You are in bed staring at your phone telling yourself, "I need to find out who was in the video". It is Saturday morning and you know it would soon be time for family breakfast but you just keep thinking about yesterday. You have many questions that your phone can answer if you just look.
Your room is filled with emotions. Guilt lays in your bed with you, while Curiousity squats in front of you and whispers, "You're curious, aren't you? Don't you want to know who said those words? Don't you want to know why the voice sounded familiar?"
You reach out to unplug your phone but as you touch it you hear Guilt say, "Don't you feel guilty? The girl on the bed is someone's sister too and you didn't even try to help her".
You turn to face Guilt, "Why would I feel guilty when I didn't r@pe her? She isn't my sister, she isn't my friend! I just happened to witness someone's secret" You say then an idea makes you smile, "That's all!"
"This is why I like you!" Greed says sitting at the foot of your bed, "We always vibe! There were five people in the video, imagine how much each of them would want to pay you to keep quiet", Greed says dragging Guilt off your bed.
Guilt gets up from the floor and goes to stand beside your room door. "David, you need to find out?" Curiousity says sitting on your bed.
You grab your phone and Guilt stops you, "What about the guy that said, "No I won't r@pe her, I'm not like you", are you also going to blackmail him?" Guilt asks you.
"Obviously! Aiding and abetting too is a crime, he shouldn't have been there in the first place", you say typing your passcode.
"Dimkpa!" Jessica yells flinging your door open and you panic and toss your phone aside. "What are you doing? What were you watching?" Jessica says reaching for your phone and you immediately grab it and put it inside your boxers.
"Get out of my room!" you yell.
"It's breakfast time perv!" Jessica says squeezing her face in disgust. "Can you try to not do that on days we have family meals? God! Dimkpa you're disgusting!" She uses the hem of her dress to open the door. "Wash your hands at least three times before you come to the living room, daddy is waiting."
Your entire family is sitting at your cosy 6-seater dining table for a breakfast of baked beans, corned beef and egg jaffle-style toast and cereal. Your eyes go across the table to your two sisters. Jessica looks like Jessica always does, she lives in her pyjamas during the holidays, unlike Nancy, Jessica barely leaves the house.
Nancy's fair skin is ever glowing, she loves to look 'sun-kissed', a look which Jessica often describes as being baptised by body oil and lots of glossy lip gloss. Nancy is wearing a fringed crop top and brown jeans that remind you of Kim Possible.
"Mommy! Isn't Nancy's top too short, she's basically wearing a bra top. Mommy shouldn't she change?" you ask knowing your mom is the more traditional parent.
"Son, these are the type of things our in-law likes. You'll understand when you're older", your dad smirks and sends a thumbs up to Nancy. "My dollars you look mwah beautiful", your dad says to Nancy giving her a chef's kiss. Nancy smiles and mouths "thanks daddy", while Jessica rolls her eyes.
"Daddy Destiny, I told you to stop that nonsense", your mom warns removing the smile from your father's face. "Dimkpa your sister has worn this cloth severally, but you never complained."
"Well! I didn't notice it before", you say while picking at your food. "Are you going somewhere?" you ask ignoring your mother's comment of "Like father like son".
"Dimkpa since you've officially joined Daddy in Nancy's fan club, I'll tell you where she's going", Jessica says cocking a smile. "She's going to Chizo's house."
"Does Chizo have brothers?" you blurt out immediately.
"Of course," Jessica says sticking out her tongue and following that with a smile as she mouths "That's what you get for leaving me out".
Jessica's nightgown had the words "night owl" imprinted on the front, her braids are tucked behind her ears. Your whole family is fair-skinned, but you believe Jessica is the fairest because she doesn't let her cold-hearted vampire skin see the sun. You always wish she'd go out more but today you hope both your sisters will stay at home, where it is safe.
"I told you you're feeling bad", Guilt says smiling. "Should I prove it?" Guilt claps and Flashback appears. Flashback converts your living room into the scene from the video. Before your eyes, the girl on the bed resembles Nancy at one moment and Jessica at the next moment. The girl's braids were partly loosened like Jessica and Nancy's.
Your brows furrow with worry, "What if Chizo's brothers do that to Nancy?" She wasn't your favourite sister, but you prefer her to Jessica who has a habit of twisting your ears.
"Don't worry one of Chizo's brothers is Sadiq's friend", Nancy says trying to kill the conversation.
Nancy was your favourite sister until she started dating Sadiq. Post-Sadiq Destiny became your favourite sister. No matter how much you like Nancy and how much she pampers you, you prefer the sister thousands of miles away to the sister dating your nemesis.
"You see! This is why every lady needs a good, strong guy", your dad smiles, "Dimkpa your sister is safe, none of those boys would dare mess with your in-law Sadiq", Your dad says proudly.
"Sadiq! Sadiq! Sadiq! God! Why are they obsessed with that psychopath!" you murmur a bit too audibly.
"Do you remember the last time you saw Sadiq before midterms?" Flashback asks and it converts the living room into that memory. Sadiq had his arm over your shoulder, "My very own Dimkpa, I'm bored!" he said.
"Come on! Show us your power", he smiled, and the colour drained from your face.
"God! I love your expressions. Make him break the floor or push the wall", Ichekani said as Sadiq sat beside him on the stairs.
"Seriously!" you complain and Ichekani laughs.
"Come closer, I want to tell you a secret", Ichekani says, and he whispers, "If a person that is continuously repeating an action expects a different result, that person is mad. But if someone else is making them repeat the action, that is the definition of torture."
Sadiq and Ichekani laugh, "Now jump higher!" Sadiq said with his eyes closed as if he was vibing to the beat of your feet hitting the floor.
"Dimkpa, you know I really fucking love your sister", Sadiq said finger-gesturing f*cking.
"I really love that we are in-laws because it allows me to tell you in all honesty", Sadiq smiled still playing with his fingers. Ichekani and Sadiq are over 6 feet tall, they looked like both versions of Lucifer, it was as if darkness and light were villains.
Ichekani stood up, tied his midnight black biracially curly hair into a shaggy bun and placed his hand above his head, "I want you to jump this high!"
"How? Ichekani please I just want to go to my room", in response Ichekani used your shirt's collar to lift you off the floor, "Ichekani, you're like over twenty centimetres taller than me", you protested and Ichekani looked at you and smiled.
"Do you want to jump or fly?" you were on the third floor of the hostel at that moment so you began jumping with all your might.
Sadiq stood up and wiped your sweat with your shirt, "Ew! Dimkpa why are you sweating?" He looked at Ichekani, "Guy, it's because you can feel it, isn't it?"
"Feel what?" you asked.
"My burning desire for your sister", Sadiq said, it was another thing him and Ichekani found funny. "My love for Nancy is all I think about", he said doing full body gestures that described f*cking.
"You're not, having sex, right?", you blurt out as Flashback takes away that memory. Everyone at the table is staring at Nancy.
"Dimkpa!" Nancy yells.
"Don't be ridiculous, your sisters know the rules", your dad stops eating and stares at the girls, his eyes are shooting darts. Your dad often makes all his children memorise and recite his house rules.
"Teasing and kissing are okay, they need a sample to make them want what they can't have", Jessica says.
"No form of sex is allowed, virgin bride prices are worth twice that of a slut", Nancy finishes.
"You see, there's nothing to worry about your sisters won't let any boy go near their pants", your dad says and continues his breakfast beaming with pride. Your mind immediately wanders back to the girl from the video. "She probably didn't want to let those boys do that to her", while staring at Guilt that thought crosses your mind.
"My Pounds, give Dimkpa some of your food!" your dad commands looking pitifully at you. "But I'm not done" Jessica objects.
"Jessica, don't worry I'll give him some of mine", Nancy says scraping her baked beans into your plate and giving you two out of her four jaffle sandwiches.
"That's why I love you my Dollars, always quick to act, just like me", your dad smiles at Nancy. Your dad had nicknamed each of your sisters as the currency in which he will like to receive their bride price. Destiny is in Europe so he calls her my Euros, Nancy plans to school in America so he calls her my Dollars and Jessica is his Pounds.
Your dad looks at Jessica for a while hoping she will at least pretend to give you her food but she doesn't. Instead, he catches you returning one of Nancy's Jaffles. "Oya take it and finish it!", your dad yells returning the jaffle to your barely touched plate, "Maybe this your bad belle comments on your sister's outfit is because you don't have a girlfriend", your dad says looking at you intensely.
"Daddy you spoke pidgin again", Jessica says stretching her hands out with a smile.
"Oh, God! Dimkpa! See what you caused. Go and get me my wallet!" Your dad yells.
Earlier in the year your dad and Jessica argued because of Jessica's overuse of slangs and in response, Jessica called your dad out on his habit of using vernacular when he gets upset, and after a series of arguments both of them agreed that if your dad catches Jessica using slangs, she'll pay him a thousand and if she catches him, he'll pay her. Unfortunately for your dad, Jessica is good at winning.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asks you as you get up.
"To get your wallet", you reply.
"My friend, better sit down and finish your food!" he knew you wanted to use the opportunity to escape eating.
"But I'm full!" You protest.
"Nonsense! You need to eat so you can grow tall", your dad says standing up.
"I'm almost your height", you complain.
"Are you daft! See how tall Sadiq is and you want to be my height. God forbid!" Your dad laments.
"Sadiq isn't my father, I don't have his genes" you reply upset at how even when Sadiq isn't here, just his existence can still torment you.
"Toro! Toro! Toro! You just know how to run your mouth like a turkey. I am this height because of poverty, with all the money I spend on you... you can't be this height mbanu (no way)!", your dad says.
"Daddy your wallet", Jessica says handing him his wallet. "Igba ili ala (you've done well) money monger", he says giving her two thousand naira. "Nancy come back before home 6 pm, you need to pack for school", your dad adds getting up angrily as he realises that he has paid Jessica over twenty thousand naira this week.
"Yes daddy", Nancy replies.
"Jessica! Make sure this big-headed goat clears his plate, not even one drop should remain!"
"Yes daddy", Jessica says smiling, she is always ready to pick on you.
"Lolo! Hope you've bought their school stuff! Because those children of yours have made me lose my appetite, they need to hurry up and go back to school", your dad yells as he enters his home office.