IRENE

"Smile for the camera baby." he said as he took photos. I smiled and he took several shots.

"Wow!" He breathed out when he was done taking the photos. I rushed to his side so I could see the photos he took. I beamed excitedly as he changed the photos. "They're so beautiful!" I breathed out. "No, you're beautiful." he replied earning a toothy grin from me revealed my missing incisors.

"You know what baby, If you become a model when you grow up, you'll make a lot of money and the whole world will know about and they will keep chanting your name 'Irene!!'" He chanted my name causing me to giggle.

He picked me up and twirled. "You will also have so many fans that will want your autograph and want to take pictures with you. You'll be so famous, the whole world will know your name."

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise. "Yes my dear and I'll be the proud father of an award winning model."

"Yes Daddy. I'll have so many fans and so much money!" I said putting my hands across his neck. He gave me a kiss on the cheek. "That's my princess."
He spun me around severally earning short yelps and long rounds of laughter.

~°~°~°~°~

Seated in the quiet cemetery, I could hear the distant sound of that laughter, my laughter. It felt like that part of me had died.

I wiped away a bead of tear that tried to flow down my left cheek hastily and sniffed. "Daddy, today wasn't so great." I started. "I resumed school today, the very first day of my senior year in secondary school didn't go well."

I paused for a while and continued. "You always told me that the whole world would know who I am daddy, but today I met someone that was just hearing about Irene Coker for the very first time. You know, normally, it's either they've heard the name but don't know what I look like or they have seen my picture quite alright but don't know my name. It was so embarrassing today Dad!" I breathed out fiddling with the bunch of red roses in my hands. My dad really loved red roses.

I wiped away the water trail on the tomb stone. In September, it was the raining season. I read out the inscription on the cold but beautifully tiled tomb.

Craig Coker
Born on the 28th day of December, 1985
Died on the 14th day of February, 2011

A small sigh escaped my lips and I placed the neat bouquet of roses on the gravels just beside the black headstone. "I'll be leaving now dad, thanks for giving me your time." with that, I gave the tomb a light kiss and walked out of the cemetery head held high, black shades on, hiding away from the media and paparazzi.

Getting into the car, I ruminated over the activities at the cemetery and sighed, Even in death, I still have a feeling of relief after speaking to him.

•••••

Seated in the living room watching a movie on the TV whilst typing away on my phone and having a quick snack of Pringles potato chips and a glass of smoothie, was a perfect way to spend the evening.

The door creaked open and I snapped my gaze upwards and a smile graced my lips. "Eugenia." I called. "Irene, how have you been?" She asked giving me a small hug and plopping down on the two seater coach by my left hand side.

"How has Uniabuja been?" I asked her and she groaned causing me to giggle. I passed the bowl of chips to her and she gladly accepted it. "Been stressful as always sis."

I nodded my head in understanding "So what brought you here? I mean, you look so exhausted so why didn't you just go to your apartment and rest instead of coming over to see me?" Eugenia was my manager. A dark skinned calabar lady. Gaped tooth, short afro, really endowed and a little bit taller than I am.

"Oh yeah." she said dropping the bowl of chips on the table as though she remembered something. She brought out her phone from her bag and taped on it a few times before looking up at me.

"So you have a modeling contract in about a week or two." I hummed and nodded "Okay, no cheap projects though. You know me." She chuckled. "Of course I know that."

I gave her a thumbs up taking more chips into my mouth and she smiled.
"You're to be modeling for Nivea skin and lip products. Actually it's going to be less of a photoshoot and more of a commercial."

"Tell me more." I said lifting my smoothie glass to my lips. "There are a few more models that will be shooting the commercial with you. I was told that there would be two main models and you're one of them."

"Of course I am." I scoffed. Who would pick some random model over Irene Coker?! "Who's the other though?"

"That, I don't know." she said taping on her phone her brows creased. "What is their pay?" I asked.

A lopsided grin graced my lips when I heard how much they were willing to pay. "It's a deal then. I'll do it."

"Really?" Eugenia asked and I arched a brow. "Yeah duh! They're going to pay me well so why won't I do it. Get the date, time and location for me."

"I will, it will be shot in Lagos though" she said and I nodded. I expected it. I had gone on various modeling trips to Lagos and other parts of the country and also out of the country. I was so used to traveling. "Alright then, I'll be leaving now." She announced and got up. "Alright take care." I said and gave her a side hug. "You too." she said and walked out of the living room and out of the house.

Still seated on the couch, I heard the door open. I knew who it was. I had heard the car pull up in the driveway so I wasn't in any way surprised. "I'm home." she announced in a tired voice.

"I can see that." I said matter of fact-ly taking the last piece of chip in my mouth. She sat down on the couch Eugenia was in moments ago dropping her black designer bag on the coach beside her and struggling to pull off her heels.

"How was your day at school?" She asked. "I didn't see you this morning." I said totally ignoring her question. She seemed too tired to talk about that so she just answered me. "I had to leave early for a board meeting at the office." my mum was a business woman and she had been handling the business pretty well since my dad's demise but it got too much as she buried herself in work totally neglecting her daughters.

"Why are you doing this?" I breathed out. "Doing what?" She asked feigning innocence. "Don't pretend, you know very well what I'm talking about. When I wake up you're gone and you only return when I'm asleep. I only see you once in a while when you come home early like today or during the weekends."

"I'm a really busy woman Demilade."
I cringed at the way she called my tribal name. Being brought up in a british setting, she had the accent oozing off her and my middle name didn't sound so great coming from her.

"That's why you leave me all the time? It's not justified."
"Are you serious! I work my butt all day long to put food on the table and pay your school fees and give you all the luxury of life and you're here complaining. Do you think it has been easy for me?" She snapped.

"I can do all those things you just listed right now with my own money. I make money mother!"

"You're just being an ingrate. What more do you want from me?" She literally screamed. "A mother's attention!" My voice went higher a notch. "A mother's love and care. A mother-daughter bond, that's what I want from you!"

Her tone went down. "You know, ever since your father passed away-"
"Stop it mum!" I yelled. "You're always making excuses. Using dad as an excuse. It's not his fault, he didn't choose to die so early. It's your fault, all your fault. You don't love me!"

She sighed and made to speak but I beat her to it. "And you know what? I don't love you either." I said and made my way up the stairs fuming.

Having successfully made my way into my room, I plopped down on my soft bed and lay there curled up in a ball as sleep found its way to me.

THEODORE

At about 2:30am

I chuckled loudly as I was seated beside the pool with a few friends from school. We were at a pool party one of my friends hosted for his birthday. "Caleb you're just so funny." I said chuckling as Caleb said so many jokes.

I heard bubbling noises and muffled sounds and I looked around but I didn't see anything weird. The party was in full swing and everyone was their normal self but I couldn't help the feeling I got like something was not right. Something was off.

I heard the bubbling sounds again my this time not with the muffled sounds.
"Guys!" Someone I couldn't recognize as a student from our school called as he swam towards where I was seated with a few friends. "There's someone in the pool and it seems like they drowned." he mumbled the last part to himself though I heard it clearly.

I knew my gut feeling was right. I dived into the pool and made for the middle that was were I could sight a figure at. The music was already put off as every one watched in horror.

On getting there, I pulled the almost stiff body and started swimming back but something made me stop dead in my tracks. Familiar dress, familiar hairdo and a bracelet that spelled THEODORE.

Realization hit me and I swam faster to the end of the pool. Some other people helped to revive her as she had already passed out but she didn't move. Body cold, eyes snow white, smile wavered, I stared into space screaming. "No! No! No!"

I felt shaken all over and I fluttered my eyes open. My mum was seated beside me. "What's wrong? We heard you scream." My dad walked in and stood beside my bed.

I looked from my mum to my dad. "Tell us son, what is the matter?" My dad added wearing a worried look on his face. His look mirrored my mum's.

"The nightmares. I had the nightmare tonight." I simply said and that was enough to give my parents horrified looks.

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Word count:1839