Chidi's POV
I finished eating my food, and went to keep my plate in the kitchen. I took Chinedu's plate of food to him, as he hadn't eaten much from it.
Knock, knock, knock!
I knock on our room door as I discovered Chinedu had locked it from within.
"Who's there?," Chinedu asked.
"Is me, open up" I told him and he opened the door, I went in and he locked it back from the inside.
I went to the reading table and dropped his food.
"Why are you locking the door?," I asked him as I climbed back on the double king-size bed we both shared.
"Why shouldn't I lock it?. You want Mama to come here and disturb me," he questioned me and I smiled, waiting for my laptop to boot.
"Why will Mama come here to disturb you. Oh is it because of that girl?," I questioned him.
"Yes, I just don't like what Mama is saying," Chinedu replied.
"Hmph, but you know she's right, you have too many girlfriend that I can't even keep count on," I told him.
"So?. Are you now supporting Mama?," He asked me
"Of course not. Why will I support Mama, you know you are my brother," I smiled to him.
"Or don't I have my own girlfriend," I told him, and he sat down.
"I brought your food back, it would have gotten cold," I told him.
"Thanks," he replied.
"I thought you wouldn't eat it?," I told him.
"Am hungry, just that I couldn't stand Mama saying that I shouldn't near that girl."
"Hmm.." I sighed.
"But she's beautiful though," I told him.
"Yes she's," he kept quiet and started eating his food.
My mind drifted to the first day I saw her at our gate. She was sparkling yellow by that time of the evening, and her complexion was as bright as the sun. Her smiles was also charming and I doubt such beautiful girl wouldn't have a boyfriend. I asked Nedu, "Don't you think, she already has a boyfriend?. Or why, Will she reject you?."
He kept mute taking time to respond.
"I doubt she has, if she has, she could have told me," he replied.
"But you said she rejected you, so how will she tell you, when you both ain't talking?," I asked him.
"She could have mentioned it to me," he replied.
"Where?," I asked him.
"At her house," he said.
"Wait!, You mean you went to her house?," I asked him and he smiled.
"Yes na!"
"Hmm.." My eyes subtly narrowed at him.
"What are you trying to protect her too away from me?," He asked me
"No!.. I doubt such a beautiful girl wouldn't have a boyfriend. But what's my business, I don't like village girls, no matter how beautiful they may be."
"Is better you don't. Leave them to me," Chinedu replied.
"Them?," I questioned him.
"I thought you are ready settling down with her and forgetting about others?," I paused the thing that I was typing, while he continued eating his food.
"Well it depends," be replied
"Depends on what?. Nedu mom said if you ain't serious about your true intentions about that particular girl, you better avoid her and forget about her. Inshort mom said she going to the girl house to warm her never to accept you." I told him and he kept down his spoon and stared at me.
"No she wouldn't do that" he refuted
"Of course she will, you know Mama, but that's by the way. If you are serious about her, better be. From how Mama was picking sides with the girls seems Mama really likes her," I told him.
"Eh, so that's why she's shipping you with the girl," Chinedu said accusingly.
"No, she didn't mean that," My eyes subtly narrowed at him. "She was just given example," I told him.
"Giving example you say, and Mama is using you to do example, couldn't you have rejected her, right in front of Mama." Chinedu said accusingly again.
"What are you trying to imply, I have a girlfriend and I don't have anything to do with that local girl. Or was it because I acknowledge to you that she's beautiful. Don't think too farther bro.. I will never marry a village girl or have anything to do with any of them, not even her," I replied him.
"Hmm.. isn't Mama a village woman. Anyways just keep to your words and stay away from her!" Chinedu warned me and I laughed.
"Okay I will," I replied him and went on typing what I was typing online.
The following morning, just by 15minutes to 6am, we heard a loud bang on our gate.
"Who's that?," Me and Nefu woked up the same time due to the sound.
"Who could that be?" Chinedu asked me.
"I don't think is thieves, beside the vigilante group are still securing the streets," I told him as we both stood up, wearing our slippers and going out.
The banging on the main gates continue and Mama also came out to the parlour to meet us.
"Who's there?," She asked us.
"Good morning mom," We greeted her respectively as she was still in her nightgown.
"Good morning Nedu, Good morning Chidi," Mama replied us as she took the torch.
"Open the gate!," We heard a woman's voice and Mama turned to stare at us.
"Who could that be, wait let me check," Mama told us and started walking towards the gate.
We followed rightly behind her.
Reaching the gate and opening it, the woman kept banging on the gate and shouting, "Mama Esther!"
"Oh, is Mama Neye," Mama told us and we both stared at her in shock as the gate finally opened.
"Good morning Mama Chineye," Mama greeted her first as she made way for the woman to come into our compound.
Oh, I see where the beauty got her charming looks from as her mother was also so fair and almost white in complexion and luckily the power supply came on, and I could see her clearly as the day hadn't bright well.
She was tall, beautiful, and also had curvy shape like her daughter, but her backpack was bigger, while her daughter's own was still moderate and slim.
"You!," She pointed to me as she came into our compound.
"So you are the one chasing after my daughter?," She pointed to me accusingly as she saw me staring at her.
"No, am not the one" I quickly respond and she turned to face Nedu whom stood by the gates, closing it behind her.
"So is you?," She went to grab him by his singlet.
"Mama Chineye calm down," My mother tried to calm her on my brother's behalf. While Chinedu allowed her grab him to her chest as she shook him.
Mama walked to them to separate them.
"Why asking me to calm down?," Why didn't you warn your son to stay away from my daughter," She told Mama.
"I was only getting to hear about these yesterday, and I have already warned him. Beside he said Neye didn't accept," Mama told her and she finally let go of Chinedu clothes.
"So is true, I had thought Chineye was lying to me. Mama Amara was the one who told me that she saw my daughter standing with a guy in front of our house. And when I asked Chineye she told me she didn't have anything to do with him," Mama Neye said.
"Your house?," Mama turned to stare at Chinedu in shock.
"Why will you go to their house?, I had thought it was on the road he meet her?" Mama questioned Chinedu.
"Mom does it matter, I like her and that's all that matters," Chinedu reply and Mama Neye chased after him, while he ran back into our house.
Amaka stepped out and greeted Mama Neye and she responded and turned to face my mother, seeing that Chinedu had ran back inside.
She eyed me from head to toe and turned to face my mother as she walked back to the gate leaving. Her backpack was just bouncing and shaking and i thought Neye was the one forcing her hips to shake the last time I had seen her.
I swallowed and shifted my eyes away from the tempting woman.
"Warn your son to stay away from my daughter, warn him!" She told Mama and as she was about to step foot outside, she turned to face me.
"And you too, warn him to stay clear from my child. The next time I will come here I will break bottle on his head," she told me and I nodded in agreement. And she left.
As soon as daybreak and the sky became brighter the gossip was already out on our street as some heard when the woman was shouting.
Our neighbor even came into our compound to confirm if all was well as it was really embarrassing seeing the woman raising her voice by such early hour and time of the day. Alerting and informing the whole street.
Our neighbor went to Mama to ask, but Mama didn't give her the chance to gossip. The woman turned and left our compound, While we locked back our gate