It was Monday morning, while I was busy brushing my teeth I felt some particles in my mouth and spat it out quickly and shouted "what the fuck."
'Ada' my mum called me from outside the bathroom door. 'Yes, mum?'
'When you finish your dad wants to have a word with you,ok.'
'Ok mum.'
'Quickly cause he is about to go out.'
I immediately stared into the sink where I spat to observe the particles that left my mouth and my eyes back to the foamy toothbrush. I should buy a new tooth brush it's a year now.
My dad was wearing a white suit and a black tie, and was sitting in his bed, while my mum was relaxed on the pillow behind him. Ever since my dad retired apart from going to the hospital from time to time for checkup, he hardly left the house on a normal day. But last week it was announced on news and on their retiree group chat that there was going to be verification exercise for pensioners. Recently the government have been on the case of ghosts collecting pensions. People who have died since 10years ago were still having monthly funds paid into their accounts, and the government were determined to finding and verifying how many people were still breathing and alive. Having the pensioners turn up in person formation, this particular one was the second one done in 1 year and 6 months. Normally my mum would have been in her restaurant by now arranging things with her girls, but whenever my dad was going out she waited and send the girls to open the shop, so that she and her husband can leave the house together.
'Yes daddy, mum said you where calling me.'
'Your mum was telling me you want to leave Aba before your school began.'
'Yes dad'
'What did you say is the reason why?'
I gave him my explanation bit by bit. Exactly as I told my mum, plus some.
'Porthacourt is out of the question till your school begins,' he said when I finished talking. 'Definitely out of the question my dear daughter.'
He started his bout of coughing. My mum can't over to tap his back.
'Isn't it ok if you just tell them your not feeling to good to come?' She asked.' The way your breathing, maybe you should just stay back at home.'
'Hmmm my wife. Have you forgotten my friend Micheal?' The remembrance caused a faint breeze to blow in my spine and into my bone marrow. Micheal was my dad's friend who had been in bed rest because he was sick from an unknown ailment for several years. During the last verification exercise, he asked for an exemption, but the people in the pension office insisted that all pensioners must be present and there are no exemptions. So his children had to hire a taxi, carried their father lifted him up from the bed something they haven't done in years all the way there. They left the door of the taxi open and went inside to call the pension officer who came and confirmed that Micheal was still alive and pension worthy. Shortly after while they where driving home the children confirmed that the man has left the world.
'
As for looking for a job,' my dad continued, 'I understand why you have decided to take the bold step. We never must take permanent decisions because of temporary circumstances. What ever job you decide to take I really don't mind as long as it's not temporary. You are still going to school to study Chemical Engineering when the academic year begins, ok.'
'Yes dad.'
'When do you really plan to leave the house?'
'As soon as possible immediately I finish my Last GCE exam which is by next week. I was just waiting to hear what you would have to say about my decision.'
My dad paused and thought.
'You can go ahead and tell your Aunty Ezinne in Asaba that you're coming soon.'
'Thanks dad,' I said and smiled.
'Hurry up and bath so we can leave the house together' my mum said.
'I hurried went to take my bath. They were both waiting in the parlor till I was actually done with everything, which took close to 30 minutes. We trekked to the ju cry and waited for cab, I then looked at my mother's direction standing beside her husband and she seems so happy standing with him, because he looked really distinguished and different. My dad always dressed like a university professor.
'Jesus' my mum shouted suddenly.
'What is it this woman?'
Ooh I forgot Mr Jones wife said I should deliver a plate of pepper soup to her house, and I promised to do that this morning and send one of my girls at shop to take it to her house.'
'Honestly babe you should stop taking this sort of job from people,' if she wants to eat pepper soup she should come to the shop and have a plate why send you that kind of rubbish job eeh.'
'It's difficult to refuse a friend honestly' my mother said.
'It doesn't matter if the person is a friend or not. Your a cook in your restaurant not in their houses.'
My dad's appearance looks sad and unhappy about the situation.
My dad has always believed in a better Nigeria, he also did his very best when he was still serving the country as a civil servant. Today he was retired and had nothing to show for it. Except our rented 3bedroom flat and out incomplete building in our village in Umuahia. It's really every Igbo's mandream to own a house in thier hometown(a place where he could retire from the hustle and bustle of Aba in the twilight of his life, a place where he could host my traditional wedding and that of my sister, a place to hold family entertainment and place where well wishers who come for his burial could stay) but the dream of owing a house and a home had been tarnished now that I've gained admission because he doesn't want me to suffer too much in school.
Eventually I saw a taxi and called it. When the vehicle brakes smoke filled our face and the people in the vehicle shifted to make space for my dad. I held the door so my dad could enter inside.
'Pension office,' my dad said to the driver.
'Bye bye Obim' my mum said as I shut the door of the vehicle.
He waved at her and she did the same, my mum kept waving till the car faded away.
She continued in the same direction while I walked in the opposite to buy airtime to call my Aunty Ezinne. I reached the shop where I was meant to get the card but they didn't have it I had to walk to another shop nearby till I saw where I could get it and finally I was able to reach Aunty Ezinne. Hearing what I had to say about me coming to Asaba after my last GCE papers to stay till my school section resumes. 'That's really great' Aunty Ezinne replied. 'Having you around would really be good for your cousin Zara. She really hasn't been doing well in her Chemistry and Mathematics and you are very good at all this things, so it will really improve her. From there I went to see Mr Emeka to tell him about what I'm about to do because he really is the only friend I have. I'm really very shocked that as a girl I don't have any friends, it's crazy but the truth. I got to Mr Emeka house and asked his mother of him but she said he wasn't around. 'Emeka hasn't been home since last week' his mother added
'Ha really' I said 'Mr Emeka traveled and he didn't tell me? Why na I thought we where friends and he had my number. No wahala thank you Ma' ' thank you' I said and left their compound. It was late when I got home cause I trekked home. I finally got home and Brenda was seeing a movie with Jerry and Austin in the Parlor sofa.
'Where is dad and mum' I asked.
'They are in their room' Austin said.
'It really not been long they entered' Jerry added.
Dad said he wasn't feeling too good and wants to go in and have a shower and mummy went with him' Brenda explains.
They all answered one after the other, and as if they had memorized what to say a long time ago and just waited patiently for my return.
I went into my room and took my towel and went to bath and wore my usual night wear and ready for the night and went into the parlor to relax on the chair.
My mind wasn't even concentrating on the Nollywood movie they where seeing my mind was just moving up and down. How would Mr Emeka travel and he didn't even think to tell me even if it's on the phone, wasn't I his friend like he said. I brought my thoughts back to the screen and tried to concentrate because I wasn't feeling the movie at all.
It was really hard. In the movie we are seeing a dark skinned father and light skinned mother had been cast and they where parents of a mixed skinned girl. Another man appearance with an teenage boy who, based on his appearance could be the mother's elder brother. They also forgot to remove the frame of the family they borrowed the house to shoot the movie. That was a big turn off already.
The main character had also discovered that the man she was getting married to was her long lost father, when I heard a scream I first assumed it was from the movie I was seeing. I then asked Austin to low the volume of the television, we then knew that the noise was from the house. We all rushed into our parents bedroom.
My dad was lying on the floor almost half dead like a dead chicken by their bathroom door. My mother was holding him with her hands close to her chest. She was literally shaking him on the floor trying to listen to his heart beat and also screaming.
'Haew Jesus Christ!' She cried. 'You people should see me oo! Haew! Jesus!' She was really crying. We fell on the floor and gathered around my father still. Brenda started crying. Stella hearing the commotion from the kitchen, also rushed in. I pushed all of them aside and listened to his heartbeat. With relief, I confirmed that my fathers was not yet gone.
'Mum please what happened?' I asked.
'Jesus help me….God help me…..hewooooo!
I pulled myself together as the Ada cause I'm meant to be strong for everyone. I started thinking of what to do then it recalled to me that our neighbor Mr Raphael has a Vehicle. 'Austin quick…..rush quick ask Mr Raphael if he can drive our dad to the hospital.' Brenda please all of you should step out from this space dad needs as much of air he could get. I chased everyone away and checked his pulse again, my mum was by my side crying.
I turned to my mum. 'Please put on clothes.' She rushed to her wardrobe and dragged the first thing her hand could catch which is her buba gown which had black stains from peals of unripe plantain. I bent down and held my dad I had to be very strong even if I was a girl I've grown up to have a really strong mentality about life and that anything can happen at anytime. Mr Raphael came inside in his boxers short and bathroom slippers that someone on a normal day will be ashamed of and him with my younger brother grabbed him and moved him to the vehicle as a fast thinker i immediately opened the front door for them and he was put in the back seat of Mr Raphael Toyota Camry. My mother stood in the side with Mr Raphael's wife and watched them put him in me and my mum squeezed ourselves in the front seat of the car and the Toyota zoomed off.