...For mother is supreme!

"...A man belongs to his Fatherland when things are good and life is sweet but when there is sorrow and bitterness, he finds refuge in his Motherland, your mother is there to protect you...and that is why we say that mother is supreme" - Chinua Achebe, (Things fall apart).

A last stroke of makeup brush swept ever so lightly across  her fair cheeks to blend in her dull pink blush and she was ready as she assessed her overall facial makeup in her tiny oval mirror attached to her makeup block powder case to ensure it was perfect,

 "How do I look son?"

 She asked me, turning to look at me, I smiled and spurted out "Flawless" as I thought she was the strongest woman I know. Here she is, in a ramshackle of a house, in a room lacking her usual giant mirror and well placed lighting yet not letting her present situation dampen her soul, she still applies makeup and in lieu of her giant mirror, improvised by using a tiny powder case mirror, still looking high in spirit and ready to go, it made me be in awe of her as in a millisecond, memories of the many times she's  shown incredible strength flashed across my eyes, from  moments as a young child when Dad died and she was put in the midst of her sisters-in-law, her hair disheveled and was emotionally and psychologically tortured yet stood her ground and proclaimed her innocence to raising three boys on her own, enrolling back in school with the determination to change her story and make a success of her life, oh! How I remember the struggle or the memories of us eating low quality meals yet coming out with toothpicks in our mouth acting like we've just had a bountifully delicious meal just as I remember her late night cries when she thinks we were all asleep so we won't see her breakdown and how shocked she was as she shivered upon my hands resting on her shoulders to comfort her..I could go on and on.

Cargo cult mentality

"If someone shows you who they are, believe them"- Maya Angelou.

Mom was slightly taken aback by aunt Hubaida's rather commanding tone, demanding that Mom gives her money for her to feed herself and her kids with and for Mom to include enough money for her kids' transport fare to and from school, my lips went agape in shock and I could literally see teeters of anger gradually creasing its way into QT's face as fines lines etched smoothly by the sides of his eyes but we kept our cool and waited for what would be Mom's response, after all, Hubaida is the daughter of her parents (I intentionally didn't call her Mom's sister). A smirk slowly flashed through Mom's lips followed by a deep sigh whilst shaking her head with her face looking down, she looked up to Hubaida with such a stare like she's a cockroach that needs to be fumigated and calmly but bluntly told her she doesn't have any money to give her,

Kimmy phase

The morning was bright, the sun was up and seemed to beam in a smile emoticon manner upon the city, its rays red as it gradually simmered up the earth, everywhere was calm and still, the only bits of noise came from a flock of tiny lemon-coloured birds that chirped noisily outside as they hover between branches of trees that swayed back and forth. It must be around nine am, I was busy having breakfast on the dining table, cutting and dipping chunks of bread into my hot tea before moving the soaked loaf into my mouth whilst staring through the window at our compound when QT sauntered by from his room upstairs and playfully tapped me on my shoulders as he's wont to do to say hello, I gently turned to look at him as I took the last bit of bread into my mouth and said good morning with my mouth full, he gave me a warm smirk and pulled a chair to sit with me, staring intently into my face which instantly made me uncomfortable,

 "Wasup?"

I asked, he nodded affirming he was okay, he then sighed and said he needed to get married, the bombshell of a statement hit me unexpectedly some tea got into my windpipe and came through my nose as I stood up aghast with my face down and my mouth open to breath and calm down,

"Do you want to kill me? What is wrong with you?"