind you to eat ehn? Later you’ll be complaining of ulcers and malaria as if I’m not feeding you well’.
‘Hahahahahaha, malaria is not caused by lack of food but by plasmodium from mosquitoe bites’. Rain guffawed.
‘Okay genius, whatever. My point is you stop skipping meals please I beg of you, even when you go to school, ensure you don’t forget this. Mr Clinton loved to read as well but he doesn’t miss a meal, and always said his brain needed food for energy’. Her lips curved into a small smile.
‘Oh really?’. Rain asked with popped eyes.
‘Yea’. She added in a smaller tone, her face falling down.
‘Nana, what’s wrong?’.
‘Wrong? Nothing is wrong’. She replied quickly.
Rain sensing grandma’s awkward reaction open her mouth to say something, but decided against it.
‘This came in earlier from a staff in your school, your former school’. Grandma said and handed an envelope to Rain.
Rain tore it open and unfolded its content
‘Oh my God. Oh my God! I can’t believe this. Yaayyyy! She screamed and raised up her hands jumping with glee.
Grandma just stood perplexed
‘Nana, look, I’ve been given a scholarship to study Medicine in the University of Lagos’. She said breathlessly.
To be continued
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Episode 3
Rain
Grandma opened her mouth in shock, taken aback she didn’t realise she started shedding tears, tears of joy.
They hugged each other, smiling in tears.
After several seconds, they finally disentangled.
‘I still can’t believe this it seems I’m dreaming’. Grandma exclaimed.
‘Grandma wait here I have to quickly tell my friends’.
‘Easy lady, why not leave it till tomorrow? It’s late’.
‘Alright. Oh my God I’m just so excited’. She clapped and swayed happily.
‘Yes sweetheart you deserved this. Our prayers were finally answered’.
‘Oh how I wish your mother, my daughter was alive!’.
‘No now Nana, pleas let’s no ruin the mood. I’m sure she and dad will be proud of me, wherever they are now’.
‘Who wouldn’t be proud of a lovely daughter like you? You’ve always brought me joy ever since you were born’. She said smiling.
‘I love you grandma’.
‘I love you too my lovely doctor’. She smiled.
They both smiled.
‘Okay your beans is getting cold’.
Rain woke up at about 5:00am, quite earlier than her waking time. She was rather too excited for someone who barely slept through the night.
Her travelling bags and luggage had already been packed the week before. She hurriedly brushed her teeth and took her bath, whistling and humming all the while, before realising too late that her noise would wake grandma up.
‘Ah! Nana, sorry to wake you up. Good morning ma’. She sputtered. She had almost bumped into grandma who standing in the dimly lit passage.
‘Did someone win a lottery today or something? Grandma inquired.
‘Uhm not exactly, but someone will be going to Lagos for the first time today! She squealed in excitement then shut her mouth with her hands immediately before mumbling a sorry.
‘I’ll just go prepare you breakfast while you keep at whatever you were doing’. Grandma finally said
‘Not hungry’. Rain snorted. On getting no response, she decided to add ‘Okay, I’ll just eat on the way’. She knew firsthand that nothing she says would stop Nana from cooking her breakfast.
She went into her room and stood before the mirror to take a good look at herself. She was putting on a green cotton shirt that fitted snugly, her petite figure, together with a black pleated, midi skirt. Her long and dark, wavy hair was packed into a messy bun, letting a few tendrils escape and fall freely on her small oval face. It was her hair that often gave her hybrid origin away. She had large and deep black eyes such that when directed at you, could send shivers down your spine. Her friends would often tease her saying, her eyes were what made the boys flounder when approaching her for they would feel she was searching their souls and reading their minds. She smiled in nostalgia revealing the prettiest pair of dimples and dentition perfectly arranged in her tiny but luscious lips.
She stepped aside and took a frame of her late mother’s photo hanging on the wall. She stared at the image before her and smiled at the striking semblance. If her mom were not darker, they would have passed for twins, for every single feature on her face is a replica of her moms. Except her narrow nose, which grandma said were from her dads. It was a mystery they were no photos of him.
She wiped a small tear from her cheek and ran her hands over the frame.
‘I miss you mom, I really do. Why did you have to go and leave me behind? Why didn’t you stay or take me along with you?’.
As if on cue, she felt the tip of something crispy from one corner of the frame and curiously shook the frame harder. Immediately, a crumpled piece of paper dropped from behind the picture. She assumed it had been hidden in between the picture picture and the wood for a long time.
Quickly, she picked it up and began to unfold it.
‘Your food is ready’. Grandma called, startling her.
‘I am coming’ she answered and tucked the paper into the pocket of her traveling bag.
‘What did you Cook’. She continued, walking towards the kitchen.
‘Fried yam, eggs and pap’. Grandma called back.
‘Hmm.. Sounds tempting, but I’m late already, any delay now and I might not catch the first bus’. She was now in the kitchen with grandma.
‘Alright then, I’ll just put it in this flask for you to take along with you’.
*********************
Rain was exhausted and her shoulders drooped from the heavy luggage she carried. Grandma had packed a bagful of rice, yams,onions among others and insisted she carried them all.
‘This woman will not kill me today’. She cursed under her breath.
She was now in the park where shell board a bus to Lagos. She went to obtain her ticket, came back and secured a comfortable seat for herself before slumping into it.
She thought she’ll drift off to sleep immediately but found herself smiling as she reminisced on the advice grandma sang to her.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you. And the boys,they’ll come because flowers attract bees, but don’t listen to them. They’re all deceivers. Focus on your assignment there and never forget who you are”.
She suddenly broke into a sob as it dawned on her they won’t be seeing each other for a Long, long time.
The bus was full now and some people turned to look at her. So, she quickly wiped her eyes and turned to look outside the window, averting their gaze.
Grandma was all she had and now she’ll be going into a new environment, where she knew no one. She forced back the tears that threatened to fall drop again. In a bid to take her mind off grandma, she remember the paper she found earlier and searched her handbag for it, she immediately regretted as she recalled the place she had hid it.
The bus started moving and she quickly mouthed a prayer, committing the journey into God’s hands. Then she took out her flask and began to eat her breakfast quietly.
To be continued
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