Chapter Two

Octavia

"That face is new and cute." Annie said as she pulled Tunde up to sit on her laps. My brother stared at her chest with a scowl plastered on his face. Who wouldn't? She refused to wear bra to cover those old man's flip-flops she called breast, they weren't even breasts. They were Borby. I mentally laughed because they reminded me of grandfather's female dog in the village.

"Yeah, I saw him coming out from that your crush Arinze's compound. Him and his parents are the new tenants who occupied those female Youth Coper's flat I guess." I quickly chipped in, not forgetting to mention Arinze, the guy she had a great crush on. I did that on purpose because she caught me staring at her oddly. Maybe he was the one she's trying to show those things almost all the male population had sucked, both old and young. Urgh! I mentally faced palm.

She smiled sheepishly or blushed. I wouldn't know because she was dark in complexion.

"The guy is really cute and fine."

"He has everything. He's tall, quite fair, small eyes, straight nose and pink lips. He just packed everything, only him. And he refused to take his eyes of me. Me I couldn't help blushing." Tana blushed in between giggling as she fed Tunde the suya we bought earlier. I didn't even notice when Tunde left Annie to Tana's side.

Currently we where out on the balcony, sitting on the plastic chairs, eating suya and slapping mosquitoes off our skins. It was late and the useless NEPA (National Electricity Power Authority) decided to take their stupid light when I wanted to watch the last episode of Vikings season 2.

"Finer than me?" Tunde asked Tana with a pout. As little as he was not, he knew what we where talking about and was jealous. He was currently sitting on Tana's laps and snuggling on her big breasts. I had repeatedly warned him to stop the act because he wasn't a kid anymore.

He was a kid. I rolled my eyes because I was just overacting. He would stop for a while, then carry out the act again. According to him, they where like mom's and that statement made me bitter about my own small breasts.

"No oh, you're finer. I'll wait for you to grow up so we'll get married." She teased tickling him, which made him laugh, while laughing he flashed his teeth were his two incisors were missing.

But they where right. The guy is cute, really cute. Neat looking, not like all those crazy boys. Very tall, like 6.3feet tall, not too skinny, not lanky either. I didn't know about his eyes but, he had nice straight well defined nose.

And if he didn't do pink lips (because that's the act people where carrying out these days) then his lips whee nice. One wouldn't know if his teeth where broken, he had his mouth shut. Because most fine guys like this, when you see their teeth, you'd just hate them. He had his eyes glued to Tanachukwu throughout with a weird expression on his face, I thought he'd even talk to her.

But to be sincere was extremely nice looking. But he looked like the quiet type, way too quiet. I dreaded quiet people. They had ice stoned hearts. If you hurt them, they'd go extra miles to get their revenge, not minding if they end up getting hurt in the process.

Was it me or was there something wrong about him? He looked like someone who'd always have his way. His eyes were on Tanachukwu throughout, I knew he wasn't buying anything, there was a petrol gallon on his hand with a white nylon. It looked like he was heading home when he spotted Tana and stopped to stare at her.

When I saw him earlier today, I knew he was the kind of guy that'd go for Tana when he'd see her and I was right. She was a pretty girl, and she liked nice looking guys. And guys, most especially the extremely cute ones went for her. She had a very nice voice and could dance to attract attention and stares. On several occasions when we where together, I lost count because guys always stopped her and asked me to excuse them. She was the one they always talked to, while I'd be at their back like the third wheel.

She was lively and always the centre of attraction, something she enjoys. I have tried repeatedly not to get jealous, but no matter how hard I try I end up getting jealous which gets obvious because my eyes always get red. Don't get me wrong, she's my friend and I love her but I wonder why I could never be the centre of attraction like her, even for once. Why can't a cute guy, just like the one we saw this evening get attracted to me instead of her. Its always her.

I was even jealous with the way he stared at her. Not that I would wish for her not getting liked, but I was a girl, I was bound to feel jealous no matter how I tried to deny it.

I ate my Suya with a frown on my face.

Thankfully Tana was singing Tunde a song, while Annie was on her phone so no one could notice I zoned out.

"They really should bring this light(Power Supply), Twist of Fate is getting started in the next five minutes." Annie eyes and fingers wwre glued to her phone as she spoke.

I rolled my eyes so hard till I felt a sharp pain on my forehead. I hated Zee world. When the main character would say something to oppose her father, they'd start playing one tensile beat like that, then they'd show the Aunt's face, Sister in-law's face, Mother's face, Great grandfather's face. Urgh!I just tire for them. (They where tiring)

"Abeg (Please) its the Johnson's we'll watch." Tana told her cousin and earned a glare from her. Although they where both eighteen, Annie was two months ahead of her.

I made to speak that I was taking sides with Tana, because I preferred "The Johnson's to stupid Twist of Fate, that was if they'd bring the light, because mom wouldn't let me put the generator on, till Dad returned home.

Nigerian parents! Its wasn't as if there was no petrol.

I mentally faced palm myself when the person in question interrupted me.

"Octavia!"

"Mom!" There she was. She bugged me alot.

"Go and give Yetunde his bath and food, take him to bed, its too late for him to be awake by this time." Trust Nigerian mothers to say eight pm is too late for a four year old to be awake.

I know she's in the bedroom counting the money she'd use in going to Onitsha market tomorrow and when she is done, she'd call me to write the list of things she'd buy.

My mom was an entrepreneur, she was into clothes business, shoes, bags both male and female, and even make up accessories. She'd leave as early as five a.m to head for the park, and would return two or three days later if road traffic is additional.

Mom had three shops at the market. Dad who was yet to return from work was a mechanical engineer. He was the Supervisor at starks oil company, he even went out to do other jobs. Money wasn't really a problem at home. We where the middle class Nigerian family, not rich, not poor either.

We lived in our own bungalow with two cars, the Black Toyota belonged to Dad, while the small car was owned by mom.

In case had doubts why there was huge age gap between Tunde and I. After my parents birthed me, Dad became impotent for a decade and three years.

There were rumors that he slept with a lady in our community left her with no money so she layed a curse on him. My Dad kins people made rumors that mom being the Igbo woman had ate up his penis so he wouldn't bare male children, so that when he dies, she and her semiwitch-me would inherit all his properties.

As if there were much properties at that time. I mentally hissed when I allowed my thoughts replayed that memory.

They said all that just because Dad being the Yoruba man refused the wife they gave to him. Aside that he didn't marry from his own community, or even the full Yoruba tribe, it was Igbo he went to get a wife.

I even remember when they brought him a lady from the village, saying she was Dad's new wife and she'd bare him children. I was eight then, mom had just picked me from school and when we got home, we found them sitted comfortably in our sitting room, waiting patiently for Dad to return from work to meet his new wife.

Mom in tears sat at the balcony, waiting for Dad, she'd called him and he had told her he was on his way home. Long story short, Dad sent them home. He was furious. I hardly saw Dad and Mom together because of Dad's busy schedule but I knew they loved eachother.

They stood by eachother until God finally blessed them with Yetunde, my darling little brother who was currently sitted on my best friend's laps.

I made lukewarm water for Tunde's bath, while Tana prepared cerelac with plenty of milk for him, just the way he liked it.

I bathed him in the bathtube in my parents bathroom, brushed his teeth and gave his tongue which had the strong stench of Suya Onion's, a good lashing. After that, I helped him with his spiderman pyjamas.

Tunde likes Tana more than Annie, although he liked them both, but it was Tana he allowed to feed him.

Dad was in the sitting room with mom, he returned when I was giving Tunde his bath. I serves him his dinner of Egusi (melon) soup and semovita.

They where engaged in a serious talk, so I left them to join my friends and brother, who'd move from the balcony to my room because of the mosquitoes outside.

"Tunde shouldn't grow up to be a boob boy oh, this one he's attaching himself to Tana's boobs all the time." Annie remarked the moment I enter the room. She was at it again, stalking Arinze, viewing his pictures on Instagram, viewing the pictures of girls who commented on his pictures to see if they were pretty.

"He's still a kid abeg (please)" I mocked glare at her and stare at my brother, Tunde really waa comfortable and falling asleep on Tana's bosoms, while she was caressing his back slowly.

" O.C." Tunde untangles his limbs from Tana and rushes to hug my waist. He must've heard my voice when I spoke. Hehehe, you could never break the bond between two siblings.

"O.C, I want to sleep." His voice is muffled as he slapped the back of his palm to his mouth to yawn, before rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Alright baby, sleep you want, sleep you'll get." I carried him, and he wrapprd his legs around my waist.

Tunde being the baby that he was slept in between my parents. Most times you'd see him snuggling on mum's bosoms while he slept, or untop of Dad, snoring lightly with a tiny droll discharging from his mouth and dripping on Dad's bare chest. I smiled as I placed his small frame on the bed. Life wasn't perfect, we all had our ups and downs frequently, but I couldn't ask for more because I loved my family.

Tana and Annie bade me goodnight and left few minutes, after I put the gen to on. Dad wanted to watch CNN. I wonder what he found interesting on CNN-Constant Negative News just the way I labeled it. The news where always about Death, accident, explosion and killings.

I hated CNN. I always closed my door shut when he was sprawled on his favorite couch in the sitting room, to watch it. But this time, mom called to come and write the list of things she'd buy at the market. It wasn't that she couldn't do it herself. She just likes me doing it.

Mothers! I mentally rolled my eyes.

I spent half an hour in the sitting room writing.

When I layed on my bed to sleep, a sick feeling overwhelmed me when I thought about Tana and that guy. I needed no magician to tell me they'd get involve with eachother, because they definitely would.

Why couldn't a cute guy like that get attracted to someone like me? I've lost count of the times I've stared at myself at my full length mirror. I didn't think I was that bad looking. Maybe I was to some people. I knew I was no beauty Queen like some people, but I'm wasn't that bad looking.

Back to what I was thinking, why couldn't a guy like that just get attracted to me for once? Tana got all the attention. It was always her. I'd just stick to being the third wheel. I knew I'd never compete with her, she'd always win.

Adetayo, the Pediatrician at the hospital made it clear the last time we met that he wanted nothing to do with me anymore, because he was getting married next week Saturday.

He was kind of handsome, not really tall, with caramel skin, and the lady he was getting married to was pretty at all.

I was really jealous and hurt.

I knww if my parents discover I was sleeping with Tunde's Doctor, the one mom liked so much and said bore a striking resemblance to her late brother, they would arrest him because there was a huge age gap between us. He was twenty nine while I was turning eighteen in the next two months.

He was my... I wouldn't even use the term boyfriend because we were just using eachother to satisfy our libido.

But it hurt all over, it really did.

I took my phone from where I plugged it, logging Facebook and stalked the pictures on Adetayo's timeline.

It was their prewedding photos he posted.

I suddenly had this strong urge to shed tears.

I finally forced myself to sleep after series of wet tissues, wiping my repeatedly tear flowing eyes, drenched from tears pillow, a slight headache and a heavy heart.