Chapter 4_ Returned home

Anita went back home with her father and mother, who arrived at her school to witness her final convocation ceremony.

Her mother was very happy, but her father kept his usual non-smiling face as he drove them home.

He was proud of her because she didn't allow her beauty to distract her from becoming successful in life. However, he was still confused as to how she became the prettiest among all her siblings.

Even though his wife didn't bear him a son, he wasn't bothered about that, as their custom permitted a woman to inherit her father's property, even if she was already married to another man.

Mr. Joshua sighed as he drove towards their home, which was close to the university in the city.

Upon arriving home, he drove into their simple compound and parked. Their home was a modest flat, consisting of four bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and five bathrooms.

Mr. Joshua Baker owned the house; he had acquired and bought it from the original landowners.

He parked his car and stepped out, followed by Anita and her mother.

Anita's sisters - Flora, Esther, Favour, Lisa, and Glory - were all inside, but none of them came out to welcome them.

Mrs. Tonia entered the living room first, followed by Anita, who was dragging her boxes. Her father remained in his car, answering a phone call.

"Mom!" Esther and Favour rushed to their mother while Lisa and Glory came out next.

They had separate rooms: Anita and Flora shared a room, Esther and Favour shared another, and Lisa and Glory shared the last room, which was sometimes used as a guest room.

"Welcome back home, Mom. How did the event go?" Favour asked their mother first; she was an 18-year-old girl.

"It went well. Why don't you ask your big sister about it? She won two awards: the best overall graduating student and best in her department," Mrs. Tonia responded with a faint smile, causing Favour to frown.

"Who cares, Mom!" she replied.

"Silence, silly girl. She's your big sister and you should respect her!" Mrs. Tonia warned Favour. Meanwhile, Esther quickly responded, "We don't care, Mom!"

"Esther!" Mrs. Tonia warned her too. Esther rolled her eyes from where she stood by the middle door entrance, holding the curtain.

"Mom, it's okay," Anita reassured their mother, tapping her shoulder softly.

"Your father caused all this," Mrs. Tonia almost burst into tears.

"Caused what?!" Mr. Joshua asked as he entered the living room. Mrs. Tonia quickly wiped her tears.

"Nothing, we were just discussing something unimportant," Mrs. Tonia quickly excused herself to the kitchen, while Mr. Joshua narrowed his eyes at Anita, who gave him a faint smile.

Anita wasn't an albino, but her beauty was overwhelming. Just looking at her dimples and chubby cheeks made her seem like an angel from heaven.

"Fine. Take all these bags inside, and where are your sisters? Flora, Favour!" Mr. Joshua called them. They responded, "Yes, Papa. Good evening, Dad. Welcome back home."

Flora passed Anita, who was dragging her boxes, and went to give their father a welcome hug.

"Assist your sister and take those luggages inside," Mr. Joshua instructed Flora after giving her a warm hug too. She bit her lower lip angrily and finally helped Anita carry her second box to the room they both shared.

Anita didn't say a word to Flora, who carried her box to the room. As Flora turned to leave, Anita finally said, "Thank you," but Flora didn't respond. Flora walked out of the room and returned to the living room, where her father was sitting on the long couch, taking off his shoes.

"How was your day today, Flora?" Mr. Joshua asked, and just then the rest of his daughters came out.

"Father, do you remember you promised to take me to a private university?" Esther asked.

"Yes, I remember, but you still haven't passed your exams yet. This is the fourth time you're writing the exam with your younger sister, Favour. Can't you both learn from your elder sister, Anita?"

"No, father!" Esther and Favour both replied, surprising their father.

"What has come over you girls? If you fail your exams this year, forget about going to university. Look for a trade or a skill to learn. I cannot waste my hard-earned money sponsoring you both through a private university when you can't even qualify for a government university. Now leave my sight. Can't you learn from your elder sister for once? Don't you see her good grades, despite her being more beautiful than all of you?"

"Father!" Flora, Esther, Favour, and Lisa all exclaimed sadly.

"Quiet, and don't call me . I have been a good father, yet you can't be good daughters in return. Fail your exam this year again and see my other side!" Mr. Joshua warned. He stood up from the couch just as his wife stepped out from the kitchen and stared at him and her five daughters in the living room. Anita was the only one in her room.

"Excuse me!" Mr. Joshua walked past his daughters and went into the room he shared with his wife. He knew it was entirely his fault; he had shown more love to the rest of his daughters than to their elder sister, Anita, making her feel like an outcast. Now he was regretting it.

He was also facing challenges at his office. Some funds from a transaction were detected missing under his records. If the error wasn't corrected, he was at risk of losing his job as a banker in a government-owned bank.

His brows furrowed as his wife entered their room to meet him a few minutes later.

"Weren't you too harsh to our daughters today?" Mrs. Tonia questioned him, but he just glanced at her and stared away, loosening his necktie. He took off his long sleeve shirt and stripped.

"I'm preparing dinner. It's getting late," Mrs. Tonia informed him, but he didn't respond. He loosened his trouser belt too.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Mrs. Tonia finally asked, and he replied, "What do you want me to say? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

He walked past her and stepped into the bathroom to take a bath while Mrs. Tonia sighed and shook her head in sadness.

She knew all wasn't well with him as he had been behaving unusually. He had even seemed happier when Anita was announced as the winner of the award for the best graduating student. 

However, when he saw Anita approaching, his smile and happiness faded as Anita didn't smile at them. She thought he hated her and wasn't proud of her achievement.

Mrs. Tonia smiled faintly, remembering how her husband had reacted to his daughter's wins. The school rewards weren't much; they had awarded Anita some cash and medals. But she believed her daughter's certificate would get her one of the highest paying jobs in their country.

Mrs. Tonia sighed again and finally left the room she shared with her husband. He was already taking his bath, and she could hear the sound of water splashing in the bathroom.

She went into the kitchen as the okra soup was already heated. She served it into soup plates. Just then, Glory came into the kitchen to help her carry it to the dining room beside the living room.

Glory was a 14-year-old girl. Her children were two years apart from each other, and Glory was still in Junior Secondary School 3.

"Mom, I want to be a business administrator, just like my big sister," Glory said as she carried the tray of soups in her arms and looked up at their mom.

"There's no problem with that. You should study hard as well. You have your big sister here to guide you," Mrs. Tonia smiled at her.

"Okay, Mom. Is sis going to get married soon? Chika told me her big sister won't be returning home because she's already pregnant and expecting a child with her fiance," Glory asked.

"No, Glory. Although I don't know about that, Anita will get a job first before she settles down. You know your big sis is hardworking and wants to become an independent woman first, instead of depending on a man for money," Mrs. Tonia replied.

"Oh, so Mom, you depend on Dad for money too?" Glory asked her, surprising her.

"No, Glory. Now that's enough of the conversation. Carry the soups out before they get cold. Oh, Anita is already here to help us," Mrs. Tonia said as she smiled faintly. Glory turned to face Anita standing by the kitchen door.

Anita had overheard their conversation and also had a faint smile on her face.

"Why are you standing there and staring at us? Come help us serve dinner. I'm sure your father will be out soon," Mrs. Tonia said. Anita's smile quickly faded from her face as she didn't like him either.