Chapter 4 - Back Home - A House Divided.

Anita returned home with her father and mother, who had come to her graduation. Her mother was beaming, but her father maintained his usual, stoic expression as he drove.

He was proud that Anita hadn't let her beauty cloud her ambition, but he was still perplexed as to why she was the prettiest of all his daughters. Though his wife hadn't given him a son, he wasn't dwelling on it. Their customs allowed a woman to inherit her father's property, even if married, but the question of Anita's paternity lingered in his mind.

He sighed as he drove closer to their home, which was only a short distance from the city.

Arriving, he drove into their simple compound and parked. Their home was a modest bungalow: four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and five toilets and bathrooms. Mr. Joshua Baker owned the house, having acquired it directly from the landowners. He sat in the car, while Anita and her mother got out.

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

Mrs. Tonia walked into the living room first, followed by Anita, dragging her two boxes. Her father remained in the car, answering a phone call.

"Mom!" Esther and Favour rushed up to their mother, while Lisa and Glory stepped out. They all shared separate rooms. Anita and Flora shared a room, Esther and Favour shared another, and Lisa and Glory shared the last, which was sometimes used as a guest room.

"Welcome back, Mom! How did the event go?" Favour asked their mother; she was 18.

"Fine. Why don't you ask your big sister about it? She won two awards – best overall graduating student and best in her department," Mrs. Tonia responded with a faint smile, while Favour frowned. "Who cares, Mom?"

"Shut your mouth, Favour! Silly girl. Anita is your big sister, and you should respect her," Mrs. Tonia warned, while Esther quickly chimed in, "We don't care, Mom!"

"Esther!" Mrs. Tonia warned Esther, who rolled her eyes from where she stood by the doorway, holding the curtain.

"It's okay, Mom," Anita walked up to their mom and softly tapped her shoulder, but Mrs. Tonia responded, "Your father caused all this." Mrs. Tonia nearly burst into tears, but Mr. Joshua walked into the living room. "Caused what?"

Mrs. Tonia sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Nothing. I was just discussing something unimportant." She quickly walked into the kitchen, while Mr. Joshua's eyes narrowed at Anita, who smiled faintly at him. She wasn't an albino, but her beauty was striking, and her dimples and chubby cheeks made her look angelic.

"Fine. Take these bags inside. Where are your sisters? Flora, Favour!" Mr. Joshua called out.

"Yes, Papa!" Good evening, Dad! Welcome back home," Flora responded.

Flora walked past Anita, who was dragging her two boxes, and hugged her father.

"Help your sister and take those luggages inside," Mr. Joshua instructed Flora, who bit her lip and grudgingly assisted Anita, carrying her second box to their room.

Anita didn't say a word to Flora as she carried her box to the room, but as Flora turned to leave, Anita finally said, "Thank you." Flora didn't respond but returned to the living room to meet her father, who was sitting on the couch, taking off his shoes.

"How was your day, Flora?" Mr. Joshua asked. The rest of his daughters stepped out.

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

"Yes, but you haven't passed your JAMB exams yet. This is the fourth time you and your younger sister Favour are writing the same exam. Can't you learn from your elder sister, Anita?" Mr. Joshua asked.

"No, Father!" Esther and Favour responded, surprising their father and making his jaw drop.

"What's wrong with you girls? If you fail to pass your JAMB this year, forget about the university and learn a trade! I can't waste my money on a private university when you can't even qualify for a government one. Now, leave me alone. I'm sure you inherited your dullness from your mother. Can't you learn from your elder sister for once? Don't you see her good grades, despite her being more beautiful than you all?"

"Father!" Flora, Esther, Favor, and Lisa exclaimed sadly.

"Shut your mouths! I've been a good father to you all, yet you can't be good daughters in return. Fail your exam again this year and see what happens!" Mr. Joshua warned and stood up from the couch. His wife stepped out of the kitchen, staring at him and her five daughters in the living room. Anita was alone in her room.

"Excuse me!" Mr. Joshua walked past his daughters and into the room he shared with his wife, knowing it was mostly his fault. He had shown more love to the rest of his daughters than to Anita, making her feel like an outcast, and now he was regretting it.

He was also facing challenges at work. Missing funds had been detected under his records, and he was on the verge of losing his job as a banker in a government bank if the error wasn't corrected.

His brows furrowed as his wife entered the room a few minutes later.

"Weren't you being too harsh with our daughters?" Mrs. Tonia asked, but Mr. Joshua glanced at her, not responding. He loosened his tie and stripped off his long-sleeve shirt.

"I'm preparing dinner; it's getting late," Mrs. Tonia informed him, but he still didn't respond as he also loosened his trouser belt.

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

Mr. Joshua walked past his wife and into the bathroom, while Mrs. Tonia sighed and shook her head. She knew something was wrong; he was behaving unusually and had even seemed happier than ever when Anita was announced as the winner of the two awards.

He jumped up and screamed "Yes!" He was even more excited when stood to witness the awarding of the best graduating student, but when he saw Anita approaching, his smiles and happiness faded, as Anita didn't smile at them approaching, as she thought he hated her and wasn't proud of her achievement.

Mrs. Tonia smiled faintly, remembering how her husband had reacted to their daughter's wins. Although the school awards weren't significant financially, she believed Anita's certificate would get her into one of the highest-paying jobs in the country.

Mrs. Tonia finally walked out of the room, as her husband was already bathing. She could hear the water splashing in the bathroom.

She walked into the kitchen; the okro soup she was preparing had already heated. She served it into different soup plates.

Glory walked into the kitchen to assist her mother and carry the plates to the dining room, beside their living room. Glory was 14. Mrs. Tonia's children were all about two years apart. Glory was still in Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3).

"Mom, I want to become a business administrator like my big sister, Anita," Glory said as she carried the tray of soup and looked up at her mother's face.

"That's fine, Glory. Study hard. You've got your big sister to guide you," Mrs. Tonia smiled.

"Okay, Mom, is big sis going to marry soon? Chika said her big sister wouldn't be returning home because she's pregnant and expecting a child for her fiancé," Glory asked.

"No, Glory. I don't know anything about that yet. Anita will get a job before she settles down. Your big sister is hardworking and wants to be independent instead of depending on a man," Mrs. Tonia replied.

"Oh, so Mom, do you depend on my Dad for money?" Glory inquired, surprising her mother.

"No, Glory! That's enough. Carry the soup out now before it gets cold. Oh, Anita is already here to assist us." Mrs. Tonia smiled, and Glory turned to face Anita, standing by the kitchen door.

Anita had overheard their conversation and had a faint smile, but it quickly faded when she heard her father's name.