Life Of Jiji

All Rights Reserved

©2020Tena Ifiemi

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*there's a song for the chapter... I might do this from now😬
It's that 'all I want for Christmas is you' song.

I don't even know the name🤦🏽

Anyways, all I want for Christmas is your votes and comments😊*

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ШΞ GФТ HФMΞ ЯΞΛŁŁЏ  late and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired, I'd started sleeping immediately we got into the Taxify.

Dad came outside and while Mom and Reya hugged him, I pretended to busy myself with getting some stuff out of the car. Dragging out a small bag, I finally walked to the porch.

"Good evening dad." I greeted.

"Good evening, Eji. How was school... and your mini holiday?" He asked the last bit, few seconds after, his eyes flicked to my mom and she looked away.

She didn't tell him?

"It was fine dad." I looked at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking above my head when he spoke to me.

"That's good."

I knew for a fact that there was nobody behind me, so as usual, he just couldn't stand looking at me.

Mom asked me if I wanted to eat but I wasn't hungry. Mom suggested indomie since it was already very late but dad started talking about how it's bad to eat indomie in the night because it takes long to digest and that you might have to end up going through a surgery to get it out...yada yada yada...

Toast with hot chocolate was the next option so Mom and Reya went with that but I opted out. Maybe the plane food was too good. Not. Or I just didn't feel like eating.

My bed called me and I answered. It felt so good being in my room again.

My sanctuary.

I felt safe.

✴✴✴✴✴✴

I woke up by 1:45pm.

I don't know how that's possible, but it was. Mom and Dad had probably gone to work so it had to be only me and Reya in the house. I sighed. It might as well be just one of us in the house.

I remember my childhood with Reya and TJ. We were always laughing and playing with each other. TJ, being the only one among us three who could swim well at the time would go underwater whenever we were at the pool and grab our legs, saying he was a shark.

Me and Reya used to team up against TJ for the remote. It was a fight of Barbie against Lego Batman.

What happened?

You, Jiji. You happened.

I heard a knock at the door and frowned. Mom and dad shouldn't be in the house. It was just me and Reya.

Reya?

"Yeah? Come in." I called out and the door opened.

It was actually Reya.

She walked in and sat at my reading table. I sat up.

"Hey." She greeted with a small smile. I smiled politely back at her. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay." I said, dragging it to sound like a question.

I thought she was mad at me. I thought I had pissed her off at the hospital. And since when did Reya ever want to talk to me?

"How are you?" She asked.

I laughed nervously, "I should be asking you that. You're the one with the shaky health these days."

It was true, Reya has needed her inhaler these days more than I remember. Last time she was like this was years ago, when we were younger. Like, primary school.

Reya smiled, "I'm good. You?"

"I'm alright."

"Sorry for being so annoying at the hospital." She said awkwardly.

I frowned, "What did you do?"

"I was me."

"I don't get it."

"I never try to understand you. We hardly even know anything about each other. You're my only sister and vice versa. We should be able to tell each other stuff na. We used to be close before. I have no idea what happened or where it went wrong but as the big sister I want to try to remedy it."

There was so much silence, you could hear a pin drop.

"Jiji say something na, you're making me feel stupid."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm just confused, I guess. It's like Jesus spoke to you in your sleep last night." I said and she scowled. Deepening my voice, I added; "Oviereya my child, you need to make amends with your only sister Ejiro. Let my will be done."

Reya stared at me for like five seconds and then burst out laughing. I joined in. Her laugh was contagious. The way her face and eyes lit up and the richness of the sound. For a brief moment, I saw the resemblance between us that everyone was always talking about. She was just lighter skinned. I wondered if I looked like she did when she laughed. So pretty.

"You're funny oh, this Ejiro. Abi you said it wasn't Mitchel you were talking to. It was Damian abi? You think I do not see what's going on?" She winked and I blushed.

"What do you mean? What do you you see?"

"Nothing oh." She said with a sly smirk.

"Reya! That's not fair. I don't know what you're seeing oh. Nothing is going on." I said standing up from my bed.

"Are you trying to escape." She laughed, eyes following me.

"I'm going to look for something to eat. I'm hungry." I told her, opening the door.

"It's now you know that you're hungry. Because I brought up Damian. So he makes you hungry ehn?" She teased bursting into full blown laughter.

I folded my arms on my chest and waited until her laughter died down.

"Sorry o madam. Since somebody cannot play with you again." She winked. "Oya come let me do pancake for you. I hope there's still syrup in this house sha."

I don't know how you want to see this, but it's not normal. Very soon TJ would call me to 'check up on me'. This is not right.

"Are you coming?" Reya asked and I noticed that she was already out the door.

I nodded and followed her.

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"Please help me break two eggs into this bowl." Reya said passing me the said bowl. "No need to mix it just break it."

I was about to strike the egg with the fork when Reya screamed my name. I shook in shock, almost dropping the egg.

"What?" I asked, exasperated.

"You're supposed to wash it first." She said and I groaned turning to the sink.

"Ehen, that issue you had with your classmates that time. How did you go about it?" She asked while sifting flour into the mixing bowl. I frowned.

"Can we not talk about that?" I asked nervously.

I felt bad. Reya was trying to be in my life and I was telling her that I don't want to talk about it. But I really couldn't.

I looked up at her and she smiled.

"That's okay, I understand. I just feel guilty, that's all." She didn't look at me when she said this.

"Guilty?" I looked at her confused.

She let out a short laugh. Humourless.

"I was the one that stole someone's boyfriend na." I glanced at her but I didn't say anything. I knew half of the story, from what Mitchel told me.

"Funny how it's the same one I cheated on. I don't even know how I'm going to tell him... I don't want to lose him." She didn't look at me but I heard it in her voice. She was going to cry.

"Reya..." I started, but my ringtone cut me off.

I was going to ignore it but I checked it from the corner of my eye and saw that or was mom.

"I'm sorry, Rey, I've got to take this." I said, picking the call. She nodded and looked away.

"Hello, mom?"

"Ji, how are you?" I heard her sweet clear voice ask.

"I'm fine. Good morning mom."

"Good morning. I said let me check if you guys have finally decided to wake up." I laughed, going out of the kitchen. I don't know how to sit still while making calls.

"Do you know I tried waking up you and Reya? The way you guys were sleeping ehn." She laughed.

This woman.

"It's because it's the first night oh. I'm not allowing this next time. House chores won't do themselves." She said and I smiled.

"Yes mommy." I had reached my room upstairs by now.

"How is your sister? Hope she's fine? Have you people eating anything?"

"Ahn mommy! One question at a time na." I complained. "Reya is fine and she's doing pancakes for us to eat."

"Eh ehn, okay. That's good. Oya let me get back to work. Bye baby. See you later."

"See you."

Since I was already there, I fell unto my bed just before I heard a ping. My heart stopped as I checked my phone. Has my mobile data really been on ever since?!!

Oh my God! It has to be. When last was I online? I opened WhatsApp only to be met with a load of messages.

The one on the very top was an unknown number. Like many others. I tapped it open.

Hey, Ejiro

It's Mitchel.

I suddenly wished I didn't open it. How was I supposed to text him normally, knowing what I knew. And I knew I couldn't tell him. Reya would tell him herself, when she's ready.

My hand was still hovering over the keyboard, not knowing what to type.

How about, 'Hey Mitchel, what's up?'  My subconscious mocked, but he already beat me to it.

You're finally online. How are you? ~M

I'm good. Wbu?
~J

I'm how you left me. As dry as this weather.
~M

😂😂 You just want me to whine you. How can you call yourself dry?
~J

I waited a few seconds but he didn't reply. I saw that he had gone offline. Suddenly remembering that I was supposed to be helping Reya with the pancakes, I saved Mitchel's number and dashed back downstairs.

When I got to the kitchen, I saw that Reya had already finished mixing and had started frying the pancakes. I sighed and went to stand beside her.

"Sorry, it was mom, we were talking for long." I said.

And chatting with Mitchel.

Never have I felt so guilty. I darted my eyes from Reya, afraid that she would see something that would betray me.

"It's okay. I'm almost done sef. You must be hungry. It's..." She trailed off, looking at the clock. "Too late for breakfast."

I laughed. "What's the time?" I asked her, teasing.

"Leave me jare, It's afternoon, that's all I know."

"Reya!" I gasped.

"See, it's not as if I cannot tell the time oh. I just can't do it as quickly as people do. I have to carefully count the numbers and lines you know..."

She wasn't even done when I started laughing. I laughed so long and hard that when I calmed down, she was done trying all the batter.

"Are you done mocking me?" She asked and I nodded.

She scowled and grabbed a plate piling it with pancake and pouring syrup all over it. Done with that, she grabbed the plate and her phone and walked to the parlor.

"Ah ahn Reya, are you not going to put my own?" I called after her.

"Abi you have hand." Was her reply. I laughed and started piling my own plate. My tummy rumbled and I scowled.

It's now that the food is here that you know you want to misbehave.

Reya was staring at her phone when I entered the parlor. Not texting or watching anything, just staring at it. She straightened up and dropped the phone on the table beside her when she noticed me.

"Hey, Reya, umm... Do you want to talk, umm... The..." I stuttered as I took the arm chair adjacent to her and dropped my phone beside hers.

"The Mitchel thing? I'd rather not. Let's talk about you and those boys' heads that you're turning instead." She winked and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Reya..."

"Ejiro."

My phone vibrated on the table and Reya, picked it up without looking probably thinking it was hers. I didn't blame her, since we used the same brand of Samsung.

"Reya it's my own o." I told her when she began to stare at the screen.

She pulled her eyes away from it and looked at me, unshed tears glistening in her dark eyes.

"I begged you Jiji. I begged you. How could you do this to me?" She cried but she didn't raise her voice. She turned back to the phone.

I don't understand. What's she talking about?

I started to stand up and seeing this she beat me to it, dropping my phone back on the table and making to leave. She was quick but I managed to grab her arm. She looked down at my hand on her arm and jerked her arm away from me as if I burned her.

"Don't you dare touch me. I hate you, I swear I hate you. Stay away from me, you hear?" She was crying, her words breaking.

I gasped and stepped back allowing her to leave.

Running to where my phone was, I picked it up causing it to light up. I cursed when I saw what Reya saw.

It was a WhatsApp notification.

I can't believe that she actually cheated on me. After all we've been through!💔
~M

Oh God no.

"Reya!" I called, running to her room.  Eager to explain and not bothering to knock, I turned the handle of the door but it was locked.

"Reya please. Let me explain." I begged but she didn't reply. Didn't even say 'get out' or something of the sort.

"Reya please." I begged, knocking harder.

We were getting along.

For the first time in so many years, I was going to have a sister to talk to and not just the one that stays in the room down the hall.

It couldn't end this way.

The door finally opened and Reya came out, dressed in a purple and white tie dye, baggy shirt and shorts. Her probably red eyes were covered with the white sunglasses she was wearing.

"Reya, I didn't tell him anything. I..."

She cut me off.

"Shut up!" She screamed. "Didn't you say you didn't have his number? But I saw it saved on there. now you want me to believe your contradiction to what i saw with my own eyes? Honestly, the way the lies roll of your tongue baffles me. Do you have an off button somewhere?

"I always wondered what happened. Why we drifted apart. Now, I see it. It was you. You happened."

She said, and of all my heart aches. None had gone this deep. Nothing will ever hurt more.

"I hate you."

And with that she stormed off.

I sank to the floor and my tear glands didn't need to be told twice.

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My babies🤧🤧

Merry Christmas🎄❤❤

My heart is officially broken. My Jiji💔

Do you think Reya was too harsh, or do you think her outburst was justified, despite it being a misunderstanding?

I can't wait for the next chapter!!! Me sef I don't know what will happen😬😂😂

Let's just wait and see 🙂

Who else is like me and Reya, we can tell the time o, but...😬😂😂

Anyways, catch you later🤗

❤ yours truly ❤