The Externals - Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty 

"A whole assembly perfect, is this the time you're supposed to be coming to school? How dare you even try to sneak in!" Master Gbenga's deep voice said to me the Monday after our mid-term break.

"I'm very sorry, sir", I couldn't bare to look at him because I was ashamed of myself even though coming late wasn't entirely my fault.

"You people sha like to tempt somebody. I've promised myself not to beat anyone this week", He hissed.

"Thank you so much, sir", I entered the class happily.

"What made you late sef?"He asked reluctantly.

"I'm just coming from the place I went to spend the holiday", I explained.

"Oh! Hope you brought something for me?"He said playfully.

"Yes, sir", I was glad I had the pack of Maryland cookies my eldest male cousin gave me the other day, though I originally planned to share it among my classmates.

My classmates weren't happy when they later found out the cookies meant for them were given to Master Gbenga but they couldn't complain because it inspired him to give out the questions (for his subjects only) that were going to appear in our upcoming examination. As the only person who traveled among them, my classmates made me tell them every detail of the things I experienced at my Aunt's house. They also wished they could travel but so many things were in their way. While some had siblings to look after after their parents went to work, others either didn't have money for transportation or any well-off relative to visit.

At lunchtime, Omma stayed with me in the class for the very first time. Her mom was home during the weekend so she didn't have to live on junk like she used to. She was forced to cook jollof rice and beans the previous night and bring the leftover to school so she didn't have to follow the rest to the food shed. When we both finished eating, I begged her to narrate some scenes in the second season of 'The Legend of the blue sea ' to while away time, and she did idialogigently. Then, all of a sudden, she changed our subject of discussion to Zach who claimed to have missed me badly and gave me the package he sent.

No, it didn't contain a flower bouquet or chocolate candies. The shopping bag he sent to me had four yards of Abada material and the invitation card to a wedding. Yes, it was the wedding his stepmom went to get its aso-ebi the other day, which gave me the chance to beg her to help me get Jess' sportswear as well. I was very happy about the gifts and the wedding because it was the first time I got an invite to a party that wasn't hosted by my family members but also scared that Aunt Tolani won't allow me to leave the house. Not after what happened that morning.

"You should have told him I'm never interested in things like this", I returned the shopping bag to her.

"You have to go to this one oo. I have collected sowing money from him and gave some to my tailor", She avoided my gaze.

"Why would you do that kind of thing without telling me first?" I yelled at her.

"What's going on here?" My loud voice drew Khadijat's attention.

"Ask her", I pointed at Omma and brought out a textbook that I wasn't planning to fully concentrate on from my backpack. It was only a ploy to make it seem I didn't have time to continue a pointless discussion.

"You have to go to that party", I least expected Khadijat to be on Omma's side but she disappointed me.

"I agree too. It's a great opportunity for you to have fun", Jess added.

Before I got home, Aunt Tolani already prepared dinner so I didn't have to go through the stress involved in cooking and there was enough time for me to ponder over what the girls told me. It prompted my decision to follow Omma to her tailor's workplace the next day. The fashion ovation given to me by the giant-looking woman spent over an hour in my hands because I couldn't find the kind of style I wanted on time. Most of the ones I saw there were either old or complex for a teenage girl like me. When I finally got the one I loved, the woman ordered one of her apprentices who had three tribal marks to measure me with her green colored tape-rule.

Actually, those tribal marks of hers made me wonder if she was capable of getting my measurement done correctly, but the only choice I had was to do whatever she asked me to. I also enjoyed making fun of her local dialect in my mind and staring at the variety of fashion posters on the blue walls of the shop or an old charcoal iron being made to move smoothly on a newly sown Ankara gown. After the measurement, Omma succeeded in dragging me to her home so I'd get the opportunity to thank Zach for everything he did and made me promise I won't let him down. Even his vulnerable eyes didn't make me feel like disappointing him but the onus was not on me.

Our revision week was very playful because teachers hardly came into our homeroom to teach. Most of them were after making us promise them Christmas gifts or threatening us with difficult exam questions so students like khadijat who fancied broadcasting will read more but their plan didn't work for her. She never stopped being a student that prefers reading on examination mornings. Somehow, everyone in my homeroom got to know about the wedding Zach invited me to, and Kenny didn't fail to tease me about it. He never thought a guy would ask me out and couldn't believe I agreed to go with him so he needed to ask the person in question.

"Auntie, there's something I'd like to tell you about", It was finally time to tell my aunt about the wedding and my heart couldn't stop racing.

"What is it?" I was hoping she'd be in a good mood. With her very own mouth, she told she made a lot of sales at the market, which was the reason she came home earlier.

"Emm..you know that my friend that comes here.."I sulked at the description so she wasn't able to get who I was talking about on time.

"Shey that omo igbo?"Even if it was actually Jess I was going out with, I wouldn't dare disclose her identity with her because she never trusted people from other tribes.

"Nooo..this one is omo Yoruba oo. In fact, she's from Ibadan", My words were directed towards making my Aunt believe Omma was a suitable person to attend a party when I still haven't told her we were going outside Lagos.

"That's good", She smiled."I'll beg her to teach me how to cook that their special tabula one of these days".

" Okay, ma", I started having doubts about telling her what was on my mind again, and my Aunt wasn't interested in asking me about it. As soon as I kept quiet, my voice was replaced by a presenter who couldn't find any other suitable topic to talk about but environmental sanitation.

"I was actually thinking we should clean the house on Saturday" She gave an order in the form of a suggestion.

"No..."I tried explaining things to her but she wasn't patient enough to listen to me.

"You're trying to leave all the work for me alone, abi? Ole omo! (lazy child). You're the one that will come back to do it when you finish the wedding sha", She made her final decision.

Omma was my lifesaver. She knew I didn't dare to tell my Aunt about the wedding so she told her on my behalf when she escorted me back home the day we went to her tailor's shop. They had their conversation after Aunt Tolani sent me to get her a bottle of soft drink and a biscuit for refreshment. There's nothing like having a friend that your parents or guidance like to have around, right?

Though my Aunt agreed to let me go to the wedding, I knew she was capable of telling me to stay home if I did anything wrong so I tried as much as possible to please her. On the day of the wedding, I woke up early to do minor house chores which consisted of sweeping the living room we only use once in a while, and the passageway. I was also scared that she'd pick a flaw in my dress so I kept it in my handbag, to put it on at Omma's house.

When I got to Omma's house, I was surprised to see her already dressed for the party even though her mom was around to send her a thousand errands at a go. Zach had also arranged his make-up kit because he wanted to use my face for the experiment. Well, I had no choice but to let him do that because I still hadn't learned how to apply any kind of powder and Omma couldn't help me at that moment cause she was dealing with hers and time wasn't on our side.

Many jaws dropped after seeing the magic Zach performed on my face with different mixtures of powders, bronze lipstick, 6 inches lashes, and many others. We never thought he could also properly tie my headgear but he did since he didn't give up despite three failed attempts. I couldn't stop staring at the standing mirror in Omma's mirror because my transformation was breathtaking. His makeup, hair tie, Omma's dropping earrings, and stiletto heels all combined to give me the kind of look I wanted. Then, every other lady that was following us to the party begged him to help them do their makeup but he decided to punish them for looking down on him once.

The individual who was assigned to drive us to the wedding venue was ID's Dad since he owned a public vehicle. However, the middle-aged man got sick so his son had to replace him. By working closely with him, he learned a lot about driving long and short distances so he was confident about being behind the steering wheel. Rather than help his best friend in his quest, Zach chose to help one of the neighbors carry her child. He had a phobia of driving so Omma was the right person to stay with him since she loved driving too. Everyone knew they were going to do a good job, but still had to keep an eye on them so they don't mess things up like they do when they're angry at each other.

Anyways, the journey to Zach's stepmom's hometown was fun. Since the car didn't have AC, my makeup would have smeared if not for him who used his hand fan to ensure it gets a steady supply of air to maintain its standard. The other women in the car were angry with him because he didn't allow them to use it on themselves or their sweating babies but he didn't mind. Still, he later bribed them with packs of plantain chips and cheeseballs for their kids. I also got my favorite rite gala with a bottle of Pepsi though I told him not to bother. Though most of his attention was on the road, ID didn't fail to tell jokes that made us laugh and Zach assisted him in doing so. He seemed not to be as gentle as I thought but not in a bad way. I guessed he felt intimidated when he first met me because I was different from the girls he had dealt with in the past.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Another big thank you to you for reading this part😁🥰 As usual, don't forget to click the star icon below and drop comments. You can even tell me what you think will be the outcome of the wedding ceremony!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend😊😁😍