Chidi's POV
The morning after Chineye's mother left hadn't been the same as the whole street was filled with gossips and rumors spreading out. Even as I stepped out to a kiosk to buy some provision a woman stopped me to question what actually happened.
"Chidi! Is your mother home?."
"Yes!," I replied the elderly woman
"Okay till her that I will come and see her, Tell her Mama Chinaza asked of her."
"Hmph, okay I will." I went back to our compound and went into our parlour. Mama sat down there with Amaka discussing.
"Ain't you going to your shop today mother?," I asked Mama as I came into her view.
"I will, not after your brother as decided to embarrass us on this street," Mama replied.
"Forget about the gossip mother. People will talk no matter what you do or say. They already heard the noise and the gossip will soon pass when they see something new to talk about," I told Mama, as I crossed over going up to my room.
"Just warn your brother to stay away from that girl. I don't want Mama Chineye to show her face in our compound again," Mama told me
"Okay I will." I went back to my room and my brother lay on the bed receiving a phone call.
I didn't interrupt him. I went to a side to offload all the provision I had bought, while listening to his conversation on phone. He was talking to a girl as i heard her feminine voice and chuckle. I shook my head and stood up from the bed to go and take my bathe. I had a business conversation with one of our cousin brother and I wanted to go and see him about it.
Chinedu kept talking to the girl on phone, until I took my bath finish and returned back to our room, as we both shared a room together.
"Who were you speaking with on phone?" I asked him, seeing that the call has already ended.
"My friend, you wouldn't know her," he replied.
"Dating?," I asked him.
"No, we are just friends with benefits."
"Hmph.." I sighed.
"Anyways am going to see Emeka, remember the business idea I told you about. I will soon be thru next year, but I officially want to launch my channel, to own a television station so I can be having live shows and movies broadcast there too."
"Okay," Chinedu replied.
He kept on chatting on WhatsApp and i decided to leave him. After I was thru dressing up I went out to the dinning room first and next to the kitchen to prepare my tea as I didn't want to have any tough meal that morning.
After I finished making my tea I sat on the dining to drink and eat it with a loaf of bread, Amaka came to meet me as Mama had already gone into her room to freshen up, while they prepare for her shop as she was a tailor.
"When will you be returning back to school?," She asked me.
"Next week," I replied her.
"Wow, I thought your holiday was long like brother Nedu's own?," She questioned me.
"No," I replied her.
"Hmm, so you will be leaving us early then," she said.
"Yes, but I will still be back, I just have some things am running for now, not necessarily my studies."
"Okay," she replied.
"How about you?. Mom said you already started learning how to sew in her shop, why don't you further your education?," I asked her.
"No!, I don't like school," she replied.
"Hmm, okay."
"I prefer fashion designing, I like it and always admire Mama styles that she use to make for her customers. Although I might still further, but I want to learn how to sew, so maybe when am in school it can be useful."
"I see," I replied her.
"It's about choice, but you should note you cannot serve two masters, if you want to further your education, you focus on that now. If you want fashion designing you forget about your education and focus on your fashion designing, besides, I know a lot of big names that are fashion designers in the city and they charge quite huge amount of money, to sow a simple style," I told her and she nodded in contemplation, looking confused.
"How old are you now?," I asked her.
"Am 22yrs," She replied.
"Hmm, since when had you finished your WAEC?," I asked her.
"4yrs ago," she replied.
"Wow, why haven't you furthered?," I asked again.
"I didn't pass the Jamb three times now, so I don't want to try this year again. My mom is the one that advise me to change and study skill training before I get married."
"Okay I replied her."
"But I thought you were engaged earlier these year?," I questioned her.
"Yes, but we haven't gotten married yet, he only came to see my people."
"Your boyfriend?," I asked.
"No, He works in the city, Brother Emeka knows him."
"Oh!," I hummed.
"You prefer a City guy too?," I asked her as I finished drinking my tea, emptying the tea cup.
"Hmm, it depends."
"Depends on what?. I don't understand all these it depends that you and Nedu are always saying. Depends on what tell me?. You see how my father and mother is, do you like long distance relationship, because me I don't like it," I told her and she frowned.
"He promised to take me with him to the city when we get married.."
Just then Mama came out and interrupted us.
"Chidi, why are you asking her silly questions, ain't you happy that she will soon get married?," Mama questioned me.
"She's not yet old Mom. Am only asking, so she will make the right decision."
"Don't mind him Amaka, go and take you bath let's go, Am almost thru, just help me prepare my tea while I apply my make up," She told Amaka ignoring me.
"Okay Mom," Amaka responded and stood up and left.
Mama came back and sat on the dining, while I stood up and went to rinsing my used cup in the kitchen, before keeping it and stepping out. She questioned me, "Are you going out?."
"Yes Mom, I want to go and see Emeka,"' I replied.
"Is he around?, I thought his in Lagos," Mama asked.
"Yeah, he came back to the village too, although I don't know why, but am going to see him anyways. We have some business to discuss," I told Mama.
"Okay, go well and send my regards to him. How about Nedu I hoped you have warned him to stay away from that girl?," Mama questioned, just then Chinedu came out.
"Mom you have started. Are you actually minding her mother that came here. Obviously she cannot marry her daughter, so she should allow the beautiful girl to mingle and have fun before she gets old," Chinedu spoked as he came to the dining.
"Nedu!," Mama warned.
"Yes Mom. Don't worry, I will take good care of her, so you and her mother shouldn't worry about her." He told Mama.
"Are you seeing your brother?," Mama reported him to me.
"Mom.." I hummed.
"Mom, there's no need of telling him, is not like Chidi doesn't have his own girlfriend. Or is it because he acts holier you are looking at him like a good son. If I tell you all his doing with someone's daughter in the city, you wouldn't believe your ears mom," Chinedu said and Mama eye's widened and stared at me.
"Don't mind him mom, is just lying and trying to justify his sins," I told Mama.
"Me lying?," Chinedu questioned and I glared at him as I stood in between the parlour and dining room.
"Okay Mom wait, let me bring out my phone and show you his girlfriend. I thought I told you to use bigger phones so you can be seeing all that's happening but you refused. Wait let me show you," Chinedu told Mama and I quickly went to his side and he stood up searching his phone for the pictures he wanted to show Mama.
Definitely I don't snap or upload my pictures or girlfriend online, so where would he get it from.
"Chidi leave him alone to show me, so you are also doing girlfriends too?," Mama picked on Chinedu's side and he went to the other side of the dining were Mama sat and showed her photo, Mama jaw dropped, "Chidi?!," She called and I frowned.
"Which photo is that?," I asked Chinedu as he was laughing and kept on sliding his phone screen showing Mama what I don't know off.
"Chinedu?!," I called him angrily and he kept on laughing.
"What?!," He meet my gaze questioning me.
I left the side of the dining table I stood and went to Mama's side to see what she was staring at as her jaw still dropped staring at the photo, I collected the phone from her hand.
It was a photo of me and Amanda and some few of her friends on her birthday, earlier this year. She had insisted that I must attend her birthday bash as she was a rich man's daughter. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at the photo, I had never thought of Amanda uploading it as it was a pool party photo of her wearing bikini and I was on shorts, while we took the photos.
Mama stared at me in horror.