secrete colors

I sigh again and roll on the bed, burying my head in the pillow. I sigh again for the third time that morning before I checked my android phone for the time, it was 7:4o, twenty minutes to morning devotion, might as well get up now. I stood up and brushed my teeth and washed my face. I picked up my face towel to dry my face as I look at myself in the toilet mirror, looking at my features. I know I’m not ugly, some even call me beautiful-my instagram followers can testify to that. But there’s nothing really special about my face when I look at it. I sigh and drop the towel, pick my phone and devotional and go downstairs. Mom and dad are downstairs already with the TV on and mugs in each of their hands, and knowing them, it’s probably lemon tea.

“Mommy goodmorn’ dad goodmorn’” I never really say morning when I greet, it’s so much work

“Ehen good morning” my mom replies and my dad nods focusing on the news he’s watching

“Is it 8’ already?” my mom asks as she stand up with her now empty mug. I check my phone as I plop myself down on one of the sofas,

“No it’s 7:55, five more minutes” I tell her then go through whatsapp chats replying a few messages, before going to instagram and checking my profile and liking a few post. When Oge comes down, her hair in a messy up do unlike my braided ones and her phone limp in her hands, she scratches her eyes and greets my dad, dropping her phone and devotional on another sofa opposite mine she goes to the kitchen no doubt to make her own lemon tea. They’re obsessed with that stuff in my family. Oge and Chima are back for their school break. Mom comes out of the kitchen the same time the boys come out from their room greetings where exchanged before they sit on the sofa besides daddy, everybody meet nnenna, she’s a full blooded Igbo girl, she’s lived with us for a long time maybe thirteen years, so she’s kind of like a sister, she’s older than Oge and works as a teacher, she comes out from her room with her bible and devotional, when Oge comes out with a steaming mug.

“Eh Ella go and get my bible and devotional” my mom said. So I get up taking two stairs to get to her room, grab her stuff and head back down.

“Whose day is it?” my dad asks switching off the TV and removing his glasses as I hand mom her things.

“It’s Monday so it’s Ogechi, Ogechi it’s your turn” Victor says, getting comfortable on the chair, like he’s planning to sleep.

“Did I tell you I didn’t know?” Ogechi asks as she sips more from her cup

we start singing and morning devotion fully commences.

*

*

“In Jesus’ name we’ve prayed”

“Amen”

“Ella, you know it your day to cook?” Chima asks as he and I stand up at the same time

“No I totally forgot that’s totally not why I’m heading to the kitchen” I retort and inwardly roll my eyes.

“What are you cooking for breakfast?” Victor asks

“I’m just frying egg, you guys can toast your bread if you want to” I tell him and I make a bee line for the fridge in the dining room opposite our parlor and right next to the kitchen, and pick eight eggs

“Don’t fry for me I’ll take peanut butter” Oge says from the couch she’s lying on tapping away at her phone.

“It’s true, I’ll take peanut butter and jam” Victor says too. Okay, fine by me, I drop back two eggs and close the fridge. Heading to the kitchen with six eggs, to prepare breakfast.

*

*

We all eat in the dining room, well except mom and dad who prefer to eat in the parlor. Everyone has lemon tea in their mug except me who’s taking cold milk. As if reading my mind Victor looks at me then smiles

“You’re the only one taking milk” he says, I roll my eyes.

“Thank you Victor, I didn’t know that”

“Ella should we go for a stroll this evening, we can take pictures here and there for instagram” Oge asks with her mouth full with bread. I shrug,

“Yeah okay, I’ll ask Kiki if she wants to come” as soon as I say it, I take my phone from my pocket and text Kiki if she’s free this evening. Kiki is the only neighbor I know that’s my age, I used to know two, but Skyler moved to CanAda. Kiki replies that she’s busy this evening.

“I and Chima are also going out this evening” Victor says dropping his mug down on the table

“We’re going running, they’re not going to be able to keep up” I don’t even bother arguing because he’s right. The last time we went running with the guys I swear I fainted while running, twice. So I just shake my head, and take the final gulp of my milk then I stand up, with my plate and mug

“You guys should not forget to wash and dry your plates” I call out. Today is my day in charge of keeping the kitchen spotless. After I’m done with the dishes I use the door attached to the kitchen and go outside, I see crest under the car as usual with his empty plate not far away. I go back inside and pick a can of dog food and put it in the microwave and go back outside

“hi boy!” as if on command he struggles to get up from his resting spot and comes to meet me panting, I pat his head a little before I let go and start walking around the compound with crest in tow, didn’t take me long before I had reached the end and turned back to go back inside just as I heard the ding of the microwave

“breakfast’s ready boy, let me go and get it” I enter the kitchen and unplug the microwave and taking out crest’s food with my hand wrapped with oven mittens I go back outside and deposit it in his plate and re fill his bowl with water, when I enter Oge’s washing her plate, she looks at me when I enter, well more like glances before she focuses on the plate she’s washing

I was about to leave when she calls me back

“Mm?”

“I was thinking we should match, like white top and black jeans? For the picture?”

“Aiit. I’ll dress for the occasion” then I leave. And go back to my room, thinking about downloading a new novel by my favorite author Eloisa James. I’m in love with historical novels and she’s all about historical novels. Actually I’d read any romance novel regardless of the time period but historical novels are my favorite, I’m a helpless romantic, what can I do? I reach my room, and I jump on my bed, turn on my laptop and snuggle in with lulu my big stuffed teddy dog, she was a birthday gift from my cousin. And my big blanket and I’m all set, I’m not leaving here until I really have to.

I left a lot sooner than I thought by one fifty when my dad called me to come to his room. I ended the call with a sigh and close my laptop and unplug my phone and head out.

“Yes daddy?”

“Come and say hi to your aunty” he says waving his phone in my direction

“Hi… aunty?”

“this is my immediate younger sister, she’s who you’re going to be staying within two weeks’ time” on the phone was a woman’s face with brown bob, and very blue eyes with lines around the edges of her mouth and wrinkles around her eyes, in short she looks like she smiles a lot.

“hi Ella, I’m Maggrette, but you can call me aunt Maggie” when I was younger I remember my friends laughing at a girl named Maggie because that’s the name of the local Nigerian spice but it’s not as funny now.

“Hi Aunt Maggie, it’s nice to meet you” she smiles and her wrinkles deepen, she looks like she’s been laughing for thirty, forty years?

“It’s very nice to meet you too darling, I can’t wait for you to come here” she says

“Well its two weeks so you won’t be waiting long aunty” she laughs and I smile, even my dad looks excited. Then there was noise on her side and she groans a little

“It was nice catching up JJ but I’ve got to go. See you soon Ella” I merely nod distracted by the light blush on my dad’s cheeks.

“I told you not to call me that mags” he grumbles to which she glares

“And I told not to call me that, you make me sound like a pet maggot” my smile grows bigger as Aunt Maggie disconnects the line

“So that’s why you keep your family hidden, you don’t want us to discover the treasure that is your embarrassing names JJ” he laughs and shakes his head

“Oh if only that was the reason” I raise my brows at this why don’t we ever visit or why don’t they visit. As I open my mouth to ask my mom walks in.

{A.N: I’m Nigerian specifically from the igbo tribe so, you’ll see a lot of igbo dialect in this chapter… well not much}

“Orgini?’’ >>What is it? <<she asks and I shake my head and walk away. And walk downstairs to see my siblings watching a movie-horror. Figures.

“You guys are eating indomie (noodles) this afternoon so cook when you’re hungry, I’m going to bathe” the only sign I got that they were listening was the sigh from Victor, nod from Chima and glance from Oge.

“Oge have you had your bath? It’s already two something? Wait when are we going?” I ask her, she pauses the movie ignoring the groans from Chima and Victor as she taps away at her phone before she replies.

“Oh, we’re going at four twenty or so?”

>>hope you enjoyed, the next chapters are going to be suuuuper long so, comment and like and follow, xoxo<<