Taa! was all I heard as my step mother left her palm imprinted on my cheek. "if you don't provide the rest of this money tonight, be rest assured you will not spend the night in my house" Nne barked at me furiously
"Ogini kwa? what is it again Mama Ekene?" papa asked coming out of their bedroom.
"is it not this stupid daughter of yours? " Nne abused... "I don't know what gave her the impetus to steal from me"
" stealkwa? kiki did you steal her money" Papa asked finding it hard to believe that I would steal from her.
"MBA" I replied shaking my head forcefully
"I si MBA? ehh this she goat, so you're saying am lying?" Nne lashed out at me.as she raised her hand to hit me again in anger, papa was just in time to stop her.
"oya Nkem how much is missing? let me balance you back." Papa asked calmly trying to placify his wife.
"This fool that I sent to nwunye onye armys house to collect her weekly contribution,and buy one pad for onyiinwa came back and gave me this. " Nne launched into explanation waving the money I handed eailer infront of her husband. " she said nwunye onye army said it's for the rest of the month but this money is not completely. four hundred naira is missing from it." she went on to explain sweating profusely in anger.
"Nkem oya calm down,I will give you the money once I come back from work tomorrow" He reassured my step mother
"Amarachi what happened to her four hundred naira?" papa asked facing me.
I was hesitant to tell papa but one death glance thrown at me from my step mother got my mouth talking
"papa I used it emm .... to...to...to buy lady care" I finally uttered in a very low voice.
"ehhh ... what did you say?" papa asked urging me to repeat what I said eailer which I did.
"why didn't you tell her first before buying it?" Papa asked
"it started on the road I lied" telling Nne about the incident that transpired in her friends house will definitely make my case worse.
"lies ... so of all day, it's today you have this huge amount of money in your grasp that your period decided to start" Nne exclaimed
"Mama Ekene enough!" papa was tired of the drama "kiki oya go inside your room" he instructed me.
"Nkem it's enough, tomorrow after work I will refund you the money" he said to his wife but Nne was having none of it.
" continue taking her side, Nonsense. I hope you know you're now a woman if you like allow all these useless boys hanging around the streets to touch you, if you get pregnant be rest assured you won't be staying in this house with me" Nne hissed out after me and stormed into their bedroom.
And that was sex education for me.
The following days passed in a blur. I avoid running into Steve at all cost. with time my memory of him became almost non existent.
*****. *****. *****. *****. *****
" Amarachi Pete" Mrs ogazi called out my name. she was in charge of registering us for waece and neco final examinations.
I was surprised,not that she called my name. But for the reason as to why I was called. I knew she was calling names of those who were yet to pay up their waece and neco registration fees.
"ma I have paid" I said in confusion
"when?" she asked " I can't recall you giving me any money for it"
"not me" I said relieved,maybe she forgot she forgot to tick paid on my name
"my sister paid for both of us" I continue in confidence.
"And who is your sister" she went ahead to ask
"Onyinyechi Pete, she's in SS 3 B. she paid for our both waece fees" I elaborated "Papa said we should write only waece" I clarified.
Mrs ogazi spanned through the leaflets of the book she was holding, trying to find my step sister's name.
" oh, yes she has paid " I heaved a sigh of relief " for her waece and neco fees" my heart sank
"Ma she was supposed to pay for the both of us. " i hurriedly pointed out.
"Amara I think there must be a mixup some where. when you get home you should discuss this with your parents but bare in mind that by the end of next week, registration for your finals examinations will come to an end by Friday next week." she warned.
Everything became a slurry of movement. my world was turned upside down. I still remember vividly when papa gave Nne sixty- five thousand naira for our waece fees.He had advised us to read well for our exams so we can pass our exams in one sitting as he couldn't pay for us to take neco because his bus has been giving him problems.
I was filled with furry,I couldn't wait school to dismiss before I confront onyiinwa.
Immediately Mrs ogazi left our class I headed to onyiinwa's class.
"Amyblack wetin you dey find for our class?" favour one of onyinyechi's minions asked taking her sweet time to look me up and down.
"onyinye we need to talk"I was in no mood to banter words with onyinyechi's "wanna-be-hot " friends.
"what is it? can't you see we are in the middle of something here" onyinye lashed out at me
"I won't repeat myself again" I spat back at her
"fine, mtchew let's go out side" onyinye hissed as she left her classroom with me.
"what is it? what is it that can't wait for us to get home let's talk? " onyinye was not happy that I dragged her away from her friends.
"why didn't you pay me waece fees as papa instructed?" I confront her.
"oh that hahahahaha" she laughed,
" what do you mean oh that?" I was engaged " why didn't you pay my waece fees?" I asked again
"ah ah ,calm down ni. The money Papa gave was just for me. mom said I should use it to pay for my waece and neco. papa will give you yours later " she explained nonchalantly
"like I don't get it. papa gave you our waece fees and you used it to pay for your own waece and neco. how can you be so selfish?" I asked between tears
" biko don't start with those tears oh. mom said papa will give you yours later that I should register mine first. I mean,I can't just write only waece. I need neco for back up, science is not easy oh. you're art inclined so you won't understand "onyinye stated her reasons for using the money ment for both of us.
"stop crying, you're already ugly as it easy. if you add this tears you will scare people oh" she lamely tried to console me
" look once papa gets home today,I will speak to her my self about the money.stop crying joor" she continued trying to pacify me
" what about the remaining money?, even if you paid for your waece and neco there will still be some change" I had asked
"which change? don't even talk about any change infront of papa oh?" she warned waving her index finger at me.
"money don finish" with that she walked off swaying her behind.
****************
That evening was the longest evening of my life. after my home chores,I sat down dutifully on our balcony waiting patiently for my father to return. I didn't bother to tell Nne about it, because I know already she would support onyinye. she was the one that instructed her to do what she did from the beginning.
I was still thinking of the best way to approach papa based on what happened in school ealier today.ofcourse I never believe onyinye when she said she would tell papa about it herself. Then I heard someone banging heavily on our iron gate.
" who is that?" I shouted as I ran towards the gate.
"kiki open the gate" came papa's sullen voice from the other side of the gate.
my heart was in tumoil , many questions rushed to my mind. where is papa's car? did it break down again? how will I tell papa about my waece with this type of problem before him?
"papa good evening" I greeted him as I collect the small nylon bag he was holding.
He didn't even bother to respond to my greeting. I bolted the gate and hurried after him.
I went straight to the kitchen to dispense the items in the bag with thousands of thoughts running through my mind.
I kept getting on my step mother's nerve as we prepared dinner by making silly mistakes as my mind was preoccupied with how to get my waece fees from papa in his present mood.
" Amy is like you are not hungry" Naza asked drawing me back to reality from where I was sitted staring into the space.
"you can eat my meat" I smiled and left the food for my step sister's to finish off.
" thank you oh" Naza called after me.
After washing my hands,I took some notebook and went straight to the dining table. In most people's house, dining table is where the family gathers to share a meal but in father's house, it's a place we sit to read, do our assignments, play card games or pretend to read while we are secretly watching the television or eavesdropping on our parent's conversation which was exactly what am doing here.
"papa thank sir, Nne thank ma". I greeted as I sat down
they hummed to my greeting and continued conversing in low tunes.
I couldn't make out the words they were saying but am certain they were arguing about papa's bus.
"Pete can you even listen to yourself" Nne shouted at her husband obviously infuriated by what ever papa had said to her earlier
"mama Ekene don't raise your voice at me oh" papa warned waving his index at Nne still holding his eba.
" I will raise my voice at you for all I care." Nne returned back." Ekene just entered school last year and chinedu just got admissions this year. How do you expect those bills to be footed?"
" we will find a way around it. That bus is damaging as day goes by. Almost all my money for the day goes into trying to fix that car. if I continue patching it up,the value will keep going down and I won't get any other better offer for it" papa tried to explain
"so the only solution is selling the bus? ehh ? " Nne stood up and dropped the mold of eba she had been holding unto since the beginning of their banter.
"I was the one that bought that bus oh, so I still get to decide if it goes or stays"
"and that is why am telling you first" papa calmly agreed
"so if you sell that bus what will you be doing?, you come back and sit at home let me be feeding you? Never it will not happen in this house oh Pete" Nne said
"I won't stay at home,I will buy motorcycle with the money and start..." Nne didn't even wait for him to finish
" you want to ride okada?" Nne asked mocking him
"bus... strong bus you cannot handle. look at what you reduced it to with a few years. so it's okada you will handle well? ehh Pete ? " Nne asked rhetorically
"Pete do you know you're a very useless man. foolish man" she abused papa clapping her hands together in his face
papa washed his hands and left her to her rantings and entered their bedroom locking Nne out.
But she did not relent " I can see that you're tired of life. that's why you want to die and leave only me to cater for all these children, stupid man come out here and say that nonsense again" Nne continue abusing papa while banging on the door and urging papa to come out and face her.
I desecretly left the sitting room, before Nne would decide to transfer her aggression to me.
After tonight's incident it was obvious to me that am definitely not going to write waece. with my heart so bitter,my eyes clouded with unshed tears and my heavy legs I dragged my self to our room. once my head hit the pillow I cried untill there was nothing left for me to cry again. I dozed off after crying my self to sleep still shaking from the aftermath of crying so hard.