CHAPTER 4

Anita returned home with her father and mother, who arrived at her school to witness her final graduation ceremony.

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

Mr. Joshua felt proud of Anita because she did not allow her beauty to affect her mind and deter her from success in life, but he remained confused about how she became the prettiest among all her siblings.

Even though his wife did not bear him a son, Mr. Joshua did not bother about that, as their custom permitted a woman to inherit her father's property, even though she had already married another man.

Mr. Joshua sighed as he drove toward their home, as the university lay close to their home in the city.

Upon arriving home, Mr. Joshua drove into their simple compound and parked. Their home consisted of a simple flat with four bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and five toilets with bathrooms.

Mr. Joshua Baker owned the house because he acquired it from the direct landowners.

He parked his car and sat in it to answer his call, while Anita and her mother, stepped down next. Her sisters—Flora, Esther, Favour, Lisa, and Glory—stayed inside, but none stepped out to welcome her or their parents as they arrived home.

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

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

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

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

"Fine. Why do you not ask your big sister about it? She won two awards—as the best overall graduating student and the best in her department," Mrs. Tonia responded with a faint smile while Favour frowned.

"Who cares, Mom!" Favour replied.

"Shut your mouth, silly girl. Anita is your big sister, and you should accord her respect!" Mrs. Tonia warned Favour while Esther quickly responded, "We do not care, Mom!"

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

"It is okay, Mom." Anita walked up to their mother and tapped her shoulder softly, but Mrs. Tonia responded.

"Your father caused all this." Mrs. Tonia almost burst into a sob.

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

"Nothing. I discussed something unimportant." Mrs. Tonia quickly walked into the kitchen while Mr. Joshua narrowed his eyes at Anita, who smiled at him.

Anita did not suffer from albinism, but her beauty proved too much and too charming. Her dimples and chubby cheeks alone made her look like an angel from heaven.

"Fine. Take all these bags inside, and where are your sisters?! Flora, Favour!" Mr. Joshua called them out, while they responded.

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

Flora walked past Anita, who dragged her two boxes, and walked up 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.

Flora bit her lower lip angrily and finally assisted Anita in carrying her second box to the room they both shared.

Anita did not utter any word to Flora, who carried her box to the room. As Flora turned to leave, Anita finally said, "Thank you," but Flora did not respond as she walked out from the room and returned to the living room to meet her father sitting on the long couch, taking off his shoes.

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

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

"Yes, I remember, but you still have not passed your JAMB exams yet. This marks the fourth time you write the exam with your younger sister Favour. Can you both not learn from your elder sister Anita?"

"No, Father!" Esther and Favour both responded, surprising their father, and his jaw dropped.

"What has come over you girls? If you fail to pass your JAMB exams this year, then forget about going to the university and look for a trade or handwork to learn. I cannot waste my hard-earned money sponsoring you both through a private university when you cannot even qualify for a government university. Now leave my sight, silly children. I feel sure you all inherit your dullness from your mother. Can you not learn from your elder sister for once? Do you not see her good grades, despite her greater beauty than you all?"

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

"Shut your mouths and do not 'Father' me. I have served as a good father to you all, yet you cannot act as good daughters in return. Fail your exams this year again, and see the other side of me!" Mr. Joshua warned, and he stood up from the couch. Just then, his wife stepped out from the kitchen and stared at him and her five daughters in the living room, as Anita stayed the only one in her room.

"Excuse me!" Mr. Joshua walked past his daughters and entered the room he shared with his wife, as he knew it lay entirely his fault. He showed more love to the rest of his daughters than to their senior sister, Anita, and made her look like an outcast. Now he regretted it.

Mr. Joshua even faced challenges at his office, as auditors detected missing funds from some transactions under his records. If he did not correct the error, he stood on the verge of losing his job as a banker in a government-owned bank.

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

"Have you not acted too harshly toward our daughters today?" Mrs. Tonia questioned, but her husband just glanced at her and looked away, loosening his necktie. He took off his long-sleeved shirt and stripped.

"I prepare dinner. It grows late already," Mrs. Tonia informed him, but he did not respond as he loosened his trouser belt too.

"Honey, you say nothing in response?" Mrs. Tonia finally asked, and he replied, "What do you want me to say to you? Can you not at least see that I stay busy?"

Mr. Joshua walked past his wife and stepped into the bathroom to take his bath while Mrs. Tonia sighed and shook her head in sadness.

Mrs. Tonia knew all did not go well with her husband, as he behaved unusually and even acted happier when announcers declared Anita the winner of the award for best graduating student.

Mr. Joshua jumped up and screamed "Yes!", not minding the other parents and relatives around who stood to witness the awarding of the best graduating student.

When Mr. Joshua saw Anita approaching, his smile and happiness faded, as she did not smile at them while approaching—she thought he hated her and felt no pride in her achievement.

Mrs. Tonia smiled faintly, remembering how her husband reacted to his first daughter's wins. Although the school rewards consisted of little cash and medal rewards—she believed her daughter's certificate would secure her one of the highest-paying jobs in their country.

Mrs. Tonia sighed and walked out from the room she shared with her husband, as he already took his bath and she heard the sound of water splashing in the bathroom.

She walked into the kitchen as the okra soup had already heated and warmed a little.

She served it into soup plates. Just then, Glory walked into the kitchen to assist her and carry it out to the dining room beside their living room.

Glory was a 14-year-old girl; her siblings exceeded her in age by only two years each, and Glory still attended Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3) class.

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

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

"Okay, Mom. Will Sis marry soon? Chika told me her big sister will not return home as she already became pregnant and expects a child from her fiancé," Glory asked.

"No, Glory! Although I know nothing about that, Anita will get a job first before she settles down. You know your big sister works hard 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 Father too for money?" Glory asked her, surprising her.

"No, Glory! Now that ends the conversation. Carry the soups out before they grow cold. Oh, Anita already comes here to assist us," Mrs. Tonia said as she smiled faintly, and Glory turned to face Anita standing by the kitchen door.

Anita overheard their conversation, and she showed a faint smile on her face too.

"Why do you stand there and stare at us? Come assist us serve the dinner. I feel sure your father will come out soon," Mrs. Tonia said, and Anita's smile quickly faded from her face as she heard her father's name and disliked him too.