Chapter 6 – Mother's Advise

Mrs. Tonia didn't say anything after Flora left the room. She sighed and walked over to sit beside Anita on the bed while Favour and Esther also exited.

"You shouldn't be harsh with your sister. Fighting with Flora wasn't necessary," Mrs. Tonia said to Anita as she sat beside her.

"I know, Mom, but they keep disrespecting me. It's getting out of hand," Anita replied.

"It's okay. I understand, but don't change who you are because of them. Keep being my sweet and calm daughter," Mrs. Tonia advised.

"Okay, Mom." Anita sighed as she looked at their mother, while Glory walked over to sit on the bed too.

"I've got to go now and join your father. Glory, go pack your bags and come back to join Anita here," Mrs. Tonia said.

"Okay, Mom," Glory replied. She stood up and walked out, heading to the room she shared with Lisa. Flora was already there, arranging her clothes in the wardrobe, but she didn't say a word to Glory, who came in and carried out her own box of clothes.

Lisa sighed as she returned from the kitchen and found Flora in the room she had previously shared with Glory. She didn't ask any questions, as she didn't particularly like Anita or Glory either.

Glory returned to Anita's room while Anita was busy texting Temisa. Instead of texting back, Temisa called her.

"Hello, girlfriend, how's home?" Temisa asked.

"All fine, and yours?" Anita replied.

"All good," Temisa responded, sadly.

"What's up? You don't sound too happy," Anita noticed.

"I know, it's a long story. Remember, my father didn't show up at the ceremony? Now he's asking for my results and telling me to submit them to the Benson Group. You know I don't have any interest in working with them," Temisa said.

"What! That's good news. You should be happy. You just graduated, and now you already have a job opportunity, unlike the rest of us who'll have to wander the streets and submit applications everywhere," Anita said.

"Hmm, you can say that, but it's not what I want, at least not now. Besides, with my results, I doubt I'll get the job," Temisa complained.

"Well, that's something, girlfriend, but be happy at least. You have your father's support, unlike mine," Anita said, and the phone call went silent for a moment.

"It's okay. But truth is, I don't have high hopes for working with the Benson Group. I know they're the most sought-after company, but I'm not interested," Temisa stated flatly.

"I know, but you can still apply. I'll be submitting mine there too. I didn't want to bother you about it earlier or ask you to help me talk to your father. If I submit mine and they accept me, then we could work there together and you won't be bored with office work," Anita said.

"Really? You're planning to submit your CV there too?" Temisa asked.

"Yes, but I didn't know your father had plans for you to work there. I didn't want to bother you about it," Anita replied.

"Oh! There's no problem then. I'll submit my application and keep you updated on when they approve me. Since this is through my father, there won't be much stress," Temisa brightened.

"Yeah, lucky girl," Anita teased her friend.

"Thank you, but I'm only submitting because you said you would. If I don't see you there, I'll quit," Temisa informed Anita.

"Okay, I will, but let's hope they accept me too. Good night, girlfriend," Anita said.

"Yeah, good night too," Temisa replied before the call ended.

Anita put her phone down and noticed Glory arranging her box in the wardrobe she had previously shared with Flora. 

She sighed, reflecting on how all her siblings had dark skin except for Lisa, Glory, and herself. Lisa was fair brown but not as light as her, while Glory had brown skin like the rest.

"Did Flora say anything when you went to get your box?" Anita asked.

"No," Glory responded. She walked over to sit beside Anita on the bed after arranging her things in the wardrobe.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," Glory apologized softly, and Anita smiled at her.

"It's okay, Glory. None of it was your fault. Let's just hope Flora, Favour, and Esther stop being so difficult," Anita said, smiling at Glory and placing her hand on Glory's.

"I hope so too," Glory sighed.

"So what did you want to discuss with me before Flora interrupted us?" Anita asked.

"I wanted to ask about university. Is it difficult to study business administration?" Glory asked.

"No, it's not too stressful. You just have to stay focused and not get distracted by handsome people in your department who might ask you out," Anita replied, turning off her laptop as she was tired.

"So you don't have a boyfriend at school? No guy likes you?" Glory asked, surprising Anita.

"Glory! What do you know about boyfriends?" Anita questioned with wide eyes, while Glory only smiled.

"Okay, I don't have a boyfriend because I don't want to lose focus, and you shouldn't either," Anita advised her little sister, while Glory continued smiling.

"Alright. You'll show me your results for this term since I'll be around. I can be your extra tutor," Anita offered, and Glory jumped up happily from the bed and hugged Anita tightly.

"Thank you, big sis!" Glory exclaimed.

"You're welcome. Can I breathe now?" Anita asked, as Glory was almost suffocating her with her tight embrace.

"Okay, let me use the restroom before sleeping," Glory said, letting go of Anita and walking to the bathroom while Anita sighed and decided to browse on her phone as it was already late.

Anita decided to research the Benson Group to learn more about the company. She typed "Benson Group of Companies" in the search bar and saw recent news updates on her screen.

Furthermore, Anita read through some articles and saw news about the company's new CEO, Master Liam Jackson, and sighed.

Anita studied the photos from the company's conference hall and examined pictures of the new CEO. Lost in thought and research, she didn't notice when Glory returned, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

Anita sighed as she heard Glory snoring peacefully behind her while she scrolled through the new CEO's timeline, checking his profile page. His profile didn't have many updates. 

Likewise, Anita clicked on his profile picture to see the new boss she might work with if her CV was accepted. The display picture was from six years ago, and he looked much younger, making her sigh again. She left his profile page to search for how to submit an application instead.

Anita finally found an application form and checked the available positions. She copied the company's email address and decided to write an application letter, as that was the only way to apply to the company.

Being tired, Anita decided to write a fresh application letter to the Benson Group the following day. After saving the company's email address, she placed her phone on the shelf and drifted off to sleep.

***

The following morning, Anita woke to her father's scream: "No!" She immediately jumped out of bed with Glory and rushed to find out what had happened.

"What happened?" They gathered in the living room while their father sat on the couch with his head in his hands, fighting back tears.

"Mom, what's the problem?" they asked their mother, but she shook her head, not responding, instead pacing back and forth in the living room.

"Father, what's wrong?" Flora asked, as she sat beside him, but he shook his head in regret and wiped away the tears threatening to fall.

"Mom?" Anita walked up to their mother and held her folded arms.

"What's the matter, Mom?" Anita asked, and Mrs. Tonia finally responded, "I don't really know, Anita. Your father got a call this morning, and the next thing I heard was him screaming while talking to the caller. I don't know what the problem is." Mrs. Tonia looked back at her husband, seeing him trying hard to hold back his tears. He finally stood up from the couch, already dressed in his deep blue suit for work on this Friday morning, but he sighed and walked back to his room, shaking his head regretfully.

"Father!" Anita, Flora, and Favour rushed toward their father, but their mother quickly stopped them.

"You girls should let your father be. I'll talk to him and find out what's really wrong," Mrs. Tonia said.

"Are you sure, Mom?" they asked in confusion, wanting to see their father.

"Yes. Just give him some time. I'm sure he'll eventually tell us what the problem is."