"Elsie, wake up."
"What is it?" I murmured in my sleep.
"Elsie, wake up. You are going to get a neck cramp if you continue to sleep like this."
I opened my eyes slowly as I heard my dad's voice.
"Dad, you're back?" I said as I finally sat up.
"Yes, I just came back a while ago."
"How long have you been sleeping like this?" My dad asked me.
I looked around to take a look at the clock and I was surprised. It was already 7 pm. I had slept for two hours straight, and I felt like punching myself. I came inside the study to read and I ended up dozing off.
"Dad, what would you like to eat?" I asked him as I stood up from the chair.
My dad was still looking at me.
"Don't bother, you look so tired. I bought plantain porridge. We will have that for dinner."
"So go and take a bath, then come downstairs". My dad said as he helped me to stand properly.
I was still sleepy and struggled to keep the sleep away. I left the study and went to my room to have my bath and then joined my dad and Fred in the dining for dinner. I was very happy throughout the meal.
"Do you like it that much?" Dad asked with a smile on his face.
I nodded in response.
"Dad, didn't you know plantain porridge is her favourite food?" Fred asked interrupting me.
"Ooh, I didn't know. I thought it was bean pudding." My dad replied looking at me for a response.
"I have a lot of favourites." I took another spoonful of food.
"So long as it is food, you will like it!" Fred teased me.
"At least I eat better than you. You eat like a fowl, always nitpicking food," I replied while sticking out my tongue at him.
Fred's facial expression changed immediately and our dad had to call us to order when he saw that we were getting into a fight.
Fred and I quietly continued with our meal.
Dad took a look at both of us and smiled. Maybe he was enjoying our bickering and petty fights. Who knows what was going through his mind at the moment?
********************
The next day, being a Saturday, was hectic as usual, Fred and I spent a greater part of the day doing house chores after our dad left for work.
Fred swept all the rooms in the house and made the beds. He also sorted out the dirty laundry. Fred was only six years old and couldn't do much when it came to house chores, but when it came to using the mind, Fred reasoned like a little adult. My mom sometimes will say that he is an adult in a little boy's body. I don't quite agree with her because sometimes he does things only a two or three-year-old would do.
I cleaned all the rooms starting from my room, then Fred's room at the end of the hallway before cleaning my parents' room. We worked together to clean the sitting room, the study, the dining and the kitchen.
Lastly, Fred washed the dishes and I did the laundry.
After doing the chores, I was so tired that I didn't read again that day. I spent the latter part of the day watching movies and sleeping at intervals.
My mom didn't get home until the evening because of an emergency at the hospital that kept her working late. I was very happy when she came back. I was already beginning to wonder how I would fare on Sunday.
****************
Finally, Sunday came, a day I do look forward to. I don't know what's so special about Sunday that made it my favourite. Maybe it was the delicious meals we have on Sundays or the family outings.
As soon we got back home from church that Sunday, my dad announced that we will be going on an outing later in the day. I was very curious where we would be going. Last time, we visited the waterfalls in our home town.
"Mom, what should I wear?" I asked my mom as I went through my closet searching for an outfit.
"Something formal and nice. We are going to a birthday party." My mom replied from her room.
"Birthday party!" I said to myself.
"But Dad didn't say anything about someone celebrating a birthday party."
"Mom, whose birthday party are we going to?"
"Your dad's friend, Mr Stan, his son is having a birthday party." My mom replied casually.
"Ooh," I murmured.
I knew the man in question and his three-year-old son, but we had only met them once. It was awkward to attend a birthday party for someone you didn't know well.
"Mooom, but do we have to attend?" I whined as I sat on the floor.
"Of course, it's an opportunity to get to make more friends, Mom said as she sat beside me on the floor.
"I am sure you will have a good time at the party."
My mom helped me up to my room and chose a cloth for me. It was a sky blue leather trousers with a matching jacket of the same material and colour. She paired it off with a pair of white sneakers for me, and she also styled my hair in a ponytail.
"Hmm, my daughter is looking absolutely gorgeous!" My mom exclaimed as she led me to the mirror to take a look at myself.
"Do you like it?" She asked me.
"Yes, Mom!" I replied with a huge smile on my face.
She left my room and went to Fred's room to see if he needed any assistance with choosing an outfit to wear.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I liked my outfit a lot.