DANIELLAđź“™
#Episode_3
Daniella! Daniella!” At first, I thought someone was calling me in my dream but when I felt a tap on my ba-re legs, my eyes shut open and I saw aunt Caro standing in front of me.
“Good morning aunt.” I slurred, lazily getting up from the be-d and ru-bbing my eyes with my fist.
“Morning. Are you that much of a de-ep sleeper? Look Daniella, you’d have to change that in this house. You’re no longer in the village where you’d sleep until nine o’clock. In my house, you’d have to wake up very early to sweep everywhere, warm the leftover and wash all the dirty plates. So now stand up and get to work. By the way, today is Sunday so you have to do the chores really fast so as to get re-ady for church.” That said, she walked out and shut the door behind her.
I was staying in the room downstairs. The room had nothing but my luggage, a small be-d and a standing fan facing the be-d. To me, it felt comfortable. At least more comfortable than the room mama and I sle-pt in the village, which was quite stuffy. I was happy with the fact that I was the only one slee-ping in this room. I could do whatever I wanted to do without anyone disturbing my solitude. But thinking about it closely, in this house, could I?
I stretched out my lim-bs and yawned at the same time as I stood up completely from the be-d. I walked out from the room and went straight to the kitchen, which was a few steps close my room.
When I got there, I contemplated what to do first—sweep the house or do the dishes? I reached a conclusion that doing the dishes first was better. While I did that, uncle Henry walked in ma-king some disturbing noises with his sli-ppers probably so as to get my attention. Not like I was ever going to pretend like I didn’t notice his presÂŁnce anyway.
I turned to greet him. “Good morning sir.” I remembered him correcting me yesterday not to call him uncle.
“Have you warmed the soup and stew?” He asked, completely ignoring my greeting. Now I could say I didn’t like this man and I didn’t think he liked me either. It was a mutual thing.
“No sir. I wanted to wash the plates first before I do that.” I didn’t want to sound nervous but my voice failed me completely.
“Is your s-en-se not supposed to tell you to warm the food first before you wash the plates? Or do you want the food to get spoiled?”
To be honest, I actually thought of doing that first but I realized that I couldn’t use the g@s cooker, so I discarded the idea. In the village, what we used in cooking or warming food was stove or firewood when there was no kerosÂŁne in the stove and that is what I was used to. I was literally intimid@tÂŁd by g@s cookers because of the ugly tales I had heard about people’s house burning down owing to the fact that they had carelessly handled the g@s cooker or they had forgotten to put off the g@s once done using it. And I was scared of that happening because of me.
“No sir, I actually wanted to warm it first but—”
“Then why didn’t you?” He asked immediately, cutting me off.
“Because I cannot use the g@s cooker.”
“Becosh I cannur yush the g@sh cooker.” He mimicked me, mockingly. “When you knew you couldn’t use the g@s cooker, why didn’t you call someone to help you out?” Immediately he said that, aunt Caro walked in.
“Darling, what is it?” She asked.
“It’s your niece o. She was telling me that she didn’t warm the food because she couldn’t use the g@s cooker and I asked why she couldn’t call someone to help her with it when she knew she couldn’t use it.” He explained to aunt Caro and a look of disappointment crossed her face as she looked at me.
“Daniella, how many times will I tell you to ask questions when you don’t know something eh?”
Just once.
“Sorry aunt, I just didn’t want to disturb anyb©dy.”
“You just didn’t want to disturb anyb©dy? Next time if you don’t know something, ask questions. Don’t keep your mouth shut like a dumb person.”
“Teach her how it’s done. I want to go and have my bath.” Uncle Henry said as he made his way out of the kitchen. “And you,” He pointed at me, “Boil rice so we can eat it with the small stew remaining before we leave for church.”
He walked away and left only aunt Caro and me in the kitchen.
“This is how to put the g@s cooker on.” She demonstrated it for me and although I got what she did, I still wanted her to repeat it.
“plea-se aunt can you do it again.” I requested. Aunt Caro did it again and stepped back for me to try. I did exactly as she showed me and I was so happy that I had learned how to put on a cooker.
“Now that you know how to use the g@s cooker, warm all the leftovers and boil small rice for the family to eat this morning. Do everything quic-kly so that we can prepare to leave for church.” She said and walked away.
Some hours later, the family was done having breakfast and they had all gussied up for church. I was the only one still looking for a cloth to wear. The car horn blared outside for the second time, warning me to hurry up.
I quic-kly took out one of my old blue dresses that mama had bought for me in the village from my luggage. It was getting a bit too ti-ght for me but it was covering my knee. Because it had been in my luggage since, the dress was a bit crea-sed. But there wasn’t any time to iron it, so I hurriedly sli-pped into it. I took my headscarf and my small Bible from the luggage and scurried off to the car.
It seemed like they were re-ady to leave when I got outside. I ran to the backside of the car and tried to open the door, but it was locked. From the window, either Amanda or Annabelle gestured for me to wait so they could open the car door for me, which I did and the car opened.
I clambered into the car and the twin that opened the door for me adjusted for me to sit. Uncle Henry was in the driver’s seat, aunt Caro was in the pas-sÂŁnger seat in front, while the twins and I were sat at the back of the car.
“Have you locked the door to the house?” Aunt Caro asked.
“Yes.” I responded.
“What of the gate?”
“No.”
“Why? C’mon go and lock the gate!” She shouted.
“No, there’s no time for that.” Uncle Henry said as I was about to come down from the car. “We’re running late for church alre-ady.”
“Honey, are you sure she does not nee-d to lock the gate?” Aunt Caro asked, skeptically.
“Since the house door is locked, there would not be any nee-d to lock the gate again. And I really don’t think any robber can break into the house at broad daylight. The Muslim neighbors would catch them before they even try to.” Uncle Henry said to his wife as he turned on the ignition and the engine c@mÂŁ to life.
As he started to drive, the twin sitting beside me asked, “Why is your dress so crea-sed?”
I turned to look at her and I realised she was Annabelle, the nicer twin. “I was rushing so I didn’t have time to start ironing the dress.” I said, tying my headscarf around my head.
“Since there was light yesterday, why didn’t you iron it?”
“I was too tired to and besides I forgot yesterday that today was Sunday.” As I finished tying the headscarf, I asked Annabelle how it was and she only shrugged. I took it that the way I tied it was good enough.
Annabelle picked up her big phone from her purse and started to fiddle with it. Only then did I notice that Amanda had been silent throu-ghout. I looked over at her and she was fiddling with her phone too. Her phone was as big as Annabelle’s own but hers was wearing a blue pouch.
I looked at them with admiration. They looked so cute and posh in their similar outfit. They were both wearing a peach off-shoulder mermaid go-wn with their pu-ll-ed up br@ids uncovered. I wondered why they weren’t covering their hair. In the Catholic Church I attended back in the village, a female was never allowed to go to church with her hair uncovered. It was a taboo and the church frowned at it. But I guessed in the city, it wasn’t that much of a big deal.
Before long, we got to the church and I must say it was big— but not as big as the Catholic Church in the village. Inscribe-d in front of the church building was “Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)”. It was apparently a Pentecostal church. To think aunt Caro and her family would also be attending a Catholic Church!
We got into the church and I followed Annabelle and Amanda to the teenage church. When we got in, everything, the whole procedures and doctrines, were a far cry from that of the Catholic Church I attended in the village. Even the teenagers looked different. To me, some looked like showoffs; some also looked like they c@mÂŁ for a night club or a p@rty, while others looked pretty much decent. And that was the category of people I fell in—the decent ones. But really, the way I looked compared to the teens in this church made me feel like I didn’t belong here. Some people turned to look at me like I was some piece of $h!t. I felt so uncomfortable around this environment and funny enough, it was a church. Wasn’t everyone supposed to be comfortable in a church?
Annabelle and Amanda found their way to a seat, obviously running away from me, so it wouldn’t look like I c@mÂŁ to the church with them. I only shook my head at what they did and found my way to one seat at the back.
When the service was almost over, one of the church workers called for first time members. This was exactly what he said, “If you’re worsh!pping with us for the very first time in our teens church, plea-se signify by raising up your hands.”
I didn’t dare to do that. I mean, I couldn’t possibly do that. That would only draw more attention to myself and that, I didn’t want. I looked around to see if anyone was going to raise their hands up, but nob©dy did. That could only mean two things, it was either I was the only new member in the church or there were some other new members that were also feeling shy or embarras-sed to raise their hands up.
***
“…And by the way, one of the ministers called for first timers, why didn’t you signify Daniella?” Amanda asked as we entered into the house. She had not said a single word to me since we were in the car. She had been so engrossed talking about how the service went with Annabelle.
Annabelle, on the other hand, asked me how the service was before we got into the car and I simply told her it was fine, even though it wasn’t for me. I was so self conscious throu-ghout the service.
“Because I didn’t want to.” I answered Amanda curtly.
“Or because you were so embarras-sed by the way you looked and you didn’t want the teens in church to laugh at you.” Amanda sniggered, ma-king mockery of me. After which, she strutted away.
“Ah ah Amanda, that wasn’t fair.” Annabelle said in my defense. “Daniella don’t mind her jare. She’s just jealous of you.” She said, smiling at me but I didn’t smile back. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t feel the nee-d to.
I was utterly surprised at the way Amanda was treating me. To think I was even so excited to see aunt Caro’s twins! I thought they were going to be nice and loving. Actually, one of them was, but the other was just something else.
I was completely disappointed by the way things were turning out in the city. I never bargained for all of these. I c@mÂŁ to the city hoping that life was going to be better and more interesting for me, but it was pla-ying out to be the opposite. I was missing village alre-ady. It was more peaceful and virtually everyone there was so friendly and nice. One never had inferiority complex in the village, unlike here in the city.
I really wanted to go back to the village.
Evening c@mÂŁ quic-kly and I was called by aunt Caro to the living room. When I got in, she and uncle Henry were sitting on a two-seater sofa watching channel news on TV.
“Sit down.” Uncle Henry said in an authoritative tone and I obliged. “What clas-s are you now in school?” He asked.
The question took me aback but because I knew where he was heading, I answered without hesitation.
“I’m in ss2 sir.”
“Interesting.” He nodded his head. “Darling, what clas-s are Amanda and Annabelle in now?” He directed the question to aunt Caro.
“They’re in ss3.” Aunt Caro responded.
“Oh I actually thought she and Amanda and Annabelle were clas-s mates or at least she was their sÂŁnior in clas-s.” Uncle Henry said, “How old are you, Daniella?”
My brows knitted quizzically as I answered, “I’m sixteen years old.”
“Amanda and Annabelle are also sixteen years old, right?” Uncle Henry asked his wife and she answered “yes.”
“Oh great! I guess you started school late then.” Uncle said, “Well the reason for all these questions is that, starting from tomorrow, you’d be attending the school my daughters attend.”
For some unfathomable reasons, my heart skipped a bit when he said that.
đź’Ą
To_be_Continuedđź’Ą