Hidden Diamonds Episode 12 – 15
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Episode 12
Aunt Liz
We all retired to our rooms around 11pm. I’m not sure there was a soul in the house that didn’t have a peaceful rest. Friday morning came faster than I wanted it to.
I sighed as I made my way out of the bed.
“Merciful heavens!” I exclaimed when I noticed the time was few minutes past 7am.
I quickly had my bath and headed downstairs. I heard the clanging of pots in the kitchen.
Jamille was in the dining room setting the table.
“Good morning aunt”
“Good morning baby. Thanks for saving my life. I had no idea I had slept that long.”
She laughed and said “It’s OK aunt. I would have still prepared breakfast even if you were up on time.”
“Good morning ladies” Jason and Brian chorused from the stairs.
“Good morning gentlemen” Jamille and I chorused too. The whole room reverberated with laughter.
We soon settled down to eat. As usual, Jamille was the first to finish eating.
“I’ll just go change and bring my bags down.” She announced before leaving.
I turned to Jason “Jason?”
“I’ll wash up aunt, I promise.”
I smiled. “How do you know that’s what I wanted to ask you to do?”
He shrugged.
“Well,sorry to disappoint you but that’s not it. I wanted to ask you to take good care of yourself and your old man. A maid will be coming today,so you need not worry about food,cleaning and the ‘ladies stuff’ as you call it.”
“Really aunt? This is why I love you. You’re always taking care of your small husband.”
“Common leave this place,small husband ke”
He laughed. “I’m going up to see Jamille.”
“Not so fast dear, you promised to wash up.”
He froze on the stairs. If there was anything Jason hated,it was washing dishes. He turned to me with pleading eyes. “Alright, I’ll do it. Run along”
He ran up the stairs very fast before I would have the chance to change my mind.
“Funny boy” I said to myself. Brian was still on the table,busy with his thoughts.
“A penny for your thoughts” I snapped my fingers right before his eyes.
“Liz,when will you change?”
“Let’s see, never”
“Take good care of her. I’ll drop you guys in your house before heading to work.”
“Alright sir.”
I did the dishes as quickly as I could before going upstairs to carry my bag and call Jamille.
“Mille,your father and I are waiting for you. We have to go now.”
She came out first followed by Jason who was carrying her boxes.
Brian said a prayer before we left the house. Jason refused to come,saying he didn’t want to cry. Jamille and Jason hugged like it was the end of the world before finally letting go.
“Aunt Liz,I’ll divorce you if you don’t take good care of my angel.”
I laughed and entered the back of the car with Jamille. Jamille kept looking back as tears streamed down her face.
“Baby,why are you crying? Don’t you want to stay with me again?”
“Oh I do aunt. It’s just that I feel a chapter of my life closing. I feel like I’m no longer a part of that house.”
“Hush dear,don’t say that. We wouldn’t want your dad to hear you. You’ll always be part of that house. I’ll let you go back there permanently someday soon when I’m sure you’re ready.”
She nodded.
**********
Episode 13
Jamille
I turned my face to the window. The drive to aunt’s house was a long one. She had moved to her new house in Shelter Afrique three months ago. This is the first time I would be going there since she moved.
When we arrived, I was awed. The house would give our own house a run for its money.
It was a beautiful one-storey building painted sky-blue.
Just like our house,flowers were planted all around the house.
“This is beautiful aunt.”
“Thanks dear,that’s what you get when your husband is an architect.”
“I’d love to come in but I’m late already for work.”
I was used to hearing that. Dad’s job as a neurosurgeon never allowed him to have time. He was on leave since mum’s burial. He only resumed today.
He removed my bags from the boot of the car,pecked my forehead before entering the car and zooming off.
“Welcome home baby”
“Thanks aunt.”
We moved the bags inside. My room was upstairs again.
After dropping the bags,we went on a tour round the house.
It was simply astonishing.
“Aunt,the house is so confusing. I hope I don’t get lost anytime soon.”
“Aww honey. It’s because this is your first time here. You’ll get the hang of it, I promise.”
“If you say so”
We settled down in the parlour. There was light and aunt turned on the television.
“The girls will be back with your uncle this evening. They decided to fly to Lagos to welcome him home.”
“Ok, where is their school?”
“It’s in Calabar. They go to University of Calabar”
“Oh! I see. I miss uncle a lot.”
“You’ll see him in a matter of hours.”
We talked for a while before she told me she was going to the salon to have her hair plaited.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“No, I’ll still keep packing my hair for now. I’ll make it next weekend.”
“Alright,stay safe. Don’t just sit there,this is your house. Feel free.”
“Sure aunt.”
She left the house few minutes later. I tried to remember what my aunt’s adopted girls looked like. I remembered their names, Rachel and Kara. I wasn’t sure which was older but I knew one was a year older than the other. The younger one was surely about two years older than Jason and I.
I prayed I wouldn’t have any problems with them. We never grew up together. They lived in Akwa Ibom longer than us.
We moved in from Abuja back to Akwa Ibom when Jason and I were three. Dad and Mum wanted to come back to their hometown.
As young kids taken away from the home they once knew,we never socialised with the other kids throughout our primary education. Mum succeeded in forcing us to accept our new home in our J.S.1.
By this time, Rachel and Kara began boarding,only coming home during the holidays. Each time they came back,they travelled with Aunt Liz and her husband.
This arrangement never let us know them well. We only knew they were the adopted children of aunt Liz.
“I just hope we’ll be good friends when they arrive” I said to myself as I returned my attention to the soap opera on the television.
Episode 14
Jamille
Aunt came back three hours later. She looked beautiful with the shoulder length crochet braids.
“Wow,your hair stylist sure did a good job. This is beautiful.”
“Thank you darling”
Just then a call came in for aunt. She picked it.
“Yes,Philip. Gosh Philip! I never told you such young man. Their flight lands by 6pm.”
There was silence for few seconds.
“Alright,alright. Just make sure you are there by 6pm. I don’t want them to wait for you. Taken?”
She cut the call.
“Well,that was Philip. I employed him as the driver some months back. He’s a really good one.”
“Oh ok.”
“Well baby, I went a little shopping and got you a new phone.” She brought out a Gionee M5 mini for me.
I was overjoyed. My previous phone got lost during the burial of my mother. I didn’t understand why a human being would steal in a burial.
“Thanks aunt.”
“Don’t mention. We’re preparing coconut rice for this evening. I suggest we start now. It’s almost five o’clock.”
We started the preparations. In less than no time,we were done. We went to freshen up before Uncle and the girls arrived.
Aunt was ready before me. I came downstairs to meet her grinning from ear to ear.
“Aunt,don’t let your lips tear o.”
“Baby,when you get married to the one your heart beats for,you’ll understand that I can’t help it.”
I smiled.
“You’re growing into a beautiful young lady. Soon,prince charming will arrive and I will dance better dance.”
“Aunt! That’s still far. I have to go to school and establish myself first.”
“Nothing’s too far o. You’re 16 dear. It’ll be here before you know it.”
“Well if you say so aunt.”
Her face was now devoid of the smile she carried earlier. She sighed and then said to me ” Jamille,there are things you must know but not now. I only want you to prepare your mind.”
I was a bit scared “Are these things very bad?”
Her smile returned.
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ll tell you before prince charming takes you from me.”
“Nobody can take me from you aunt. I’d rather die than allow that.”
She laughed. “We’ll see dear. I understand you put in University of Uyo as your first choice of university.”
“Yes aunt, I did. I still want to study Mass Communication. I made the cut-off point in the UTME.”
“I know, the names for admission will be out in September. This is July. I have only a month to be with you fully.”
“Ah ah aunt, I’ll be around for you always.”
She pulled me in for a hug. Aunt Liz was the greatest hugger in the world. She cherished hugs a lot.
“Never forget I love you dear.”
“I love you more aunt.”
We heard the honk of the horn outside the gate. Aunt rushed outside immediately. Before I went out, I prayed that I would fit in here. I wasn’t scared of Uncle Liam. I knew he loved me. It was the thought of the girls that gave me a headache. I brushed the evil thoughts aside and went out to welcome them.
********
Episode 15
Jamille
“Uncle Liam!”
“Hey there princess”
I hugged him and he lifted me off my feet and twirled.
“Aww princess,I missed you.”
He placed me on the ground again.
“I missed you more uncle.”
“Look at you,all grown up. I love you baby.”
I smiled.
We were still talking when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to meet two radiant faces smiling at me.
“You must be Jamille,we’ve been dying to meet you.” They gave me a hug that was far firmer than Aunt Liz’s.
“Well,well, I’m excited to see you guys too. You’ve learnt the art of hugging from Aunt Liz and I must confess,you’re good at what you do.”
Everyone laughed.
“Alright everyone,let’s go inside.”
The girls were quite a handful. They sure knew how to talk well. They talked throughout dinner. Aunt Liz and Uncle Liam ate their dinner in the sit-out. The girls asked a lot of questions.
“So Jamille,do you know our names? We’ve been so silly not to tell you.”
I decided not to display my ignorance just yet. I pointed to the fair one, “You’re Kara and the beautiful ebony beside you is Rachel.”
“You know our names?!”
I heaved a sigh of relief mentally,glad I guessed right for the first time in my entire life.
“Yes Kara, I know your names.”
“Wow! I feel guilty that I don’t know anything about you when you care enough to know my name.”
“It’s nothing really. I’m just the same as you. I don’t know anything about you apart from your names.”
They both giggled.
“I’ll go first” Rachel said.
“My name is Rachel. I’m eighteen and in my second year in the university. I’m studying pharmacy. I love reading novels more than my school books. Mum says she doesn’t know how I make good grades. I guess that’s the little I can say for now. Oh wait! Another important thing about me is that I hate guys with my soul.”
I laughed at that.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“No, I’m damn serious. They’re so…”
Kara cut in.” Please don’t start with your plenty adjectives you use to describe guys. Madam English. Let’s pack the plates and wash up. There’s plenty time to gist
It was actually fun cleaning up with them. They had numerous tales from the university to tell. We went upstairs and they forced me to go to Kara’s room where we all stayed.
“So,let’s continue with our introduction.” Rachel said.
“Oh yes,my turn. I’m Kara and I’m 19. A second year student of Medicine and Surgery. Don’t be surprised, I didn’t make the cut-off mark for medicine at first attempt. So,the second trial landed me with that young lady there. I love music more than life itself. Novels are a big NO for me. I love travelling and learning new things. I have a boyfriend that dad hates. We’re still together though. I don’t have time for dad’s silly suspicions. I love him and he loves me too. That’s all that matters to me. He’s a third year student of architecture.”
Rachel scoffed.
“Imagine all this drama in the life of a 19 year old.”
“Rachel, put a lid on it.” Kara cautioned.
Rachel ignored her. “It’s your turn Jamille.”
“OK. My name’s Jamille. I’m 16 and I just finished high school. I have a twin brother,Jason. I’m awaiting admission into Uniuyo to study mass communication. The only guy in my life is my brother. I have no time for the rest. I lost my mum some weeks ago. It’s not been easy but I’m scaling through.”
“Our condolences dear.” Kara said.
“Let’s talk about something else so that Jamille doesn’t get sad.” Rachel suggested.
We talked about lots of things till we started falling asleep one after the other. I guess I was the last to sleep. It was simply fun to have them around.
To Be Continued
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