Chapter 5

SISTERS

Over the past week Obi and Chioma had become reasonably close. Chioma had even come to her house to visit her on one of the days. Obi feared that the sight of how they lived might scare the rich girl off but was stunned when things took a different turn. Chioma got acquainted with every member of her family and even troublesome Chukwudi had been so well behaved and kept throwing sheepish smiles at Chioma which repulsed Obi.

When she met Mma she became so attached that Obi had to pull her out of the old woman's hut else Chioma would have snuff up in her nostrils. When Tobe and the other children began to climb trees Chioma also joined them, making Obi terrified at the chances of a fall.

This girl was nothing like the other rich girls she had usually met in church, who practically avoided others who were not in their circle like plagues. Chioma seemed like she enjoyed being around their house and her family

"My parents had only Obiefune and myself, we've never really had so many people to talk to. My cousins moved to America when we were young and most of our relatives are there. You don't know how lucky you are" Chioma had revealed to her

Her words made Obi turn around to stare at the half naked children who were yelling out their lungs playing in the compound. The women who were picking vegetables with their large rounded buttocks locked in a wrapper pointing towards her as they bent to pick the leaves. She saw her cousin Chukwudi chasing lizards and chopping off their tails after he caught them .He also hung the tails on his hip, tied together to signify his conquest.

Her mother had not been around if not, the smell of smoked fish would have infiltrated the air because of the fish business she was into. She barely saw her father because of his railway work but when he did show up there'd be tales about so many happenings in the society.

Her compound was never quiet and often she wished that there was a safe haven she could escape to. She smiled at Chioma at the insinuation of her being lucky which only appeared sarcastic. She loved her family, but luck would be some peace and quiet sometimes.

"My house is always as quiet as the grave yard, dad and mom are doctors and barely have time. But when they do we enjoy their company but it is nothing like this. Our parents had shipped Obiefune and I to boarding schools to save us from boredom but I felt like an alien there with all their rules and bully of seniors. When father told us that they were being posted here, we were so pleased. My brother enjoyed his own boarding school and I didn't but there was no way I could be left alone in the house then because I was thirteen, so the two of us went back to boarding school. After I turned 15 I decided I could handle the loneliness, it was preferable to living in that school one more day. So when father discovered the high school here he was pleased. I am very happy I decided to go to school here. " Chioma finished on that note and moved closer to Obi so that they now sat at a close proximity on the cane chair. Obi had noticed that the girl was very lonely which was why she adapted to the very noisy surrounding which she in turn loathed sometimes.

Obi watched as Chioma's expression changed from sadness to curiosity as her eyes bore into Obi's. Everything seemed to impress her

"Do you want to be my new sister? we could be sisters since I have no other sibling beside my brother who's not around most of the time. Besides, my parents will definitely like you. Say something now!"

Shock was clearly written on Obi's face as she tried to process Chi's request. She had begun to call her Chi for short and it was a lot easier to say.

People only became sisters by blood. The two half naked girls playing with Tobe rubbing dirt on the skirts they wore, gave her headache mostly but were also very wonderful when childish mischievousness was at bay were the only sisters she had. For a moment her mind wandered to how difficult it would be for her to get those mud stains off the children's skirts. The amount of scrubbing it would take and the state her knuckles would be in. Oblivious of that the children kept rolling in the mud spreading it all over their body and she had to bathe them later. Sisters were just too wonderful.

"So?" Chioma asked, still waiting for a response.

“Ngwanu okay"Obi replied still uncertain but hesitant to make Chioma sad.

Chioma wrapped her hands around Obi thrilled with the new development.

"You'll come over to my house on weekends while I'll visit you on weekdays. We will sit together in church, thank God that we already sit close to each other in school and you are always to have my back whether I am guilty or not. We'll share our lunch together and we'll get each other gifts on our birthdays.

Chioma kept rambling about so many things that they were supposed to do together while obi struggled to take note. By the time she was finally through Obi was exhausted.

So what do you think of my brother? “ She began anew with a quizzical look

He told me he saved you from our dog and you weren't nice to him. Not that I care because Obiefune is used to having girls swoon over him and since we came to this village the attention has doubled. I can't wait for him to go back to school so that my hands can finally rest. Most of them think I'm this sort of messenger She ended her statement with a hiss

Obi smiled at her not knowing the right thing to say

“Wait o, this one you're smiling I hope you don't like him. Because I cannot share anyone with Obiefune, he always gets what he wants. In fact you are never to like him. "She paused briefly after giving her statement a thought and spoke again." Maybe it won't be too bad if you did like him, when we all grow up you two could get married and we'll even become sister in laws! "

Obi fell into a fit of laughter, boys were far from her mind besides she could only think of the embarrassment she had caused herself twice she met the boy. She knew that two of them wouldn't become friends not with the aura of arrogance he carried with him and thankfully he would be spending most of his days in the boarding school.

"I don't like your brother, I almost lashed out on him after he saved me from the dog, he's not like you so I doubt we'd be friends"

After their little conversation Obi's two sisters together with Tobe presented themselves to her with a request for a bath. Chi laughed at their appearance and offered to help obi bathe them while she washed their dirty clothing. Chioma had gone home much later and Obi was more than eager to see her the next day.

Walking to school did not feel as it did before, she actually enjoyed noises from the birds that chirped. She had marked the trees she usually saw every day before she got to school. It used to be how she got herself entertained. The track road barely grew grasses due to the constant trampling of feet by the villagers. The stream lay somewhere beyond the trees and bamboo whistling. The sounds were dear to her in a way, they meant she was not alone.

As she approached the school gate she remembered her conversation with Chioma and discovered that she had already begun to fail as a sister. She didn't come with any lunch and didn't plan to ever bring lunch to school. She racked her brain for a way out but nothing came to her mind. The only option left was to tell Chioma the truth and hope that she understands.

She met the students at the assembly ground before the morning devotion began. They had sang hymns from their hymn books according to the chapel prefect's instructions. When they finished, the tall senior student conducted a short prayer before the principal made his usual speech about being serious with education and avoiding noise making. It was ironic that he valued education so much but the same couldn't be said for his daughter. Obi spotted Miss Akachukwu and quickly avoided eye contact, she still felt the woman had a score to settle with her. After the devotion students marched to their respective classes. She had been waiting for Chi to come into the classroom so that she would explain things to her and when she finally caught a glimpse of Chioma she ran out of the class to meet her. But it turned out that she was not the only one with confessions to make, because Chioma had been walking beside a face she knew too well. And with the way her mind always decided to torture her with embarrassing memories she was bound to be embarrassed the third time.

When they finally approached she felt her chest would burst open but Chioma hugged her and whispered into her ears "I didn't know about this o" probably because she had read the meaning Obi's shocked face bore. Obi averted looking at the boy's face but he was very much determined to taunt her.

"I meet the dumb girl with a boy's name again. What a wonderful senior I'd be in this horrible school." He ended the last statement with a smirk and Obi hurriedly pulled Chioma into their classroom. She had already begun to sense trouble brewing and she knew she'd be the target, people always picked on her and nature made it so.