Cherophobia

"Keturah there's a new story out there we need to go and cover." My boss said immediately I entered the office.

"It's a catchy one and from our source it might cause a little...well huge havoc and you know you are the right person for this...I'll get the full details so that you can start working on it." He added following me to the newsroom.

Jordon was a workaholic just like me and was a good boss too but sometimes he goes overboard. I love him, I really do and he's become one of my closest friend no let's just say buddy, I don't do friends unless I really know the person.

I nodded and gave him a wink "I got you." I told him and he sighed.

He honestly thought I wouldn't do it. Well maybe since I was balancing work and school plus I was the youngest employee in Zeyd Broadcasting Network.

It's an honour to be working in this organization with talented and skilled people.

I remember the first day I came here, I felt like I didn't belong because need I forget, the anchors on every show could do their work diligently without even looking at the teleprompter, which was insane.

I mean it still baffles me how they do it but as time went on, I was given the opportunity to anchor once in a while particularly morning shows and evening news and I loved it.

I sat on my designated seat smiling at the people who greeted and did same. I could hold a conversation with any of my colleagues but not to the extent of going out to grab a bite that's how awful I was, an antisocial human being but I'd like to think of myself as an ambivert because I have good friends who know me well enough and understood my madness.

I quickly went down and did my business, writing down a new feature I'd been working on for a long time.

I wanted it to be published at the end of the week and I have been procrastinating for the past two days. I made up my mind that I'd finish it today then get back home to get ready for school tomorrow and I did just that.

I said few goodbyes to a few of my colleagues who were still in the newsroom as I printed out the scripts and quickly marched to Wanzita; our chief editor for our newspaper and magazines.

I tapped twice and she rolled her eyes smiling and motioned for me to enter.

"There's no need for you to knock you know." She said with her head buried in the script she was reading.

Wanzita has been the chief editor for ZBN for a decade and she was pretty good at her job. I smiled entering and stood behind her chair. I smirked and twirled the chair making her shriek.

"Now that I have your attention....I came in to bring my script for Friday, it needs to go this week. I'm done with it." I said innocently and gave her the script hoping she'd read it.

She took it and scowled at me, "well if you didn't do that I might have read it." we both laughed. She was always fishing out excuses when it came to me.

"I just wanted you to get your head out of the script, you looked so ...focused in there." I added and she sighed, "fine I'll look at it tomorrow now get out of my office". She shooed me and I saluted thanking her and leaving for home. I sat in my old rusty jeep and drove home.

"You're late!" I rolled my eyes and closed the door gently.

"I went to work mom." I said and dashed to my room. My mom was way protective of us, since childhood. My sisters and I couldn't do some things like playing around with kids and going out nope not in her house, I guess it's because of how she was raised and what she's been through. Not like I don't love my mom or anything. She is a good mom just too uptight that's all and prayerful.

I tell you most at times especially midnight or at dawn she comes to my room to sprinkle holy water and even anoint me and I don't remember a day she forgets to do that.

Yeah that's how prayerful she is. Immediately my father abandoned us at the age of two, she stepped in and took care of us. I have two sisters who I haven't seen since I came home, probably in their room I think. I freshened up and went to the kitchen to see her preparing dinner.

She didn't need to say anything I started helping her and it looked like we'll be having a traditional meal today.

I went on to cut the cocoyam into smaller pieces and left it to boil on the stove. "So what happened today?" That's how my mom usually starts her convo. I've learned over the years not to tell her too much or try to joke. She might not take it too well because as I said she's very spiritual.

The last time I told her something funny about someone from school she didn't take it too well and snapped into full prayer warrior and started advising me about things that were not relatable to what I told her, so I don't really tell her much about what's happening in my life and yeah not because of that only. I also realized that when I tell her too much she always I mean always uses that against me so I don't really tell her nothing just the usual "everything was okay, I have lots of homework that's all," she nodded looking satisfied.

We finished dinner and placed everything on the table for dishing. She yelled for my sisters who came down quickly. I prayed over the food and we ate peacefully with my sisters filling us up on what happened in their school making us laugh.

Persis, the one after me packed everything and placed them in the sink and started washing them. I said my goodnights and when to my room to do my assignments.

College hasn't been easy at all, from the assignments to group works and exams it was just not easy. I started getting anxiety after my second semester in school but I couldn't tell anyone especially my mother.

She toiled and worked so hard for me to get to where I am and I wasn't going to take it for granted. I know sometimes she goes to banks for loans that's why I couldn't disappoint her plus she was all I've got and so I had to make her proud.

After my father threw us out of our house, things were not good at all.

It started with us living in a very small apartment with rodents when I was small. My sister does not really remember most of it but I do.

I still remember the shitty woman who cut my mom's ear with a broken bottle and my father just stood there looking at my mom that evening.

He threw our bags out because he had brought in another mistress who my mom tried to fight, but that woman hurt my mom with a broken bottle.

I remember we had to sleep in the hospital that evening because my mom was getting her ear stitched.

My mom and I cried but she stopped after that incident and I've never seen her cry again.

Well she cried when she was praying, that's the only reason I've seen her crying. She managed to pull through with just my sister and I but then she thought of remarrying I guess and got pregnant again with another man but then guess what?

The man left again that's why our youngest came is small; I'm eleven years older than her but my mom thankfully didn't abort and gave birth to her.

Keisha is feisty, I tell you that small girl took everything from my mom especially her hot temper. That's why I don't want to disappoint her. I even got a job so that I could help with the expenses and she still tells me how happy she is for me taking that job.

"Now I can breathe again."

That was her exact words every time she brought that up. Sometimes we fight a lot and she says a lot of hurtful things but then we're still family and I want to help her with everything.

I used to get upset about our situation because I couldn't understand why my father changed.

He was a really cool dad and a rich one too and I made up my mind long time ago that if I were to see him, I'd insult him but then as I grew older, I realized it wasn't worth it.

He left so he should be left alone plus the last time we saw his friend. He told us my father had gambled all his money away together with the huge house he built. I guess karma was working but my mom smiled sadly and said it was God's doing which made a lot of sense.

Since then we've been seeing his friends around a lot, sometimes they come around to greet us and I know they tell him what's happening in our lives but honestly I don't care plus we are good without him.

My hair was in a fist and school was stressing me really hard. It was my fault though instead of me taking the easy courses I wanted to move out of my comfort zone and do something about advertising and marketing.

I didn't want anything to do with journalism because I was literally practicing it. So I sucked it in and did my assignments and sent it to the lecturers but not before praying over it.

My mom always said, "in everything you have thank God and pray about it" and that was what I've been doing since. After checking for the fourth time to see if I sent the work. I read for a while and hopped on my bed to sleep.

I sighed again and whispered, "just two semesters and I'm done" My anxiety every time I step in my room wasn't helping and I didn't want to accept it but it was eating me up every day but I know I could pull through....just two semesters left and I'd be done. I pulled my phone out and went through my social media feed. That always did the trick. I disappeared into darkness before I could think about it.