Steve was in his big sister's room on her queen-size bed playing with a toy car. The room was colored in a cream color with white and blue curtains everywhere. There were couches at the far right all in white. A table stood in their middle. Two frames of their family hanged on the wall. Freddie was in one of them.
There were two doors apart from the entrance door. One led to her closet all the way to her bathroom. The other too led to her study room. The almighty bed stood in the middle claiming ownership. Steve looked around him. He would sometimes come here to beat his sister up and then ran away. She wouldn't get him since he would go to school. Sometimes too, he would come and sleep here, always missing her when she left for Uni.
He remembered he had gifted it to Lily to take to school if she was to miss him. He was amazed she still had it and most of all it was kept at where she slept.
He had cried at that time. Not wanting his big sister to leave him. He had vowed to even give her all his toys and video games. He just didn't want her to leave. He was then.
Damn, a grown man crying because his sister was leaving him to go to boarding school.
He became calm when Lily had told him he could vist her whenever he wanted. He later found out that was a lie. Visiting was only once a month.He held the toy car in his hand admiring it.
"Thought you weren't coming back." He said to her when she got into her bed.
Lily shot him a 'not liking it' glance.
"Babe, I missed you," her brother said teasingly and drawing her into an embrace.
"Kofi," she called him by his day of birth's name in their local language.
"Efia," he also called her. They were both Friday born and that made their bond more stronger.
"Thank you."
"No need sis, what are siblings for." He knew his sister was thanking him for arranging the family to welcome their arrival.
"By the way, are you gonna be alright?" His tone changed to that of their father. Steve would switch it when he wanted to be the first born.
"What are you saying? I'm perfectly fine." Lily gave him an assuring smile.
"Just letting you know. If you ever cry, I'm gonna break his borns." He stated his judgment.
"I don't care who he is."
"He's my best friend, Stevie."
"Just saying. In case..." Steven didn't finish his sentence. Lily was stroking his black hair. She had pulled him onto her laps taking a better view of her teenage brother.
He was a replica of their father. Except that he was smallish. Come-on, he was only sixteen.
"I love you sis," he told her.
"I want the best for you." He warned.
Although Steven was young, he knew how his sister had suffered to put their parents back on their feet again. How she started working only at the age of ten to help their parents when they went financially down.
She had gotten into all sorts of writing competitions and even wanted to sacrifice her education for their sake. She never went to any of their extended families for help.
She was only twenty one and had been through a lot at a tender age. He never wanted to see her cry.
"You should rest, today was very..." He was on his feet ready to let his sister be.
"I know, why's everyone telling me to go to sleep."
"MMM, lover boy's already told her. How sweet. My sister is finally in love." Steven teased his big sister.
"Get out, I want to sleep." She threw a pillow at him. It landed in front of the door
"Love you," he said and threw the pillow back at her and ran away not wanting to start their small quarrels.