chapter 41

"Aunty, you no go like come down?" the driver asked making me tear my gaze from the window to him.

Ever since we drove out of the estate, I had my face glued to the window since there was nothing for me to do.

Aunty Bola was typing furiously and smiling cheesily at her phone, Folakemi's mum was talking on the phone with her customers, well I knew that because I kept hearing "pay a hundred thousand, Oya pay ninety-five because you are a very good customer of mine. ", I wonder what she is selling, Folakemi didn't come with us and I was glad, when I asked of her not like I missed her o, her mum said she went to see a friend.

Meanwhile the driver focused on road so I was left alone with my thought.

Everything I was seeing outside the window were fascinating, ranging from the wide roads to the well arranged flower pots on both sides of the roads to the towering buildings weezing past us and well another scene of people running to hop on moving vehicles.

I was still looking out of the window lost in my head this time around and I didn't even notice the car had come to a stand still until I heard the driver's loud voice.

I looked to my left and noticed Aunty Bola and Folakemi's mum had alighted although they still stood beside the car, Aunty Bola was still typing furiously into her phone while Folakemi's mum was still on a call and I was wondering how come she could be talking for over an hour or so.

I came down from the car and stretched, my legs felt cramped probably because I sat on a spot for long. I walked towards them and shortly, she ended her call and we moved to the gate.

Stepping inside, I immediately felt lost as in this place was too big and spacious, how can a place look small from outside and big on the inside. It seemed as if the gate was just covering the inside.

There were five big buildings with different sizes, shapes and colours inside the area. I could spot different billboards bearing different names.

I looked at the names of the buildings standing elegantly on billboards at their front.

"The place,Cold stone..." I read in my mind.

"Uh.." I gulped looking again I probably read wrong I guess but I actually saw that clearly.

How can stone be cold.

I chuckled and looked at the other billboard.

"Kilimanjaro ke" I muttered.

What's with this people and all this names they are giving places, I thought Kilimanjaro was the name of a mountain and this clearly wasn't a mountain.

"Market place" I read cringing my brows.

This doesn't look a bit like a market place, it isn't even half as noisy as a market place should be.

I rolled my eyes and looked at the fifth and largest building, the name "Shoprite" was boldly written on the billboard, it kind of stood out and had more people thronging in and out of it.

I looked straight and saw Aunty Bola and Folakemi walking ahead of me into shop rite so I quickly dashed after them, I don't know anywhere here in Lagos o, so I can't afford to get lost.

Folakemi's mum stopped abruptly and I almost dashed into her.

"Bola, you go into market place and shop for those food items on the list, me and Anjola would go into shop rite and shop for things she need".she ordered.

"Okay ma" Aunty Bola replied turning towards market place.

I really wished I could go with her, I wanted to know what was inside the market place.

"Bola, come back here" she called.

"it's your teeth you want to use to buy those items right?"

"It's only to press phone that you know, common come and take the master card jare" she said stretching a flat plastic card and a small piece of paper she scribbled on to her.

"If you like buy about to spoil vegetables and chicken or let them cheat you" she warned.

"Let's go Anjola" She says pulling my hands with her.

The crowd inside shop rite was much, people kept pressing against each other and if not that I had my hands in Folakemi mum hands, I'll have just gotten lost.

We kept bumping into people until we were way into the building. Soft music was playing in the background and I kept seeing yellow and red colour all around.

Our first stop was at the shoe section, Folakemi's mum made me wear practically all the shoes in this section, I kept wearing and pulling sneakers, flats, heels, block, slides... She kept naming and I had to block her out.

At the end of it all, she shoved half of the shoes and slides and heels into our trolley making me wonder whether we want to start selling shoes.

We stopped at the feminine section and oh God I got frustrated, she was just pilling clothes for me to change into, I can bet I changed into 15 different wears she shoved into the trolley, she bought jean skirts and trousers, t shirts, corporate gowns, party gowns, hats, lingeries of different types and shapes, pyjamas etc. She kept mentioning what types and styles they were and we're they were worn too.

She got jewelry, wigs, makeup kits and a whole lot of other things.

Not like I wasn't greatful but this things were too much and she still kept on buying.

"I guess this is enough for this section" she says while I let out a sigh of relief.

"Our next stop would be the book section, but I'll leave you to go there your self, I need to go to the phone section I want to pick something there" she informed walking away.

"Don't wander away from here" she said looking over her shoulder.

I walk into the book section browsing through the books on the shelves. This section has tall shelves filled with books all around, the shelves were tall and I wondered how one can reach the books until I saw high stools scattered around.

I kept looking and picking books until my eyes caught a familiar looking name on a book two shelves above me.

"Chimamanda Adichie" that name sure rings a bell, I had read two of her books purple hibiscus and half of a yellow sun although I wasn't able to complete half of a yellow sun because the one I borrowed from one of the corpers that came to Itasha that year wasn't complete, it started on page 65 and some of the middle pages were missing but I still enjoyed the book and was able to understand what it entailed. But I was able to complete purple hibiscus so I decided to check this one out.

Not like I was short but the shelves were kind of towering so I dragged a nearby stool, climbed on it and was almost successfully picking up the book when I felt myself falling.

I thought it was my mind playing games with me until I felt the impact of my butt on the ground followed by shrill hysterical laughters, I looked up and saw three girls staring down at me, two of them stared devilish while the third one stared shocked.

One of the girls was dark and chubby, the other was fair and tall while the third one was a contrast between been dark and fair, she looked beautiful on a low cut with a c parting.

"I needed the stool" the dark chubby girl says.

"And she took it" the fair one added chewing crazily on a bubble gum.

The third one still stood staring at the duo like they had grown two heads while I still sat on my smarting butt trying to understand what just happened.

"If you don't mind, we want to move through where you are sitting on" the chubby girl said again flipping her braids off her face.

A frown speeds through my brows.

"Why is this one frowning, are you deaf or what" the fair girl yelled.

"Haha, what have come over you both, Priscilla, first you pushed her off the stool not caring if she gets hurt or not and now Kim, you are yelling as if you are a dog, what has come over you?" the third girl finally spoke up.

"Hold it there aunty" the chubby girl which I presume to be Priscilla from the third girl statement retorted.

"What is it sef, she needed something and she took it, what's the crime in that?" the fair girl which she referred to as Kim asked.

"Keep quiet Kim, just hold it, Priscilla did something bad and instead of you to correct her, you are taking sides with her" the third girl replied.

"Aunty judge, the person we took stool from is not complaining, it's now you that is her mouth piece abi" Priscilla hissed.

"You both are heartless" the third girl said.

"Thank you o, aunty that have heart" Kim retorted. The girl blood is too hot.

"Don't mind her, let's just leave this place" Priscilla said her eyes straying to me.

"Sister deaf and dumb, please let us pass".

I immediately stood up caressing my hurting and. You when they say did cat catch your young, I guess cat actually caught my young.

The two girls gave me nasty looks before walking past me with Priscilla purposely hitting my ankle with the stool making me yelp in pain.

The surprising thing was that when they got to the entrance, they dropped the stool and just walked out, those girls were devils.

I turned to pick the book that fell off my hands earlier but was surprised to not see it there.

"Are you looking for this?" a voice asked behind me, I turned and saw the girl who spoke against Priscilla and Kim smiling widely at me.

"Hmm... Yes... Er..." I stammered collecting the book from her.

"well, no thank you" she said sounding hurt.

"Thank you"

"Am sorry about the way my sister and her friend acted, they aren't this bitchy well am talking for my twin sister I don't know about kim" she explained while I just stared at her, she spoke with a funny accent and she talks really fast.

Wait did I hear her refer to Priscilla as her twin sister.

Damn!, that was strange, they don't even look in anyways similar. Priscilla is dark and chubby, she is not dark or fair and she isn't fat although they are of the same height.

She thrust out a hand that I clasp only to inwardly grimace at how silky it felt.

"I am Triumph"

"I am Anjolaoluwa"

"You look beautiful by the way"

I bite my lips to keep myself from beaming; however, the smile escapes and I feel my face glowing.

"Really" I gasp.

"Yes really"

"I should be telling you that" I said.

"Oops, I am blushing" she whisper yelled flapping her hands in a dramatic manner making me burst into laughter.

"What's funny na?" she asked joining me in laughing, this girl is a confirm clown.

"Nothing is funny, it's just the way you acted" I replied giggling.

"oh" she said after which there was a moment of silence between us.

"You seem too timid" she said breaking the silence between us.

"you should learn to stand up to yourself, you let people bully you and that's not healthy, you need to stand up for yourself, don't let people ride on you, for a while back there, I thought you were dumb."

I blink.

"I know" I said on a breathy note." I... Thank you for standing up for me"

"No thanks, it's fine" she said.

"So you like Chimamanda's book?" she asked trying to dissolve the awkwardness hovering in the air.

"Yes I do" I replied warming up to her again.

"Wow that's nice. Am not much of a novel freak but I have read purple hibiscus and I found it quite interesting."

"Really, that's her first book I read, if you found it interesting then I found it fantastic" I said.

"What made me finish the book was that I fell in love with one of her characters, What's that her name sef?" she asked hitting her head.

"Is it kambilli?" I asked.

"No, this one am trying to remember isn't a major character in the book"

"Mama?"

"No, it's that very outspoken girl I am talking about, how can I forget her name na"

"Oh you mean Amaka"

"Yes, yes Amaka, I really liked the girl in the book" she exclaimed.

"The girl was really daring and I liked her, you should be like her" she teased.

"I liked Kambili, she was shy and reserved" I said.

"Why won't you like her when you are also shy"

"Maybe you should also travel to Nsukka and meet Father Amado so you can be as outspoken" she teased.

"So what's the tittle of this one?" she asked.

"Americanah" I said.

"Sounds boring" she replied feigning disgust.

"Oops" I replied feigning hurt, well two can play the game.

"I was just joking, you need to see the look on your face" she laughed her laugh was contagious so I found myself laughing with her.

We kept bantering about books and we soon found ourselves discussing personal issues, I found out we were age mates, we were in the same class and surprisingly she wanted to be a pharmacist so she was also going to be in the science class.

I found out I loved her vibes and her personality too, she was cool and really nice.

I wished we could continue talking but soon, Folakemi's mum came looking for me, she kept saying we were running late and should hurry.

Turned out Folakemi's mum knew Triumph and she was actualy living in the same estate with us.

The drive home was a bit slower and by the time we got home, we were all exhausted, I managed to eat dinner before falling asleep.

*****

The days flew by so quick and Monday was just hours away.

Earlier today, Aunty Bola took me and Folakemi to the saloon to get our hair done.

The stylist was so talented and when she was done my natural hair looked so beautiful and shiny. She made pick and drop explaining that my hair was a natural one and that was the best style she felt could suit my face.

She kept gushing about how my hair was long and thick and she wished to have my type of hair.

Folakemi was jealous and she didn't even hide her disgust as she kept hissing and grumbling complaining that the stylist was too slow.

I was a bit anxious about school but Folakemi's mum and Dad succeeded in calming me down.

They even instructed me to call them Dad and mum as that would seem comfortable.

*******

"Folakemi, Anjola, you both should be down here in ten minutes" Folakemi's dad, oh I mean our Dad called.

I haven't really gotten used to calling him daddy.

"If you don't, I bet you would have to miss breakfast" he warned.

" Darlings, You both wouldn't want to be late on your first day of school" Mum called sweetly.

An hour later, we were done with breakfast and on our way to school.

Folakemi's mum drove us to school because she had to register me being a new student and also endorse Folakemi into a new class.