Coming of Age - Episode 2

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I was wrong.  

Nothing was better, if anything dinner was a disaster. 

Someone had somehow called for a family meeting and I slowly realized this as I descended the stairs leading to the living room.  The dining table and the couches that surrounded it was occupied by family members that had no reason being here.  

Both sides of my family were duly represented. 

Daddy's side was represented by uncles Tony and Jamike - the former his brother and theatter his cousin and his baby sister, aunty Lisa.

Mummy's side was represented by her sisters,  aunties Lota and Rita, and of course, by my mother herself.  

It was strange to see Ifunnanya Odili sitting in my father's house once again laughing and smiling as though it were still her home. She was holding hands with Olanna and they were laughing at something I wanted to know of - they were laughing their real laughs and I felt locked out of their circle. 

I realized that neither my father nor Catherine and the boys were present - do they even know they are here? 

I wanted to take the cowards way out, I wanted to sneak back to my room and lock myself in,  I would plug my earphones in and out the phone on airplane mode and listen to my Avicii playlist,  I would not open the door no matter what - especially not when curiosity tortured me.  

But I was too late, I forgot that aunty Lota had amazing eyesight - she saw me before I could make a move.  

"Kamsi my love, how are you? Please come sit with us,  your mother has called an important meeting," she said with a bright smile.  She always had a bright smile and I always found it odd. 

Of course, it is all my mother's doing. 

"Leave her out of this . Olanna and Kamsi, go to your rooms immediately," my father responded before I did and I looked behind to see him coming down the stairs

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. He did not look tense in any way, infact I think I was more bothered about this meeting than he was. 

"Uche, no way are they leaving this place. This meeting is about them, now would be a time to not be selfish," my mom retorted and I sighed.  

This is definitely going to be awkward. 

I looked up from my feet to find everyone looking at me. What? 

"Kamsi, I am sure you want to stay for this meeting. This is important to you and your sister," aunty Rita said.  

I sighed and looked at Olanna. She wanted me to stay back, clearly.  

So I did the only big sisterly thing to do.  

"Don't worry daddy, let Ola and I stay, it would be fine," I managed to plant on my cheerful and mature smile - the smile that had won me more friends than I cared to have and has had people calling me cheerful and bright. 

The smile that was the exact opposite of how I felt.  

I sat down at an available dining chair and my father did the same. The place was silent for a few heartbeats and my heartbeat tripled in that time.  

"Okay. Ifunanya, we are all here. What did you want?" Uncle Tony asked, he was not a huge fan of my mother.  

"Good evening everyone, I called this meeting here for obvious reasons like the fact that everyone knows this house and I would not wish to inconvenience Miguel," she said that last part with a smug smile.  

Miguel is her new man, the wealthy businessman who married my mom and takes her on vacations all year round. He also hates my sister and I - Olanna does not believe that though.  

"We figured that out already, what is the main reason we are all here?" Uncle Tony said. 

See what I mean?

"Your brother wants to banish my daughters to Nigeria!" she sounded so dramatic, I thought it was over the top but it clearly had the effect because everyone was staring at my father in shock.  

Everyone, except me - I had expected them to react like this. 

After, at least, what seemed like an eternity of silence, someone finally spoke - Uncle Jamike. He is calm,  actually does not think my mom is the Devil's incarnate and is simply the guy you meet when it seems your world is a mess, he is understanding and nice, but he makes a terrible boyfriend from what I have heard. 

"Uche, is she serious? Abi did you just tell her that to ruffle her feathers?" he asked.  

My father simply chuckled.  

Just kill me already. 

"Uche, I am sure that is not necessary. Why send the girls to Nigeria? Who are they going to even live with there? What about their education? That is a rash decision," Uncle Jamike finished.

"I have thought this through. In fact, this was a last resort decision. Also you all should know that I am not sending Kamsi there, she volunteered to go, I made this decision following Lianna's recent actions. She has been extremely disrespectful, disobedient and stubborn. And all these is the fault of both her parents, we did not train her properly and now she feels entitled. To make matters worse, Ifunanya feeds her with lies about Catherine, I cannot take this anymore honestly," he explained, maintaining his calm demeanor.  

"So this is about your wife? You would throw your children to the winds and send them to a strange land because of this woman?" aunty Rita said, her voice sounded like a screech and it was annoying to listen to.  

"No Rita, this is not about my wife. It is a decision I made alone, she does not even support it.  Also, if you do not believe that Olanna needs a character change then ask Kamsi, she would tell you more," he said and everyone was staring at me.  

Way to go dad, way to go. 

"Kamsi is that true? Does she need to be sent to Nigeria? Is there even anything wrong with her character or is your father just being wicked," aunty Lota asked.  

I was speechless, I did not know what to say.

Read " Mmesoma's Dilemma " by the same author ( Eboseremen )

. Saying the truth would make my sister hate me,  but lying would make my father disappointed in me.  

"Ehm…," I began,  talk about being toungtied. 

"Leave Kamsi out of this and please tell us who they would be staying with. And please don't say Angela," aunty Lisa said. 

The older occupants of the table stared in shock at my father as he nodded solemnly. 

"Uche! You must be joking!" my mother screamed.

Aunty Angela was someone I barely remembered considering I had not seen her since I was probably 8 years old but I had heard stories. She was the one topic my mother and aunty Lisa agreed on - the woman was apparently a witch, the most self righteous person that walked the world, she was terribly strict and a menace to society, she was also 

"Brother, that is not fair. Angela will kill them! Haba! She is not the best choice o, she will just make them suffer. How can you pet these children all their life and then just throw them to Angela? If the Nigerian wahala does not kill them first then Angela surely will," aunty Lisa said. 

She was trying to sound calm but was failing miserably. My mother and her sisters were not even making any attempts to be calm.  

Everyone was screaming their opinions, it was weird to listen to what everyone had to say. They  acted as though my aunt would boil our bones and cook us or Nigeria would kill us with its very existence.  

Somehow this made me all the more determined to go, I mean it cannot be that bad you know.  

"Everyone calm down!" my father screamed ramming one hand on the table and shocking everyone into silence.  

"Angela's strictness is exactly what Olanna needs right now. Nigeria is where you all grew up and suddenly you think it's a bad idea that my daughters have a knowledge of their cultural heritage? I don't think it's a bad idea and since I have custody it is final - they are going there. In fact I have already called Angela and she is married with a step daughter of her own now, the girl is Kamsi 's age mate. My daughters would be there for a year and maybe more, all of this depends on just how well Olanna behaves. I have already booked a flight for Saturday morning, and that is final!"

With those words he was on his way upstairs, as if on cue Olanna burst into tears,  but something strange happened - my father did not stop to console her, he did not say a word to make her smile, in fact he just walked on as though nothing had happened.

And that was when all went to hell in a hand basket.  

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