The Externals - Chapter Thirty

"Good afternoon, sir", Zach still had the effrontery to greet Dad.

"Hey, my boy. How're you?", Dad patted his head, thinking he was one of his siblings' grandchildren he couldn't get familiar with due to his constant travels."Whose child are you?"

"Hmm..Dad. He's not part of the family. He's a friend from the other street", I chose not to take advantage of Dad's lack of knowledge on what his relatives look like.

"Oh..How're you?" Dad offered him a harmless handshake. He had faith in me, so it didn't look like he was suspicious.

"Fine, sir", Zach's once calm voice, became queasy.

"Seems like you guys were about to go somewhere when I came in earlier", Dad allowed Zach to assist him in taking his luggage to the living room.

"Yeah. Zach's parents invited me to celebrate Christmas with them, so I won't be lonely", I said like it was the best offer anyone's ever offered me.

"That's good. My regards to them. Bring something for me when you're coming oo", Dad settled down on the longest sofa in the living room.

"Okay, Papa", I hugged him."Take good care of yourself, and don't miss me too much".

"Thank you, sir", Zach prostrated to appreciate Dad and led us outside my home.

Once we got outside, my eyes saw a beautiful red Toyota parked near our fence. I would have gotten angry at the owner for invading our space because I knew Dad wasn't capable of driving a car all the way from Abuja if Zach didn't open its passenger's seat door and made me sit inside. For heaven's sake, his house was trekkable, yet he chose to take me there with his mom's car which had a full air conditioning system, a pleasing scent of feminine perfume, and tinted glasses. Making snap chat videos in there would have made a lot of sense if I had the flair and charisma for it.

Previously known as Mrs. Bassey, Zach's mom had the nicest of all smiles. The Gucci dress she wore screamed money and went well with sixty degrees of human hair. Neither of the persons who saw her that day needed to be told that her earrings, necklace, and wristwatch were made of gold. It was hard to believe she birthed Zach because they barely looked alike or had similar characters.

The happiness I felt doubled when Zach's mom told me she loved my earrings and succeeded in her attempt to educate me about jewelry. I never imagined that we would have an easy flow of conversation due to her appearance but we did. Even Zach's stepmom became jealous of our sudden bond. On several occasions, I caught her eavesdropping on our conversation. Unsatisfied with that, she tried to put a permanent end to our discussion by inviting Zach's mom to come join her in the kitchen but Zach's dad came on time to prevent that from happening. From the look of things, his strong disdain for her didn't end even after five years of divorce.

The New Mrs. Bassey first served us slices of pawpaw, pineapple, and watermelon to stimulate our appetite then the main course, spicy jollof rice, and fried chicken came in fifteen minutes later. At dessert time, we ate the savory cupcakes Zach baked for the occasion with a bottle of lusciously sweet wine. That was after the divorced couple argued about whether the children should take alcohol or not. Surprisingly, Zach's mom supported it but his dad was strongly against it.

In the end, they had to compromise so peace would reign. Still, Mr. Bassey ensured it was taken in low quantity, even for his divorced wife, and ended up breaking her glass cup. Thereafter, a gloomy Zach held my hand softly and suggested that we go for a walk so we could get some fresh air even though I didn't need it. A fan that was transferred from the living room to the small dining room to ensure the place isn't stuffy was working perfectly. Besides, the new Mrs. Bassey had to serve her kids in the living room so the dining room was convenient for us.

"I'm very sorry for..." Zach said during our walk. He was too embarrassed to look at me.

"It's okay", I didn't let him finish his statement. "You're still lucky to have both of your parents alive".

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry", Reality dawned on him that the reason why I wasn't staying with my mom nor talking about her was because she was no longer on planet Earth.

"Thanks", I smiled sheepishly.

"I've never told her this, but I love Mom a lot. I miss her", Zach looked emotional which was really unlike him.

"Sounds like you don't even visit her for holidays. Why?" I was concerned about him.

"I don't want to get attached", He sighed."If I do, I won't return to Dad and he'll get hurt".

"I understand", I didn't know what else to say.

"Do you mind if we head back home now?" He said that because the sun was getting hotter and we were both sweating like Christmas goats, as my elder sis would say.

"Sure", We raced back to escape the wrath of the sun which seemed furious.

When we returned to Zach's home, I saw the most surprising scene ever! There were several floral decorations in the living room and most importantly, several balloons which formed the words, "Will you be my girlfriend?" Instantly, several thoughts crossed my mind. I thought about Zach's brother arranging all these and being closer to Omma for me because he seemed like a more romantic person. I also thought he did it to impress Omma. I never imagined that the guy who came to kneel in front of me arranged it for me!

"Lily, ever since I met you, my life hasn't been the same. I never imagined I would ever care for someone so much but since I met you, everything changed. You're different from every other girl I've met. So you'd know that you mean a lot to me and I won't take a relationship with you for granted, I'm asking you to be my girlfriend in front of everyone I care about", Zach said like he was reciting poetic lines. He left me short of words to say for some time.

Guess what came out of my mouth afterward!

"Zach, wait. Is this a movie scene or what? Are you pulling a prank on me?" I got totally confused.

"I'm not, Lily. I want a serious relationship with you", He looked sincere and eager to get a response from me.

"You can either say answer yes or no. We're not going to sleep here oo", His Dad's voice was stern.

"Dear, I promise saying yes to my son will be the best decision you've ever made. Trust me", His mom whispered to my ears while Omma winked at me.

I felt the impact of all the eyes in the room, gazing at me. I felt like each of their happiness depended on me. I felt like a renowned doctor who the whole world was counting on to produce an antidote that would heal them from a viral illness and the chef with the only recipe that makes the world's finest cuisine!

Everyone in the room almost succeeded in influencing my decision. Thank God I was able to control myself. From the little you've read about Zach, you'll agree with me he's worth having as a boyfriend. He was cute, well-behaved, and hardworking. He had the potential that most female teenagers want in a guy. Still, I couldn't agree to be his girlfriend because I hadn't figured out if I had feelings for him. I hadn't figured out if I wanted him to be the one only I'd be calling all sorts of romantic names or going on dates with.

The reply I gave Zach was that I needed time to think about his request but his mood didn't change because of it. He only pleaded that I shouldn't take too long before giving him a final response and not change my attitude towards him. I promised not to do that and everyone in the room gave us a round of applause. Then, Zach's brother popped a bottle of champagne and poured an exact quantity into everyone's glass cup. I barely finished a sip before dragging omma outside for 'girls' talk'. I was eager to know if she knew Zach had feelings for me all along and planned the surprise with him as well.

"Isn't it quite obvious?" Omma rolled her eyes when I asked.

"Hmm...", I suddenly felt uncomfortable discussing him with her and changed the subject. "How was the Christmas celebration in your church?"

"Church ke? I didn't go to church oo", She took a sip of her drink.

"Child of the world!" I shook my head at her. "And you're a choir member oo".

"Abeg, Abeg. Christmas Day is not for preaching oo. I went to eat breakfast at ID's house. His parents invited me", She replied happily.

"Okay. How was it?" I wanted her to tell me every single detail about what happened there.

"Too funny, babe", She laughed hard.

"Talk jor", I made her compose herself.

"It's ID oo. That guy will not kill me", She laughed again. "He made his parents put on English wears, wore it himself, and ordered us an English breakfast".

"Awwn..That's so nice", I smiled and later laughed after imagining how weird they must have looked in those and how disgusting eating English breakfast must have been for them.

Before the time, Zach's mom drove off with her second son, she had a private conversation with me. During this period, she didn't threaten to cut off my head or ruin my family if I reject her son. She only advised me to make up my mind on time before he gets too attached. She was concerned about her son and at the same time careful not to put pressure on me just to make her son happy. She was a responsible woman who I felt Mr. Bassey was unfortunate to have lost. What's even more annoying was that he divorced her because she chose to pursue her acting career. She stopped acting for a while to please him but after they got married, he wasn't willing to adjust at all. To top it all, he didn't even give her the kind of life he promised and wasn't doing what he ought to do to change his status.

After his mom and brother's departure, Zach accompanied me to my home wearing a smile. He told me asking me to be his girlfriend was difficult because he thought I  wouldn't even let him finish before rejecting him because of my personality, so he was happy. Before he could finish telling me the extent of his happiness, we got to our destination and bade each other goodbye with the seasons' greeting. Departing was hard for the both of us but we just had to do it.

"Iwo omo komo yi (You this bad child)! Where have you been since morning? Aren't you supposed to be taking care of your father whom you haven't seen for over six months now?" Aunt Tolani yelled as she heard me closing the gate from her kitchen which was down the hallway and outside her bedroom - the finest of all rooms in the house.

I should have been able to tell her how hurt I felt leaving Dad alone. I should have been given the right to express how pained I was when he told me he wasn't coming to spend Christmas with me. I should have been allowed to tell her how lonely my Christmas would have been if I didn't have friends like Zach but she wouldn't let me say a word.

"Sister mi, I already told you she took permission from me. She told me she has somewhere important to go today but I still chose to come", Dad decided to be my knight in shining armor.

"Hmm...Fola, you pamper these kids too much", Aunt Tolani deserves an award for being the most stubborn person in the world.

"You know I don't get to see them every day", His voice got low. He was definitely playing emotional tricks on her.

"It is well, baba mi. You'll kukuma eat the fruit of your labor", Aunt Tolani sniffled as she prayed for him. She was the master of those who overreacts.

"Amen oo", His voice went high.

"Wait and take something for your father", Aunt Tolani said as I turned to go meet him.

"Yes, ma", She gave me a plate of fried crayfish that I was so sure I'd eat more than Dad would.

"Mabinu, baba mi. Ma fin yen panu. Ounje ma to ready (Sorry, my father. Manage that for the time being)", She shouted so he could hear her.

"Eshe, ma (Thank you ma)", He grinned and threw one of the sea foods in his mouth." My daughter, please help me get garri".

"Ah, ah, Daddy! How can you be drinking garri on Christmas day?" I refused to do what he wanted.

"Does it matter? What matters to me is being able to spend the day with you, princess", He put some of the seafood into my mouth.

"Awwn. Thanks, Dad. I love you", I hugged him and tried hard not to be a cry crybaby.

Spending the rest of the holiday with pops was fun. The next day which was boxing day, he ordered me a nice dress and shoes. Too bad I didn't have enough cash to get him a gift as well. When there was nothing for us to consume after my aunt returned to her shop, we went to the market to get foodstuffs and he cooked. Under moonlights, we enjoyed conversing about his choice of university for me or listening to local radio programs. On cross overnight, he followed me to church and got drinks for my friends who were happy to finally meet him. We ate Aunt Tolani's special rice and stew with delight on new year's Day, then got on his bike to visit the nearest amusement park where we played and laughed like we'd never done.

In summary, the first term of my final high school year was splendid. It was associated with days I felt like an inadequate senior but the broadcast trip did the trick. My heart was almost chattered into pieces because Kenny fell out of love for me but I soon realized I only had a soft spot for him briefly because he saved me from imprisonment. My life wasn't perfect yet because I still hadn't figured out if I'd date Zach yet, or if I was going to pass my waec examination. Still, I was happy. I was happy dad deemed it fit to celebrate special occasions with me. I was happy believing the days ahead will be way better!

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Dear reader, I want to use this medium to specifically appreciate you for staying with all this while. However, this isn't the end. There's going to be a second part of this novel but it will only be available on my blog @ talesofeni.blogspot.com

Thanks once again for choosing "The Externals" and looking forward to receiving your comments on the second part😁🥰