The aggressive knocking on his door annoyed him as he sat up from the floor, fully awake, he didn't even want to respond, he just stared into an endless dimension at a corner of the wall as the nonchalant and aggressive knocking increased rapidly. He just didn't wanna... Wait a fucking minute, It could only be one person... Chizoba.
He got up quickly, enraged he marched to the door.
"Who?... Why the?... Who be dat Okpo!" He opened the door, fists clenched and ready to strike, Chizoba stood there right in front of him unhinged.
"Good morning brother! Ké dụ way gị na?" Chiukwuemeka seemed to be staring into her soul, eyes twitching he sought hard to find the right words.
"What do you want?" He managed to ask.
She smiled, she knew for a fact that this particular action wasn't enough to receive a whooping from her big brother, not that he was ever going to raise his hand at woman just like their father had taught him he would always flex. "Brother wetin dey happen na? This is so unlike you, its half past ten am but you're still sleeping, I just came to check up on you." She said with an innocent and charming smile.
Chiukwuemeka knew them so well, this level of disturbance had to mean they had something serious to request and with Chizoba leading him to the dinner table, it was most certainly a good one, it meant Uju was the one in the kitchen, he wanted to be mad though because his sleep had just been interrupted but he just decided to play along. Not like it's anyone's fault anyways, After watching some TikToks late in the night before, he grew tired but the bed was so uncomfortable, after various twists and turns on the bed trying to find a good spot, the right and comfortable angle to dose off but to no avail, he sought refuge on the bare floor.
"Una no go gree me go baff?" He queries. "Won't you like it if I had a shower?"
"Brother jịlị kéné nwayọ ah! Be calming down." She said clenching his palms in hers. He stops causing them both to stop. He stares at her a while.
"Bia nwata a, this child, don't you know how old I was when you were born? Shey you no get respect?" She frowns a bit.
"Sorry sir." She lets go of his hand slowly and after rubbing his hand on his hair, he pockets them and rushes down the stairs. She moves slowly behind him.
"There's my baaabbby!" He exclaims as he opens his arms for an embrace and Uju comes running in, he lifts her into the air in the embrace and spins them around a bit.
"Brother m, good morning." She says hugging him again after he had dropped her. He lowers a bit and plants a kiss on her cheeks.
"K way gị na Nne m?"
"I'm fine brother, how was your night?"
He glances at an already seated Chizoba, "It would've been fine." She sticks her tongue out to him and he throws her a middle finger right behind Uju's back. "So what's for breakfast? I'm famished." He asks glancing over at the table while rubbing his palms together.
Uju pulls out a chair for him next to Chizoba and as he sits she responds, "Pancakes, milk and a slice of apple." He laughs out loud.
"Nwá ńnà á, wetin be dis? Which kain foreign dish be dis one?" Chizoba makes to hide her laugh.
"See Chi, stop laughing o, this was your idea." Uju notions.
"Me kwa? Biko áká m adiro na ya o." She responds immediately. "My hands no dey there walahi!"
"Wait, we're three, why a fourth plate? Is one of the servants coming to sit with us again?" Chiukwuemeka asks.
"No, but if they are, you got a problem with it?" He squints his eyes at her.
"Chizoba! Your mouth, that scissors in my room."
"Your body, my choice..." He stares at her a bit, eyes still squinted.
"Where have I heard that line before?" He asks.
She realizing herself replies, "I don't know, I've forgotten, it's some twenties hate speech slang directed against women by men..."
"And you're saying it to me? Like seriously."
"I mean you're a man you deserve..."
"Ngwá Lọlọ jịlị nwayọọ!" Obianuju interrupts. "The fourth plate is for..."
One of the guards opens up the main door and uncle Akaji comes through fully kitted with his tribal regalia. The entire staff who had disappeared being here and there all came out to honor his presence.
"Why does he always do this? Tryna reap where he didn't sow." Chizoba remarks to the hearing of the trio. Chiukwuemeka throws a murderous glance at her.
"Chi baby be calming down na, he is of course just our uncle." Uju said trying to pacify the situation. She taps at Chizoba and with her face notions at Chiukwuemeka's sudden change of demeanor. Chizoba rolls her eyes nonchalantly.
As Chiukwuemeka stands to go welcome his uncle, Chizoba says to Obianuju, "Girl chill out, Emeka's just being an ass licker, he's fan boying over the old man, what a piece of cock." Uju gasps and she hisses.
"Chizoba, ne jị kwo nwayọ, be calming down o, may you no enter trouble."
"Did our founding parents calm down for the unification of Africa? No, never, they didn't! Though they were calm for a good number of years, it was simply their religions, propaganda and indoctrination that was used to convince our Africans that they could endure any form of sufferings, any hardships, that they could thrive in any economic state but with the advent of awareness on the dangers of religion and politics and most importantly the dangers of religion through social media and the mobilization of youths across the continent now a country, we're now able to enjoy the Africa you see today, yes thanks to our founding parents, the ones before them, Nkrumah, Gaddafi, Sankara and Mandela, Nzinga, Amina and Yoko... No not Yoko, sorry..." Uju yawns loudly.
"Is Chizoba boring you with her vast knowledge of history?" Uncle Akaji asks as he approaches the table, she yawns as Chiukwuemeka pulls out a chair for uncle Akaji to sit.
"Ah ah! Nsogbụ adịro, Nne nne ya, the mother of her mom, don't mind them o? They don't know knowledge is power!" Uncle Akaji says as he extends his palm for a high five.
"And that's on periodt!" She says as she slaps his palm. "Good morning ichié."
"Ụtụtụ ọma nwá m nwaanyị, kedụ kà ímé?
"I'm fine ichié." He nods and turns to Uju.
"Ụtụtụ ọma Ichié." He stares at her coldly s bit.
In a mock voice he responds, "ụtụtụ ọma Ichié!" Chizoba and Chiukwuemeka bursts into a self suppressed laughter, they both trying to hold their mouths stands up and begins pacing around in laughter with Chizoba hitting on Emeka's biceps.
"You want me to greet you or answer your greetings?" He asks with a bass intonation, he chuckles and continues, "What ever you do in this life, never forget, 'the one who fails to learn from history..."
"Will surely, definitely become part of history." Chizoba completes the saying.
"How do you say it... And that's on periodt my sister! Yes, just like her darling mom." Chizoba sits with pride as Uju glances at Emeka now sitted adjacent her. He smirks and she pulls out a big laugh.
"Sorry..."
"Stop apologizing too much, it makes you look weak." uncle Akaji comments. Uju nods and he continues as normalcy was now restored.
"So you girls, you ladies sent for me, why?"
"Oh! I wanted to even ask you sef why you came around." Chiukwuemeka throws.
"Well, as your legal practitioner and parent under the law for the mean time, I suppose I have as equal rights as you to this Uzoka property amongst other shey?"
Chizoba scoffs and under the table Emeka kicks her on the shin but not faster than Uju who had already stepped on her foot. "Awww!"
"Yes Ichié." Chiukwuemeka replies.
"Anything the matter Chizoba?" Uncle Akaji asks with concern.
"Nothing o ichié."
"Yes Ichié, it's probably just her play with Uju, you know, kids, ụmụaka kita sha! Fa ne me ka ndi ntụ ku pu na isi."
"Ok ladies, can you mind telling me why you invited me? now look, I have a business meeting in Mai-Ndombe in the DRC region of the UMR in two hours, I have a plane to catch and you have fifteen minutes more."
"Ok ichié, so we want to go to a real school, we're tired of home schooling."
"Yes uncle ichié, we want real school." Uju adds.
He glances at them a long while and then turns to Emeka who avoids his gaze, he turns back to the girls, "Why?"
"Ichié, we wanna socialize..." Chizoba clarifies.
"No, I know, your request is good, I have no problem or objections with your request, I only have a problem that the alleged man of the house decided to be incapable!" Chiukwuemeka almost chokes on his piece of pancake, he knew he was being referred to.
"Ichié..."
"Chiukwuemeka nwa Onyebuchi Uzoka, your father was a leader, a great man, I can go on and on but no, no time... You should be like your dad man! How can you be around and they are seeking ichié Nwazuruoke Akaji Onyeobodo nwa Onyeobodo, the Akujinzuko one of Abiriba land in Abịa State, no na!" Hé says glancing around. "It's not proper na!"
"Never forget, the African man's pride is greater than his achievement." Chizoba says to her self.
"But shey we let that go and Africa is the greatest again." Uncle Akaji adds much to Chizoba's bewilderment.
"African girls and sense are like five and six." Uju says.
"And that's on periodt betch!" Chizoba replies Uju with a high five.
"Ok, no betching or bitching in my table, now! Chiukwuemeka!"
"Ichié!"
"First of all, anything they want, handle it like the man of the house that you are, you are greater than them, you are wiser than them, you're a man..."
Chizoba clears her throat," Ichié ńnà bịa." Chizoba stands up excusing herself. "I'm coming."
"Ebe ka ine je?" Emeka queries. "Where are you going?"
"Ka nyuo amiri." She replies, "Lemme go take a tinkle."
"Why, maka why?"
"Emeka ine kopu? Is something wrong with you?"
"No ichié, ndo! Sorry!"
"Nwá, je nyua amiri o?" As she leaves he continues, "So tomorrow, I'll be sending you a few million Afrozx so you can go change them to Naira and make sure them both are in school ok Chiukwuemeka?"
"Yes Ichié, you know I had actually just said that I'll wait on you..."
"Don't wait on me for anything, yes I'll be here to guide you but make your own mistakes, take your corrections and win, you're just 19 hypothetically speaking, logically you're 20 and that's the first stage of making mistakes and receiving corrections, you learn and you win. When you get to my age, experience at its peak and your fame too and wisdom too."
He glances at the boy by his side, at the girl on his other side and the other coming down the stairs. "If I don't leave now, I'll be fifteen off the clock, have a nice day, thanks for the pancakes, of course, they hit a spot." As he stands up he adds. "Chiukwuemeka nwá Onyebuchi, you're logically twenty, you're a man, act like one... That proves you're better than your sisters who are girls." And with that he takes his leave, Chiukwuemeka stands to excort him out.
"Nné anyị e me gia, that your plan nice sha." Uju compliments her younger sister as she arrives down the stairs.
"Ichié na gbo o!" They chorus after him. He turns and waves them a good bye and continues on his way.
"So what happened na?"
"Chi, he told brother that he'll send him some money so he can enroll us in school tomorrow."
"Emeka should be in charge of the family wealth o."
"Sis, catch a break, give it a rest ah!" He shakes at her. "We're off to a real school babe." Chizoba smiles half heartedly and they begin to pack up the plates on the table to hand over to the maids. Chiukwuemeka always told them to wait for the maids to do their job but they loved doing stuff by themselves.
"Fast before Emeka comes back o."
"Abi? Before he fires one of these maids."
"So last last which school na?"
"Ah you don forget?" Uju asks as they hand the plate to one of the maids at the kitchen entrance.
"Okaaaaay, African Savannah high school, Awka, right?"
"Yes, formerly British Spring college." Chizoba smiles broadly.
"I love the Motherland!" She says as she turns to Uju and exclaims, "the Union of the Motherland Republics, Africa!"
"Ka nchali kita! May I comot go one side before you quiz me some history now... For some reason."
Chizoba pulls out her phone, "Nooo, just that Sankara just announced the shuffling of the UMR parliament."
"What the hell is that one about?"
"Girl, are you even a citizen?"
"E no really concern me, I'm just happy that the UMR is functioning properly, without interferences from outside organizations in the name of investors and foreign aids." Ujunwa says.
Chizoba nudges her biceps. "Look who's learning from her little sister." She exclaims with a chuckle.
"It's common knowledge betch. And we only have our founding parents to thank, the ancestors, our fallen heroes!"
"No cap, you're so for real right now but I'm still going to explain to you how Sankara works." Uju covers her ears and begins running up the stairs as Chizoba loud and explanatory races after her spitting facts.
"Nné bikọ zienu! Leave me the fuck alone..."