CHETA
You couldn't sleep, your mind wandered to when you and Chenna- as you loved to call him quarrelled before he moved out.
"You wouldn't say you don't see how your mum looks at me, you wouldn't say you do not see how she talks to me with disdain." He had said, his voice laced with pain. It had hurt him, he hated situations like this.
That night, you came home with expectations. Your mum came around and had been in your space. The kitchen, your- our room as you would like to tag it.
You tossed in the bed, hoping to feel his warmth, hoping that this too had passed. You missed him, it was affecting your state of mind.
"I can't stay in a place I'm not welcomed "- he said, his voice, heavy.
"Not welcomed?" You asked.
Apparently, you had noticed. You noticed how she would hissed if you should mention his name during your conversations with her, you noticed how she would shun him whenever he chipped in on conversations.
"Your mum doesn't let me breathe, she basically doesn't want me here and I wouldn't ask you to throw her out of the house. She is your mother."
Chenna had stopped cooking, he was the type to cook lots of dishes and put them in the refrigerator, he would cook Egusi, Ogbono, stew and the pepper soup that you loved. He cooked so much that you got used to the fact that there was always food in the refrigerator, so before Chenna had told you his complaint, you noticed the lack of food in the refrigerator but you couldn't ask. You weren't prepared to ask.
That night you came home from work after the quarrel, you went to the refrigerator hoping that Chenna would have prepared food, you loved his food, you would prefer his food to your mother's own if given a chance. Your mother wasn't a bad cook, in fact she was one of the most outstanding cooks you knew but Chenna found a way to surpass her.
You remembered joining him in the kitchen one night when the aroma of the stew filled the whole flat, you remembered asking him what his secret ingredient was...
"Love" he had answered with the sweetest smile- a smile you felt privileged to have seen.
'Love?', his mother didn't have the kind of love Chenna used as his special ingredient.
That night, he was Gone. He had left you a note, it read…
"Cheta, you were the best that had happened in my life. I love you but I can't continue this, I can't continue with the fact that your mum treats me with disdain and I really cant tell you to ask her not to come because she's your mother. You shouldn't be asked to choose, I quit.
With love,
Uchenna."
You remembered when you first met him, it was at the administrative block in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where you were to do your physical clearance. You just got admission to study Law and he as you later would know was to study Accounting.
You like how reserved he was, how he smiled at you when you inquired for a pen. Not because you weren't with yours, you had in fact brought three pens but you wanted to hear what he sounded like. You wanted to be friends with him, if possible, more. You enjoyed how he spoke little as if being threatened not to speak.
You tossed again, stood up and went to a bag where you had kept most of his previous stuff, opened it and brought out a T-shirt. His t-shirt, you loved how he smelled, the talcom power effect. You held it up to your chest like it was disappearing any moment from then.
You picked up your phone, " come and take your remaining clothing." You wanted to text him, you wanted him over so you'd ask him why he left, so you'd tell him that it was him over his mother, but was it? You thought to yourself. You wanted to hold him till he stayed. But you knew better, you knew he would come the next morning to take his remaining clothes, he would take his picture hung on the wall in the room.
You texted "Babe, i missed you, come back please. Let's talk about this."
No response.
You waited till you slept off.
You coulda swore something woke you. You checked the time- it was 1 in the morning.
You picked your phone...
No response still...
Tears, you never cried but you didn't know how to stop yourself.
Shakily, you dialed a number.
"Mum, he left." You saud. You wanted more than that, you wanted to scold her for making him uncomfortable, you wanted to shout at her the way she would shout at you and your younger siblings whenever you offended while growing. But you couldn't, she is still your mother, you thought...
Your mind wandered again till she asked
"Who left?" And you felt stupid. Stupid to have to tell her that the person who left was your supposed roommate as you had given an excuse when she asked who he was to be staying at your place since you both looked well to do.
"Roommate kwa?" She asked in disbelief but pushed no further and you were relieved.
But here you are, crying that he left.
"Uchenna". You said.
There was a pause. You could picture her standing and jumping in fear already.
"Nwa m, It's past 2 in the morning, let's talk in the morning, okay?" You heard her say.
Your stupidity confirmed. Who calls his mum this late only to talk about his roommate leaving.
"Okay, I'm sorry mum, I didn't realise how late it was." You said trying to sound calm.
She would call your sister, you figured.