The girl staring at the mirror was very slim,although she hated being called that.Her thick wooly black hair was partially loosened,clean cornrows on one side ,thick wooly hair on the other.
Her face had become rough and itchy from the number of times tears has spilled from red rimmed eyes.
Wearing a freshly pressed uniform,with a loosened tie,her shoulders slumped,she would not be going to school today.
Knock knock
"Moyo ,come out joor",echoed the voice of her older sister ,Tale.
"What good is crying over spilt milk.Come out my fren!"
Freed from her daze by Tale's seemingly harsh words, Moyo rushed to rinse her already wet face with water from the running tap she used to drown her cries.
"I'm coming" she croaked. Taking large deep breaths,she slowly opened the door to find an enraged Tale.
"What is wrong with you eehn?Was Ayo not also asked to stay behind, is he crying? Why must you make our parents feel guilty when you know it isn't their fault,eehn!" She spat effortlessly. Unlike Moyo,Tale never missed a syllable when she was enraged. Infact,her words seemed to flow more eloquently ,in order to create the desired effect,which in most cases was always to hurt her opponent. Moyo on the other hand ,stammered terribly when she was angry,and before she could even pronounce the first syllable correctly , Tale had spat out three sentences. This was what made all three children so different in the eyes of their parents. All three children we're unique in one way but frustratingly similar in others. Both Tale and Moyo were quick to anger,slow to reason and never failed to read meaning into things,even when unnecessary. Ayo on the other hand ,being the only boy, was always quite enduring with his sister's, especially Moyo,who from birth always thought him a spoiled brat,which in reality he was. But so was Moyo, never failing to manipulate her siblings and parents into granting her every whim. She hid under the facade of innocence and calm,when she was anything but. With a much deeper mind than anyone could realise, she carefully planned out strategies to manipulate others with little difficulty.
But today was slightly different,it was one of the rare days where Moyo truly cried, not only because she wanted pity from anyone else or wanted to manipulate someone again. She cried truly out of self pity and shame, wondering what her friends would think of her. This was one of the days she realised she didn't really fit in anywhere she had become accustomed to,except her home ,and even that was debatable.
The school management had sent a notice letter to her parents ,informing them that their wards would not be allowed in school,until the remaining school fee balance was payed. Now this wasn't new to the family,Moyo couldn't even count how many times they had received letters over the past years,each one accompanied with a temporary anxiety. But this time it really hit her because she was in senior secondary class 3 preparing for her waec exams. She couldn't afford to be missing classes and her parents financial situation wasn't making things better. Things weren't always like this. Mr Adebowale who was a former politician ,hit rock bottom when he decided to involve himself in shady deals that left both he and his corrupt peers bankrupt. Thankful he didn't end up in prison instead, he moved his family to the small flat they now live in,got a modest job as a contractor and continued to give glory to God. His wife who had completely given in to the role of a housewife opened a small store with her inheritance from her parents ,selling perishable goods and recharge cards just to see her children survive. Although she was born and bred in a rich family ,she was a modest and devoted mother who was willing to do anything for her children. They lived well in their humble home. Their only difficulty was adjusting to their new way of living. Spend less. Eat more.
Moyo stared quietly as her sister went on and on about how her way of expressing her grief tended to affect others as well. This was also another fact about Moyo which seemed to unnerve Tale. Whenever Moyo was sad,worried or scared,she would sit in a corner,shoulders slumped,eyes glazed with tears and would not talk to anyone ,at least not willingly. But what Tale didn't know was although Moyo tended to fall into depression or something similar to it easily ,she only let you see what she wanted you to see. She was a master at hiding her emotions and only let you in when she knew it would yield effective results,that is,pity. Which in this case was one of the reasons for Moyo's very visible sullen state. Although she knew her parents worked hard and tried there best to pay her fees and meet up with deadlines,she was also aware of their tendency to slack and wait until 'worst case scenario' before paying. But seeing their daughter in such a terrible state would heighten their worry,and yield effective results. Truly she was an evil and manipulative genius,but could you blame her.
"Come oo,are you even listening to me?" Tale's slightly high pitched voice had taken an even tone when the door to their parents room opened slightly. A shadow loomed behind the door and Tale rose two fingers to her lips,indicating Moyo to be silent. Eyes glued to the still open door and the looming shadow behind, Tale whispered to Moyo
"We'll talk about this later, go and remove your uniform, Oya"
Moyo traced the already bright hall to her room. To once again retreat to herself and cry. For the life she once had.
How was it? Don't fail to comment abg give your suggestions.
Thank you;)
